LA County Moves Forward with New Vision for Juvenile Justice System

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Los Angeles County is moving to dismantle the largest youth justice system in the country and begin to transition the County’s youth justice system to a rehabilitative, care-first model by 2025. The action was taken in response to a report titled “Youth Justice Reimagined” produced by the County’s Youth Justice Work Group which called for reducing the size and scope of the juvenile probation system and reallocating resources from youth incarceration and supervision to a healing restorative model. The plan is consistent with the County’s “care first” approach and in accordance with a growing body of literature on juvenile justice. Rather than a punitive system in a prison-like setting with large institutional buildings and barbed wire distant from young people’s communities, this Youth Justice Reimagined vision proposes a home-like setting in communities with 24/7 youth centers and support teams made up of people who develop personal relationships with the young people in their care.

“Our youth simply can’t get well in a cell,” said Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas.

LA County’s youth justice system is the largest in the country with approximately 500 young people in the County’s two juvenile halls and six probation camps. Research indicates that the current system often fails to help young people thrive and is characterized by stark racial inequity.  A single arrest nearly doubles the likelihood of a young person dropping out of high school, and Black youth are six times more likely to be arrested and 25 times more likely to be incarcerated than their white peers.

Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, author of the motion, said, “We know now that we will have more success in helping young people to thrive, as well as improve community safety, by providing rehabilitative, health-focused, and care-first programming. We have a lot of analysis and planning still to do, but today’s motion affirms that this is our vision and this is what we plan to build.”

The action taken today mirrors similar efforts in jurisdictions around the country that are reimagining their approach to youth justice including San Francisco, Houston and St. Paul.

Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, co-author of the motion, said, “The County must resist the tendency towards institutionalizing youth and instead seek out trauma-informed practices that make space for hope and healing and insist on structures that promote positive youth development and rehabilitation. Punitive youth justice systems give up on youth before offering them a chance. The County must be bold in reforming its youth justice system to recognize capacities for rehabilitative change and promote the belonging, usefulness, and competencies that justice-involved youth need to empower themselves and lead healthy, responsible, and caring lives.”

The Youth Justice Work Group included more than 100 staff from County departments, community leaders, labor partners and current and former justice-involved youth, working over many months to reimagine a youth justice system that is rehabilitative, health-focused, and care-first.

LA County Board of Supervisors Weigh Options for Removing the Sheriff

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Acting on a motion by Supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas and Sheila Kuehl, the Board of Supervisors seek advice on legislative changes that would result in the sheriff being appointed rather than elected. It also inquires about ways to remove certain responsibilities from the Sheriff to mitigate damage to basic Department functions and to curtail the Sheriff’s resistance to transparency and accountability.

“We have managed to inherit the worst Sheriff in recent memory, and he has set off what is as close to a constitutional crisis at the local level that we’ve ever seen,” Supervisor Ridley-Thomas said, noting recent scandals over fatal deputy shootings, secret societies, the rehiring of previously fired deputies, and a department budget in turmoil.

“Under the current Sheriff, hard-fought law enforcement reforms are being undone, eroding public trust,” Supervisor Ridley-Thomas added. “It is painfully obvious that we need mechanisms to hold the Sheriff accountable and we are willing to consider executive, legislative, and judicial authority to restore order.”

Supervisor Kuehl, who co-authored the motion, said “The LA County Sheriff has continuously refused to cooperate with the Civilian Oversight Commission and our Inspector General, defying both subpoenas and requests for information. He has incurred tens of millions of dollars in settlement costs in excessive force litigation, re-employed deputies who were lawfully terminated, and aggressively resisted the County’s attempt to balance the department’s budget which is running unprecedented deficits.”

“True community safety means having a Sheriff’s Department that operates within the law, within budget, and works collaboratively with local officials and the public to build and maintain community trust,” Supervisor Kuehl added. “The Supervisors have taken this action to explore ways of removing or limiting a Sheriff’s authority as a last resort, because our paramount obligation is to our County residents to ensure that any County law enforcement agency is accountable and worthy of the public’s confidence and trust.”

“The community shouldn’t have to wait four years to get rid of a Sheriff who has actively undermined reforms that Black and Brown communities have won. We should explore every means of holding the sheriff accountable including rethinking whether the sheriff should be appointed,” said Mark-Anthony Clayton-Johnson, Founder of Frontline Wellness Network.

In their motion, Supervisors Ridley-Thomas and Kuehl noted the Board is ultimately responsible for setting policy and supervising the official conduct of County officers and employees, ensuring they discharge their duties faithfully. The Board’s authority to supervise elected officers like the Sheriff, however, is more limited, so they have to maneuver different ways to create checks and balances.

The motion noted the ongoing issues with the Sheriff are in contrast to the state of law enforcement at the City of Los Angeles, where the Chief of Police is appointed by the Mayor, subject to the approval of the Police Commission and City Council, all of whom provide robust oversight.

Creating A New Vision for Park Safety

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As one of the largest public park systems in the nation that provides critical access to green space for millions of residents, the Board of Supervisor has taken steps to implement a community-informed public safety strategy for County Parks in the face of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) budget curtailments. This unanimously approved motion aims to prioritize a more equitable, safety-focused, anti-racist framework to reducing the harm caused by an over-reliance on law enforcement in our parks, and makes further investments in alternative crisis response and violence prevention strategies.

“Investing in parks, and the programming that occurs within these spaces, must be a critical part of our approach to promoting an anti-racist and more equitable Los Angeles County. However, we must also acknowledge that these spaces and services will only improve the quality of life for our residents if they are delivered in a safe and trauma-informed manner,” said Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas “Given the Sheriff’s recent decision to curtail the Parks Services Bureau entirely, there is an immediate need to put a holistic and community-informed strategy in place so our parks can remain safe spaces for the community.”

Authored by Supervisors Ridley-Thomas and Janice Hahn, the motion authorizes the Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the Director of the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to address the resulting gap in public safety services caused by Sheriff Villanueva’s threat to close the Parks Services Bureau, and report back with alternative solutions, including the implementation of alternative crisis response staffing.

“Public safety is our priority, and it is our job to make sure that our parks stay safe for everyone,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “But public safety looks different for different people. I look forward to seeing the options provided in this report back.

“The Chief Executive Office is working closely with our departmental partners to make sure our residents can safely enjoy their parks,” said Acting Chief Executive Officer Fesia Davenport. “These are treasured green spaces where residents can enjoy recreation and nature, and we are committed to developing innovative short- and long-term approaches to ensure that residents’ quality of life is maintained and enhanced.”

“Parks make life better – but they can only do so if they are safe spaces – and we are committed to working with the families and stakeholders we serve to make sure that we continue to evolve and strengthen our strategies for community-focused policing strategies to ensure that is the case,” said Norma Edith García-González, Director of County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation.

“Parks are supposed to be spaces of safety and recreation and yet our communities are often on edge because of Sheriff presence and violence that occurs in our neighborhoods, including our local parks,” said Mark-Anthony Johnson, Founder of Frontline Wellness Network. “Moving resources out of the Sheriff’s budget and into the community will ensure that we protect our parks as safe havens for services while building our ability to respond to crisis and harm with strategies that build community and affirm life.”

Since 2009, LASD has provided community policing through its Parks Services Bureau. However, recently, the Sheriff has threatened to eliminate the program entirely and reallocate funds elsewhere despite the Board’s action to fund the budgetary gap. As a result, the Board is also calling for appropriate fiscal safeguards to be instituted to ensure that any funds provided to LASD to fund park services be used for the intended purpose.

Further Investments in Violence Prevention

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Supervisor Ridley-Thomas speaks at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Public Health. Photo by Dave Franco / Board of Supverisors

Amid an unprecedented increase in local tensions surrounding the recent deaths of Andres Guardado and Dijon Kizzee, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to implement the Office of Violence Prevention’s (OVP) strategic plan and retool the Family Assistance Program—motions led by Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and co-authored by Supervisor Kuehl.  The two initiatives will help to expand community investment and well-being and offer relief to families who have lost loved-ones to deputy-involved shootings.

“Confronting the epidemic of violence requires trauma-informed responses to impacted families and equipping our communities with the tools needed to disrupt the cycle,” said Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. “The County, in partnership with local communities, has made significant investments in the infrastructure needed to support and advance this critical work.”

There has been a growing public demand for an equitable response to violence prevention and interventions that address the systematic biases and inequities that cause disproportionate health, economic and socio-cultural impacts. In the motion, to  implement a strategic plan for the Office of Violence Prevention, as well as create a community-based crisis response system, the Board is working towards establishing a coordinated community-based response to incidences of violence, such as homicides, shootings, and sexual and domestic assault to prevent and interrupt cycles of violence before they happen.

“This motion pushes the county one important step forward in building infrastructure to effectively reduce the incidence of violence in Black and Brown communities most impacted by structural, institutional, and community-level violence, oppression, and trauma.  We appreciate Supervisor Ridley-Thomas’ ongoing attention to this issue and underscore the importance of allocating resources to ensure that inclusive community engagement will result in safer, healthier and more equitable neighborhood conditions,” said Manal J. Aboelata, Deputy Executive Director of Prevention Institute.

“Hospital based violence intervention is often the only opportunity we have to help victims of violent crimes and this motion is a commitment to those efforts. The timing of this motion is impeccable as public safety throughout L.A. County is very much in question,” said Paul Carillo, Co-founder and Executive Director of Southern California Crossroads.

Over the span of 15 months, more than 14 victims have died at the hands of Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) deputies. To lessen the burden of tragedy that families face in the difficult moments after the death of a loved-one in a deputy involved shooting the Board is taking steps to secure and enhance the Family Assistance Program (FAP). Created by the Board of Supervisors based upon the recommendation of the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission, the FAP works to counteract the trauma of loss that is compounded by a lack of clear communication.

“When a family loses a loved one as a result of the fatal use of force by law enforcement, it always devastates friends and family members, and has a deeply destructive impact on community relationships with law enforcement,” said Supervisor Sheila Kuehl.” The Family Assistance Program, an innovative idea that emerged from discussions at the Civilian Oversight Commission, provides compassionate communication and trauma-informed support to those families. With this motion, we are asking for an assessment of its effectiveness, improvements that may be needed, and the identification of funding to sustain it.”

Among the key elements of the FAP is the employment of “advocates” to be present during next-of-kin notifications to provide crisis intervention and grief counseling, as well as to serve as liaisons between the Sheriff’s Department and other County departments as needed. The motion seeks to reinforce this valuable community resource so that it is available in the future for impacted families in their critical moment of need.

“The Family Assistance program supports families suffering from traumatic grief through losing a loved-one from interactions with law enforcement. The COC continues to endorse the trauma-informed, no-fault, compassionate approach which came out of deep listening to the suffering of family members including children,” said Commissioner of Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission and Executive Director of Peace Over Violence, Patti Giggans.

“When a person dies in government custody, or is actually killed by the government, we have a responsibility to treat their family with compassion. But common decency doesn’t always happen without a little help, and that is what the Family Assistance Program was designed for.”

“Every year families suffer the loss of loved-ones from law enforcement violence. They are then left to endure not only the relentless grief, trauma, and economic impact but the painful process of seeking answers and demanding justice. The county should work to remove as many obstacles as possible and provide families with immediate access to support during these devastating times. This motion makes that possible,” said Mark-Anthony Johnson, Founder of Frontline Wellness Network.

Board Makes Further Investments in Violence Prevention and Resources to Support Communities Impacted by Trauma

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Recently, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas read in two comprehensive motions, for action at the September 29th Board meeting, that will further disrupt violence by implementing the Office of Violence Prevention’s (OVP) strategic plan as well as reinforce the Family Assistance Program (FAP) for families who have lost loved-ones to deputy-involved shootings. These two actions of community investment and well-being come amid an unprecedented increase in local tensions in the recent deaths of Andres Guardado and Dijon Kizzee.

“Violence begets violence. If we want to break the cycle, we must provide a compassionate response to families impacted by violence and equip our communities with the tools needed to recognize and deescalate violence before it occurs,” said Supervisor Ridley-Thomas. “The residents of Los Angeles County deserve a coordinated and community-led response to incidences of violence that too frequently take place. I am proud that we are continuing the diligent hard work that is necessary to make an impact in this important area of incredible consequence.”

• Implementing the Office of Violence Prevention’s Strategic Plan and Creating a Coordinated Community-Based Crisis Response System

Recently, there has been a growing public demand for an equitable response to violence prevention and interventions that address the systematic biases and inequities that cause disproportionate health, economic and socio-cultural impacts. In this motion, authored by Supervisor Ridley-Thomas, the Board is working toward implementation of a coordinated and community-led response to incidences of violence or crisis, such as homicides, shootings, and sexual and domestic assault.

• Ensuring the Long-term Viability of the Family Assistance Program

The FAP was created by the Board of Supervisors upon the recommendation of the Civilian Oversight Commission in response to community concerns about the treatment of families who have lost loved-ones at the hands of the Sheriff’s Department. This program works to counteract the trauma of loss that is compounded by a lack of clear communication. Among the key elements of the FAP is the employment of “advocates” to be present during next-of-kin notifications to provide crisis intervention and grief counseling, as well as to serve as liaisons between the Sheriff’s Department and other County departments as needed. This motion seeks to reinforce this valuable community resource so that it is available in the future for impacted families in their critical moment of need.