LA County judge weighing shutdown of Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has ordered Probation Department officials to appear for a Dec. 23 hearing to explain why Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall should not be shut down.

The judge’s order came a day after the Probation Department refused to close Los Padrinos in defiance of state law and the Board of State and Community Corrections, the regulatory body overseeing California’s jails and juvenile halls.

The BSCC declared Los Padrinos “unsuitable” for the confinement of youth in October and required L.A. County to either fix severe understaffing or close the facility by Thursday, Dec. 12, a deadline that came and went without the county addressing the issue, according to state inspectors.

Judge Miguel Espinoza’s order to show cause requires the Public Defender’s Office, the Probation Department and the District Attorney’s Office to address why the court shouldn’t transfer all youth housed at Los Padrinos to other secure facilities deemed suitable by the BSCC and bar the use of Los Padrinos until improvements are made.

Espinoza issued his order in a case involving a juvenile accused of robbery and murder, though his decision could impact every youth held inside the juvenile hall. The judge acknowledged the youth in question and “hundreds of other youth currently detained at Los Padrinos remain confined in a facility deemed unsuitable by BSCC” in violation of the state’s Welfare and Institutions Code.

The Probation Department filed a last-ditch appeal with the BSCC one day before the deadline to empty the facility, stating it will present evidence within 30 days showing it failed a recent inspection only because of the BSCC’s “misappropriation and capricious enforcement” of the state’s regulations.

BSCC: Appeal misguided

The BSCC, however, in a Friday letter to L.A. County’s attorneys, denied part of the appeal request because L.A. County had missed the window to challenge certain decisions. Aaron Maguire, executive director of the BSCC, warned that the appeals process does not freeze L.A. County’s legal obligation to close Los Padrinos.

“The only basis to rescind the Board’s Notice of Unsuitability is for the county to remedy the conditions that rendered the facility unsuitable,” Maguire wrote. “The probation department has had over 120 days to improve conditions at Los Padrinos since the initial inspection report was issued and the Welfare and Institutions Code does not provide for additional delays. Los Padrinos remains unsuitable for the confinement of juveniles.”

The BSCC is scheduled to meet Wednesday, Dec. 18, to discuss its options for forcing Los Padrinos to comply with the closure.

Los Padrinos has struggled to maintain consistent staffing since the day it opened in July 2023. Some of the county’s efforts, such as a controversial mandate redeploying field officers from the traditional probation side of the department to Los Padrinos, have led to short-lived stability that crumbled as the number of officers calling out and taking leaves began to rise again.

The understaffing has created a tense environment rife with violence within the county’s largest juvenile detention facility. The Probation Department reported 800 uses of force in the 181 days from Jan. 1 to June 30, according to a report to the Probation Oversight Commission. That’s four incidents per day in which officers intervened with either physical force, or by using pepper spray, and that figure doesn’t include any violence that resolved before officers could intervene.

The BSCC’s most recent inspection, completed just days before the Thursday deadline, found that nearly a quarter of the shifts at Los Padrinos still do not meet the minimum ratios of staff to youth, an increase from about 20% in July.

In a statement, Probation Department spokesperson Vicky Waters doubled down on the argument that the BSCC erred in its determination.

“The Department strongly believes our staffing at Los Padrinos is compliant with state regulations, and have appealed the BSCC’s recent findings,” Waters said. “We’re currently evaluating Judge Espinoza’s order and will respond as required. We also will continue working with our leaders and partners to minimize impact to public safety and the youth in our care.”

Intervention applauded

The Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office, as well as other defense attorneys, planned to file motions requesting new placement on behalf of the hundreds of clients still held within Los Padrinos. Those cases, plus any private lawsuits challenging Los Padrinos’ continued operation, will likely be on hold until after Espinoza makes a ruling.

“We are heartened by the Court’s decision to prioritize the well-being of our youth and ensure that they receive the safety and care they deserve,” county Public Defender Ricardo Garcia said in a statement.

Earlier this week, Loyola Law School’s Center for Juvenile Law & Policy sent demand letters through its attorneys urging the Superior Court and the Probation Department to stop using Los Padrinos. Roshell Amezcua, director of the center’s Juvenile Justice Center, said the youth remaining inside the unsuitable facility face risks every day to their physical and mental well-being.

Espinoza’s order is the “first step in getting actual answers to what the court and probation plan to do, a step that should have been taken awhile ago,” she said.

“We at the CJLP are seeking quick action to release our youth to their families and communities, including innovative and creative ways to address behaviors and trauma,” Amezcua said. “We join community members in asking the Juvenile Judges to release our youth and shut it down.”

Eduardo Mundo, chair of the Los Angeles County Probation Oversight Commission, welcomed Espinoza’s intervention. Mundo, who often sits in on juvenile cases, described the East L.A. judge as measured and thoughtful in his deliberations.

The Probation Department’s own data, particularly the 800 uses of force, shows “how bad the hall is,” the commissioner said. The short staffing has left officers unable to do “the most mundane things like walk kids to class on time,” he added.

“They can’t even do that, how can they argue that they can keep the kids safe,” Mundo said. “I don’t know how they’re going to convince him that they’re safely able to supervise these kids with the number of uses of force and the number of problems they have.”

Where can detainees go?

One possible outcome may be the removal of a portion of the youth from Los Padrinos by either sending them to other counties, or to community detention programs where appropriate, he said. Though some advocates strongly oppose the idea, those over 18 could be sent to the county jail temporarily, according to Mundo.

If Los Angeles County can get the population down enough, Los Padrinos may finally stabilize and could shift from fighting constant fires to making actual, long-lasting reforms, he said.

“They can probably remain there if we reduce the population to a number that is equal to the number of staff that regularly come to work and feel safe,” Mundo said.