Patricia Soung

After advocates pressed Los Angeles County health officials, the Department of Public Health will now inspect juvenile detention facilities administered by the county’s Probation Department. As health concerns for youth in detention mount, advocates in L.A.

The Los Angeles County Probation Department announced on Tuesday that it would shutter all probation offices, close down juvenile detention facilities and consider ways to lower new entries in an effort to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors ordered the probation department to redouble its efforts to spend down $79 million earmarked for delinquency prevention, and spend a greater share of it on community-based organizations.

A bill winding its way through the California legislature would bar the juvenile justice system from hearing most cases of children younger than 12, an idea that has sparked a fierce backlash from district attorneys.

With the support of a broad cross-section of juvenile justice advocates and newly minted Probation Department leadership, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a proposal today that will create a comprehensive plan for juvenile diversion in the county.