Two young women say in a lawsuit they and other girls were abused, neglected, humiliated and deprived of health care, education and basic hygiene in 2022 at the state-run juvenile detention center in Adair County. 

Among their claims: Detention center staff often exposed girls’ nakedness “to members of the opposite sex, either through conducting the forcible removal of clothing or by withholding clothing while in view of employees and other detainees,” the suit alleges. “Male staff regularly conducted cell checks on girls detained without clothing.” 

Also, youths were locked in isolation for weeks despite mental and physical health ailments that should have discouraged the use of extended “lockdowns,” according to the lawsuit filed digitally Monday.