LA County to appoint internal compliance officer to oversee juvenile halls

DOWNEY — Los Angeles County supervisors are calling for the appointment of an internal compliance officer Wednesday to ensure that juvenile halls -- which have repeatedly come under fire from state overseers -- are in adherence with state regulations.

The compliance officer will be responsible for ensuring the halls meet suitability standards set by the Board of State and Community Corrections and the operating terms of a settlement agreement with the California Department of Justice.

This temporary position was sought to increase the efficiency of restoring suitability at county facilities which have failed to meet regulations.

In May 2023, the county's Central Juvenile Hall and Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall were both ordered closed by the BSCC after being found unsuitable to house juvenile detainees. That led to the reopening of Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey, where all detainees were transferred.

But that facility has also come under criticism by regulators. Since reopening, issues including excessive wait times, lack of youth programming, staffing, and probation officers being placed on leave for issues relating to conduct on and off duty have drawn scrutiny.

On Aug. 12, BSCC issued a notice of noncompliance to LPJH due to staffing issues, and the county Probation Department was given until Oct. 11 to submit a corrective action plan. The department submitted the plan on Oct. 11, but it was rejected the same day, according to a motion by Supervisors Janice Hahn and Lindsey Horvath.

Days later, the BSCC made a determination that Los Padrinos is unsuitable to house detainees -- an determination that could potentially lead to a closure order if violations are not remedied.

"It is time this board acted to appoint a Compliance Officer to help the Probation Department and other county departments and agencies who operate within the county's juvenile facilities to gain and sustain compliance with the BSCC regulations and the California DOJ settlement agreement," according to the motion introduced Tuesday.

The motion directed the county CEO to appoint a compliance officer within 30 days. The position will be considered temporary, remaining in place only until the county reaches full compliance with all BSCC and DOJ requirements.