Teen boys sent to the Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center in Kearney (YRTC-Kearney) are in the care of the State of Nebraska. Yet a state watchdog found that 37 boys there made sexual abuse-related allegations against 19 staff members, and that the center’s culture let abuse happen. Governor Jim Pillen and the Nebraska Legislature can act now by placing the center under independent outside oversight until the kids there are safe.

The Inspector General of Nebraska Child Welfare released those findings earlier this year. Since then, at least two federal lawsuits have been filed. The newest, filed this week, names 10 state employees, from frontline staff to the official who oversaw all of Nebraska’s youth centers. It alleges that boys who spoke up about abuse were often not believed, were blamed, and were even punished with isolation, while investigations went nowhere. It also claims staff ignored federal Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) standards that exist to protect young people in custody. These claims have not yet been proven in court, and the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has said it cannot discuss pending lawsuits.

According to the complaint, juvenile public defenders and others warned DHHS, and the agency ignored them. When the same system accused of not listening is also in charge of fixing itself, families have little reason to trust the result.

Independent oversight would mean an outside monitor with full access to the center, the power to review every abuse report, and regular public updates on whether federal safety standards are being met. Keeping kids in state custody safe is not a partisan issue. It is a basic duty.

Sign the petition to tell Governor Pillen and the Nebraska Legislature to put YRTC-Kearney under independent oversight before another child is harmed.