Los Angeles County has been ordered by state regulators to move nearly 300 youth inmates out of its two troubled juvenile prisons after California regulators on Tuesday determined the facilities “unsuitable for the confinement of youth.”
LA County has two months to make the moves, which will close Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Sylmar and Central Juvenile Hall in Boyle Heights.
The state board, which inspects the youth prisons, said the county has been unable over a period of two years to correct problems, including inadequate safety checks, low staffing, inappropriate use of force, and a lack of recreation and exercise. Board members rejected requests from the county for more time to address the issues.
“We have stayed in this process much longer than I’m comfortable with,” board chair Linda Penner said. “I’m concerned with the youth who are there right now, and we really must address that. The time has come to take this extraordinary move.”
The board decided to hold off on closing the facilities in April, given the department had been given multiple chances to fix the internal issues within the two juvenile facilities.
The Los Angeles County Probation Department, which oversees the juvenile halls, said while it was disappointed by the imposed deadline, “It is time for the department to discontinue using these facilities for housing pre-disposition youth.”
Both juvenile facilities have been struggling with a loss of officers on duty. This has caused more harm to inmates’ safety and well-being, as many youths aren’t getting adequate time out of their rooms, along with limited family visits, lack of schooling, and delayed access to therapy sessions.
Young inmates have experienced a higher rate of mental issues, adding to the rise of violence and overdoses in the prisons.
An 18-year-old was found dead in his room at Nidorf earlier this month of an apparent overdose. It was the first juvenile death at the facility since 2010, according to a county spokesperson.
Interim Chief Probation Officer Guillermo Viera Rosa said, “It is time for the department to discontinue using these facilities for housing pre-disposition youth.”
“We are already executing a plan to transfer these youth, staff, programs, and services to Los Padrinos by the deadline,” Viera Rosa said in a statement. “We also want to make clear that the BSCC’s decision today will not result in the release of hundreds of youth, as some have erroneously alleged.”
Hans Liang, president of the Deputy Probation Officers Union, described how many facility employees are scared to go to work due to the increased violence and lack of officer presence to maintain the safety and control of inmates.
“Officers assigned to the juvenile division are faced with daily youth-on-youth and youth-on-staff assaults and 40 percent of staff in the juvenile division are now out on injury leave,” Liang said in a statement. “To make up for the staffing shortfalls, staff are being compelled to work 18- to 24-hour shifts and have reached a breaking point, simply doing the best they can with limited resources and exhaustion.”
The young inmates will be transferred to the Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey, which was closed four years ago amid a dwindling population and allegations of abuse by staff.
“As we look forward to the methodical and smooth transition to Los Padrinos, we will also continue working on the more complicated issues of staffing and culture within the department,” Viera Rosa said in a statement. “We look forward to working closely with the BSCC, the California Department of Justice, and court-appointed monitors to ensure a level of long-term constitutional care for our youth.”
The nonprofit Youth Justice Coalition, which has advocated for the halls’ closure, called the board’s decision a “long overdue step toward accountability” for the probation department.
“The inability of the department to meet minimum regulations and provide adequate care has caused irreparable trauma to incarcerated youth,” the coalition said in a statement.
