California Judge Temporarily Blocks State Takeover of Los Angeles County Juvenile Halls
A recent ruling by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Peter A. Hernandez has temporarily blocked California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s attempt to take over the management of Los Angeles County’s juvenile halls. The decision comes after years of scandals and poor conditions within the facilities, including frequent drug overdoses and incidents of staff violence against youths.
The California Department of Justice had been investigating the county’s juvenile halls since 2018 and found numerous issues, including excessive use of pepper spray, inadequate educational and therapeutic programming, and prolonged solitary confinement of youths. Despite a settlement agreement in 2021, the county’s Probation Department has struggled to implement necessary changes, leading Bonta to seek a court-appointed monitor to oversee the facilities.
Background and Controversies
The Los Angeles County juvenile halls have been plagued by scandals, including a massive staffing shortage that has led to significant injuries for both youths and probation officers. In 2022, a Times investigation revealed the extent of the crisis, and by May 2023, the California Board of State and Community Corrections ordered the closure of the Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Sylmar due to unsafe conditions. An 18-year-old died of an overdose while in custody the same month.
The county reopened the Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey, but the facility quickly became the site of a riot, an escape attempt, and more drug overdoses. The California attorney general’s office won indictments against 30 officers who either orchestrated or allowed youths to engage in “gladiator fights.” The investigation was sparked by video footage of officers allowing eight youths to pummel another teen inside Los Padrinos.
Judge’s Ruling and Future Directions
Judge Hernandez chastised Bonta for failing to clearly lay out tasks for the Probation Department to abide by in the 2021 settlement. The judge wrote that Bonta’s motion had set off alarm bells about the Probation Department’s management of the halls but expressed concerns that a state takeover might not lead to the desired transformation. Hernandez set a hearing for October 24 and indicated that he would not rule out the possibility of a receivership in the future.
The Probation Department has argued that it has made improvements under the leadership of Chief Guillermo Viera Rosa, including the implementation of “airport-grade” body scanners and drug-sniffing dogs to reduce the influx of narcotics into the halls. The department has also hired a former high-ranking member of the Los Angeles Police Department to oversee security in the facilities.
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