When news broke earlier this year that 30 officers at a Los Padrinos juvenile detention facility were charged with facilitating “gladiator }fights between youth inmates, it evoked scenes straight out of “Gladiator II.’ But this is the United States, not ancient Rome. And this is real life, not cinema.

According to California Attorney General Rob Bonta, in the case of Los Padrinos, the officers wanted the fights “to happen at the beginning of the day, in a certain time, in a certain place, a space and a time was created for the fights, and the plan was for the fights to happen.” Video footage even shows one juvenile being attacked by others one at a time, while officers stand by watching, laughing and shaking hands.

Unfortunately, abuse in juvenile detention centers is not unique to California, nor is it unique to these types of fantastical abuse situations. As disturbing as this specific incident is, it is only one piece of a much broader and more insidious national trend in juvenile detention facilities. While the allegations of gladiator fights are nothing to ignore, we can’t risk missing the forest for the trees.

Significant legal reforms sparked by the #MeToo movement — especially extended statutes of limitations — have brought to light a disturbing pattern of sexual abuse in juvenile detention centers. The scale and systemic nature of abuse is eerily reminiscent of the crisis that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades.

The most recent Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) survey found that 7.1% of youth in detention centers reported sexual abuse — more than three times the rate in adult facilities. Of course, this number also only captures those cases that juveniles choose to report. Given that between 55% and 70% of children who experience sexual abuse do not disclose this information until far later in life, the real number is likely even greater.

The cascade of lawsuits emerging from more than a dozen states has had dramatic effects on communities that are learning about the scale of this abuse in their backyards. It is also impacting governmental budgets in profound ways. In Los Angeles County alone, nearly 7,000 claims of sexual abuse in juvenile detention facilities dating back to 1959 were just settled last month, to the tune of $4 billion. Yes, that is “billion,” with a b. For context, the entire budget of L.A. County for 2024-25 totals $45.6 billion, putting the settlement on its own at nearly 10% of that. It is even being referred to as the county’s “most serious fiscal challenge in recent history.”

Once lawsuits are settled, though, the question still remains: How does the state address these problems to avoid such awful circumstances in the future? For California, the answer may be especially complex. A full reckoning requires investigations to understand the true scope, origins and drivers of the problem, which may be challenging given state confidentiality laws for juveniles.

Regardless, there are multiple things the state can do in the meantime to address the problem proactively. For example, incentivizing reporting, filing criminal charges, updating technology, implementing transparency measures, raising hiring standards and downsizing the detention system overall can all provide meaningful ways to both mitigate the likelihood of abuse, and respond swiftly when it does occur.

Such incentives for reporting, like whistleblower protections and dedicated abuse hotlines outside of the institution where abuse occurred, as well as assurances that responsible staff are held criminally accountable, can help dramatically in increasing reporting rates of abuse.

Furthermore, improved video monitoring or even body cameras for correctional officers, and better collection, breakdown and release of data relating to abuse would go far in both preventing as well as understanding patterns of abuse where they may be occurring, before these problems get too out of hand.

Whether for moral or fiscal reasons, solving this crisis is not optional — it’s essential. California’s juveniles, and the integrity of its justice system, demand nothing less.

Sarah Anderson is the associate director of the criminal justice and civil liberties program at the R Street Institute.