In a county where a simple hug inside juvenile halls can still be off-limits, Los Angeles County supervisors on Tuesday threw their support behind AB 1646, the so-called "Hug Act," after the very teens living in lockup helped write it.
The bill would open the door for limited, nonsexual physical contact during in-person visits, including hugging and holding hands. Advocates argue that this kind of basic connection can be critical for family reunification and mental health. In taking its stance, the Board specifically called out Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey and Barry J. Nidorf in Sylmar as places where contact is routinely restricted.
Official support and bill basics
A motion from Supervisors Janice Hahn and Holly Mitchell directs the county to advocate for AB 1646 and instructs the Chief Probation Officer to report back on existing contact-visit policies, according to Los Angeles County.
The measure, introduced by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, would add Section 224.75 to the Welfare and Institutions Code to guarantee youth the right to nonsexual, appropriate physical contact during visits. That would include at least a hug at the beginning and end of a visit, per the bill text on Legislative Information.
Youth voices shaped the bill.
County records say AB 1646 grew out of a visit Bryan made to Los Padrinos, where, as the Board motion recounts, "the young people advocated for the right to hug their visitors." That ask from inside the facility helped drive the language that ended up in the bill.
The motion packet also points to recommendations from probation oversight bodies and state youth-restoration officials who contend that contact visits should be the norm, not a special reward, for young people in custody.
Where hugs are banned and the probation response
Los Padrinos and Barry J. Nidorf are singled out in county paperwork as facilities that do not consistently allow contact visits, even with family. The L.A. County Probation Department website lays out visiting rules and hall locations, but does not promise that visitors will actually be able to touch their kids.
Probation leaders have cautioned that contact visits require extra planning to prevent contraband and maintain safety. A one-day Valentine's Day pilot required about 20 additional officers and led to six-figure staffing estimates for broader rollout, according to the Daily News.
Costs, law, and next steps
The bill text acknowledges that local agencies could face new costs and states that if the Commission on State Mandates finds AB 1646 creates state-mandated expenses, the state would reimburse counties for implementation, according to Legislative Information.
The Assembly Public Safety Committee set a hearing on the bill for Tuesday, and the proposal is now working its way through the committee process in Sacramento.
Supporters at the Board meeting and during public comment cast the measure as both humane and evidence-based. "Many young men have not been able to embrace their mothers for months or years," Hahn wrote in the motion. Mitchell told reporters that a hug can support young people's well-being, as reported by the Daily News.
A young person who says he helped draft the bill while at Los Padrinos also told reporters he wants visits that include hugs, not just conversations through a window or across a sheet of plexiglass.
As AB 1646 moves forward in Sacramento, supervisors have asked probation brass to speed up planning so contact visits can be rolled out safely if the measure becomes law. Turning the right to hug into reality will mean juggling youth needs, staff capacity, and security, a real-world stress test for policymakers who say they are on board.
