Days before a deadline to clear out juvenile halls due to concerns about inadequate facilities and lack of programs for detainees, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has voted to provide a musical rehabilitative program for juveniles in these halls.
The motion by Supervisors Holly Mitchell and Lindsey Horvath highlights that rehabilitation and development for detainees relies greatly on timely and consistent programming that is transformative and prepares them to transition back into the community. The proposal calls for the county to partner with the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles, a nonprofit that provides music education and performances for underserved children, to establish a Drum Corps Program for youth detainees at facilities such as Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall.
The program would provide detainees with opportunities to acquire musical skills, develop problem-solving and critical thinking abilities, and connect with musical programming. The proposed contract would be a temporary arrangement, not to exceed two years or $500,000, and a bidding process would be implemented for subsequent programming for detainees.
ICYOLA founder Charles Dickerson notes that the Drum Corps program was launched last year and provides significant benefits by teaching values, providing connections with established musicians, and promoting organizational skills. He and four other ICYOLA staff members would serve as corps instructors, with two-hour, twice-weekly, 30-week classroom training lessons on music theory and cultural music history.
The county has been criticized for its operation of juvenile justice facilities, and the Board of State and Community Corrections recently declared Nidorf Hall and Central Juvenile Hall unsuitable for housing pre-disposition youth detainees. As a result, the county was ordered to relocate such detainees from the halls within 60 days. However, Nidorf Hall will continue to house a Secure Youth Treatment Facility for post-disposition youth.
The motion approved this week by the Board of Supervisors acknowledges that recent surveys have revealed a request for more music- and arts-related programming from detainees. Further, given the long-standing issues encountered in youth lockups across the county and the pressing need for creative outlets for detainees, the proposal states that “the urgent expansion of programming cannot be overstated.”
