State Regulators Threaten to Close Two L.A. County Juvenile Halls

State regulators are threatening to shut down two of Los Angeles County’s problem plagued juvenile halls that have long been out of compliance with corrections requirements, according to the Los Angeles Times.

In a letter Thursday to Interim Probation Chief Karen Fletcher, the California Board of State and Community Corrections said it would decide within three weeks whether to shutter the Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Sylmar and the Central Juvenile Hall downtown, the Times reported.

In the past, the state board has determined the county’s juvenile halls were “unsuitable,” but gave the county Probation Department more time to submit a “corrective action plan” to comply with state regulations, the newspaper said.

Shutting down the facilities would reportedly be unprecedented and could result in hundreds of juvenile offenders being displaced.

Earlier this month the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed to move forward with a “Global Plan” for the placement and care of juvenile detainees.

The board action also called for a reduction in the number of juveniles in county custody and preparing for an influx of detainees from soon- to-close state facilities.

Many of the county’s juvenile detention facilities are in partial disuse, and nine are completely out of service. The current total number of inmates is 519.

Relieving overcrowding at the Sylmar facility was considered a top priority, but it was unclear how regulatory action by the state would alter those plans.