July 14, 2025 - by Herman Law
A wave of lawsuits and investigations has exposed what attorneys and advocates describe as a culture of systemic sexual abuse at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn, Oregon’s largest youth detention center.
At least ten former residents have filed suit against the Oregon Youth Authority (OYA), alleging they were sexually abused as children by MacLaren’s longtime lead doctor, Edward Gary Edwards, between 2000 and 2008. The doctor, now deceased, was allegedly so well-known for abuse that staff and youth referred to him as “Dr. Cold Fingers.” According to the lawsuits, staff even used threats of being sent to him as a form of punishment.
In a separate case, Emily Echtenkamp, a former mental health and drug‑treatment counselor at MacLaren, pleaded guilty to custodial sexual misconduct and was sentenced to five years in prison after engaging in sexual acts with a teen in her care.
Multiple other lawsuits accuse OYA staff of grooming youth with drugs and nude photos. Some staff were allegedly known to smuggle contraband into the facility and subject teens to abuse while supervisors looked the other way.
Following news of a backlog of thousands of unreviewed abuse reports, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek fired OYA Director Joe O’Leary earlier this year. The Marion County District Attorney has since launched a grand jury investigation, citing more than 100 criminal incidents reported from MacLaren in just the past year—including assaults, contraband, and sexual misconduct.
“The alleged sexual abuse of thousands of juveniles in state custody is horrifying and should never have happened. The culture of abuse in our corrections system must change,” said Oregon State Representative Christine Drazan.
At Herman Law, we stand with survivors. Our firm exclusively represents victims of sexual abuse. If you or a loved one suffered abuse at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Oregon, or any Oregon Youth Authority facility, we are here to help you understand your rights and take action.
Call our team for a free confidential case review. Let Herman Law fight for you.
Herman Law does not represent any plaintiffs in the cases mentioned in this post.
Sources:
OPB. (2025, April 18). More allegations at Oregon youth detention center paint a picture of systemic abuse. Oregon Public Broadcasting. https://www.opb.org/article/2025/04/18/maclaren-youth-correction-facility-systemic-abuse/
OPB. (2025, June 17). Marion County DA says complaints at Oregon youth facility are ‘overwhelming’; convenes grand jury to investigate. Oregon Public Broadcasting. https://www.opb.org/article/2025/06/17/marion-county-district-attorney-oregon-youth-facility-maclaren-grand-jury/
KATU Staff. (2025, May 16). Oregon Youth Authority faces $51M lawsuit alleging sexual abuse of incarcerated boys. KATU News. https://katu.com/news/local/oregon-youth-authority-faces-51m-lawsuit-alleging-sexual-abuse-of-incarcerated-boys
FOX 12 Staff. (2025, March 3). Former Oregon Youth Authority counselor sentenced to five years in prison for sex with youth in custody. KPTV News. https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/03/mental-health-counselor-gets-5-year-prison-term-for-sex-with-teen-in-youth-prison.html
This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by an attorney at Herman Law, with legal experience in helping victims of sexual abuse.
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