S1: Welcome in San Diego , it's Jade Hindman. On today's show , we're talking about an investigation into the mistreatment of youth at San Diego County Juvenile Hall facilities. This is KPBS Midday Edition. Connecting our communities through conversation. California Attorney General Rob Bonta is investigating San Diego County juvenile halls for alleged civil rights abuses. There are two of those facilities in the county the East Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility in Otay Mesa and the Youth Transition Campus in Kearny Mesa. The San Diego Union-Tribune has reported on problems at those facilities for some time now. And joining me to talk about it is Kelly Davis. She's a staff writer on the watchdog team at the Union Tribune. Kelly , welcome back to midday.
S2: Thank you.
S1:
S2: His office would only say that it was started to determine whether , quote , any unlawful activity or practices occurred in the facilities and then to identify potential reforms.
S1: So what should we know about the two facilities under investigation here ? I mean , who's being held there ? Yeah.
S2: So these are young people who have , um , committed certain crimes. Um , there's the youth transition campus in Kearny Mesa and the East Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility in Otay Mesa. And the youth transition campuses is newer. Um , if you went there. Um , it so it replaced an older facility , the Kearny Mesa Juvenile Detention facility , which was the county's original juvenile hall. Um , it was pretty rundown. So they they built the youth transition campus , and , um , it's intended to provide a more therapeutic environment. You know , it's for kids with lower level crimes. It looks a lot like a small high school , kind of big , um , quad area. The kids live in in cottages. Um , East Mesa has had a very difficult history. It was built , um , I think , in the 90s. It looks a lot like a jail or a prison inside. Uh , it's it's to get there. You drive past Donovan State Prison , you drive past two county jails. And kids have told me they felt like they were being told , you know , this is your future if you don't shape up. Um , at East Mesa , you find lots of kids with learning disabilities , lots of kids with mental health challenges. Um , kids who've had significant trauma in their lives. And so the crimes they've committed are more serious. And so East Mesa is where you'll see more extensive use of pepper spray , use of force. Um , you know , kids who end up in kind of solitary confinement or they call it room confinement. So just a more difficult population. Mm.
S1: Mm. And California closed its state run juvenile halls two years ago. How has that changed things ? Yeah.
S2: So that's correct. Yeah. Two years ago , all of California's youth prisons closed down , and the goal was to put kids closer to home. So the kids were moved back to their home counties. Um , and the goal was to , as much as possible , not lock kids up , find alternative , um , uh , you know , systems of , you know , restorative , restorative justice , you know , programs like that. Um , and I think the county has done that. You know , the population increased a bit , but not by too much. Um , but many of these kids who would have otherwise gone to state facilities. They end up at East Mesa.
S1: Well , you report that this isn't the first time San Diego County juvenile halls have come under scrutiny.
S2: So in 2013 , uh , the juvenile , um , uh , I'm sorry , I just believe , uh , I'm sorry. It's the , uh , youth law group. Um , they , uh , they investigated the use of pepper spray at East Mesa and Kearny Mesa juvenile detention facilities. Um , they found extensive use of pepper spray. Um , it was really troubling , you know , routinely used as a disciplinary tool when when other alternatives should have been available. Um , most disturbing was that it was used on on kids who were threatening suicide or self-harm. And there were some just horrible descriptions of how these kids were dealt with , um , you know , stripped of their clothing , kind of pinned down. And , um , and then following that was a 2015 investigation by Disability Rights California , which made similar findings and described San Diego juvenile halls as having an atmosphere of violence and intimidation.
S1: You know , you've said several times and talked about the issues that these children have who are being held in this juvenile detention halls.
S2: Um , I know they have programs. Uh , but there's there's a citizens board. It's the Juvenile Justice Commission. Um , each county has one , and they're required annually to go in and conduct an inspection and sit down with the probation department and see , you know , what's going on with the kids. You know , are they getting enough food or are they getting good medical health ? Good mental health. And , Um , the most recent report there were , uh , from the the Juvenile Justice Commission. There were lists of all the programs that were available , but missing was how many kids actually participated , how many kids had been through it ? Twice. How many kids completed it ? So I've been trying to get answers to those questions , actually. Um , so we don't really we don't. It looks like there are some , some good offerings , but we don't know how many kids are being , um , given , you know , the opportunity or are choosing to engage. Wow.
S1: Wow. Well , talk to me more about the use of pepper spray. I mean , is that method commonly used at other juvenile facilities across the US ? Yeah.
S2: No. Absolutely not. California has been an outlier , and everyone is surprised because California is such a liberal progressive state. But , um , two thirds of states ban the use of pepper spray in juvenile detention facilities because it affects kids more than it affects adults. Um , it's more harmful to their lungs. It's it's psychologically harmful. It fuels distrust in juvenile detention , is supposed to focus on rehabilitation , not punishment. And so when pepper spray is used on kids , it's it's yeah , it's punishment. Um , and a lot of these kids have trauma in their background and it just kind of adds to that. So it's been seen as a dangerous and ineffective tool. And San Diego has been warned to , to move away from it. Um , and the question of why California still allows it comes up repeatedly again and again. But like , yeah , the two thirds of states ban its use on juveniles. Wow.
S1: Wow. Well , you've reported on several cases where youth experienced abuse while detained at these facilities.
S2: She was a substitute city teacher at East Mesa Juvenile Hall from October 2022 until the end of May. And she got her students. She really developed a rapport with them , and she they started providing her with written complaints , which she shared with me. One youth described blacking out after being punched and need in the head. Another described being kicked , punched and slammed to the ground. Um , a young woman said she felt like she was going to die and and probation said that they investigated these reports and found them to be unsubstantiated. But that same year that Libby is is collecting those reports. Parents are going to the Juvenile Justice Commission and saying that their kids are experiencing abuse by the guards. So definitely something something was going on there. Yeah.
S1: Yeah.
S2: They say they do their best to to take care of kids and create , um , you know , the best environment for kids to do well. And , um , you know , and I should add , um , also named in the investigation was the County Office of Education , which provides the educational services in juvenile halls. And they they said they welcomed the opportunity to partner with Bonnie's office and , um , you know , ensure that all kids have access to quality education.
S1:
S2: It's really hard to get law enforcement records and probation is considered law enforcement. Um , but um , in in one of the the written up complaints that Libby provided me with , um , the young woman had listed the names of all the probation officers involved. Um , the last names , I should say. And , uh , your Libby told me that , um , nearly all of them were no longer with no longer at East Mesa , that they had moved elsewhere. She's not sure where , um , there's only last names , so it's hard for me to to verify that , but , um. Yeah , that's that's something , you know , perhaps , you know , perhaps people get transferred to another facility. You know , it's just really hard to know.
S1: Yeah , well , how do San Diego juvenile facilities compare to other cities in California , like LA , for example.
S2: An LA is , um , which is also under investigation by the attorney General's office and has been since 2018. Um , the LA juveniles are uniquely awful. You know , people people say San Diego is nothing like LA. Um , you know , I'm sure , folks , it was in the news for a while. Um , probation officers at juveniles there would create , um , they call them gladiator fights where they'd pit kids up against each other and kind of bet on them. And and there were some there's , there's some of those officers are being prosecuted for doing that.
S1: That is absolutely horrible.
S2: You know , I tried to find out. It's just kind of a wait and see thing. And these investigations can can take months.
S1: All right.
S2: And this is something that that I have my entire time wrapping my mind around. Um , any allegations of misconduct involving that ? That young person , no matter how egregious , once the court file is sealed , it's sealed. Um , very few people can get access to it. And so the Law Enforcement Oversight Review Board cannot access these files , no matter what. It's closed to them.
S1: Well , I know it's something you're going to continue to follow. I've been speaking with Kelly Davis. She's a staff writer on the watchdog team at the San Diego Union Tribune. Kelly , thanks for your reporting and thanks for being here today.
S2: Oh thank you.
S1: That's our show for today. I'm your host , Jayde Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.
