Latest news with #juvenilejustice
The Independent
17 hours ago
- General
- The Independent
Los Angeles County will pay $2.7M to teen boy attacked in ‘gladiator fights' at detention facility
Los Angeles County on Monday agreed to pay $2.7 million to a teenager who was attacked by at least six other young people at a juvenile detention center in so-called 'gladiator fights' that were allegedly facilitated by probation officers. The boy's beating in 2023 at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall was captured on surveillance video that also showed several officials standing idly by and some of them shaking hands with the participants in the beating. A state grand jury in March charged 30 correctional officers for their role in allowing and sometimes encouraging nearly 70 fights to take place between July and December 2023. The officers face charges including child endangerment and abuse, conspiracy, and battery. More than 140 victims between the ages of 12 and 18 were involved, according to authorities. Attorney General Rob Bonta said after the charges were announced that it seemed the attacks were planned. 'They often wanted them to happen at the beginning of the day, in a certain time, in a certain place. A space and a time was created for the fights, and the plan was for the fights to happen,' he said. The investigation began after the Los Angeles Times first obtained and published video footage that shows a then-16-year-old being attacked by at least six other young people, who came at him one by one as officers stand by watching. The video was first made public during a court hearing during which a public defender for the boy, now 17, argued to a judge that he was not safe at Los Padrinos and should be released ahead of his trial. His attorney, Jamal Tooson, said the settlement was a 'first step' in recognizing the 'egregious' conduct of the LA County Probation Department. 'Our priority needs to be not just protecting my client but all children in similar circumstances under the care and watch of the probation department,' Tooson said. 'There were lawsuits prior to this. I personally represent several individuals who've been harmed at the same facility after this.' According to a correction action plan written by the department, staff failed to review CCTV footage of the facility, delayed taking the teen to the hospital, and waited too long to notify his parents. To address these issues, the department will ensure CCTV monitors are 'staffed routinely' and conduct random footage audits, and develop a protocol for making sure young people in custody are given medical care and their parents are informed appropriately. A judge ruled in April that the LA County Probation Department could not continue housing juveniles at Los Padrinos and approved a plan in May to move more than 100 youths out of the facility. California 's state board overseeing local correctional facilities has previously ordered Los Padrinos to be shut down. Tooson believes there is a pervasive 'culture problem' extending throughout the probation department's facilities that cannot be addressed by the correction action plan. He has filed at least 19 lawsuits in federal court alleging issues from physical violence allowed by officials to sexual assault by staff members in LA County's youth detention centers, he said. 'Until we actively start changing the mindset and behavior of those who are put into a caretaking responsibility of these youth, I think we're going to find ourselves in the same situation,' he said.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Celebration held for KC program eliminating school-to-prison pipeline
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Natasha Scruggs started JustUs when she was still in law school. 'I was working at a juvenile justice court, and I started to see eight-year-olds in handcuffs, and I'm like, 'We got to do something a little bit better than this,'' she said. She says the program has two separate goals, using the legal field to reach two different audiences. 46-year-old woman struck, killed on I-35 Saturday night 'It's a pipeline to help kids who either, if they're in the justice system, get out. If they're not in the justice system, help them become attorneys. So it's kind of a two-pronged approach.' The program has helped hundreds of students over its 10-year history. Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church held their 10-year celebration on Sunday, where students were given certificates of achievement for their hard work and given scholarships as well. One of the recipients is William Workcuff, who's been with JustUs for three years. 'I see myself, God willing, as a criminal attorney, and hopefully in ten years, ten or 15 years, hopefully, I have my own firm,' he said. He said that he's already using some of his experiences in his classwork. He's a sophomore at the University of Missouri at Kansas City. 'I feel like it's really a blessing that this program has been to me, not only through the experiences that I've gotten, but the training that I got that I was able to implement in UMKC Mock trial.' Gladstone home explosion leaves one dead, cause still unknown He also says the skills he's learned are applicable everywhere, not just the legal field. 'Come do this simply not because it's just for lawyers, because it's not. It helps you build communication skills, critical thinking skills that you need that in any industry.' Students have been able to connect with leaders of professional sports franchises, like the Royals and the Chicago Bears. They've been to appellate courts and courtrooms all over the country, making invaluable connections. Scruggs says it's the opportunities she wishes she had as an aspiring attorney. 'The success that I've seen is kind of like my dream, what I would have wished I had when I wanted to be a lawyer,' she said. We asked Scruggs about what the next ten years of JustUs might look like. 'I'm trying to see some more like full-time jobs,' she said. 'So, I'm just wanting to make more opportunities, more students, some more cities involved, more attorneys.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
ABC News
3 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Retrial ordered for corrections officer Nadia Khalil for alleged abuse of juveniles
An appeals court has quashed the conviction of a former New South Wales juvenile corrections officer and ordered she face a retrial for allegedly abusing five boys in her care. In 2021, Nadia Khalil was sentenced to 12 years in jail with a non-parole period of more than seven years for sexually assaulting five boys at Reiby Juvenile Justice Centre near Campbelltown on the outskirts of Sydney. She appealed against the decision, alleging a forensic psychologist gave evidence outside his area of expertise. In the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal hearing on March 3, Ms Khalil's barrister Phillip Boulten SC argued that allowing a report by clinical and forensic psychologist Christopher Lennings to be admitted as evidence was a miscarriage of justice. Dr Lennings's website said his areas of research interest include violent and sexually violent young offenders, youth suicide and child protection. The court heard the doctor was asked to review literature regarding young males being sexually victimised by staff in detention centres. "We say his evidence was not based on specialised knowledge of youth detention guards," Mr Boulten told the hearing. Appellant justices Peter Garling, Dina Yehia and Belinda Rigg handed down their restricted decision today. Information is limited in the restricted judgement, but it does say that the justices considered whether "the opinion about youth workers was irrelevant and highly prejudicial". The three appellant judges today ordered the convictions and sentence be quashed, ruling that the appeal be allowed. The trio also made an order that there be a retrial of the appellant. They also ordered the case be sent back to the District Court for mention on June 6. Reiby houses children up to 15 years of age and the state's youngest detainees have been incarcerated there. The appeals court was told she held a position of trust and authority. Ms Khalil's alleged offending occurred between 1997 and 2005.
CBS News
6 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Teen arrested for more than 100 thefts from cars in Maryland
A 16-year-old was arrested for more than 100 cases of theft from cars in multiple Maryland counties, according to Laurel Police. Police said the teen was taken into custody during a search of his Beltsville home. 100+ thefts from cars in Maryland According to officers, the 16-year-old was linked to nearly 121 thefts from cars that occurred on May 4 in the Laurel area. He was found with the keys to a stolen car that was used in the crimes, along with keys to 25 other vehicles and other stolen items. Teen released after arrest During a news conference on Wednesday, May 28, Laurel Police Chief Russ Hamill said officers requested the teen be held due to the extensive crimes. However, the state Department of Juvenile Services advised that the teen be released as he did not have a criminal record and these were not violent crimes, according to Hamill. "So yes, five hours after we were at his house, he was released back into the community," Chief Hamill said. "Back into the environment that allowed him to be out roaming the streets in all of these counties late at night and in the early morning, doing these crimes to begin with." Hamill went on to express his frustration with the juvenile justice system in Maryland. "I have little hope there will be further accountability for him due to this broken system, due to this gap in the concern for his safety and the public safety," Hamill said. During the Wednesday press conference, police said they identified two other suspects in the thefts, and they would be taking them into custody. Decrease in Howard County car break-ins Despite the teen's alleged thefts, Howard County recorded a 25% dip in car break-ins so far in 2025. On April 12, police said 193 car break-ins had been reported compared to 260 during the same time in 2024. "Occasionally, one person or a group of people will be active for a period of time and hit many vehicles – which is why it may seem as though there's an increase," Howard County Police Public Information Officer Seth Hoffman told WJZ in April.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Yahoo
Criminal case against mother of Cudahy student who brought gun to school dismissed
The criminal case against the mother of a Cudahy student who police say brought a gun to Lincoln Elementary School has been dismissed, according to online court records. Xiaoping Wang, 40, of Cudahy had been charged May 22 with leaving a loaded firearm near a child, a misdemeanor offense. At the initial appearance on May 23, Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Ana Berrios-Schroeder dismissed the case without prejudice, meaning prosecutors could refile it. The order came after the defense challenged the probable cause underlying the charge, according to online court records. The case against Nan Bin Li, 44, the child's father faces the same misdemeanor charge, moved forward on May 23. He pleaded not guilty, and a judge set a $1,000 signature bond, online court records show. A signature bond is a promise to appear for future court dates, with a monetary penalty if a defendant fails to do so. Defense attorney Craig Powell did not immediately respond to an email and voicemail seeking comment the morning of May 24. Li and Wang's child was charged in juvenile court earlier this month after police said a gun was found April 30 in the student's backpack at Lincoln Elementary School. The student told police the gun belonged to Li and had been in a nightstand drawer of the parents' bedroom, according to a criminal complaint. In a follow-up interview, the student said they found the gun a month earlier and had brought it to school twice, the complaint says. In Children's Court, the student is facing one felony count of possession of a firearm on school grounds, one misdemeanor count of possession of a dangerous weapon by a person younger than 18 and one misdemeanor count of pointing a firearm at another, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel previously reported. Alec Johnson of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this story. Alison Dirr can be reached at adirr@ This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Case against mom of Cudahy student who brought gun to school dismissed
