A Superior Court judge on Friday ordered the Los Angeles County Probation Department to come up with a plan to relocate hundreds of youth out of the troubled Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey.
“The current situation is untenable,” Superior Court Judge Miguel Espinoza said during a hearing Friday morning. Citing the “extremely urgent” nature of the situation, Espinoza gave the Los Angeles County Probation Department until early next month to provide a plan on how to depopulate the facility.
The move comes one week after a state board reaffirmed its finding that the facility was “unsuitable” to house youth.
The Board of State and Community Corrections found last year that the county Probation Department failed to meet minimum staffing requirements at Los Padrinos. It noted findings that young people held there were being confined in their rooms for too long and missing medical appointments.
The board had given the department until Dec. 12 to move youths out of the facility, but the county did not meet the deadline last year.
In an emailed statement, Luis J. Rodriguez, division chief of the L.A. County public defender’s youth services division, said the court’s order on Friday was a step in the right direction.
“The Probation Department’s chaos creates dangerous ripple effects on our youth’s safety,” Rodriguez said. “Time and again, in report after report, we’ve seen neglect, mismanagement and abuse, all while officials insist that change is coming.”
In an emailed statement, Vicky Waters, communications Director for the Probation Department, said the department would “move swiftly to implement a depopulation plan for Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall that aligns with our broader facilities strategy and prioritizes public…
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