Michael Dempsey, the veteran corrections officer the state wants put in charge of L.A. County’s juvenile facilities, has spent 40 years in the industry, including running a maximum security juvenile facility in Indiana, but, like many of the staff working at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall, even he fears for his safety during visits to the troubled facility.

Dempsey described probation officers’ frequent concerns about violence inside the juvenile hall as “true, real fears” during testimony Friday, Oct. 24, at a court hearing to determine how to address L.A. County’s failure to comply with a series of reforms mandated by a 2021 settlement agreement with the California Department of Justice.

If the state gets its way, the juvenile facilities would be placed in receivership, with Dempsey at the

See Full Page