FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, February 16, 2024
Probation Oversight Commission Statement on the Board of State and Community Corrections Deeming LA County Juvenile Facilities Unsuitable
LOS ANGELES, CA-
Statement from the POC Leadership:
The Probation Oversight Commission (POC) appreciates the work of the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) in ensuring that Los Angeles County Juvenile Detention Facilities meet the minimum legal standards set by state law.
“The findings of unsuitability at Barry J. Nidorf SYTF and Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall are devastating for the youth and staff in these facilities who deserve much more from us than the minimum legal standards. It’s crucial that we finally get on a path to using incarceration only when necessary and offering youth who are incarcerated a therapeutic, homelike, rehabilitative environment. That is not only my opinion, but also the state law,” said Eduardo Mundo, Chair of the POC.
The BSCC findings come as no surprise. Since the Probation Department entered the unsuitability process after findings of noncompliance in August 2023, the POC has formally asked the Department to demonstrate its progress toward compliance in four different POC meetings, including exercising its power to direct the Office of Inspector General (OIG) to issue a subpoena for the information during the February POC meeting out of concern that the Department had not reached compliance. While the Department showed progress in some areas, it is evident that there is significant work yet to accomplish.
Yesterday’s decision reiterates that L.A. County Probation would benefit from increased cooperation and compliance with oversight bodies. “Moving forward, I hope the Probation Department will see this decision as a mandate to embrace oversight internally and externally, understanding that oversight bodies like the BSCC, Department of Justice, OIG, and the POC provide diverse, but deep understanding of the law, understanding of how their institutions impact youth and their families, and ideas about how to reach our shared goals. We are here to help, and I firmly believe that transparency and accountability will lead to better outcomes,” said Wendelyn Julien, Executive Director of the POC.
Over the next 60 days, we hope that the Probation Department will accept help from county and community partners including the POC to:
- Come into compliance with the law and avoid having to close the facilities, while simultaneously;
- Drastically reduce the population at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall to minimize the need to move youth if they have to evacuate; and
- Immediately develop a contingency plan to move youth out of both Barry J. Nidorf SYTF and Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall that minimizes trauma and harm to youth caused by another move.
The POC is committed to being a partner and a resource for the Probation Department to find solutions that best protect the approximately 340 youth in these two facilities and keep them here in Los Angeles close to their families.
If you'd like to provide feedback, please e-mail us at info@poc.lacounty.gov. Join us at our next public meeting on Thursday, March 14th.
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Media Contact:
Wendelyn Julien, Executive Director
County of Los Angeles, Probation Oversight Commission
Email: wjulien@poc.lacounty.gov
Phone: (213) 308-8373
Website: poc.lacounty.gov/
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