The state Attorney General’s office is asking a judge to force Los Angeles County to speed up its efforts to correct the “illegal and unsafe conditions of confinement” at the county’s two embattled juvenile halls.
Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a motion this week to enforce provisions of a 2021 stipulated judgment against the county. He said L.A. is not living up to its legal obligation to provide enough staffing so youths can be enrolled in and taken to school; taken to important medical appointments; and have sufficient time outdoors for recreation and exercise.
“Due in part to a staffing crisis plaguing the juvenile halls, the county has not just failed to make forward progress towards compliance with the judgment: It has actually regressed away from complying with the most basic and fundamental provisions that ensure youth and staff safety and well-being,” Bonta’s office said in a statement.
It cited recent reports of fentanyl use in facilities, requiring the use of Narcan on two youths, and general negligence.
“And as a result of low staffing levels, youth have been forced to urinate and defecate in their cells overnight,” the statement said, adding that employees have had to work “more than 24-hour-long shifts” due to staffing shortages.
It said the shortages have led to a reliance on temporarily reassigned field officers who are not trained to work with youths.
“The conditions within the juvenile detention centers in Los Angeles County are appalling,” Bonta said in the statement. “Every child in our state is entitled to a safe, homelike environment.”
The attorney general’s motion seeks to force the county to:
- Ensure the timely transport of youths to school daily, and to other education services they’re entitled…
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