Edward Scanlon IV alleges in his lawsuit that juvenile inmates were forced to fight each other while corrections officers watched.
Corrections officers allegedly made juvenile inmates fight for their entertainment in 2012, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court this year.
Cumberland County Juvenile Detention Center (file photo) Edward Scanlon IV was 15 when he was being held at the Cumberland County Juvenile Detention Center in March 2012. Now 20 years old and living in Middlesex County, Scanlon claims he was subjected to physical and psychological abuse while at the detention center.
The lawsuit was filed in Cumberland County Superior Court in March 2016 but was ultimately moved to federal court in July. The lawsuit names then-executive director Valeria Lawson and Deputy Director Felix Mickens of the New Jersey Juvenile Justice Commission, Cumberland County Warden Bob Balicki, and division heads Veronica Surrency and Michael Batuzza of the Cumberland County Juvenile Detention Center.
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The state Office of the Attorney General, representing Mickens, and Haddonfield-based attorney Patrick Madden, representing the Cumberland County officials, declined to comment on the lawsuit. Kevin Flood, the attorney representing Scanlon, also declined to comment.
According to the lawsuit, Scanlon was forced to fight other inmates in Cumberland County Juvenile Detention Center for the entertainment of the corrections officers from March 2, 2012, to March 5, 2012. Due to the fighting, Scanlon claims to have suffered serious injuries and was even tripped by the guards. Scanlon was also refused medication for mental and behavioral disabilities with which he was previously diagnosed.
The news was first reported by open public records advocate John Paff on one of his blogs.
The Cumberland County Juvenile Detention Center was shut down in 2015 as a cost-saving measure for Cumberland County. Juvenile offenders are now sent to Burlington County's facility.
The lawsuit demands a trial by jury.
Don E. Woods may be reached at dwoods@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @donewoods1. Find NJ.com on Facebook.