MILPA

With the pandemic pounding government coffers and growing national protests over policing in communities of color, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors announced Tuesday that it will reduce the size of its soon-to-be constructed juvenile hall.

California is one of only five states that allows guards at juvenile facilities free reign to carry chemical spray to restrain youth held there. A coalition of advocates and lawmakers in the state are working on a bilateral effort to bring an end to this long-standing practice.

According to a new poll released Wednesday by the California Endowment, a majority of California residents say they’d like to see all of the state’s juvenile incarceration facilities closed down. The survey comes at a time when counties are adapting to a significant downturn in youth crime and flagging numbers of young people incarcerated at juvenile camps, halls and ranches across the state.