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Judge denies California's request to put LA County juvenile halls under state control
Aerial view of Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey on June 29, 2023.
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Allen J. Schaben
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Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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A judge has temporarily denied a request from California Attorney General Rob Bonta to put Los Angeles County juvenile halls under state control.
The attorney general made the request in July after years of scandals at county facilities, including overdoses and reports of gladiator fights.
Bonta had asked the court to place the facilities into a receivership, meaning a court-appointed receiver would be able to hire and fire county employees, create policies at the facilities and acquire equipment to bring the county into compliance, according to the court filing.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Peter Hernandez rejected that request Friday.
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He said in a ruling that the state had not yet exhausted other avenues through the court to address the crisis in the county facilities. He criticized the tasks that the state laid out for the county as "incoherent" and "confusing."
Hernandez also questioned if a receiver would be notably different from the juvenile halls' current leadership, which he said "faces structural barriers to implement the real change that would directly impact those youth subject to predisposition incarceration at Defendant’s Juvenile Halls."
"We appreciate and share the Court’s desire to move swiftly to ensure that the County makes necessary changes to comply with the 2021 judgment," Bonta responded in a statement. "We remain committed to protecting the rights and safety of youth detained in the juvenile halls.”
Bonta has repeatedly laid blame on the county for failing to address the crises at its youth facilities. In 2021, the attorney general issued a judgement demanding the county come into compliance after a state investigation found that there were "unsafe and illegal" conditions at county juvenile halls.
This summer, the attorney general said the county was out of compliance with 75% of the provisions in that agreement.
This isn't the end of the dispute over the fate of L.A.'s troubled juvenile jails. The judge said in his ruling that the court would clarify the changes the county needs to make at its facilities and oversee and set timelines for the completion of those tasks.
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"The difficult work will now commence in earnest," the judge said in his ruling.
A hearing is scheduled for Oct. 24. According to Bonta's office, that hearing will focus on staffing, use of force and data.
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