New York [US], November 3: One of the largest juvenile detention centers in the U.S. State of Louisiana is facing an inquiry, after The New York Times documented years of torment and lenient oversight and a surge in suicide attempts there, the media outlet reported on Tuesday.
"We're going to take a hard look and see what is happening there," Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said on Monday, noting the state would examine "what actions, if any, we need to take" to protect children at the Ware Youth Center.
The document was based on thousands of pages of state records and court documents and interviews with more than 100 people who were previously held at Ware or who have worked there, the New York Times reported.
In all, 42 people held at Ware over the last 25 years described being sexually abused by staff members; 30 employees were identified through interviews and records as having sexually abused children at Ware over that time, said the report, noting a majority of those interviewed said that guards had routinely punished, degraded or inflicted pain.
Source: Xinhua
