Telepeer

California attorney general asks judge to sanction LA County if it doesn’t fix juvenile halls

April 12, 2023

The California Department of Justice has asked a Superior Court judge to sanction Los Angeles County if it doesn’t fix “illegal and unsafe conditions” at two county-run juvenile halls within 120 days, Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Wednesday, April 12.

The DOJ wants the judge to intervene because the county has not complied with the terms of a prior court judgment for more than two years. That judgment required the county to maintain adequate staff levels to ensure the youth detainees receive the educational, medical and recreational services they’re entitled to, Bonta said.

But due to an ongoing staffing crisis, Bonta’s office said, the county has not only failed to make the required improvements, it is now “regressing in areas where some progress had been achieved,” according to the motion. Violations are “severe and ongoing, and youth and staff are at serious risk of harm,” states the DOJ motion.

“The conditions within the juvenile detention centers in Los Angeles County are appalling,” Bonta said in a statement. “For justice-involved youth in particular, it is imperative that our institutions give them every opportunity for rehabilitation, growth, and healing. We are responsible for protecting justice-involved youth and ensuring they receive educational, health, and supportive services necessary to stop the cycle of incarceration.”

The enforcement motion filed Wednesday, which includes sanctions for noncompliance, would require the county to:

Provide “timely transport” of youth to school daily or provide services to make up those lost hours.
Ensure that youth have access to the outdoors daily.
Document and review all use-of-force incidents.
Install video cameras at Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall.
Implement “a positive behavior management plan.”

Data provided by the Los Angeles County Office of Education indicate students at Barry J. Nidorf and Central juvenile halls lost 617 hours and 174 hours of education, respectively, in February 2023 due to the Probation Department’s inability to transport youths to school.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta. (AP File Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

The Department of Justice motion comes just days after an L.A. County Office of Inspector General report that found lax security measures — compounded by the staffing issues — have allowed drugs, including fentanyl, to be easily smuggled into the two juvenile halls. Two teens overdosed in a two-day period, including one teen who overdosed, went to the hospital and then overdosed again on the day they returned.

The enforcement motion states that youths are forced to urinate in their rooms during the night shift “due in part to continued lack of staffing.”

Employees are regularly required to work more than 24-hour-long shifts and the county is relying on, in some cases, temporarily reassigned field officers without the proper training, the DOJ said.

The Board of State and Community Corrections is set to vote Thursday, April 13, on whether to declare the two juvenile halls “unsuitable,” a designation that would force the county to empty the correctional facilities within 60 days if the Probation Department is unable to address 39 items of noncompliance.

Interim Chief Probation Officer Karen Fletcher, who took the reins after the Board of Supervisors fired her predecessor last month, has submitted an updated corrective action plan to the state agency and asked for 90 days to implement the fixes. BSCC in March denied an earlier version after determining it did not “provide enough detail” about its specific plan and did not have a “reasonable timeframe for resolution.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Orange County Register

News Details

California attorney general asks judge to sanction LA County if it doesn’t fix juvenile halls

News

CONTACT INFO

QUICK LINKS

SERVICES

CURRENT NEWS