Concord Ledger

New Hampshire’s state-run juvenile detention center is under fire after ten of its former workers were indicted on sexual assault and accomplice charges, according to the Associated Press.

“We will not stop until everyone involved with these heinous crimes is brought to justice. Investigators are working around the clock to ensure every last person is held accountable,” Gov. Chris Sununu (R) posted on Twitter July 28.

More than 300 men and women have come forward with allegations of abuse and misconduct incidents involving 150 staffers, taking place over a span of more than a decade, from 1994 to 2007, according to WCAX3.

An 11th suspect was arrested in April but hasn’t been given an indictment, the Associated Press reported. A total of 97 indictments were declared, with one defendant’s charges dropping from 33 to 23 and others receiving additional charges.

So far, the investigation has collected nearly 730,000 juvenile records linked to the facility, including daily logbooks and other documents from the 1990s. As they continue to gather evidence from the facility, the state has granted prosecutors permission to share the records with defense lawyers.

Judge N. William Delker expressed his belief that the institution’s atmosphere facilitated the abuse, exuding a “deep-seated culture of abuse and silence.”   

“These defendants learned from their supervisors that it was acceptable to inflict abuse on the children within their care,” Delker wrote, according to the Associated Press. “The regimented nature of the Youth Facilities and the system of discipline, isolation and control used on juveniles within the custody of DHHS (Department of Health and Human Services) reinforced a culture of silence.”

An example of the alleged abuse was David Meehan’s testimony. The defendant sued the Sununu Youth Services Center last year, accusing several former staff members of raping and beating him in the late 1990s. The attorney general’s office referred to his lawsuit as “contributory negligence,” stating that some of his claims are barred, resulting from the staff’s obligation to maintain order.