A federal judge on Friday ordered Los Angeles County to start planning to move youth detainees out of the troubled Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey.
State regulators in December declared the county Probation Department facility unsuitable to house the approximately 300 young people detained there with criminal cases pending in court. The California Board of State and Community Corrections, or BSCC cited several problems, with staffing deficiencies at the top of the list.
The county, however, does not have a suitable alternative facility to house Los Padrinos detainees and has continued to operate the facility despite the state board’s order.
The LA County Public Defender’s Office has called for Los Padrinos to close following the state order, claiming young people in the facility are not safe.
“The Probation Department’s chaos creates dangerous ripple effects on our youth’s safety,” according to the Public Defender’s Office. “Time and again, in report after report, we’ve seen neglect, mismanagement and abuse, all while officials insist that change is coming.
“The court’s order today is a step in the right direction,” the agency’s statement continued. “We look forward to participating in the development of the plan to depopulate Los Padrinos.”
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Espinoza, who has been considering the issue in connection with a murder case involving a Los Padrinos detainee. On Friday Espinoza directed the Probation Department to return to court in May with a plan for relocating the youth held at the facility.
A Probation Department statement Friday afternoon said officials will “move swiftly to implement a depopulation plan for Los Padrinos Hall that aligns with our broader facilities strategy and prioritizes public safety.”
Probation officials were “grateful that Judge Espinoza recognized the progress the department has made and upheld the importance of a measured approach — one that avoids the release of youth and supports a safe and orderly transition to other youth facilities,” the statement continued. “Our existing proposed global facilities plan already called for relocating high-needs young men and women from Los Padrinos, and this ruling allows us to accelerate that effort. We remain fully committed to protecting the well-being of both the young people in our care and our staff, and will continue to work and collaborate closely with our county and state partners.
“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,” according to the Probation Department.
LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn said she supports the state’s order to close the facility.
“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 in a statement. “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.”
Management and operational issues have plagued Los Padrinos since its hasty 2023 reopening to house detainees moved from Central Juvenile Hall in Boyle Heights and Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Sylmar. The BSCC ordered the county to close both of those facilities.
Since the relocation, Los Padrinos has suffered from short-staffing, escape attempts and allegations of violence among detainees — sometimes while probation officers allegedly stood by without intervening.
In March, 30 probation officers were facing criminal charges in connection with alleged cases of youth detainee violence at the facility. According to prosecutors, probation officers would stage “gladiator fights” among the detainees. California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office alleged 69 fights were allowed to take place involving youths housed at the facility between July and December 2023.
