Encourages individuals with relevant information to email BCJ@doj.ca.gov
SAN DIEGO – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced the opening of a civil rights investigation into San Diego County (County) and the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE). The investigation will seek to determine whether the County has engaged in a pattern or practice of unlawful treatment of youth at East Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility and Youth Transition Campus in San Diego County and will examine SDCOE’s provision of educational services to youth at these facilities. If, through this investigation, the Attorney General’s Office determines that unlawful activity or practices took place, the office will also determine what potential reforms are needed to ensure that comprehensive corrective action takes place at these facilities.
“Every young person deserves the opportunity to learn and grow in a safe, dignified, and welcoming environment,” said Attorney General Bonta. “My office will investigate conditions at San Diego juvenile halls to ensure San Diego County and its Office of Education are following the law and meeting their obligation to the children they serve. As we launch this investigation, it is vital that we hear from members of the community. I encourage anyone with potentially relevant information on conditions at these facilities to reach out to my office at BCJ@doj.ca.gov.”
Under the California Constitution, California Government Code section 11180, et. seq., and California Civil Code section 52.3, the Attorney General has authority to conduct civil investigations into whether an entity has engaged in a pattern or practice of violating state or federal law. As opposed to a criminal investigation into an individual incident or incidents, a pattern or practice investigation typically works to identify and, as appropriate, compel the correction of systemic violations of the constitutional rights of the community at large.
Individuals with information regarding the treatment of youth at these facilities can contact the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Children’s Justice at BCJ@doj.ca.gov. Members of the public can also send information to Bureau of Children’s Justice in other languages.
Attorney General Bonta is committed to protecting and uplifting our youth and working to build a better tomorrow for future generations. As part of those efforts, he has fought to foster safe and inclusive school environments, defended the rights of LGBTQ youth, pushed our schools to provide an inclusive curriculum that reflects the diversity of our state and nation, and fought for foster youth and justice-involved youth. Through pattern or practice investigations, Attorney General Bonta has addressed discrimination at Mojave Unified School District, fought to protect youth in Los Angeles County Juvenile Halls, and instituted critical reforms at Redlands Unified School District.
Attorney General Bonta has made no determinations at this time about specific complaints, allegations, or the overall policies and practices of the County or SDCOE.