Countywide : Juvenile Hall Inmates Can Join Class Action

Superior Court Judge Philip E. Schwab Jr. ruled Thursday that all Juvenile Hall inmates are eligible to join in a class-action lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union against the county over alleged civil rights violations.

Included in Schwab’s ruling were youths housed in the county’s three other juvenile facilities: the Youth Guidance Center in Santa Ana, Joplin Youth Center in Trabuco Canyon and the Los Pinos Forestry Camp near Lake Elsinore.

The ACLU sued the county last year, alleging that young inmates were being housed in overcrowded conditions, were being denied access to lawyers and government officials and the news media, and were receiving improper disciplinary measures, such as being tied to their beds.

Deputy County Counsel Edward N. Duran argued unsuccessfully Thursday that none of the allegations of the 26 plaintiffs in the lawsuit have been substantiated sufficiently to allow the case to go forward as a class-action suit.

ACLU attorney Richard Herman argued that the ruling was necessary to ensure that all inmates are notified of the lawsuit and that they may join as plaintiffs now or later.

“It’s a great day for the kids,” Herman said.

Schwab has scheduled a Sept. 18 hearing on the ACLU’s bid for an injunction against the alleged mistreatment of juveniles by the county.