LOS ANGELES — A new report by the Education Justice Coalition found the education programs at juvenile halls across Los Angeles County are failing to offer youth a second chance, with many falling further behind while in custody.
What You Need To Know
- The Education Justice Coalition released a report highlighting the failures in the education programming found in juvenile detention halls across LA County
- During the 2023-24 school year, the report found that 1 in 3 young people incarcerated at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall graduated from high school
- Fourteen percent of students at Los Padrinos were chronically absent or missing more than roughly four weeks of the 2023-2024 school year
- Academic intervention programs and competent teachers are among the recommended changes the report suggests to better serve incarcerated students
The report titled “Who Has the Power? Chronicling Los Angeles County’s Systemic Failures To Educate Incarcerated Youth” cites the California School Dashboard data from 2022 to break down the following graduation rates across the juvenile halls in LA County:
- Barry J. Nidorf school reported a graduation rate of 41.4%
- Central school reported a graduation rate of 8.9%
- Dorothy Kirby camp reported a graduation rate of 38.9%
It also points to high suspension rates, alarmingly low attendance, and a lack of individualized education for the low graduation levels.
The report isn’t surprising to Agustin Herrera, who spent the majority of his teenage years going in and out of the juvenile halls in LA County for vandalism and robbery charges…