State launches investigation into conditions at San Diego County juvenile facilities

East Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility in Otay Mesa Photo courtesy of San Diego County The state has opened a civil rights assessment to determine if youths have been mistreated at San Diego County juvenile halls the Attorney General s Office announced Tuesday The examination will examine conditions at the county s East Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility in Otay Mesa and Youth Transition Campus in Birdland according to a report which stated investigators will focus on whether the county has engaged in a pattern or practice of unlawful healing of youth at the facilities The Attorney General s Office also will review educational services provided to incarcerated youth by the San Diego County Office of Schooling The announcement did not indicate what may have prompted the probe In a message Attorney General Rob Bonta s office reported no determinations have been made regarding any specific complaints statements or the overall policies and practices of the county or SDCOE However if any unlawful practices did take place the office will also determine what prospective reforms are needed to ensure that comprehensive corrective action takes place at these facilities Bonta s office sought anyone with information on the remedy of youths at those facilities to contact the Bureau of Children s Justice at BCJ doj ca gov The action follows the state s inspection into conditions at Los Angeles County juvenile halls The Attorney General s Office filed a joint motion with the county late last year to amend the prior judgment mandating improvements to conditions and staffing Though the office credited Los Angeles County for making particular initial progress multiple serious threats remain administrators concluded The threats include investigators revealed the county s failure to adequately staff juvenile halls stem the flow of drugs into the facilities and to prevent staff from instigating or encouraging youth-on-youth assaults City News Organization contributed to this account