Relatives Allege Coercive Tactics at Juvenile Hall : Corrections: They say Latino youths were isolated to force cooperation in probe of two counselors. Co-director denies it.

Relatives of three Latino inmates at Juvenile Hall charged administrators Thursday with permitting “interrogations and isolation lockups” to force the youths’ cooperation in an investigation of two counselors.

The relatives contend that the juveniles’ civil rights were violated when administrators allegedly coerced them to provide information about alleged misconduct against the counselors. One parent also purported racial discrimination in the handling of one Latino inmate’s medical needs.

About 10 relatives and a member of the League of United Latin American Citizens, a Latino civil rights organization, also called for a probe of Juvenile Hall by an outside agency and said their complaints will be taken to the Orange County Grand Jury and the U.S. Civil Rights Commission.

“I understand they have to conduct an investigation,” said Jessica Castro of Anaheim, whose 14-year-old cousin is inside the hall. “But this isn’t an adult facility. These are children, and even if they’re in Juvenile Hall, they have a right not to answer any questions and be protected.”

The allegations were denied by Tom Wright, co-director of Juvenile Hall.

“Our mission is not to punish kids,” Wright said. “We’re here to protect the community by having the inmates here in Juvenile Hall. But while they’re here, we are their substitute parents, and we try to act like that.”

“We simply spoke with a variety of minors because they happened to have seen something that we needed to know about. There was no discipline involved when they were interviewed,” Wright said.

He said none of the young inmates were interrogated or put into isolation lockups.

Wright refused to answer questions about two deputy probation counselors. Authorities have said both have been placed on paid administrative leave as a result of the investigation, which stems from allegations that counselors allowed youths to engage in gang behavior and ignored beatings that were part of gang rites.

The investigation focuses on one unit where 22 youths are housed and where both of the suspended counselors are assigned. Juvenile Hall contains 17 living units and has an overall population of 433 inmates.

At Thursday’s press conference, Castro alleged that during an interview about the counselors, a staff member intimidated her 14-year-old cousin.

“He was intimidated and told to give them anything he had about the two counselors,” Castro said. When he told them he didn’t “have anything,” Castro said the youth was put in administrative segregation--isolation--for three days.

“He didn’t violate any rule inside the hall and wasn’t written up for any violation. Yet, that is how he was treated,” Castro said.

Phyllis Espinoza of Anaheim, who said that her 14-year-old son at Juvenile Hall is charged with gang rape, said that he was interrogated and afterward jotted notes, which were made available to the media at the press conference.

The notes include a passage in which the youth alleges that threatening remarks were made when the interviewer turned off the tape recorder.

The passage read: “You think YA (Youth Authority) is bad, try county. You think the little rape you did is bad? You’ve done a lot of time . . . but think county, cause I could send you there if you don’t tell me the head guys. The administration gave me the power to file on you.”

Wright acknowledged that inmates were interviewed about the counselors and other inmates’ behavior. But he denied that anyone intimidated juvenile inmates. As to many of the parents’ allegations, he said, they simply “were not true.”

“We have procedures that allow us to place a kid on administrative room confinement, and it’s their sleeping room,” Wright said. “The intent is to stop the conduct and discover what happened so we can get some information and learn which direction we can go in. There was no interrogation and there was no intimidation.”

Sylvia Badillo of Westminster criticized the youth facility for allegedly ignoring her 17-year-old son’s health problems. Badillo said her son was ill with a respiratory ailment and had fainting spells. She alleged unfair medical treatment based on race, contending that her son wasn’t treated but an Anglo inmate was sent to a hospital by ambulance after exhibiting similar symptoms.

“To the specific complaints in relation to medical issues,” Wright said, “we have had ambulances here for Hispanics and Asian kids and everyone else. It makes no difference. I have to tell you that as far as racism here (is concerned), it doesn’t exist.”