The Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall (otherwise known as Sylmar Juvenile Hall) was named in honor of one of Los Angeles County’s Chief Probation Officers. Established back in the late 70’s, Sylmar Juvenile Hall underwent major development in the late 90’s that resulted in its current capacity to house approximately 700 juvenile detainees.

The Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Sylmar CA serves as a temporary holding facility for juvenile detainees during their court proceedings. Ultimately, the minors will be

• released home to their parents,
• placed in foster care,
• sent to a Los Angeles County juvenile camp facility, or
• sentenced to the Division of Juvenile Justice.

Below we will discuss:

• 1. What happens when a child is booked at Sylmar Juvenile Hall?
• 2. How do I correspond with my child at Sylmar Juvenile Hall?
• 3. What are the visiting hours for the Sylmar Juvenile Hall?
• 4. How do I send mail?

For further information, you may also wish to visit our pages on California juvenile crimes law, the juvenile court process, and how to seal & destroy juvenile crime records.

1. What happens when a child is booked at Sylmar Juvenile Hall?

When your child is booked at Sylmar Juvenile Hall, they are given a physical and mental examination. Children needing special care are housed in the Special Handling Unit until if and when they are ready to join the general population.

Sylmar Juvenile Hall provides each child with basic necessities, such as personal hygiene products. When your child is ready to be discharged, they can change back into the clothes that they were arrested in.

2. How do I correspond with my child at Sylmar Juvenile Hall?

Although you are not allowed to call your child at Sylmar Juvenile Hall, your child can make outgoing calls to

• parents,
• grandparents, or
• legal guardians.

You can always ask for an update on your child by calling the Supervising Probation Officer 24/7 at (818) 364-2011. For more information, refer to the Juvenile Delinquency Handbook by the Los Angeles County Probation Department.

Sylmar Juvie Hall is in the San Fernando Valley.

3. What are the visiting hours for the Sylmar Juvenile Hall?

The Sylmar Juvenile Hall visiting hours are on Saturdays and Sundays from 1pm to 4pm. Only parents, grandparents, and legal guardians can visit unless the court or Supervising Probation Officer makes an exception for other relatives.

You are also entitled to a 20-minute “after court” visitation on days your child has court. These “after court” visits occur between 5pm and 7pm on the day of their court appearance.

Sylmar Juvenile Hall requires visitors to dress appropriately, and you may bring no belongings other than a couple of keys and your ID.

4. How do I send mail?

To send letters to children detained at Sylmar Juvenile Hall, address the envelopes to:

NAME
Sylmar Juvenile Hall
16350 Filbert St.
Sylmar, CA 91342

Envelopes must show a return address, may not exceed 5″ x 7″ in size, and can include up to five photographs.

Staff reviews all letters for security reasons (other than attorney-client correspondence). You may not send packages.