The conduct occurred at the Dobbs Ferry Children’s Village facility in 2021
A former employee of Children’s Village, a New York City-contracted juvenile center that provides programs and services for at-risk youth, was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years of probation after being convicted of rape of a teenage resident in 2021 at the Westchester County campus.
“Thanks to our partners at the NYC Department of Investigation and the Justice Center, we are holding this defendant accountable for an egregious breach of trust and ensuring she is removed from working with and being near minors,” Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah said.
Following her guilty plea in June, the defendant, Rebecca Jean-Baptiste, 28 of Yonkers, was sentenced, for the charge of rape in the third degree, to a 10-year mandatory period of probation with sex offender conditions and a permanent order of protection in favor of the victim. By law, her conviction also mandates that she register as a sex offender.
Among the terms of sex offender-conditioned probation, the defendant is required to attend sex offender treatment and is prohibited from going to places where children may frequent, and from residing and working with any minors.
“Rebecca Jean-Baptiste was responsible for the well-being of the teenagers in her care,” New York City Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn. E. Strauber said.
Instead, she engaged in a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old, who by law is incapable of consent. I thank the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office and the Justice Center for their partnership on this important investigation.”
“Ms. Jean-Baptiste’s crime is a gross exploitation of power and a violation of her moral responsibility to keep those in her care safe. Let this sentence send a message to abusers of vulnerable individuals,” said Acting Executive Director Maria Lisi-Murray, Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs.
In late 2021, the defendant illegally engaged in sexual intercourse with a 16-year-old resident at the Dobbs Ferry campus of Children’s Village. Among the approximately 10,000 children served by Children’s Village, more than 400 are housed at the Dobbs Ferry residential facility, where the victim lived.
The defendant was employed as a Limited Secure Placement Specialist responsible for the direct care of youths, and later as a Control Room Specialist monitoring cameras throughout the campus.
In May 2022, facility staff reported the incident to the Justice Center, which oversees incidents of abuse and neglect in state-licensed juvenile centers and schools. The incident was immediately referred to the New York City Department of Investigation (DOI), which began working with the Westchester DA’s Office.
The DOI investigation was conducted by Assistant Inspector General Octavia Hill and supervised by Deputy Inspector General Harlyn Griffenberg, Inspector General Laura Millendorf, Deputy Commissioner of Strategic Initiatives Christopher Ryan, and Deputy Commissioner/Chief of Investigations Dominick Zarrella.
The District Attorney, DOI Commissioner, and Justice Center Acting Executive Director thanked the Ardsley and Dobbs Ferry police departments.
The case was before Judge Robert Prisco in Westchester County Court and prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Stephanie Baehr of the Child Abuse Bureau.
Jean-Baptiste will also undergo sex offender treatment.
