The same month officials released a critical report on dire conditions inside New York’s juvenile lockups, a psychologist has been arrested on charges that she sexually assaulted eight youth held in state custody.
The arrest of a mental health professional who works inside a youth residential facility involves Maya Hayes, 46. She has been arraigned in a Columbia County Court, and faces 65 counts of sexual assault and rape alleged to have occurred at the Brookwood Secure Center in the town of Claverack. The psychologist has pleaded not guilty and was released on bail under supervision.
“The children housed at Brookwood deserve to be housed in a safe environment without being sexually assaulted by staff,” Columbia County District Attorney Chris Liberati-Conant said in a public statement. “Unfortunately, Dr. Hayes took advantage of her position of trust and authority to sexually assault multiple minors in her care over the course of several years.”
Hayes’ attorney, Kevin O’Brien, spoke highly of his client in a phone call with The Imprint today.
“From my meetings with her, she’s a trained professional, and she comes across as a woman with integrity,” he said. “I’ll be interested to see what the investigation shows.”
O’Brien said he has yet to see the evidence that investigating agencies have amassed, but noted his surprise at the number of charges his client faces. The attorney stated he has represented “a few clients that were accused of things out of that facility,” and he has “not been very impressed with the process that they adhere to.”
Brookwood is among the juvenile facilities housing young people up to age 21 who have been adjudicated for more serious crimes including robbery or homocide. The Columbia County District Attorney’s Office states that Hayes’ alleged victims were her patients, ages 16 through 18, who survived sexual assaults between Nov. 1, 2020 and late 2022.
Chief Assistant District Attorney Cheryl Botts, who is leading the investigation, stated Monday that prosecutors became aware of the case following the discovery of contraband at the facility, but did not elaborate. The case has only just hit the courts and no public defense has been presented. But if found guilty on the current charges, Hayes could face a maximum sentence of 16 months to four years per count, served consecutively.
Karen Male, a spokesperson for the state Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), which oversees the facility, said in a statement that officials acted quickly after learning of the alleged incidents.
“Upon discovery of these deeply troubling allegations, OCFS removed Dr. Hayes from the facility and took measures to support impacted youth,” Male stated.
According to prosecutors, the case was under investigation and evidence was gathered for a year. The inquiry involved the state’s child welfare agency, the Justice Center for the Protection of People With Special Needs, and the New York State Police. Hayes was initially placed on unpaid leave, authorities said, but was later paid as the investigation wore on. Public records show she has been employed by the child welfare agency as an associate psychologist since 2018 and earned $95,973 in 2023.
In a statement, the Justice Center, a state watchdog agency, pointed to the severity of the case, and also to the potential suffering of the survivors.
“In creating the Justice Center, New York established the strongest protections in the country for individuals with special needs, including those receiving services at youth detention centers,” the statement notes. “We must ensure justice is served for these young victims, and we will use every method within our power to hold Ms. Hayes accountable for her actions.”
A spokesperson for the state police, Aaron Hicks, told The Imprint his agency assisted in following all leads, collecting physical evidence and interviewing victims and witnesses.
O’Brien, the suspect’s attorney, calls the credibility of many of the youth in the facility, “suspect at best.”
As his firm prepares to negotiate on the felony charges his client faces, he asks “anybody who’s looking into this to reserve judgment until we see everything.”
During the same period of time the sexual abuse is alleged to have occurred, the state’s nine “residential centers” — which include low- and high-security juvenile lockups for youth ages 12 to 21 — were under examination by the state comptroller. In a scathing audit released April 4, Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli found disturbing levels of self-harm, drugs and violent incidents, conditions driven by pandemic-fueled staffing shortages and higher populations following a statewide reform that shifted older teens out of the adult justice system.
The Office of Children and Family Services said conditions have improved since the audit was conducted, including the launch of a new training curriculum and expanded recruitment efforts. But earlier this month, DiNapoli announced his results with a somber warning.
“These facilities are meant to provide safe housing and services to help rehabilitate young people and discourage them from future criminal behavior,” he stated in a press release. “Unfortunately, staff appears to be overwhelmed and short-handed, which may account for missed or delayed opportunities to provide care for the physical or mental health issues facing the young people in these facilities.”
Remarkably, another inquiry was also underway at Brookwood while the alleged sexual assaults were said to have occurred. Between May 2020 and May 2021, the facility was being audited for compliance with federal sexual abuse standards under the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA). The auditor Matthew Burns reported glowing findings inside New York state facilities: five standards were exceeded, 38 standards were met and none were documented as “not met.” Burns’ report lauded the state child welfare agency’s “zero-tolerance policy” for sexual assault, and found its supervision and monitoring “exceeded standards.”*
They are due for another PREA compliance audit next month.
The Hayes arrest is not the only recent sexual assault case involving a staff member at the state’s juvenile facilities.
A former staff member of Long Island’s Brentwood Residential Center for Girls pleaded guilty to rape and providing cannabis to a 15-year-old he was responsible for monitoring the day of the incident, Feb. 12. He was sentenced to 2.5 years.
Hayes is due back in court July 12.
*Correction, Aug. 5: This paragraph has been updated to remove an incorrect reference to the auditor’s employer.
