Investigation Alleges Nearly 25 Years of Abuse
According to an August 2020 investigation by The Philadelphia Inquirer, Devereux staff sexually assaulted at least 41 different children over the last 25 years at facilities across eight different states.
As a result of this investigation, the Philadelphia Department of Human Services and Community Behavioral Health (DHS) conducted its own inquiry. After six weeks, the department removed 53 children from Devereux facilities, with 34 still remaining – primarily at the parents’ request.
Additionally, in Pennsylvania alone 20 Devereux staff members have been charged with physical abuse of 18 children between the company’s three locations in Chester County.
Even worse–
In some instances, other staff members watched the abuse unfolding and did nothing to stop it.
Interestingly, Leah Yaw, Devereux’s Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, has acknowledged that more of its staff have been arrested for abusing patients than those at other providers. According to Yaw, this was due to “our really excellent use of video and reporting and catching incidents and being able to provide evidence so that when people need to be prosecuted, they are successfully prosecuted.”