Juvenile Hall Crowding Forces Youths to Sleep on Floor, Report States

The county’s Juvenile Hall in Orange is overcrowded again, with some youths forced to sleep on the floor due to a shortage of beds, according to a report released Thursday.

Officials must find a source of new beds, expand a home release program for some juveniles and explore other options, the report said.

It was sent to the Board of Supervisors by Edward M. Clarke, the county’s chief deputy probation officer.

“Over the past several years, the Juvenile Hall . . . population increase from February through June has caused many days of overcrowding,” Clarke said.

“This year’s population increase has been the heaviest experienced, with daily overages of 20 to 57 minors continuously since Feb. 11.”

Clarke said there have been no major changes since his March 24 report.

Although the numbers at Juvenile Hall change daily, he said, on Thursday there were 353 youths in the hall but there were only 334 beds available.

Reason for Increase Unknown

The lack of beds forces some youths to sleep on mattresses on the floor, Clarke said, adding that officials are unsure why the population increases so much in the February-June period.

Clarke said the California Youth Authority, which oversees the juvenile justice system, has told the Probation Department to “come up with a corrective action” plan to solve the immediate problem and provide a long-term solution.

He said that in the past the department has tried to place youths in home supervision and work programs rather than keep them in Juvenile Hall. He said it is also seeking approval of a plan for early release of juveniles who would have strict supervision by parole officers while they live at home.

Over the years, there have been periodic cases of overcrowding at Juvenile Hall. Last year, the California Youth Authority approved a three-part plan by the Probation Department to ease the problem.

First, the department added beds at Los Pinos Forestry Camp near Lake Elsinore. It also used a portion of the Albert Sitton Home in Orange to house 20 girls and expanded a home-supervision program for juvenile offenders awaiting trial.

Clarke warned in his report that the addition of 20 beds at the Albert Sitton Home, which are counted in the Juvenile Hall’s total of 334 beds, is threatened because of problems in obtaining Fire Department clearance for the facility.

Juvenile Hall houses youths awaiting trial as well as some who have been sentenced.

Los Pinos, with 96 beds; the Youth Guidance Center in Santa Ana, with 100 beds, and the Joplin Youth Center in Trabuco Canyon, with 60 beds, house only juveniles who have already been sentenced.

Supervisor Harriett Wieder said she will ask the supervisors at next Tuesday’s meeting to request that the county’s 11-member Juvenile Justice Commission review the problem of overcrowding and suggest solutions.