JUVENILE HALL UPGRADES APPROVED 43 PROBATION SUPERVISORS ARE TO BE HIRED.

Byline: TROY ANDERSON Staff Writer

As the Department of Justice considers taking over Los Angeles County's juvenile justice system, the Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to spend $18 million to hire 43 probation supervisors and pay for security upgrades at nine Juvenile Halls and camps.

But even supervisors questioned the value of throwing more money at an embattled department that already suffers from high rates of disability among staff whom critics say are not held accountable for job performance.

``I'm concerned about just flooding (the department) with money and I'm not sure exactly where the accountability lies,'' said Gloria Molina, who voted along with the other four supervisors to OK the spending. ``With all the new positions we're filling, it's my understanding they won't really address the Department of Justice issues yet.''

The new money comes on the heels of the board's decision in September to spend $43 million to hire 274 probation officers to increase youth-to-staff ratios, which now stand at 11-to-1.

The Justice Department, which has been monitoring the system since 2000 amid increasing violence, rioting, escapes and other problems, would like to see the ratio lowered to 8-to-1.

Probation Department Chief Robert Taylor said the additional staff would help address some concerns, but would primarily fulfill recommendations made in audits last year, which called for a management restructuring.

While the restructuring is needed, Molina said, the larger problem is the number of Probation Department employees who have filed workers' compensation claims.

A November 2005 audit found a quarter of the department's sworn staff is on disability and noted the primary reason is the passage of a law in 2001 that boosts their retirement pay if they file workers' comp claims over their careers and then shortly before retirement.

Taylor said 500 probation officers are on disability, and he's working with the Chief Administrative Office to get some of those people back to work.

``It would seem to me with such a large number as this, the biggest issue is there has not been enough attention paid to these cases,'' Molina said.

Meanwhile, Chief Administrative Officer David Janssen said the Justice Department wants to see a culture change in probation. Justice Department officials met with Taylor in November and expressed alarm about excessive use of force, an education crisis and high conviction rates in the three Juvenile Halls and 19 probation camps.

The supervisors acknowledged concern that nearly all of the children accused of crimes are convicted, contributing to what some call a consensus in the legal community that thousands of children are getting poor legal representation and might be wrongfully convicted and imprisoned.

Of 21,000 delinquency petitions filed against juveniles last year in the county's 27 courts, only 57 of them were found not true, the Juvenile Court equivalent of not guilty, ``an appalling low number that speaks to the absence of effective legal representation,'' according to the Sept. 20 minutes of the county Children's Planning Council meeting.

The security enhancements approved Tuesday include cameras, microphones, electronic door and gate locks and two-way intercom systems. Other improvements include anti-climb chain-link fencing, razor fences, fence sensors and higher wattage lighting.

The funds also will boost security at the three Juvenile Halls, including the Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Sylmar and Camp Joseph Scott in Saugus, Camp Glenn Rockey in San Dimas and at Challenger Memorial Youth Center in Lancaster.

troy.anderson(at)dailynews.com

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