Juvenile Hall Violations Cited

Violating medical and mental health guidelines, guards at Los Angeles County juvenile halls kept suicidal inmates in arm and leg restraints around the clock, according to federal investigators.

The investigators, who have been monitoring conditions in the halls since 2000, also reported to county officials Wednesday that other mentally ill inmates have been secured for long periods in unpadded metal handcuffs and leg irons.

And they found continued deficiencies in how the county tracks use of force by guards, some of whom were involved in 40 to 60 violent incidents per year.

The latest problems with Los Angeles County’s giant juvenile detention system come at a time of persistent violence at halls and camps and a string of recent escapes.

They also may place the county at risk of being sued by the U.S. Justice Department, which has given the county until August to improve conditions at its three juvenile halls.

Ron Barrett, the Probation Department detention services chief who oversees the three halls, said the department is correcting problems identified by the federal monitors.

Appointed after the county and the federal government entered into an agreement in 2004 to avoid litigation over allegations of mistreatment, the monitors noted some progress at the juvenile halls, including better mental health services and some enhanced schooling for inmates.

In January, the Board of Supervisors also agreed to provide money to hire 247 new guards and mental health staff at the halls after repeated complaints that understaffing was fueling inmate unrest.

And in April, the board appointed a well-regarded former Los Angeles Police Department commander to take over the Probation Department, which operates the county’s juvenile detention system, now the third-largest in the nation.

But in a semi-annual report submitted to supervisors, the federal monitors noted that Probation Department management had apparently authorized the placement of suicidal inmates in restraints for days at a time, while providing no documentation or oversight procedures.

The practice continued for six weeks, according to the report.

The monitors also found incomplete reports of suicide attempts, while noting that “in every incident, inadequate monitoring of high-risk minors played a substantial role in the attempted suicides.”

They faulted the department for failing to quickly investigate allegations of child abuse by staff in the halls. And they found that the department had made little progress in reducing the use of force by staff.

The department is supposed to review a monthly tally of incidents to identify employees who use force more often than others. But, the monitors’ report notes, the reviews “have made no progress in the last six months, and in the most important areas, have regressed.”

While use of force incidents declined in 2005 compared with a year earlier, they were still 9% higher than in 2003, according to the report.

Barrett said the department was developing policies to work with staff who frequently use force with juveniles.

Deputy County Counsel Gordon Trask said the county would probably miss the Aug. 24 deadline to meet all of the Justice Department goals. Trask said the county was working with federal authorities to avoid a lawsuit.

A Justice Department spokesman said the government could not comment on its investigation.

Federal authorities have not been monitoring the county’s system of rural camps, where roughly 2,000 juvenile offenders are serving their sentences.