"After years of scandals - including frequent drug overdoses and incidents of staff violence against youths - Bonta filed a motion in July to place the county's juvenile halls in "receivership," meaning a court-appointed monitor would manage the facilities, set their budgets and oversee the hiring and firing of staff. An ongoing staffing crisis previously led a state oversight body to deem two of L.A. County's halls unfit to house children."
"L.A. County entered into a settlement with the California Department of Justice in 2021 to mandate improvements, but oversight bodies and a Times investigation earlier this year found the Probation Department was falling far short of fixing many issues, as required by the agreement. On Friday, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Peter A. Hernandez chastised Bonta for failing to clearly lay out tasks for the Probation Department to abide by in the 2021 settlement."
A judge temporarily blocked the attorney general's attempt to take control of Los Angeles County juvenile halls, finding that legal grounds for receivership were not met despite evidence of systemic failures. The juvenile system has faced years of scandals, including drug overdoses and staff violence, and a staffing crisis led oversight to deem two halls unfit. The county entered a 2021 settlement with the California Department of Justice requiring improvements, but oversight bodies and reporting found the Probation Department falling short. The judge criticized the attorney general for failing to specify tasks that would ensure a transformative receivership.
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