KING COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Nearly 200 people are suing the state of Washington over allegations of widespread abuse within its juvenile detention centers.

The lawsuit, filed on Thursday, Sept. 5 in King County Superior Court details a history of sexual and physical abuse of minors in state-operated facilities from the 1960s through the 2020s.

The 188 plaintiffs claim that the state and several of its agencies were aware of the ongoing abuse but failed to take action to protect the victims. The complaint names 19 juvenile prisons, detention facilities and foster homes where the abuse occurred under state supervision.

The majority of the facilities are located in western Washington, with the nearest one being the Indian Ridge Youth Camp near Arlington, though it has since been demolished.

It comes after the Seattle Times reported the state paid over $2 million to 10 plaintiffs in 2021 who sued the state, claiming they were sexually abused while in the Green Hill School in Chehalis.

Gov. Jay Inslee’s office declined to comment on the case but says the governor “cares deeply about the well-being of young people in the state’s care.”