In what can be seen as a swift response to a breakdown that led to an escape from the Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in November, the Los Angeles County Probation Department is tightening the screws on security and staffing. Following up on a probing report by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), the department has begun implementing a series of measures to prevent any future incidents.
The OIG's extensive recommendations were released in response to an escape on November 4, 2023, requiring immediate action from the Probation Department. According to the statement they released, razor wire now tops the walls of Los Padrinos as of December 11, 2023, and staff implicated in policy violations have been referred for internal investigations.
In the face of criticism over security lapses, the Probation Department aims to shuffle its workforce to bolster juvenile hall supervision. As part of the effort, a sizeable contingent of Deputy Probation Officers is slated for redeployment from field operations. "Staff will be reassigned in groups of 50, at a minimum, to Barry J. Nidorf and 200, at a minimum to Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall," the department detailed in their announcement.
These reassignments are just part of the department's holistic approach to the issue. Sworn managers, including Directors and Assistant Directors, will find themselves reassigned to juvenile facilities for three-month stretches to aid with compliance and facility operations. In their statement, the department expressed optimism that "these changes will allow for effective operation of our juvenile facilities, protect the community from public safety risks and tighten our security protocols going forward."
Despite these changes to juvenile hall staffing, the Probation Department has not lost sight of the broader picture. The statement acknowledges the shifts may impact field operations. Nevertheless, they are committed to managing the balance between the needs of the institutions and the requirements of both the adult and juvenile field probation programs.
