Judge orders plan to move hundreds of youth out of troubled Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall

A Superior Court judge on Friday ordered the Los Angeles County Probation Department to come up with a plan to relocate hundreds of youth out of the troubled Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey.

“The current situation is untenable,” Superior Court Judge Miguel Espinoza said during a hearing Friday morning. Citing the “extremely urgent” nature of the situation, Espinoza gave the Los Angeles County Probation Department until early next month to provide a plan on how to depopulate the facility.

The move comes one week after a state board reaffirmed its finding that the facility was “unsuitable” to house youth.

The Board of State and Community Corrections found last year that the county Probation Department failed to meet minimum staffing requirements at Los Padrinos. It noted findings that young people held there were being confined in their rooms for too long and missing medical appointments.

Keep up with LAist.

If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.

Subscribe

The board had given the department until Dec. 12 to move youths out of the facility, but the county did not meet the deadline last year.

In an emailed statement, Luis J. Rodriguez, division chief of the L.A. County public defender’s youth services division, said the court’s order on Friday was a step in the right direction.

“The Probation Department’s chaos creates dangerous ripple effects on our youth’s safety,” Rodriguez said. “Time and again, in report after report, we’ve seen neglect, mismanagement and abuse, all while officials insist that change is coming.”

In an emailed statement, Vicky Waters, communications Director for the Probation Department, said the department would “move swiftly to implement a depopulation plan for Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall that aligns with our broader facilities strategy and prioritizes public safety.”

“We are prepared to meet the demands of this emergency and will continue to implement the long-term reforms needed to create safer, more rehabilitative environments across our juvenile system,” Waters said.

In a statement, L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn, whose district includes Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall, said she supported Espinoza's order.

"There are young people in Los Padrinos who should be moved to alternate facilities, but there are also many who can and should be safely released back home, monitored with ankle monitors, or cared for in community-based placements like a Boys Republic," Hahn said. "At this time, my ultimate concern is for the well-being of the hundreds of young people in our care who have not been getting what they need to rehabilitate."

Ongoing issues at Los Padrinos 

The judge’s order to come up with a plan to move more than 270 youths out of the facility is the latest blow for the Probation Department, which was forced nearly two years ago to move youths out of two other facilities the board deemed unsuitable and into Los Padrinos.

But serious problems persisted even after the youths were moved.

Last month, 30 Los Angeles County detention officers were charged with child endangerment, abuse and battery, all felonies stemming from accusations that they allowed youths in juvenile hall to participate in “gladiator fights” during a six-month period in 2023, according to state authorities.

And last week, three youth incarcerated at Los Padrinos were taken to a hospital for a suspected “substance use-related” incident, the Probation Department said.

According to the Probation Department, as of mid-April, 76% of youths at Los Padrinos were being held on violent crime charges, including alleged murder and robbery.

What's next

Judge Espinoza gave the Probation Department until May 2 to deliver a proposal to begin depopulating the facility.

It’s not yet clear where the youth might be transferred, as Los Padrinos is the county’s last remaining juvenile hall.