San Mateo commission approves 2024 juvenile hall inspection; finds missing data, program and maintenance gaps

SAN MATEO COUNTY — The San Mateo County Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission on Feb. 25 approved its 2024 annual inspection report for the county juvenile hall, saying the document demonstrates ongoing deficiencies in programming, facility maintenance and — critically — a lack of basic data from probation needed for oversight.

The commission said probation failed to deliver routine demographic and detention statistics requested for the inspection, and commissioners voted to approve the report with the understanding missing data will be added if provided. The inspection is a statutorily mandated oversight tool used to inform recommendations to the board of supervisors and other county agencies.

Inspectors reported they were unable to obtain data on gender, age, county of residence, average length of incarceration, out-of-county youth and total bookings for the inspection period because probation did not provide the records. The report notes the department told inspectors it was consulting the county attorney and would provide the data later; the commission said that did not occur during the inspection cycle.

The report lists programmatic and operational concerns the panel observed or documented during a three-day review and interviews with staff and youth. Key findings and recommendations include:

- Pre-adjudication services: Inspectors recommended creating or expanding supports for youth and families during the period between arrest and adjudication. Suggested…