Nearly 300 sue over alleged sexual abuse at L.A. County juvenile halls and camps

A lawsuit details alleged assaults, dating from the 1970s through 2018, that spanned a wide swath of L.A. County’s once vast and now mostly shuttered juvenile hall system. For five decades, boys and girls in Los Angeles County juvenile camps and detention halls have suffered repeated sexual assaults at the hands of probation and detention officers, according to a lawsuit filed by nearly 300 former detainees. The lawsuit states that not only were the plaintiffs minors, but they also were incarcerated, which marks the abuse under the “color of authority.” The alleged assaults, dating from the 1970s through 2018, spanned a wide swath of L.A. County’s once-vast and now mostly closed juvenile hall system, including Camp Scott and Camp Kenyon Scudder — girls facilities; the Challenger Memorial Youth Center; and the Los Padrinos, Central and Barry J. Nidorf juvenile halls. “The fact that it has gone on for as long as it has, despite all of the complaints and knowledge, whether actual or constructive by the county, is a testament to a system that has failed.” California Inside months of chaos at L.A. County’s juvenile halls: lockdowns, staff shortages A staffing crisis in L.A. County’s juvenile halls has led to surges in fights, attacks on officers and the use of chemical spray against children. Even before the latest lawsuit, L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn called the accusations “stomach-turning.” “The officers responsible for this abuse need to be held accountable,” she said.