A Los Angeles County judge took a major step Friday to close the Los Padrino boys hall in Downey, months after the state watchdog determined it was “inappropriate” to house young people.
Judge Miguel Espinoza issued a preliminary rule that it is “illegal” for the LA County Probation Department to allow the juvenile to continue housing at the facility.
Espinoza did not order the hall to be closed anytime soon, but ordered the probation department to submit plans by early May. This detailed how around 270 boys, mainly between the ages of 15 and 18, could be relocated to other safe locations. The parties will return to court next month.
The ruling expands a multi-month legal battle. Amendments to the state and regional committee ordered the closure of Los Padrinos in December 2024, finding that there were no sufficient staff to operate safely.
However, probation officers ignored the order with the assistance of the LA County Board of Supervisors. The LA County Public Defence Office immediately submitted legal assignments on behalf of one of its clients, and the matter was placed before Espinoza.
“The disruption in the probation sector creates a dangerous ripple effect on the safety of young people. In post-report reports, we have seen negligence, inappropriate management and abuse, but authorities argue that change is coming.” “Today’s court order is a step in the right direction.”
State and Community Amendment Committee Chairman Linda Penner also celebrated Espinoza’s ruling.
“We believe that order today is an important and meaningful step in ensuring the safety and well-being of young people in custody in Los Angeles County,” she said.
Probation Chief Guillermoviera Rosa attended the hearing Friday and declined to comment outside of East LA courtroom. In light of the order, the department will “will move quickly to implement the Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall process plan, which prioritizes public safety in line with our broader facility strategy,” said Vicky Waters, communications director for the probation department.
Approximately three-quarters of young people in Lospadrino are awaiting court hearings related to violent crimes, including murder, attempted murder, assault, robbery, lure, and gang crimes.
Viera Rosa traveled to Sacramento last week to appeal the State Council’s Corrections Committee’s decision, claiming that the department meets the minimum staffing requirements.
However, the board declined to appeal, saying that the “stopping staff” has led to a situation that has not been abandoned after young people are not undergoing proper medical procedures, missed school time and sometimes suffered from chemical sprays used to quell the obstacles.
“We continue to be concerned about the department’s ability to develop long-term sustainable solutions to address staffing flaws,” read the board’s final report. “Facility staffing documents continue to show that the deployed staff are being used to fill the youth supervising staff, indicating that they will continue to rely on solutions intended to be short-term solutions until 2022.”
For months after probation ignored state and community amendment orders, news of fraud and injuries to Lospadrino youth has continued to pile up.
The California Attorney General’s Office last month charged 30 officers who have granted or in some cases arranged a so-called “greater fight” among young people for several months in Los Padrino. In the surveillance video first released by the Times in April 2024, eight young people attacked in turn, attacking teenagers with broken noses and other injuries. Some officers could be seen laughing and shaking hands with the assailants.
Last week, at least three teenagers suffered a drug overdose in Lospadrino. He was stabbed in his teenage years during school hours, according to multiple sources who first-hand about the incident in March, where he spoke about the state of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. A probation spokesperson said the victim suffered “only life-threatening injuries.”
Court records show that the 19-year-old, 19, alleged last month that he was sexually abused by a 29-year-old Mental Health Office employee for nearly a year. His lawyer, Jamal Tucson, alleged that the abuse only became apparent when he found an explicit photo sent by an employee while searching the teenage room.
Representatives from the probation and mental health department declined to comment on the case. It was not clear whether the criminal investigation was open to allegations of abuse.
LOS Padrinos was closed in 2019 after a decline in the number of young people incarcerated in LA County and allegations of excessive force against officers over the use of pepper spray. The facility reopened in July 2023, and after the State Department and community amendments closed two other juvenile halls in LA County.
Within a month, a chaotic incident occurred in which seven young people broke tables, used pieces as weapons, attacked staff and tried to break into nearby neighborhoods.
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