A top Los Angeles County probation department official plans to defy a state order to shut down the Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall by Thursday, according to a report by the L.A. Times.
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In a leaked recording obtained by the Times, Chief Deputy Probation Officer Kimberly Epps told a group of probation officers last month that "we're not moving" and that they're "going to have to put our stuff on the curb."
The state ordered Los Padrinos to be shut down after numerous failed inspections, but the probation department has resisted, saying there’s nowhere to transfer the more than 250 detainees at the facility.
Community groups rallied outside the Board of Supervisors meeting to demand the county follow through on closing the facility and release the youth detained there.
If the probation department bucks the state’s order, it could lead to a costly legal showdown between state and county officials.
Meanwhile, the L.A. Public Defender's office is going to court to ask that all 107 of its clients at the facility be moved.
"We're not saying that we want the youth to be released out to the community, but rather that they be placed in a more suitable environment," Public Defender Luis Rodriguez tells KNX News' Karen Adams. He says the youth are simply not safe at Los Padrinos.
According to the probation department, many of the youth at Los Padrinos are facing serious offenses and can't be moved to less secure facilities.
While the department continues to explore options to address the existing concerns, L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn says closing the hall would send many to county jail, which she calls the worst-case scenario.
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