Los Angeles County’s two largest juvenile detention facilities, at risk of closure for failing to meet minimum standards of safety and care, won a last-minute reprieve Thursday, April 11, when state regulators allowed them to remain open.
The Board of State and Community Corrections, the regulatory board overseeing California’s prisons and juvenile halls, voted to lift its “unsuitable” designation for both Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey and the Barry J. Nidorf Secure Youth Treatment Facility in Sylmar.
Both facilities could have been forced to shut down April 16 because of failed inspections over the past year, though no backup plan existed to relocate the hundreds of youths housed there.
“No way should this be considered by anybody in our virtual audience, or in this room, as ‘Mission Accomplished’ by L.A.,” said BSCC chair Linda Penner, the former chief probation officer for Fresno County. “Your mission now is sustainability and durability. We need continued compliance.”
The vote passed by a much more narrow margin than is typical for the board, with only six of the 13 board members offering support. Three voted against it, saying they did not believe Los Angeles County could maintain improvements at the facilities long-term. The other four abstained or recused themselves.
“I have a very difficult time agreeing that Los Angeles County has established suitable facilities that I would trust having my family members in,” said Brian Richart, chief probation officer for El Dorado County.
‘Made great strides’
In a statement, L.A. County Probation Chief Guillermo Viera Rosa said his department has “made great strides addressing deficiencies at facilities by increasing and stabilizing staff levels, providing hundreds of hours of additional training, and working closely with BSCC staff to tighten procedures and protocols.”
“While today’s BSCC decision marks a milestone in that effort, we note the ongoing concerns and…
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