Key takeaways from this investigation
For decades, allegations of child abuse and employee misconduct have swirled around Chicago’s juvenile detention center. But on Thursday, a Cook County judge will begin proceedings in a rare trial of a former employee accused of physically harming a child at the facility.
Kevin Walker, 58, a former rapid response team specialist at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, is facing felony charges of aggravated battery and official misconduct for allegedly injuring a child at the facility in December 2023. This is the first time in more than a decade that a current or former employee has been criminally charged with hurting a child at the detention center…