By Los Angeles County Politics (LACP)
Last July, teenagers at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey handed Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn a handmade poster. On it was a list of requests to improve life inside the hall. The last item stopped her cold: they wanted to be able to hug their mothers.
“Seeing that poster broke my heart,” Hahn said.
Nine months later, that request is on its way to becoming state law.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a motion by Hahn, co-authored by Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, expressing the County’s support for Assembly Bill 1646 — known as the “Hug Act” — introduced by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Culver City, Baldwin Hills). The bill, which would require juvenile facilities statewide to guarantee incarcerated youth the right to hug visitors, passed out of the California State Assembly Public Safety Committee the same morning.
Currently, physical contact during visits is prohibited at many juvenile facilities over concerns about contraband entering secure settings. Bryan and the bill’s supporters argue the policy causes more harm than it prevents.
“Children deserve to be held, loved on, and affirmed by their parents,” Bryan said. “Denying incarcerated children hugs doesn’t keep anybody any safer. It’s time for us to recenter rehabilitation and humanity in our juvenile justice system.”
The push began when the youth mentorship organization Hoops 4 Justice brought the Los Padrinos teens’ poster to a Board of Supervisors meeting in July 2024. Hahn, whose district includes Downey, visits the facility monthly and hosts dinners and a guest speaker series for the youth.
“No one should tell a child that they cannot hug their mom,” Hahn said. “The youth in our care are already facing unimaginable stress and challenges, and we know from research that allowing youth to embrace their loved ones leads to positive mental health outcomes and less violent behavior. It’s time to let these kids hug their moms.”
Mitchell, a co-author of the motion, said she has heard the same message directly from youth during her own visits to Los Padrinos.
“A hug can go a long way in supporting the well-being and development of young people in our juvenile justice system, as well as the families counting the days until their return home,” Mitchell said. “As a mother and daughter, I fully appreciate how love and support is communicated through touch at all ages and stages of our lives, but particularly when you are away from family.”
Mitchell noted that Los Angeles County operates the largest juvenile justice system in the world and said she expects the county to remain engaged as the bill advances toward the Governor’s desk.
The LA County Probation Department, which administers Los Padrinos, has been working to reform and standardize visitation practices. Chief Probation Officer Guillermo Viera Rosa appeared before the Board to update supervisors on the status of that process.
“I am beyond proud of the youth at Los Padrinos who inspired this urgent change in state law,” Hahn said.
