Los Angeles Times - 06.04.2020

A8 MONDAY, APRIL 6, 2020 LATIMES.COM

the disease caused by the
novel coronavirus, were in
evidence elsewhere in the
country — in New Jersey,
across the river from Man-
hattan, and in Louisiana,
whose governor warned that
ventilator capacity would
soon be exhausted.
In Europe, the picture
was mixed. Deaths were
still climbing in the United
Kingdom, where Prime Min-
ister Boris Johnson, whose
COVID-19 diagnosis was an-
nounced March 26, was hos-
pitalized Sunday. Trump ex-
pressed hopes for his recov-
ery, saying Johnson was
“strong.”
But Italy — the European
epicenter — said Sunday
that its daily toll was
at a two-week low, with
officials crediting strict
lockdowns for seemingly
slowing the progress of new
infections. Hard-hit Spain
also reported signs of a lev-
eling-off.
U.S. officials pleaded for
public cooperation in hopes
of replicating that pattern.
“We can look like that,”
said Dr. Deborah Birx, the
coronavirus task force coor-
dinator. Referring to strict

isolation measures in Spain

and Italy, she said: “The

promise is, if we do this,

we could potentially be

better.”

Adams, appearing on

“Fox News Sunday,” urged

Americans to follow physical

distancing guidelines and to

wear face coverings in public

when it would be difficult to

remain six feet apart.

The Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention last

week called on Americans to

wear masks in crowded pub-

lic places. Trump said Fri-

day of that precaution: “I

don’t see it for myself.”

The surgeon general, like

many in the president’s or-

bit, was at pains to avoid

publicly contradicting or

criticizing him. “The presi-

dent is making a choice that

is appropriate for him” re-

garding masks, said Adams,

who last week released a vi-

deo showing how to make a

simple face covering with

fabric and rubber bands.

Adams also deflected

questions about the need for

a nationwide stay-at-home

order. Trump has said he

prefers to leave the decision

to governors, nine of whom

have not issued such a direc-

tive in their states.

Governors, for their part,

renewed their pleas for more

federal help in procuring

necessary medical supplies

and equipment. In appear-

ances on news talk shows,

some sharply contested

Trump’s casting of blame on

states for a lack of readiness.

Washington state Gov.

Jay Inslee, appearing on

NBC’s “Meet the Press,”

cited good communication

with Vice President Mike

Pence and the CDC, but said

the overall lack of national

coordination in fighting the

outbreak had been “ludi-

crous.”

Without mentioning

Trump by name, he blasted

the president’s contention

that the federal government

was meant to serve as a

“backup” for states’ efforts

to obtain needed supplies.

“I mean, the surgeon gen-

eral alluded to Pearl Har-

bor,” said Inslee, a Demo-

crat. “Can you imagine if

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

said, ‘I’ll be right behind you,

Connecticut. Good luck

building those battleships.’

Look, we need a national

mobilization of the manu-

facturing base of the United

States.”

Michigan Gov. Gretchen

Whitmer, another Democrat

who has, like Inslee, been the

target of heated personal at-

tacks by Trump, said Sun-

day that more robust testing

efforts were needed to help

public health experts tamp

down scattered outbreaks

before they become major

conflagrations.

“My job is to do every-

thing I can to protect the 10

million people of Michigan,”

she said on “Fox News Sun-

day,” noting a worrying rate

of COVID-19 cases in Detroit,

the state’s largest city.

“Michigan is a hot spot; we

need assistance, and I’m

grateful for any partnership

at the federal level.”

Louisiana Gov. John Bel

Edwards said his state was

running out of ventilators

and hospital beds, as New

Orleans weathers one of the

nation’s worst outbreaks.

“We now think it’s prob-

ably around the 9th of April

before we exceed our ventila-

tor capacity, based on the

current number on hand,”

he said on CNN’s “State of

the Union.” Edwards also

said the state was “a couple

days behind that on [inten-

sive care unit] bed capacity

being exceeded.”

Some GOP governors

who have avoided criticizing

Trump or the federal re-

sponse nonetheless cited

worsening situations in their

states. Arkansas Gov. Asa

Hutchinson pointed to the

challenges of procuring per-

sonal protective equipment

for medical personnel.

“It’s difficult,” he said on

NBC’s “Meet the Press,” say-

ing Arkansas had some-

times been “outbid by an-

other state after we’ve had

the order confirmed.”

He added: “It literally is a

global jungle that we’re com-

peting in now.”

While upending daily

lives and livelihoods across

the country, the pandemic

has also disrupted the 2020

election cycle.

Former Vice President

Joe Biden, who appears

likely to clinch the Demo-

cratic presidential nomina-

tion, on Sunday floated the

idea of a “virtual” conven-

tion rather than a tradi-

tional one.

The party had already

pushed back the date for

anointing its nominee to

mid-August from mid-July

over pandemic fears. Speak-

ing on ABC’s “This Week,”

Biden suggested that the

event might need to be

moved online.

“I think we should be

thinking about that right

now,” he said. “We may not

be able to put 10 [thousand],

20 [thousand], 30,000 people

in one place.”

The former vice presi-

dent also said he intends to

follow CDC guidelines and

cover his face in public, for as

long as that recommenda-

tion remains in place.

Of Trump’s balking at

that, he said, “He may not

like how he looks in a mask.”

MANHATTAN’S skyline serves as a backdrop for a pedestrian. In New York City, the outbreak’s U.S. epicenter, the caseload has overwhelmed the medical system.

Spencer PlattGetty Images

Hardest days lie ahead, experts warn

JEROME ADAMS, the

surgeon general, called

for physical distancing

and use of face coverings.

Alex BrandonAssociated Press

[U.S.,from A1]

contact, many parents who
spoke to The Times on the
condition of anonymity said
they feel unable to protect
their kids. Advocates and at-
torneys, meanwhile, say
they face barriers such as
court closures preventing
them from arguing for the
release of their clients.
“There’s a real discon-
nect ... between what we are
hearing at every level of state
government, county and
city, compared to what’s go-
ing on in the Probation De-
partment and the juvenile
courts,” said Jerod Guns-
berg, a Los Angeles defense
attorney. “There is just not
the same sense of urgency.”
The situation in juvenile
halls is a microcosm of the
broader struggle across the
country to balance public
safety against public health.
The infection of more than
200 people in New York City
jails has highlighted the
virus’ potential to spread
rapidly through incarcer-
ated populations.
In California, a group of
advocates and defense at-
torneys has called for the re-
lease of all juvenilesawaiting
trial or being held on techni-
cal probation violations. The
Legal Aid Society in New
York City has sued for the re-
lease of several youths 13 to
17 years old being held by a
child welfare agency. Penn-
sylvania’s Supreme Court
received a petition Wednes-
day asking for the release of
nearly 2,000 juvenile defend-
ants, many of whom are con-
sidered medically fragile.
Advocates are concerned
that incarceration during
the pandemic — as well as
isolation or quarantine in
their rooms — could also en-
danger children’s mental
health because of the pro-

longed separation from their

families.

“We know that kids do

better when they are con-

nected with their families,”

said Michael Umpierre, di-

rector of the Center for Ju-

venile Justice Reform at

Georgetown University. “In

this context, it’s really chal-

lenging because you have

the public health concerns,

but you have to figure out

a way to keep families en-

gaged in the process in the

meantime.”

For those serving time in

county jails, sheriffs have the

authority to release inmates

early in an emergency. The

L.A. County jail population,

typically about 17,000 people,

is now fewer than 14,500.

But attempts to enact a

broad release of juvenile in-

mates in L.A. County have

been blocked by court offi-

cials, according to a person

with knowledge of the mat-

ter who spoke on the condi-

tion of anonymity in order to

discuss the issue candidly.

In a meeting of attorneys

and court officials late last

month, some raised the idea

of trying to identify young

detainees who could be eligi-

ble for release, including

nonviolent offenders, youths

with compromised immune

systems or those nearing the

end of their sentences, the

source said.

But the initiative was

blocked by L.A. County Su-

perior Court Judge John C.

Lawson, who oversees De-

linquency Court, the source

said. Lawson said juvenile

releases would continue to

be determined on a case-by-

case analysis, depending on

the youth’s conduct and per-

formance during custody

programs.

Lawson was not available

for an interview, Mary

Hearn, a spokeswoman for

the court, said.

“We recognize the ur-

gency of protecting these

youths,” Hearn said in an

email. “We are working with

our juvenile justice partners

to identify minors for release

to slow the spread of

COVID-19 in county juvenile

facilities.”

Adam Wolfson, commu-

nications director for the

L.A. County Probation De-

partment, said the agency is

actively working to reduce

its juvenile population.

“We continuously screen

for early release due to

youths meeting their treat-

ment goals,” he said. “Those

that meet eligibility criteria

will be sent to court with a

recommendation for re-

lease; however, only the

court can authorize a re-

lease.”

L.A. County juvenile halls

and camps hold 677 youths,

down from the 2,455 held in

county facilities in 2012, re-

cords show. But at least 285

of those in custody are

awaiting trial, a group advo-

cates argue should be re-

leased because of the virus.

The vast majority of chil-

dren in the facilities are

black or Latino boys, county

records show. Children in

the juvenile justice system

are more likely to have ex-

perienced trauma, which

can be linked to poor health

outcomes, said Samantha

Buckingham, the director of

the Juvenile Justice Clinic at

Loyola Law School.

Last month, probation

officers began “verbally

screening” anyone entering

a juvenile facility and turn-

ing away those with symp-

toms that could be linked to

a respiratory illness. Youths

newly entering county cus-

tody are also undergoing

health screenings.

“Youth and staff in Pro-

bation facilities are practic-

ing social distancing strate-

gies when feasible by lim-

iting groups, assigning beds

that can provide additional

space between individuals,

rearranging scheduled

movements to minimize

mixing of individuals from

different housing areas, and

utilizing social distancing

during recreation,” the Pro-

bation Department said in a

statement.

Wolfson said probation

officers are limiting the con-

gregation of youths to

groups of six or less, having

them shower individually

and staggering meal times

to prevent large groups from

gathering in mess halls.

Complaints coming from

inside the facilities, however,

paint a different picture.

An 18-year-old being held

at an L.A. County juvenile

camp, who requested ano-

nymity for fear of retribu-

tion, told The Times that

physical distancing is nearly

impossible where he’s being

housed. Youths still shower

in groups as large as seven

and sleep in tightly spaced

beds, according to the teen,

who said he turns his head

away from others, fearing

someone may cough or

sneeze in his face.

With nearly all educa-

tional and counseling pro-

grams on hold, he said, resi-

dents of the camp spend

most days in their beds or in

a recreational room that

houses a television and a

PlayStation 4 console. But

the room is not large, and

teens often end up sitting

shoulder to shoulder on a

couch or sharing the same

video game controller.

Surgical masks and

gloves have been handed out

inside the facility, he said,

but only to probation staff.

“They don’t want them to

get it, but why can’t they

help us? They’re just helping

their staff, like we not no-

body here,” the teen said.

“They take care of them

more than us.”

Probation officials did

not respond to questions

about the boy’s description

of conditions at the camp.

His concerns echoed

those shared in a recent let-

ter sent to the L.A. County

Department of Public

Health by a number of de-

fense attorneys and criminal

justice reform groups.

“The most pressing con-

cerns are system-wide re-

ports that social distancing

is not being enforced by pro-

bation officers who super-

vise the children,” the letter

said. “At the probation

camps, it is our understand-

ing that youth are still

housed in crowded dormi-

tory settings and that the

‘six foot rule’ is neither ex-

plained nor enforced.”

Gunsberg, the defense

attorney, said there is no

purpose in continuing to de-

tain nonviolent teens while

most educational, counsel-

ing and job training pro-

grams are on hold because of

the coronavirus outbreak.

“The whole point of the

juvenile justice system is re-

habilitation ... so if there’s no

rehabilitative purpose, what

are they doing?” he asked.

“Wouldn’t they be better off

at home?”

Some parents complain

that they have received little

information from probation

officials, worsening their

stress.

Domonique said she was

unaware a public defender

assigned to the Sylmar Ju-

venile Court had tested pos-

itive for the coronavirus un-

til she was contacted by The

Times. Neither probation of-

ficials nor the public defend-

er’s office have answered

questions about whether

the attorney had contact

with detainees.

Domonique, who is a

healthcare provider, said her

son has been largely keeping

to himself in recent weeks,

fearful that anyone he con-

tacts could be infected. After

she heard that a public de-

fender and a probation offi-

cer connected to the Sylmar

hall had both become sick,

the hours between phone

calls from her son have be-

come agonizing.

“If I don’t hear from him,

I’m like, is he OK? What is he

doing? Why hasn’t he called

me? Did my baby get sick?”

she said.

The concern goes both

ways. Gabriela, whose 18-

year-old son is housed in the

Sylmar juvenile hall, said

she’s told him about how

parks and movie theaters

have closed because of the

pandemic. She has assured

him that she’s exercised

care, as have his father and

sister, not to leave the house

unless it’s necessary.

“He’s very depressed and

worried about us, because

he hasn’t been able to see

us,” she said.

For some parents, recent

developments at Sylmar

have been bittersweet. One

of them, Yolanda, said she

felt a huge relief when she

learned that her son might

be released soon because of

the virus.

But after she heard about

the infected probation offi-

cer, the mother’s joy quickly

turned to anxiety.

“I hope that my son won’t

bring the virus home,” she

said.

Parents with children in lockup left to wait and worry

[Juveniles,from A1]