Urgent Action for LA County Youth
Friends and Partners,
When I first started working on youth justice at the Urban Peace Institute, I was appalled by the horrific conditions of the County’s juvenile facilities used to house system-impacted youth. This was in 2011, three years after the County reached a settlement agreement with the federal Department of Justice in an effort to address rampant physical, sexual and psychological abuse of youth in the Probation Department’s care. I wish I could say much has changed over the last decade, but unfortunately, conditions in LA County’s camps and halls remain largely the same.
Today, youth report the Probation Department’s neglect of their basic needs–having to urinate in milk cartons and towels in their cells, being fed inedible meals–and often spend the majority of their days playing video games or sitting around idly as educational and supportive programming frequently gets canceled.
Worse, the LA Times released a video in February of a probation officer’s physical abuse of a young person. The incident occurred in 2020, yet no disciplinary action was taken until the video’s release three years, and many demands, later. Time and time again, the LA County Probation Department has shown its remarkable ineptitude to adequately care for youth.
The California Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) recently had the opportunity to find Barry J. Nidorf and Central, two of the County’s juvenile halls, unsuitable for the confinement of youth. The BSCC chose to delay its decision due in part to the County’s hiring of a new chief strategist for juvenile probation. I am disappointed, yet not surprised. Despite decades of evidence, those in power continue to give the Probation Department one more “last chance” to fix a system that Urban Peace Institute and our partners have long known is beyond repair. We don’t need the BSCC to tell us what we already know–Barry J. Nidorf and Central are not only unsuitable, they are inhumane and unsafe for everyone inside their walls.
Time has run out to debate the “suitability” of camps and halls or to give the Probation Department further chances to attempt to resolve this irreparable crisis. Youth in LA County are living in life threatening conditions under the County’s care. No single chief strategist–no matter their qualifications–can remedy a system that has consistently failed the youth in its care. The gravity of this situation cannot be overlooked.
Through the advocacy of Urban Peace Institute and our LA Youth Uprising partners, LA County has found the solution to sufficiently caring for young people in need of healing and rehabilitation: the Youth Justice Reimagined vision. Youth Justice Reimagined prioritizes diversion over incarceration, safe and secure healing centers over camps and halls, and therapeutic support networks over punitive action. The vision addresses the roots of youth incarceration and provides holistic alternatives for young people to grow. According to the County’s Director of Youth Diversion and Development, Refugio Valle, “youth who participate in prearrest diversion programs are 2.5 times less likely to reoffend than similar youth who were not diverted.”
The LA County Board of Supervisors unanimously backs the Youth Justice Reimagined vision as a better, more sustainable path forward. While the County has made great strides by investing in youth development outside of camps and halls, it has failed to act urgently to uphold its promise to transition youth out of the Probation Department’s hands and into the care of the new Department of Youth Development.
We have a collective responsibility to ensure all young people are safe and have their basic needs met–they deserve at least that. The Urban Peace Institute needs your support to continue advocacy efforts that hold LA County accountable and create better futures for youth. Support Urban Peace Institute in calling on LA County to affirm its commitment to Youth Justice Reimagined by taking the following immediate actions for the well-being of youth:
Reduce the population in Barry J. Nidorf and Central Juvenile Halls by releasing as many young people as possible
Ensure consistent, culturally competent programming for youth with the lengthiest carceral sentences
Shift programming and contracting decisions to the Department of Youth Development
Throughout this journey for youth justice, I haven’t lost hope–the BSCC meeting’s public comment was filled with powerful testimony from youth and advocates dedicated to thriving futures. With your support, we can create change and bring hope to young people in need of support and care.
In solidarity,
Josh Green
Director of Criminal Justice