The Los Angeles County Probation Department staffs the county’s four juvenile jails, where the number of officers has shrunk by about 700 in recent years. The Washington Examiner spoke to two veteran probation officials who described a hopeless situation where officers routinely receive catastrophic injuries yet no support from county lawmakers who want a softer approach for juvenile offenders. We have a kid who put a gun to someone’s head and splattered their brains against a wall.” “We don’t have a kid who stole a pair of jeans from JCPenney. “The only kids we have detained are the most violent, aggressive, assaultive kids who have committed the most heinous crimes against society,” oneĬounty Probation Department manager told the Washington Examiner. While politicians have been placing more juvenile offenders in the communities instead of behind bars, those left behind are the worst of the worst. Lockups have reached down to juvenile facilities where inmates learn now that they can get away with anything short of murder, officials said.
#WHAT HAPPENED TO RULES OF SURVIVAL SERIES#
LOS ANGELES PROBATION FAILED TO OVERSEE GANG MEMBER PRIOR TO POLICE MURDERSĪ series of state and local laws designed to clear I really believe someone is going to get killed at some point," one official told the Washington Examiner. "Our juvenile halls are on the verge of collapse. Imagine a jail where inmates rule over guards who fight for survival daily among killers, carjackers, and vicious gang members. It’s a world where youth convicted of violent felonies are said to control the jails, while law enforcement is helpless to stop it due to defunding and downgrades to formerly strict laws. This is the first of a four-part series looking into the juvenile justice system in Los Angeles as told by people who work there.