LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell provided the following statement in response to the Los Angeles County Superior Court continuing its decision on Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall pending an update from the County’s Probation Department on its efforts to achieve compliance with the Board of State and Community Corrections.
“Close to half of the young people in Los Padrinos are from my district. While getting into BSCC compliance is the immediate priority, our youth need and deserve more than just compliance. They must be safe and provided with the appropriate supportive services to meet their individual rehabilitative needs.
It is my expectation that Probation Chief Guillermo Viera Rosa use his emergency authority – recently provided by the Board of Supervisors – to the fullest extent to urgently address the safety, staffing, and programmatic needs at Los Padrinos and to safely release the young people who are not deemed a threat to the safety of themselves or others.
To help reduce unnecessary detentions, I have asked the District Attorney’s office to consider embedding a prosecutor at Los Padrinos to support the review of charges of arresting agencies. I also ask that the court consider revising its “arrest on first” policy that requires Probation Officers to immediately return young people to juvenile hall for even minor transgressions – like being tardy to school.
Juvenile halls are intended to be a temporary holding space for young people to get the support they need while awaiting the resolution of their legal process. The problem is our halls have not functioned that way and are asked to do much more than they’re designed for.
We need a concerted effort between the Probation Department and other County departments, law enforcement agencies, and community partners to stop the revolving door of young people cycling in and out of our halls. This should include increased investments in re-entry services and more community placement options with housing, along with supporting the efforts of our Department of Youth Development, which was created to provide developmental services, programs, and other care-first supports to reduce youth justice system involvement equitably.
The County’s responsibility to the young people in our care requires that we meet the moment before us with the urgency and ingenuity it demands for transformative change.”
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