New calls to shut down LA County’s juvenile halls have emerged following the reported death of a juvenile in Sylmar.
The Los Angeles Times was the first to report that the death, which is currently under investigation, is being treated as a possible overdose.
The deceased individual was a teenage boy, and the exact cause of death will be determined by the coroner’s office.
If drugs are found to be the cause, it will trigger another investigation into the troubled Juvenile Hall system in LA County.
The Juvenile Hall system has faced ongoing problems for decades, with investigations and ordered changes that have yet to be fully implemented, according to critics from the board of State and Community Corrections.
The possibility of shutting down the county’s juvenile halls due to non-compliance has been considered, but a decision has been postponed until a hearing on May 23rd.
Concerns about the spread of opioids and recent cases of overdoses have also been raised in a recent report by the county’s inspector general.
Last week, the county board of supervisors approved a comprehensive plan for reorganizing the system, including the recommendation to relocate most of the juveniles to a different facility.
They also suggested that the sheriff’s department deploy volunteer staff to address staffing shortages.
However, the County Deputy Probation officers union has attributed the staffing shortage to a hiring freeze imposed by the county.
They claim that there are currently 1,000 vacancies in the county Probation Department, leading to officers regularly working 18 to 24-hour shifts.
The union further reports that 40% of the staff faces daily attacks from the juveniles and that 40% are on injury leave.
The situation remains unresolved, with no definitive decisions made yet.
The discussions and concerns surrounding LA County’s juvenile halls continue to raise questions about the effectiveness and safety of the system.
Reporting live from Sylmar, this is MG Graci for [TV Channel Name].
