Two former residents of a juvenile treatment center located in Cresson until it closed in 2015 are suing the Massachusetts corporation that operated the facility, claiming they were victims of sexual abuse by the agency’s staff.

The lawsuit, filed by Pittsburgh attorney Jason E. Luckasevic, was on behalf of people who are now adults but were in the facility that housed up to 52 at-risk juveniles from 2008-2015.

The state of Pennsylvania contracted with the Justice Resource Institute in Needham Heights, Mass., to operate the facility located at 251 Correction Road, Cresson, not far from the former Cresson State Correctional Institution, which itself was closed after an investigation by US Dept. of Justice.

The DOJ concluded that the state prison violated the rights of inmates with serious mental health issues and disabilities by holding them in isolation “for months, even years at a time.”

Cresson SCI was closed under the administration of former Governor Tom Corbett.

That DOJ investigation was completed in 2013.

Two years later, the Pennsylvania Department of Health and Human Services ended its relationship with the Juvenile Resource Institute, closing the Cresson facility.

This lawsuit was originally filed in the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny.

It lists two plaintiffs seeking monetary damages in excess of $50,000 for each of six counts accusing JRI of negligent operation of the center, negligent hiring of staff and negligent supervision of staff.

The plaintiffs are not named but are referred to by their initials.

The lawsuit indicated that the use of initials is to protect the identities of the victims.

The names of the alleged perpetrators are not listed either.

One of the victims alleges that he was repeatedly sexually assaulted by a supervisor at the facility.

The other victim stated that a female staff member abused him on a daily basis.

She would expose herself to him, force him to touch her, and perform sexual acts on her.

These incidents would take place in various locations, including a cleaning closet and his room.

A second woman sexually abused the victim, she is accused.

“The defendants knew or should have known” that the children at the Cresson center were victims of sexual assault, the lawsuit states.

But he also speculated why the victims themselves were reluctant to report what was happening.

One victim, for example, noted that she was physically threatened if she disclosed the abuse.

Also, “the perpetrators used their positions of authority over Plaintiffs, as Agents of Defendants (JRI), to manipulate and calculatedly groom Plaintiffs during the time Plaintiffs were juvenile detainees at Cresson “, it was claimed.

The plaintiffs’ petition went on to report the alleged abuse at the Cresson facility caused the victims to suffer long-term effects that included emotional distress, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.

“Children who are sexually abused in juvenile detention centers like Cresson rarely file complaints against staff because of fear of retaliation or knowing they won’t be believed,” the lawsuit continued.

It also noted that staff who learn about incidents tend to “look the other way and allow it to continue”.

The lawsuit concluded that “according to a 2010 US Department of Justice report, 13 percent of youth in juvenile facilities are sexually abused, most often by facility staff.”

The same report said: “The Cresson Secure treatment facility had some of the highest rates of sexual victimization reported by young inmates, three times the national average.”

The case was transferred from Allegheny County to Federal Court at the request of the Justice Resource Center.

The defendant (JRI) is represented by attorney Nancy R. Winschel of the Pittsburgh law firm of Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote.

It was originally assigned to Judge Kim R. Gibson, who presides in Johnstown, but on Thursday, the case was reassigned to Chief Western District Judge Mark R. Hornak.

The Justice Resource Institute has agreed to file a response to the allegations by December 13.

Neither attorney could be reached for comment Friday.

JRI is a nonprofit organization that provides services to high-risk adults and juveniles, according to its website.