Juvenile justice commission approves inspection report after finding improper strip searches and urging training, dental access and procurement fixes

The San Mateo County Juvenile Justice Commission on May 26 approved its 2025 juvenile hall inspection report, endorsing recommendations to strengthen staff training, expand dental access and address procurement problems after the review found staff improvements alongside serious procedural lapses.

The commission’s annual inspection — delayed this year because of several incidents — praised new leadership and better staff retention but said up to 12 youths were strip-searched over a holiday weekend without the legally required documentation or individualized reasonable suspicion, and that no contraband was found. The report said those searches were “traumatizing” to the youths and recommended immediate training on the Youth Bill of Rights and childhood trauma for staff. The inspection team said the Office of Independent Correctional Review (OICR) and the Bay State Compliance review (BSC) raised concerns about missing grievance documentation for that incident.

“The searches did not have the legally required documentation or individual reasonable suspicion to have been conducted,” the commission’s inspection presentation stated, citing interviews with youth and parents who reported distress. Commissioners requested a written response from the probation department to clarify the department’s account and the actions taken since the incident.

Report authors also highlighted program and re-entry concerns: while re-entry programs exist, including a 90-day probation-run Phoenix program and services from Fresh Lifelines for Youth (Fly), the commission raised questions about whether current case-management hours and eligibility criteria are sufficient and recommended an evaluation of Phoenix and consideration of contracting if it cannot meet needs. The report noted Fly provides multi-month re-entry supports but flagged that families and commissioners still see gaps in comprehensive re-entry coverage.

Inspectors recommended improved access to dental care (requesting a twice-monthly dentist and emergency dental contractor after reports of youth waiting more than a month in pain), creation of confidential nonrecorded reporting channels (e.g., programmed tablet numbers), and procurement fixes so facility repairs, shelving and culturally appropriate hygiene items can be purchased more promptly. The report also called for replacing worn dining and housing-unit flooring and adding shelving in cells so youth need not store personal items on the floor.

Probation leadership told the commission that the department is reviewing the report and will provide a formal written response; Chief John Keane said the department sees the inspections as part of an ongoing process and noted there can be differences in perspective among the commission, OICR and BSC. Probation said it has begun purchasing body scanners since the incident and emphasized ongoing training requirements for staff, including state-required hours and evidence-based practices.

Commissioners emphasized the need for independent grievance review processes, clearer documentation, and consistent application of youth rights. The commission voted to approve the report as circulated and instructed staff to correct typographical errors before final publication.

The commission recorded the approval by voice vote; the motion passed and the report will be finalized for the public record. The commission also asked county partners to return with follow-up information on training plans, dental contracting, and any policy changes related to searches and grievance handling.