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SACRAMENTO (July 7, 2025) – After a recent inspection, the Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) has determined that the Los Angeles County, Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall  remains unsuitable for the confinement of juveniles. This is based on several areas of Title 15 noncompliance for the facility in its use as a Secure Youth Treatment Facility (SYTF), including safety checks (§ 1328), room confinement (§ 1354.5), and use of force (§ 1357).

The use of the Nidorf facility to house pre-disposition male youth as a juvenile hall is part of the Los Angeles County Probation’s plan to depopulate the unsuitable Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall.  However, the full BSCC Board determined that the Juvenile Hall at Nidorf was unsuitable for the confinement of juveniles on May 23, 2023, due to nine areas of noncompliance with Title 15 of the California Code of Regulations.   For Nidorf to be used as a juvenile hall, the county must first remedy these items.  BSCC  inspected (Nidorf Inspection Report) the Nidorf facility June 24 – July 1, 2025, and determined that six out of the nine items of noncompliance had been remedied, but that several minimum standards of Title 15 were not met.  As the inspection report outlined, staff did not directly observe youth while conducting safety checks, youth were confined to their rooms in violation of regulation, and staff did not meet training requirements related to use of force and chemical agents.

The facility remains unsuitable to be used as a juvenile hall.  The full BSCC Board will not take up the matter of suitability until the items of noncompliance have been remedied. (July 3, 2025 BSCC letter to Los Angeles County Probation)

Under Welfare and Institutions Code section 209, the county has 60 days to submit a corrective action plan to remedy the items of noncompliance at the SYTF.

“It is clear that it would not be appropriate to move additional youth from Los Padrinos to Barry J. Nidorf while the facility is unable to meet minimum standards,” said Board Chair Linda Penner. “The ongoing and systemic failures at Los Padrinos and Barry J. Nidorf are unacceptable.”

For a historical account of BSCC action, please see the expanded timeline (BSCC Historical Timeline – Los Angeles County Probation)

 

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