Newsom signs ‘Hug Act’ inspired by Los Padrinos youth

Janice Hahn hugs Lawrence, who was formerly incarcerated at Los Padrinos and helped lead the effort to bring the Hug Act forward (Credit: Bryan Chan)

DOWNEY — Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed legislation giving youth held in California juvenile facilities the right to have physical contact with family members and other visitors, a proposal that grew out of advocacy by young people at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey.

Assembly Bill 1646, known as the Hug Act, was authored by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, D-Los Angeles. The legislation gives youth in juvenile facilities the right to engage in specified consensual physical contact during in-person visits unless officials determine that a significant safety or security concern justifies restrictions.

Facilities will be required to establish rules and procedures governing physical contact and document safety concerns and any restrictions they impose. Los Angeles County supported the legislation through a Board of Supervisors motion.

The new law is scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, 2027.

The push for the legislation can be traced to Los Padrinos, where incarcerated youth raised the issue of physical contact with visitors.

In July 2024, the youth mentorship organization Hoops 4 Justice brought a poster created by youth at Los Padrinos to a Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors meeting. The poster contained several requests for improving conditions at the juvenile hall, including allowing youth to hug their mothers. At the time, such contact was restricted because of concerns about contraband entering secure facilities.

Bryan later visited Los Padrinos and spoke with youth about their concerns. He introduced AB 1646 on Jan. 27, according to a county motion supporting the bill.

Los Angeles County Supervisors Janice Hahn and Holly Mitchell championed the proposal, winning approval in March of a motion directing the county to formally support it.

“No one should tell a child that they cannot hug their mom,” Hahn said at the time. “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.”

Hahn, whose district includes Downey, regularly visits Los Padrinos and credited the youth there with prompting the legislation.

“Seeing that poster broke my heart,” Hahn said. “I am beyond proud of the youth at Los Padrinos who inspired this urgent change in state law.”

Before the legislation was introduced, visitation practices varied among Los Angeles County juvenile facilities. Youth at Los Padrinos and Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall did not have consistent access to physical contact such as hugging or holding hands, while contact visits were sometimes permitted at other county facilities, according to Hahn and Mitchell’s motion.

The motion cited recommendations from the California Office of Youth and Community Restoration that appropriate physical affection during visits, including hugs and holding hands, should generally be permitted unless there is a specific and documented safety concern.

Bryan said when the bill was being considered that allowing physical contact was consistent with the rehabilitative goals of the juvenile justice system.

“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.”