Los Angeles' Juvenile Justice Fiasco

We can go a long way toward helping California's budget crisis simply by reforming Los Angeles County's antiquated juvenile justice system.

California houses the nation's largest jail population, averaging 253,000 adult inmates per day in its state, county and local facilities combined. This year, operation of the State facilities alone will run $11 billion (not even including $8 billion the Federal government mandated California to spend on inmate healthcare.)

An estimated 70% of these inmates were once incarcerated as juveniles with Los Angeles County juvenile detention facilities serving as the most popular "alma mater." Over 15,000 children are admitted to its facilities annually which are currently threatened with Federal takeover for violations including improper use of force, poor record-keeping and staff training, high turnover, failure to keep youth safe from each other and high child/staff ratios. Children are warehoused with little rehabilitation, sometimes sleeping 100 to a room. It is thus no surprise that estimated recidivism is 75% (35% commit a new crime within a year, 40% violate probation necessitating re-incarceration.)

Annual cost per youth is roughly $125,000, more than twice Harvard's annual tuition. Unfortunately, subjects learned are more likely to be car theft and meth-making, as serious and minor offenders are co-housed.

A systemic solution would be to dismantle the pipeline by investing in prenatal care, early childhood and elementary education, and better social services -- steps the Obama Administration is hoping to take with stimulus money. The Administration understands that prison population projections are based upon third-grade literacy rates and that 70% of fourth graders not reading at grade level will become incarcerated later in life.

But another approach must also be undertaken. Los Angeles must adopt the State of Missouri's much-emulated juvenile justice program where annual youth recidivism rates have been a sustained 7% - one tenth the Los Angeles rate -- with an average annual cost per child of $44,000 -- roughly a third of Los Angeles' expenditure.

Since the 1980s, Missouri has abandoned huge Dickensian institutions in favor of small locked group homes within the children's own communities. Each home has trained staff that individualizes evidenced-based therapeutic programs for each child, involving his family. The children also learn teamwork. The program has been successfully implemented across the nation.

Los Angeles' Probation Chief admits that parental involvement is key and that his system provides none. Additionally, of the 19 county detention camps, only 3 have any semblance of a drug program and none have gang intervention programs -- absurd since the great proportion of children are gang-affiliated with many incarcerated for drug-related offenses. Governor Schwarzenegger set aside $100 million for new rehabilitative juvenile facilities statewide, but Los Angeles lost its chance for such dollars by not submitting viable proposals. Also although the State has given Los Angeles $21 million to fund evidence-based programs treating children close to home, such services have yet to be provided.

Some county supervisors want to learn about Missouri. Hopefully, the rest will too eventually. The obstacle seems to be their fear constituents might view them as "soft on crime" for taking a therapeutic approach instead of wielding a big stick. However, the big stick approach has only diverted tax dollars away from schools, police and other city needs and has simply warehoused disenfranchised children, increasing their anger, fear and criminality. It's time Los Angeles stopped contributing to the California budget crisis by unnecessarily spending millions and millions of dollars to make the community less safe and started implementing proven, effective community responses at a fraction of the cost.

Comments

[Jacqueline Caster]

I do happen to live in Los Angeles and by the way, this program has already been instituted in Washington. D.C. and New Orleans with immediate success. New York City and San Francisco are already starting to implement it too. Maybe you should do a little more research before you post a comment.

[Trd Frer]

Lady, your must be living in "LA LA" land if you think LA's juvenile justice problems can be solved by small group homes and elementary school intervention. Where do you live by the way???? not in this city!! try going to any project and try your touchy-felly BS on some real stone cold gang banging killers. You'd get laughed out of the neighborhood by the gang bangers and the hood. Law enforcement has the responsibility to protect the community and victims from these thugs, not coddle them with liberal mumbo jumbo. they're just getting over on you girl!!! you "world savers" write ridiculous platitudes from your ivory towers, but have no idea what goes on the real world. As someone who's worked in the system, we help thousand of families and minors who can be rehabilitated. we work worth limited budgets, overwhelming caseloads, and serious urban issues. that "hug a thug" BS might fly in Missouri, but honey, this city ain't Missouri!!!!! Your article was good for a laf though

[bamlew]

Dear Ms. Caster- I found your article on juvenile justice provocative and challenging. My name is Mark Lewis. I 'm Preident of the Los Angles County Education Association (LACEA). LACEA is the Association of educators who work with students at the various institutions throughout LA County. I would be interested in talking with you furhter. My e-mail is [e-mail]