The U.S. Department of Justice has launched an investigation into how juveniles are treated and what risks of harm they face at the Jefferson County Jail.

Conditions at the Jefferson County Jail, already crowded and understaffed, could get worse for inmates and their guards as budget cuts demand another 20 percent be shaved from all county departments. (The Birmingham News/Tamika Moore)

Investigators will determine whether juveniles incarcerated there are being held in conditions that pose a serious risk to their physical and psychological well-being, the DOJ announced late Wednesday.

According to the DOJ, allegations have been made that some juveniles housed with adult detainees have been the victims of sexual abuse. Adult detainees have approached juveniles to ask for sexual favors or propose sexual activity.

Chief Deputy Randy Christian, with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, said juvenile inmates incarcerated in the jail have committed crimes so violent or heinous that they have been charged as adults.

"If they would rob, rape or murder you, I would likely assume they would also lie to try and make it out of adult jail," he said. "It isn't a place for the faint of heart but it is a place they are treated fairly. We certainly have no heartburn over proving that in court should we need to."

The DOJ is investigating allegations that some juveniles, including those with mental illnesses and low IQs, are regularly placed in solitary confinement or lockdown for months at a time. In lockdown, they have little or no access to the law library, telephone, commissary, educational opportunities or other services.

"Isolation - particularly the prolonged and restrictive lockdown alleged in Jefferson County - can lead to paranoia, anxiety, depression and suicide, and exacerbate pre-existing psychological harms," Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Civil Rights Division, said in a news release.

Last year, the Southern Poverty Law Center made claims of violence, abuse and neglect of teen inmates at the Jefferson County jail. The organization sent a letter to the DOJ urging them to launch an investigation.

The allegations were based on 50 interviews with 20 inmates under the age of 18, who reported inadequate medical care, among other complaints.

Local officials responded that the claims were baseless, saying they jail had nothing to hide. They noted that all juveniles housed at the jail have been charged as adults, and some sub-par conditions have been the result of overcrowding.

"Jail is a tough place to be. We wished these criminals would work a little harder to stay out of it,'' Christian said last year in response to the SPLC's claims. "We are going to treat the inmates fairly and humanely while they are in our system and comply with federal mandated standards; we certainly aren't going to coddle them like they are in a country club."

The Special Litigation Section of the Civil Rights Division is conducting the investigation. Anyone with information can contact the DOJ via email at community.jeffersoncounty@usdoj.gov or by phone at 855-258-1432.

Under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act and the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, the attorney general has the authority to investigate violations of the constitutional rights of prisoners in institutions, including county jails, and to bring suit against any governmental entity that deprives juveniles of their rights.

"Our commitment to finding solutions to problems in Alabama's troubled jails and prisons is ongoing," U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama Joyce White Vance said in a prepared statement. "Where possible, the best solution is always a collaborative approach that encourages the state and counties to correct conditions that are constitutionally inadequate. However, we have not hesitated to file suit where necessary."

Similar investigations have taken place in other jurisdictions, including the Leflore County Juvenile Detention Center in Mississippi, the jails on Rikers Island in New York, the Terrebonne Parish Juvenile Detention Center in Louisiana and the Scioto and Marion juvenile correctional facilities in Ohio.

Updated at 6:53 p.m. with information about 2014 SPLC complaint

Updated at 7:19 p.m. with comments from Chief Deputy Randy Christian