Attorneys say the alleged criminal acts took place at juvenile boot camps.
Attorneys representing hundreds of women who say they were abused at county-operated juvenile boot camps say a number of the accused abusers have been identified but never arrested or prosecuted. The attorneys are now calling for a federal investigation.
"Who, what, when and why is nobody going to jail?" asked attorney John Manly.
It's the question that hundreds of survivors who claim they were sexually abused while in the custody of the L.A. County Department of Probation want answered.
"The abuse was wide-ranging. The perpetrators, for the most part, have been identified, and there have been no criminal charges brought," Manly said.
The alleged abuse spans more than three decades, happening at county-operated juvenile boot camps.
Hundreds of women say they were children -- between the ages of 12 and 17 -- when they became victims.
Attorneys representing more than 200 women say most of their clients were abused at the now-closed detention facility Camp Joseph Scott. The girls-only boot camp opened in 1987 and was touted as a facility to rehabilitate at-risk youth.
"Instead, what we've seen in these cases is that in L.A. County, the children in L.A. that were sent to juvenile halls or the detention centers essentially became kids in cages and captive prey for the most prolific sexual abusers," said attorney Courtney Thom.
The attorneys say a number of current and former deputy probation officers have been accused of sexual abuse, but have not been charged.
"The purpose of this is simply to, if possible, there are criminal charges that could be brought federally. Great. But the people of the state, and the people of our country, and especially the survivors deserve to know how this happened," Manly said.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has asked a judge to place L.A. County's juvenile halls under receivership and appoint a court officer to take over operation of the facilities.