Los Padrinos: Juvenile Gladiator Center

A temporary detention facility for youth in the juvenile justice system, providing a secure and structured environment while young people await court hearings or placement in rehabilitation programs. Operated by the Los Angeles County Probation Department, the facility offers education, counseling, and life skills programs aimed at rehabilitation rather than punishment.

This is the official Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall mission statement as of 2023; although, it remains somewhat mysterious if this message was conveyed when Jose Rivas Barillas was violently attacked by 6 detainees, as probation officers watched and failed to prevent the attack.  30 probation officers, in charge of providing a supposed secure and structured environment, facilitated and encouraged 69 “gladiator” style fights among detained youth. As of February 2025, the members of our society intended to protect our youth, have been charged with several counts of child abuse and endangerment. 

Uncovering Violence: A Scandal Exposed

Over the course of several months, probation officers refereed matches in which detainees were forced to spar against one another. In January 2024, a video was leaked capturing one of these violent sessions, launching a formal investigation that tallied 143 victims with ages ranging from 12 to 18 years old. 69 fights. Six months. For six months, probation officers stood by idly as teenagers violently wrestled one another. Had this horrendous video not leaked, would these conditions have persisted?

This was not an isolated event: it was a prolonged abuse of power. This incident, or rather incidents, exposes the neglectful nature of institutions of this sort, intended to protect our youth. Instead of zero victims, there were 143. This is unacceptable. Upon investigation, Attorney General Bonta announced the necessary additional monitoring and safety protections in response to these unsafe conditions. Although these measures are certainly necessary, it was long overdue, and should have been a priority long before 143 teenagers were subjected to violence.

Systemic Failure and Fabricated Justice

Upon a long waited investigation, Los Padrinos Staff was found falsifying activity logs, indicting a well-functioning facility in compliance with minimum standards. An official statement released by the Official Board of State and Community Corrections states: Los Angeles County has failed to meet minimum standards for more than half a decade and continues to attempt to shirk its responsibilities. According to the report, detainees were subjected to unsanitary living conditions, excessive confinement, and prohibited from attending school, medical appointments, and proper security checks. 

Los Padrinos failed to provide a safe environment for its detainees awaiting trial. However, states and counties are primarily in charge of ensuring the safety conditions of these facilities. Los Padrinos failed our youth. But so did Los Angeles. So did California. Safety inspections should have been performed regardless of records indicating a well-functioning facility in compliance with minimum standards. What occurred in Los Padrinos is negligence. It is no surprise that this sort of neglectful oversight permitted morally reprehensible behavior.

The price of Protection or the Cost of Reaction?

After the court’s ruling, the Los Angeles County Probation Department released an official statement: “We remain fully committed to protecting the well-being of both the young people in our care and our staff, and will continue to work and collaborate closely with our County and State partners.” This sort of commitment surely would have been endearing before detainees were forced to violently brawl one another, but nonetheless appreciated. 

Although the California Department of Justice would ultimately hold the officers responsible for facilitating these fights accountable, these measures are ultimately reactive. Routine safety precautions should have been implemented with preventative intentions, rather than a reactive response to a scandal. This sort of negligence is not an affordable mistake: it is a careless gamble with the lives of youths.  

A comprehensive list of preventative measures certainly sounds appealing. However, the staff at Los Padrinos Detention Center was found falsifying records, indicating that no amount of “correct” action is effective without proper oversight. What does proper oversight look like? It includes measures such as employing independent authoritative bodies to ensure proper management, such as juvenile ombudsman offices, equipped with handling investigations and resolving issues. Proper oversight is not an excessive measure, it is a necessary one in order to keep youth safe. 

Image Source: LAist