San Diego CityBeat reporter Dave Maass says San Diego County’s two juvenile halls used pepper spray 371 times in 2011. It was used 91 times in Los Angeles County’s three facilities in 2011.
Maureen Cavanaugh, Katie Euphrat
and Patty Lane
California is one of only five states in the nation that allow staff at juvenile detention facilities to carry around pepper spray.
A new report by San Diego CityBeat suggests the staff may be using that pepper spray on youthful offenders too often.
The report contrasts pepper spray use between San Diego and L.A. juvenile halls and interviews with former staff members.
Dave Maass of San Diego CityBeat investigated the story. He spoke to KPBS reporter Amita Sharma about the new report.
Maass said there are five facilities in San Diego: two juvenile halls and two rehabilitation centers, and one all-girls center. The San Diego County Probation Department is in charge of the facilities, and the Juvenile Justice Commission serves as the watchdog over these facilities.
“System-wide, there are more than 461 incidents of pepper spray being used in these facilities. At one of the facilities, East Mesa, we found that it was being used five times a week on average,” said Maass.