Unhappy Holidays

SYLMAR â€”  For Sonia, the holidays were bound to hurt this year.

The Long Beach teen, one of 600 youths at Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall, was away from her family on Thanksgiving and Christmas for the first time. The thought of missing her family’s traditional New Year’s Day party brings even more pain.

“I’ve been stressed,� said Sonia, a 17-year-old doing time for robbery and car theft. “I’m going to be in my bed and can’t even do the countdown.�

Sonia is one of 2,000 youths spending the holidays in the three juvenile halls operated by the Los Angeles County Probation Department. They are typically teenagers accused of serious crimes. In the season--and time of life--representing joy and hope, many young people here feel only despair.

“On [Christmas] I wanted to be with my family so bad I didn’t know what to do,� said Luis, 15, of Hawthorne, an accused robber.

“I just came to my room and teardrops came to my eyes.� Jennifer, 17, of Inglewood.

She was arrested on suspicion of assault and battery. “It’s been hell,� she said. “I miss my mother and my little sisters. Christmas was a depressing day. I just cried and I tried to keep my mind off of it.�

Probation department officials said many more young inmates turn to staff psychologists during the holidays. Others pick fights or try to escape. Many are parents themselves, isolated from their young children.

“Kids tend to act out more,� said Edward R. Anhalt, superintendent at the Sylmar facility. “They become very depressed.�

These young people are being held for crimes that include murder, assault, robbery, burglary, car theft and possession of illegal drugs. About 40% are waiting for their cases to pass through the juvenile court system. Some are awaiting placement at one of the probation department’s 19 juvenile camps or transfer to a California Youth Authority facility.

Probation officials say most of these teenagers can be diverted from crime. Many young people agree.

“It’s good that I’m here. I could have been dead on the outs,� said Gustavo, 17, of South-Central Los Angeles. He was arrested in November and faces drug charges.

“Right now I’m sober every day. I don’t do drugs and I feel good,� he said.

Staff members and volunteers seeking to ease the holiday blues delivered food, gifts and entertainment to the youths over the past two weeks.

“Every minor did receive a [Christmas] package,� said employee Fred “Sarge� Matthews. “A lot of people show a lot of interest in these minors on Christmas Day.�

The special events, however, can’t disguise the facility’s 18-foot brick walls and razor wire.

Lafayette White, a Nidorf Hall worker and pastor of Mount Olive Baptist Church in Corona, said he makes special efforts to spend time with youths who might not get visitors.

“All that negative stuff has got to go, and we have to replace it with something positive,� White said. “That’s what I try to do.�

Many say the experience has made them vow never to return to juvenile hall.

“Uh-uh. Never. I know. I’m positive,� said Kristal, 18, of Long Beach, who was charged with assault but plans to be a nurse.

Nayon, 17, also of Long Beach, hopes to play football and eventually become a carpenter and architect. He was arrested on suspicion of robbery.

“I think I still got my football skills,� he said.

But Quan, 15, of Baldwin Park, seemed less sure of himself. The youth was arrested for burglary, and, like the others, recognized he had done wrong.

But he said he cannot predict what will happen once he is back in the midst of the party life, especially if he runs short of money.

“On the outside you’re thinking, ‘If I get caught I’ll do six months. That ain’t that much time,’ � he said. “In here, I’m thinking, ‘Man, what was I thinking?’ �