Los Angeles County authorities said Thursday that they had no intention of meeting a deadline to move more than 260 people out of a juvenile hall in Downey and instead would appeal a state board’s findings that the facility was “unsuitable” to house youth.
On the day of the deadline, the county Probation Department released a statement saying it had asked the Board of State and Community Corrections to rescind its findings from previous inspections of the facility.
The board found that the department repeatedly failed to meet minimum staffing requirements at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall, which meant the young people held there were being confined in their rooms for too long and missing medical appointments.
“While we fully agree with safety and security standards, we disagree with [the board’s] application of regulations and overall findings, particularly around staffing ratios,” the Probation Department said in the statement. “The department fully intends to keep Los Padrinos open and operational.”
Findings from inspections
In October, the Board of State and Community Corrections notified probation authorities that Los Padrinos wasn’t complying with minimum staffing requirements.
“The continued lack of staffing continues to negatively impact delivery of required services and compliance with additional regulations, including education, outdoor recreation, youth being confined in rooms, and youth missing medical appointments,” the letter from the board to Probation Chief Guillermo Viera Rosa stated.
The board set a Dec. 12 deadline for L.A. County to vacate Los Padrinos, but the Probation Department did not reveal any plans…
Read the full article here
