WASHINGTON — Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon is demanding that the Trump administration terminate federal contracts with juvenile detention facilities that have documented histories of child abuse, singling out a $9.2 million contract awarded to Abraxas Alliance by the Office of Refugee Resettlement in August 2025.
In a March 6, 2026, letter, Wyden pointed to what he described as a “decades-long trail of allegations of sexual and physical abuse against children” at facilities operated by Abraxas Alliance and its affiliate, Abraxas Youth & Family Services. The senator called it unconscionable that taxpayer dollars continue to flow to organizations with such records.
$4 Billion Los Angeles Settlement Underscores Scale of Crisis
The push comes amid a national reckoning over sexual abuse in juvenile detention. In April 2025, Los Angeles County approved a $4 billion settlement to resolve more than 6,800 sexual abuse claims tied to juvenile facilities and foster care — the largest aggregate payout in U.S. history. The settlement covered allegations spanning decades and involved multiple facilities and programs operated by or on behalf of the county.
Elsewhere, Pierce County, Washington, faces 132 sexual abuse claims linked to Remann Hall, a former juvenile detention center where detainees allege they were sexually abused by staff from the 1980s through the 2000s. In Oregon, a December 2025 grand jury report identified “cascading failures” at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility, including uncontrolled contraband, gang-related violence, inadequate staffing, and conditions that enable sexual abuse.
BRIDGES for Kids Act
Wyden introduced the Better Results through In-community Delivery, Greater Enforcement, and Stronger Services (BRIDGES) for Kids Act in December 2025, building on the findings of his committee’s 2024 “Warehouses of Neglect” investigation. That probe documented widespread abuse and neglect at youth residential treatment facilities across the country, finding that children were subjected to physical, sexual, and verbal abuse; inappropriate restraints and seclusions; unsafe and unsanitary conditions; and a lack of necessary behavioral health care and educational support.
The BRIDGES Act would establish federal minimum standards for youth residential facilities, require regular inspections, create a national reporting database for incidents of abuse and neglect, and give the Department of Justice authority to investigate and sue facilities that violate children’s civil rights.
Scale of Youth Confinement
On any given day, roughly 27,000 children and teenagers are held in juvenile detention centers across the United States, according to the Prison Policy Initiative’s 2025 Youth Confinement report. More than 13,000 allegations of sexual victimization in juvenile facilities were documented between 2007 and 2018, with approximately 55 percent of alleged incidents involving facility staff abusing youth. In 75 percent of staff-on-youth cases, the perpetrators were female staff members and the victims were male youth.
Youth who report abuse frequently face retaliation, according to researchers and advocates. Many survivors have described threats, physical harm, or placement in solitary confinement after coming forward — creating a cycle of silence that allows abuse to continue unchecked.
Bipartisan Concern, Uncertain Path Forward
While concern about juvenile detention conditions has drawn some bipartisan support, the BRIDGES Act faces an uncertain path in the current Congress. Lawmakers in 18 states introduced bills in 2025 aimed at giving child sexual abuse survivors more time to seek justice through extended statutes of limitations, but federal legislation has moved more slowly.
Wyden has asked the administration to respond by March 31, 2026, with a plan for reviewing all active federal contracts with juvenile facilities that have documented histories of abuse.
For more coverage of juvenile justice issues, visit Jail411 Policy & Reform.
