Former employees break silence on life inside youth correctional facilities

The State Socio-educational Centre (CSEE), sometimes colloquially referred to as the 'youth prison' in Luxembourg, houses minors who can no longer live at home or who have become serious criminal offenders.

As CSEE employees are sworn to professional secrecy, not much about daily life inside the respective facilities is known. However, our colleagues from RTL recently spoke to five former employees from different sites, all remaining anonymous, about their first-hand experiences. And they are rather shocking to say the least.

A drug hot spot

Cannabis consumption is allegedly a daily habit among CSEE detainees. "Dreiborn in particular has become like a district in Marseille", says one of the former employees. "Young people carry their joint in their hand or in their pocket, smoke in front of personnel, and don't even hide anymore."

Detainees are believed to no longer be afraid of consequences. Some say that drug deals are not only happening between youths, but also between them and staff members. "And when we catch them, we are told from above to let them go about their business, let them smoke. Everything along the lines of avoiding confrontation", argued another ex-employee.

Drugs allegedly make it inside the facility through outside contacts who simply throw things over the low exterior walls. If a detainee is searched, the process is described as often being carried out halfheartedly: "We see that a young person puts a joint in their pocket. They are then called up for a search by certain people after which I was told not to be present, that they would take care of it. Shortly thereafter that same young person comes outside, takes the joint out of their pocket, and lights up. You just cannot tell me that this was a simple oversight."

And according to reports, what is said about drug trade inside the facilities also affects sexual behaviour.

Intercourse between detainees and staff

Most young detainees at the CSEE are going through or already have gone through puberty. That sexual behaviour can represent an issue is therefore not surprising. The Schrassig site in particular is said to have not been repressive on that front. Initially, the site was only meant to house girls, but the facility has also temporarily taken in boys, which led to regular intercourse and at times relationships between detainees.

"But that is actually not the main problem", one former employee told our RTL colleagues. "The young people for whom we care often come from unstable families. We once had a young couple in our facility who were then placed in the residential group in Schrassig. They shared a room with a double bed. Naturally, the girl then became pregnant. A number of educators did not approve of the decision, but at least they are being cared for was the response. After the birth of the child, they separated of course and the young father became addicted to drugs. With that decision yet another child was born into an unstable family."

Sex and relationships are not only common between detainees, in recent years the number of cases between them and personnel is said to have gone up.

Rumour has it that detainees exchanged nude pictures of female educators, but that still represents a mild case. One of the security guards started a relationship with a detainee and allegedly continued even after he was released. "One educator even became pregnant from a boy", conveyed one former employee.

Yet another female educator allegedly had an affair with a 16-year-old detainee for whom she was supposed to be the confidante. According to reports, she repeatedly spent hours inside his room, gave him presents, and even hid him inside her home when he escaped from the facility. "She also visited him when he was in solitary although regulation states that we are only allowed to visit a detainee when there is at least two of us for security reasons", a former employee stated.

Another of the interviewees corroborated this report: "The young people openly discussed it and it came out that the educator in question also got closer with other boys. Text and even video messages between the boys and the educator came to light."

Over time, more of these stories came out and staff members began complaining to the directorate, but without success. The educator in question reportedly still works at the CSEE.

How does the directorate react?

"If the directorate has become aware of these stories or if there is tangible evidence, then we get an email telling us that there has been an incident and that the directorate is aware of it. The email then usually reminds us of the professional secrecy and that we shouldn't discuss these matters in public", noted one former employee.

A number of staff members apparently still forwarded information to the judicial police. The prosecutor's office confirmed that they did in fact treat a case involving a sexual relationship between an educator and a 16-year-old in Dreiborn in 2021. However, the case was put aside due to doubt around the allegation.

Drugs the 'biggest opponent'

The directorate is not denying that there is a drug trade, particularly cannabis, going on inside their facilities. On the contrary, "drugs are our biggest opponent", says Joëlle Ludewig, deputy director of the CSEE.

Many minors inside the facilities consume drugs, which is believed to often stand in relation with their traumatic experiences. Most of them are resorting to cannabis as a means of temporary relief or to get their emotions under control and wind down.

Nevertheless, the CSEE is taking a clear stance against drugs: "If we see someone with illegal substances, then we confiscate them and forward them to the police. That is also retained in a written report for the magistrate."

The CSEE is taking both a disciplinary and an educational approach to such incidents, meaning detainees risk being put in isolation for instance. Educator Yannick Gomes is focusing on offering up alternatives for reducing stress or dealing with emotions: "There are situations where a boy might tell me that he actually wants to consume, so I take him out running, which might show him that this is also a way of relaxing and an alternative. But this is often a lengthy process. You cannot force anyone to stop from one day to another."

Gomes elaborated that it is equally important to react when a detainee refrains from consuming and show them the difference in behaviour. Urine samples are tested on a regular basis, mostly to determine whether a youth is consuming more or less than regularly. In severe cases, they are referred to psychiatric institutions to start rehabilitation.

Furthermore, detainees are being searched when returning after a weekend to prevent them from bringing more drugs into the facilities. The directorate occasionally asks the police to carry out searchers with canine units, in which cases every single room is turned upside down.

Labour rights and the presumption of innocence

The directorate deems the alleged sexual relations on site as highly unprofessional: "If it happens and we find out about it, then we react immediately. We do not tolerate this type of behaviour. But, one also has to understand that there is a presumption of innocence. We cannot do anything concrete unless there is evidence or a verdict."

Directorate officials say they always seek to open a dialogue with affected staff and forward all relevant information to the police. If there is a case such as the one from 2021, which the court had to put aside due to a lack of evidence, then there is nothing else they can do.

"You also have to consider that there are labour rights. You cannot fire somebody based on rumours", explains Gilles Dhamen from Ministry of Education, Children and Youth.

CSEE officials further note that there was another case of a sexual relationship between a minor and a staff member, which the latter admitted. She was then suspended and later handed in her resignation. The directorate denies that such cases are simply being ignored.

"Of course every staff member is only human. But, there are limits. Some for instance think it's okay to give presents to detainees, shoes for example, as they mean well. We however believe that this already goes too far", said Ludewig.

As for the allegations of not carrying out searches properly, the directorate denies these and notes that staff undergo specific training for body searches. They also underline that there are specific regulations to protect youths when they have to remove all their clothes for an in-depth inspection.