LA County Board

22. Implementing Assembly Bill 1646 - The Hug Act - In Los Angeles County Recommendation as submitted by Supervisors Hahn and Mitchell: Instruct the Chief Probation Officer to revise the departmental visitation policy to eliminate the requirement that contact visits receive prior approval from the Chief Probation Officer, so that the new policy is ready and implemented by January 1, 2027. Instruct the Chief to do the following: Create written materials that inform parents and youth of their right to physical contact and that state that contact will not be restricted as a disciplinary consequence, and share these materials online, post them in facilities, and disseminate them to parents and youth by January 1, 2027; Progressively ramp up in-person contact visits at all Los Angeles County juvenile facilities throughout the remainder of this calendar year; Report back to the Board in writing in 60 days on the plan to comply with Assembly Bill (AB) 1646 by January 1, 2027, so that youth at all facilities have access to appropriate contact during visitation. The plan should include protocols and procedures for youth who do not want to engage in a contact visit at any point during the visit with assurance that declining will not affect future visits, confirmation that contact will not be restricted as a disciplinary consequence, the standard and documentation process for any temporary restriction based on a specific and significant safety and security concern, and processes to set clear and consistent expectations across all facilities; and In consultation with the Probation Oversight Commission, provide two six-month written reports to the Board, the first by July 1, 2027, and the second by January 1, 2028, on the status of contact visits and the impact of AB1646 in Probation facilities. Each report shall include, at a minimum, visitation participation by facility, feedback from youth and families, and the number of instances in which contact was restricted, as well as the basis for the restriction. (26-5417) Executive Office