Three youths suffered drug overdoses at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey on Friday, the latest scandal at a beleaguered facility that was supposed to close last year after a state oversight body found it “unsuitable” to house juveniles.
The youths were taken to a local hospital for “medical evaluation and treatment related to a possible substance-related incident,” according to a statement issued by the L.A. County Probation Department, which oversees the institutions. All three youths have since been returned to the facility, according to Vicky Waters, the probation department’s communications director.
A large quantity of Xanax was found inside the hall sometime before the overdoses, according to three sources with knowledge of conditions at Los Padrinos. Narcan, the rapid treatment drug that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, was deployed during Friday’s incident, two of the sources said. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
Waters did not immediately respond to questions about the recovery of Xanax or the use of Narcan.
“The department is investigating yesterday’s incident with our local law enforcement partners, including any introduction of contraband into the facility,” she said.
Jerod Gunsberg, a defense attorney who represents one of the overdose victims, said his client was found unconscious in the hall sometime Friday.
“I spoke with my client’s mother. She was contacted by probation yesterday that he was found unresponsive,” Gunsberg said. “They took him to the hospital. He was at the hospital for some period of time. He’s now been moved back to the medical unit at Los Padrinos.”
The department has barred visitors from coming to Los Padrinos for the weekend. A department spokeswoman could not say how the drugs got into the facility, but an investigation is ongoing.
Gunsberg said his client’s mother has not been allowed to speak with her son. He accused the probation department of running a “black site” at Los Padrinos and demanded officials communicate more clearly with overdose victims families and their attorneys.
“Despite my best efforts I’ve been unable to reach anyone at Los Padrinos or from probation,” he said. “If someone from probation ends up reading this, I’m easy to find. They know where to find me. So call me.”
Waters said the department had to cancel visitation and restrict youth movements throughout the facility for the weekend as part of its investigation into the source of the drugs.
Concerns about the prevalence of drugs, especially fentanyl, in L.A. County’s juvenile halls have lingered for years. In May 2023, 18-year-old Bryan Diaz died of a drug overdose at the Secure Youth Treatment Facility in Sylmar.
The incident comes months after the Board of State and Community Corrections ordered Los Padrinos shut down last December, largely due to issues with staffing. The probation department is suffering from a years-long staffing crisis, as many of its officers refuse to come to work or remain on injured leave, citing chaotic and violent conditions in the halls.
The probation department ignored the BSCC’s order, a decision that was supported by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors. The probation department has twice appealed the BSCC’s ruling, but its appeals were rejected both times, including earlier this week after Chief Guillermo Viera Rosa traveled to Sacramento to make a personal presentation to the board.
In an email to The Times, Waters noted the overdose incidents and other recent controversies, including an incident where a teen was stabbed last month, had nothing to do with the BSCC’s ruling as to whether Los Padrinos was fit to operate.
The BSCC does not have legal authority to enforce its order, however, and California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta has declined to step in. The board has only deemed a juvenile hall “unsuitable” to operate three times in its history, but each of the halls it ordered shut down were in L.A. County. Los Padrinos was reopened in 2023 after Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Sylmar and Central Juvenile Hall in East L.A. had to be closed, but the Downey facility quickly became a scene of unrest.
Shortly after the department ignored the BSCC order last year, the L.A. County Public Defender’s Office asked a judge to release 107 of its clients housed at Los Padrinos, arguing it is unconstitutional to detain youths in a facility the state has deemed unsafe. The public defender’s office has asked Los Angeles County Judge Michael Espinoza to release some clients and move others to lower security camps, but Espinoza has punted on making a decision for months. Another hearing is scheduled for April 18.
All of the approximately 230 youths housed at Los Padrinos have cases pending, some for violent offenses including murder. Most are between the ages of 15 and 18.
“How this place is still open blows my mind,” Gunsberg said.
Times staff writer Rebecca Ellis contributed to this report.
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