Congresswoman Representing Glen Mills Introduces Juvenile Abuse Bill

Juvenile Law Center, a national children’s nonprofit organization, along with the Education Law Center, a state advocacy group, have filed a class-action lawsuit against the Glen Mills Schools on behalf of former students.

Scanlon’s bill would allow children to more easily file lawsuits while they are currently held at the facilities where they are experiencing abuse.

Jessica Feierman, senior managing director of Juvenile Law Center, said it’s rare for children in juvenile programs to pursue legal action because they are terrified of retaliation. Some of them don’t have knowledge or the literacy skills required to follow a formal grievance procedure.

“Young people were written into this law," she said, “but it wasn’t written with them in mind.”