LOS ANGELES — There are approximately 300 youth detained in the two juvenile halls under the LA County Probation Department, Los Padrinos in Downey and Barry J. Nidorf in Sylmar.

Both facilities have been under fire in the past couple of years for being found out of compliance with state regulations and being declared unsuitable to house detainees. 

What You Need To Know

  • The Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey has been found unsuitable and out of compliance with state regulations around staffing levels

  • Los Padrinos, operating under the LA County Probation Department, has until Dec. 12 to remedy the conditions

  • The state attorney general's office and the LA County have filed a joint motion demanding stricter monitoring and reporting requirements 

  • The LA County Probation Department, in a statement, said they are increasing staffing levels 

After allowing both facilities to remain open in April, state regulators with the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC), found the Los Padrinos Facility was operating out of compliance in August saying the facility did not meet the department’s minimum staffing.

They cited a lack of services such as education and outdoor recreation, youth being confined in rooms, and youth missing medical appointments because of the staffing shortage. 

Then in October, the BSCC denied the LA County Probation Department’s corrective action plan for the hall and instead issued a formal notice of facility unsuitability for the Los Angeles County Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall. 

The LA County Probation Department now has until Dec. 12, to remedy the conditions or risk closure. The closure would ultimately be left to the LA County board of supervisors to decide. 

Following the BSCC’s decision, the LA County Probation Department released a statement: 

“We are disappointed with the BSCC’s decision today to find the County’s Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall unsuitable. The County remains fully committed to resolving all the deficiencies identified in its Corrective Action Plan. The Probation Department has, in fact, increased staffing levels at the facility by actively recruiting new personnel, conducting training academies, reallocating officers from field assignments, and utilizing overtime.

There will be no immediate impact to families, and we will continue to provide services.  We are committed to transforming our juvenile institution into a safe and nurturing environment for the youth entrusted in our care while we endeavor to demonstrate unequivocally to the BSCC that we are meeting all statutory requirements.”

Meanwhile, the issues being highlighted by state regulators do not come as a shock for 21-year-old Floyd Hardge, who spent approximately three years in Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall because of a house burglary he committed when he was 16.

Hardge said drugs were prevalent during his time there. 

“I noticed one kid, he died off of fentanyl, and that was crazy,” said Hardge. 

With problems persisting, in November the State Attorney General’s office and the LA County filed a joint motion, subject to court approval, demanding stricter monitoring and reporting requirements from both Los Padrinos and Barry J Nidorf Juvenile Detention Centers. 

The Attorney General’s office released a statement the day of this announcement:

“The County of Los Angeles is responsible for safeguarding the safety and well-being of the children at its juvenile halls — and it has utterly failed in this responsibility to date,” said Attorney General Bonta. “These new terms will strengthen oversight and accountability, and lead to necessary and overdue improvement to conditions at these facilities. As the state’s chief law enforcement officer, I take my responsibility seriously, and I know that we won’t break the cycle of incarceration without ensuring the education, healing, and rehabilitation of those involved in the juvenile justice system. I am hopeful that this new, expanded agreement will address persistent problems at these juvenile halls, but my office will be watching closely and ready to take further action if needed.”

Eduardo Mundo is an ex-probations officer and current chair of the Probation Oversight Commission, he says the Attorney General’s involvement shows the gravity of the situation. 

“It just shows you how severe the issue is that we need the AG to come in and, you know, try to monitor and try to get the department to go where it has to go. It just shows you how out of line they are right now,” said Mundo. 

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Mundo frequently sits in on youth court hearings where he says the issues are evident.   

“We have kids that are not being supervised and then they get yelled at in court for not being in compliance,” said Mundo. 

He says staff calling out of their shifts is partly due to them having to work longer hours than expected and the youth’s behavior, all which he says has led to the staffing shortages. 

“Until you can assure the staff that they’re going to be safe, until you can assure the staff that there’s actually a long-term plan, you’re not going to get them back,” said Mundo. 

For Hardge, the answer is to close the detention centers and instead turn them into diversion programs and schools like the FREE LA High School at the Youth Justice Coalition, where he is now finishing his high school diploma. 

“They help me want to focus on music more. Help me want to graduate and find a career one day,” said Hardge. 

On Wednesday, the LA County Probation Oversight Commission is hosting a virtual town-hall at 5:30 p.m. to discuss the result of inspections at the two county juvenile detention centers. 

Those interested can register here.