From The Marshall Project:
A 2020 reform law was supposed to remake the way the California juvenile justice system looks, feels, and even smells.
Freshly painted walls, gaming consoles, “cozy reading nooks,” and “de-escalation rooms” stocked with essential oils and weighted blankets are among the changes some county youth facilities have been pushed to install. It was all part of an effort to make the system less punitive and more therapeutic. There’s a growing initiative to offer college courses in juvenile facilities, too.
But this air of change might be news to young people held in Los Angeles County, where this week, California Attorney General Rob Bonta asked a state judge to sanction local officials for what he called “illegal and unsafe conditions.” Bonta argued that the county has regressed since a 2021 court order mandating better conditions there. He noted increased drug use by youth, and understaffing that has at times left young people without guards to escort them to the bathroom — forcing them to relieve themselves in their cells. Continue reading >>>
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