Thirty officers at the Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall are accused of coordinating “gladiator fights” between minors at the center over a six-month period.

Officers had allowed and in some cases encouraged fights between teens being held at a detention center in Downey, Calif., the state’s attorney general said.

The orchestration of “gladiator fights” is a grotesque extension of this systemic neglect. It reflects a culture within correctional institutions more broadly that dehumanizes inmates, viewing them as sources of entertainment rather than individuals in need of guidance and support.