The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to eliminate the use of chemical spray in all county juvenile probation facilities by December 2019.
For the past two years, CDF-CA has been working with advocates across the state to implement both statewide and local prohibitions against the traumatic, harmful and inhumane use of chemical spray against our incarcerated young people. The February vote brings LA County in line with 35 other states and four other California counties who already ban chemical spray in their facilities. The harmful nature of chemical spray makes its use barbaric and counterproductive to the rehabilitative goals of the juvenile justice system.
Details on the degrading use of chemical spray in LA County (including the spraying of a youth engaged in self-harming behavior) can be found in a recent investigative report by the Los Angeles County Office of Inspector General. CDF-CA lauds the bold actions of the LA County Board of Supervisors and looks forward to working with the Los Angeles Probation Department and other stakeholders to implement the mandated ban in a way that protects the safety of both youth and staff.
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Governor’s Budget Proposal Fails to Adequately Address the 1 in 4 California Children in Poverty
Alex Johnson, Executive Director of Children's Defense Fund-California, released the following statement in response to Governor Jerry Brown's 2015-16 budget proposal: "The Governor's proposed budget fails to make the significant investments necessary to repair the tattered safety net and provide the critical support services children, particularly those living in poverty, need to survive and thrive. While the Governor's continued investment in K-12 education is a positive step, children also need health care, quality child care and development, and family supports to succeed in school. Recession-era state budget cuts to critical health and human service programs continue to harm the state's most vulnerable children and families. We urge the Governor and the Legislature to do right by our children and protect and invest in essential safety net programs. California cannot afford to continue allowing more than one in four children to grow up [...]