According to officials, five individuals were admitted to Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey on Wednesday morning due to potential drug exposure.
The hospitalizations were caused by a suspected overdose and potential exposure to an unknown chemical, according to Vicky Waters, the communications director for the L.A. County Probation Department, which is in charge of the juvenile facilities.
Probation employees and young people detained at the hall were among those transported to the hospital on Wednesday morning, according to Waters. She had no idea what the material was, where it had been discovered, or about when the occurrence had taken place.
Waters said that hazardous materials workers, along with Downey police and fire officials, were responding to the hall.
Los Padrinos is part of supervisor Janice Hahn’s district, and she expressed her prayers for the youth’s and staff members’ recovery, including probation and medical professionals.
According to a statement from Hahn, “a toxic drug that should never have been allowed to enter this facility may have exposed and sickened medical staff, probation staff, and youth in our care.” We’ll investigate how this was permitted to occur.
California
The state of the juvenile halls in Los Angeles County has been steadily declining for years. The California attorney general’s office has, however, done little to compel change despite reaching a settlement with the county to require reform, and children continue to live in filthy and hazardous conditions.
The most recent incidence coincides with persistent drug problems in the county’s juvenile detention facilities.
A charity tutoring organization employee was arrested on Monday in Los Padrinos after allegedly being discovered in possession of 170 pills that were thought to be Xanax.L.A. prosecutors accused a probation officer last month of sneaking Xanaxin into Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall’s Secure Youth Treatment Facility in Sylmar. In April, shortly after probation officials discovered a significant amount of Xanax within the facility, several young people also overdosed on drugs at Los Padrinos.
Eduardo Mundo, the president of the Probation Oversight Commission, which acts as a county watchdog for the dysfunctional agency, stated, “We’re starting to catch people.” Catching someone indicates that the method is effective.
Mundo claimed to have witnessed increased hall security recently, with canines sniffing everyone entering from head to toe and increased focus on the skies looking for drones. However, he points out that it’s obvious that narcotics are still entering.
According to him, those who do bring drugs into the country need to be quite resourceful.
County and state officials continue to closely monitor Los Padrinos. More than 100 young people were ordered to leave Downey Hall in May by a judge after the facility regularly failed state oversight body investigations.
Following years of scandals, riots, drug overdoses, and claims of officers abusing young people, California Attorney General Rob Bonta also stated earlier this year that he was considering a state takeover of the juvenile justice system in L.A. County.
