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Los Angeles County Probation officials say the agency will not comply with a state order to vacate Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall this month, setting up a costly showdown between state and county officials. He said this could lead to the threat of legal action from defense attorneys.
“We’re not moving,” Chief Deputy Probation Officer Kimberly Epps told a group of several dozen probation officers last month, according to a recording provided to the Times. “You will be asked to leave our luggage at the curb.”
A deadline to close the Downey facility had been looming for months after the California State and Community Corrections Commission determined in October that it was “unsuitable” to house juveniles. A spokesperson for the state oversight board acknowledged Monday that the Probation Department failed its last inspection because it did not have enough staff on site to safely monitor the youth in the facility.
According to a summary of the BSCC findings reviewed by the Times, the board found staffing shortages in a quarter of the 45 shifts staff inspected at Los Padrinos. The report noted that the Probation Department plans to reduce the youth population, but did not discuss specific ways the Probation Department would put youth in appropriate programs or exercise outside the building. He criticized her for not giving her time.
The Probation Department declined to say publicly what it would do until Thursday morning, when Epps read a statement from Probation Director Guillermo Vieira Rosa to the Los Angeles County Board of Probation. , confirmed the department’s intent to defy the state oversight board.
“We respectfully disagree with the BSCC’s findings and firmly believe that Los Padrinos is in compliance with state regulations. We want to ensure that all the youth in our care are safe and We have provided and will continue to provide a safe rehabilitation environment,” Epps said, reading a statement from the chief. “It is important to note that we are obliged to continue to provide housing and care to young people placed with us by the courts unless our governing body suggests an alternative location or plan. is.”
The county’s refusal to relocate about 260 teenagers and early 20s from Los Padrinos could lead to a legal battle and has already been criticized by the California Attorney General’s Office and cost billions. The agency, which is facing sex abuse lawsuits expected to cost billions of dollars, will take on huge new liability. dollar.
“How can a court order in good faith the young people detained at Los Padrinos when they have the power to say they have no intention of improving the situation and have no intention of obeying the oversight bodies?” I don’t understand how they can continue to do so,” said criminal defense attorney Jerrod Gansburg.
Luis Rodriguez, director of the Los Angeles Public Defender’s Juvenile Division, said in a statement that if the Probation Department does not close the facility by Thursday, the department will ask the court to remove all 107 clients from Los Padrinos. He said he would request it. It argued that continuing to operate the hall after the state’s order violates California law.
“We place our clients in the care of their families or in non-cancer treatment facilities that provide trauma-informed care, access to education and consistent rehabilitation support,” public defender Ricardo Garcia said in a statement. We demand his immediate release.” “Every day they remain in an inadequate facility deepens their injury and undermines their future.”
The Probation Department has long struggled to adequately staff its facilities, with staff often refusing to report to work or taking extended medical leave, an issue that has become more widespread in recent years than other county schools. This affected the closure of two juvenile detention centers.
The state Board of Supervisors gave the Probation Department 60 days to resolve the issue or close the hall. A probation spokesperson said last week that the agency is “confident” the county will make changes and avoid transferring additional potentially disorderly detainees elsewhere.
Vieira-Rosa has said little publicly about the potential move, and several defense attorneys said they had received no guidance from the office about what would happen Thursday.
Adding to the confusion, Vieira Rosa sent notice to the L.A. County Board of Supervisors last week that she would resign as commissioner at the end of the year. He reversed that decision Tuesday after a closed-door meeting with supervisors, but did not publicly explain why he changed his mind.
Members of the county’s probation board were outraged by Epps’ presence at Thursday morning’s meeting.
Brooke Harris, executive director of the Pacific Juvenile Advocacy Center, said Epps’ comments were “outrageous.”
“The chief resigned multiple times, even though we all knew this day would come, and then refused to answer questions and left it to his lawyers. And then that day came, he was put on probation.” Not only has the bureau not shared what its plan is…what I heard in the statement is that they are blaming the court and they believe the BSCC is in the wrong. ” she said. “This is just…horrifying. I don’t know what else to say.”
According to a recording obtained by the Times, Epps told a group of several dozen probation supervisors that he would not comply with orders to leave the facility.
“If the test fails, we will comply as we see fit,” she said, drawing cheers from some in the audience.
Jana Sanford Miller, a spokeswoman for the state oversight board, declined to comment on Epps’ remarks, saying, “We were not aware of Los Angeles County’s plans.”
Superintendent Lindsey Horvath, who oversees another juvenile detention center in Sylmar, said she was “angry and disappointed at the continued failures” of the probation department, but said the board supported Vieira Rosa. said.
“I hope Secretary Vieira Rosa will take this opportunity to demonstrate her ability to manage this crisis and implement much-needed reforms,” Horvath said.
The union representing rank-and-file probation officers blames the Board of Supervisors for ongoing problems, saying the staffing crisis stems from the regulator’s unwillingness to fund the hiring of staff. He claimed that there was.
“Until the Board of Supervisors prioritizes immediate emergency hiring efforts and meaningful retention strategies, these crises will continue and threaten the safety of our youth and staff,” the union said in a statement.
Epps’ comments in the leaked audio upset one probation officer who was present and requested anonymity for fear of retribution within the department.
“There are certainly concerns. Staff will soon feel invincible and able to run the place as they see fit,” the probation officer said. “They just don’t respect our governing institutions.”
The county’s troubled halls have long been a source of frustration for the state. The board closed Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Sylmar and Central Juvenile Hall in Boyle Heights in the past two years, and Viera Rosa reopened Los Padrinos.
However, the new facility soon became as disorganized as the two older facilities. During the first month, there were riots and escape attempts, and dozens of staff continued to refuse to come to work. A video has been released showing several police officers standing idly by while several young men beat another teenager to the ground. Within a year and a half, another closure order was issued.
Vicki Waters, director of communications for the Probation Department, said the Probation Department disagrees with the board’s assessment that Los Padrinos needs to be closed.
“we, [Board of State and Community Corrections] Because this must be a collaboration to ensure public safety,” she said in a statement.
Many juvenile justice advocates say the department’s continued turmoil reflects the failure of many oversight agencies, including the California Department of Justice, which reached a settlement with the Probation Department in 2021 to mandate reforms. said. Little has changed since then.
“This agreement is failing and has consistently failed for years,” said attorney Sean Garcia-Reese, a former member of the Los Angeles County Probation Board. “Looking at the situation is not the answer. There are still people who go to Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall and find it unacceptable.”
Atty’s public relations officer. Gen. Rob Bonta declined to say what action his commander might take if Viera Rosa refuses to close Los Padrinos. The spokesperson noted that the state’s settlement with the department resulted in the installation of lifeguards at all halls in the county, including Los Padrinos.
Erin Palacios, executive director of the Prisma Legal Center for Juvenile Justice, said if the department is not going to comply with the state’s shutdown order, it should at least try to reduce the population of Los Padrinos. Many detainees are being held at Los Padrinos awaiting adoption. placement, or non-criminal probation violations such as missing school or violating curfew.
“Los Padrinos is an absolute disgrace as a children’s facility,” Palacios said. “The first thing you should do when you find yourself stuck in a hole is to stop digging.”
But Waters said about a third of the detainees at Los Padrinos have been charged with crimes such as murder, attempted murder, sexual assault and robbery, making them “not easy to release or transfer.” He warned that it was not possible to do so.
State regulators appear to have little ability to force counties to comply with the order. A lawyer for the state commission said during a public meeting in November that the agency was “internally debating” whether it could sue Los Angeles County.
“I fully expect that on Dec. 13, someone who is probably not this board will file a lawsuit,” board member Jeffrey Macomber said. “I fully expect it will probably play out this way.”
The board has scheduled an emergency meeting for Dec. 18 to discuss next steps.
Palacios warned that the deteriorating conditions at Los Padrinos are not just a danger to the children at the Downey facility. Ultimately, all of Los Angeles County will be responsible for the cost, she said.
“The treatment people receive there is directly correlated to the treatment we receive when they get out. And they will go out,” she said. “They are children.”
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