California AG wants more monitoring at two LA County juvenile halls

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Tuesday that his office has filed a joint motion with L.A. County in Superior Court, seeking additional monitoring of two local juvenile hall facilities.

Bonta’s office cited “serious ongoing deficiencies in the treatment and conditions of youth” at Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Secure Youth Treatment Facility in Sylmar and Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey, which together house hundreds of teens and young adults who have come in contact with the criminal justice system.

Barry J. Nidorf houses about 50 youth. Los Padrinos houses nearly 300.

The move comes after “alarming” reports from an independent monitor revealed insufficient staffing and failure to keep drugs out or prevent fights among the youth held in custody, according to the Attorney General's Office.

A surveillance video that surfaced earlier this year appeared to show probation employees standing by as a group of incarcerated youths beats up on a 17-year-old.

What does the motion seek to change? 

According to Bonta's office, the motion would update a 2021 L.A. County Superior Court judgment and require the county to implement a revised plan to fix ongoing staffing shortages.

If a judge approves the motion, it would require the county to carry out a revised plan to fix ongoing staffing shortages, produce monthly health and safety reports and review any use of force incidents.

L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said in a statement that she hopes the court will approve the stricter requirements.

“I welcome the additional scrutiny and accountability,” Barger said. “The more eyes, the better.”

In a news release, Bonta said he was hopeful the new agreement would address persistent problems at the two juvenile halls, but added that his office “will be watching closely and ready to take further action if needed.”

Problems at both facilities

Earlier this year, the Board of State and Community Corrections deemed Los Padrinos unsuitable to house hundreds of youths because of low staffing, failure to conduct safety checks at the proper times, and failure to comply with use-of-force training requirements.

The county Probation Department avoided having to shut down Los Padrinos in April after the board determined minimum requirements on staffing levels and safety checks had been met.

But in an Oct. 14 letter to Chief Probation Officer Guillermo Viera Rosa, the board said further inspections revealed Los Padrinos was out of compliance with staffing requirements yet again.

Less information was immediately available about the Nidorf facility. However, 18-year-old Bryan Diaz died at Nidorf Secure Youth Treatment Facility last year. Authorities said the death was the result of an apparent drug overdose.

What’s next? 

According to the Board of State and Community Corrections, the Probation Department has until Dec. 12 to comply with staffing and other requirements or move all 300 youths out of the facility.

In a statement, the department said it had no immediate comment while the motion is pending, “other than to underscore that our top priority remains the safety and well-being of the youth in our care.”

“We are committed to transforming our juvenile facilities into secure, healthy, and rehabilitative environments and are determined to meet and surpass all required standards,” the department said.