The California Youth Authority is confronted with various challenges that call for a fresh examination of its facility needs: (1) an aging infrastructure with housing-related and other deficiencies; (2) demands for special facilities, as a result of state, federal, and court mandates to deliver mental health and education . Adrin isnt a snitch. California currently has the dubious distinction of having the largest prison system in America. Northern California Youth Center, Stockton, CA Includes four institutions. In this episode, Jeff (aka Huerito) is short timing when he leaves the comfort of Ventura Youth Correctional Facility to arrive at Fire Camp. Here I am 14 years old. Seen grown men guards beat up little kids like men seen doctors prescribed my friends psych meds and fuck em up. "An inmate named Sam was a real problem. They can be found under the bound volumes inventory of the Youth Authority and the Office of the Secretary of State. I woke up one morning and saw that little paper in my window. An inmate named Sam was a real problem. He brought me pizza and soda; he and my Mom came it was the first time they had been together in over a year. Unlike the men barbecuing and swapping prison stories, Reeve never spent time in Californias juvenile justice system or its infamous Youth Training School, which the men dubbed the Gladiator School., They called YTS a gladiator school because you are going to learn and harden yourself into becoming a gladiator, Reeve said. 16 years to life. They interviewed everybody. When I went to the shower, the officer setting up my food spit in it. We was back on lock down. Whites didnt have gangs. I would love to see a lawsuit where we are the victors not the victims of a broke, violent system that should have been extinguished long ago. This series will relay and respect their stories: Juvie told by the ones who were there. The Whites they were called Woods. I even went back to his cell to pay respect and to let him know I new what happen. . Im not eating because theres a lot of things happening, and I dont know who to talk to. I told him everything that Id seen. I would have to do push ups to stay warm. My Mom and Dad divorced in 1967. I said, Come here, man. Shoulder to shoulder we hugged each other It worked. As of now, he has published seven parts on Medium with more on the way. Box , Stockton, 944-0501 Institution for 504 males. What unit do you live on?. I was sensitive pretending to be tough . Edited and photographed by David William Reeve. "The state institutions were . Lisker told Reeve there were five to 10 assaults a day. We get into a gun battle. #77766 (1996 to 2005) SRCC, Fred C. Nelles, HeMan G. Starks YA BABY !!!! After 8 years of that crazy world many of my initial responses to little things people would do or even looking at me too long would cause my to go into a mode that I knew was not good. or. At night peeping counselors at shower windows outside. Membership Inquiries membership@calyouth.org. After spending almost three decades inside California's toughest penitentiaries, Losno paroled from San Quentin this June as a changed man. From there I went to Ventura. You had a choice to take a shower in freezing water with hand dispenser soap. He would ask, What type of shoe do you wear? If the images or a settlement of some kind because of the abuse us wards went through while there if you have information at all on the lawsuit thats pending or was in the past that I could get compensation for please e-mail me at getrdonehauling@hotmail.com thanks my name is Greg Fawcett, I was on K&L for 7 years 86-92.. YTS saved my life. I spent Two years in Gladiator School..California youth authority. This is where the nightmare begins.. So Im showering and this other inmate started hitting me, so I defended myself. This all coming to light is a long time coming. The California Youth Authority no longer exists because it was the most brutal and abusive environment known to any juvenile detention facility in the United States of . Registers and some case files are available for wards of Whittier State School (1891-1930), Preston School of Industry (1894-1914), and Ventura School for Girls (1907-1931). She couldnt say anything to the teacher because other girls would turn on her and say she was a snitch. Ventura School for Girls replaced the name California School for Girls in 1925 (ch. And absolutely someone should be held accountable. They put a sign on my door that said I refused to eat. Box 588501 Elk Grove, CA 95758-8501 Voice: (916) 683-7754 FAX: (916) 683-7769 He has been married for 25 years and has raised six kids, including a son who became a LAPD officer. Im sure itll be criticized and debated, but its an attempt.. Im 40 and still remember even the damn address. It's called Gladiator School for a reason, when the worst of the worst kids are too young for Prison they are sent to Youth Authority. The California Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), previously known as the California Youth Authority (CYA), . Contact: davidwilliamreeve (at) gmail. Preston #81548. Something started happening with me. People have very tough decisions to make about criminal justice, juvenile justice and prison reform, but prisons remain a huge source of mystery, so what fuels those decisions, Reeve said. Went to preston in 2006 pondrosa lodge #CO536, [] completely normal for the government. . Big Herc went to California Youth Authority Preston, where you can find kids charged with everything from Assault to Murder. I did my time from the halls to arc to nelles then to yts. Contact: davidwilliamreeve (at) gmail, The Closing of Californias Most Violent Juvenile Prison, The Closing of Californias Most Violent Juvenile Prison. My Dad came every weekend and every holiday. Below is an account of photographer David Reeves Gladiator School project, a collection of portraits and stories of the daily lives of the boys now, adult men who spent time inside one of the most notoriously violent lockups run by the California Youth Authority: the Heman G. Stark Youth Correctional Facility, known as the Youth Training School (YTS). Was there medical experimentation going on at that facility in the 1970s. I had a lot of good friends who were Nazi Lowriders. Youth Authority: California: Directed by Gabriel London. Man what a trip that was, the thought of the smell of mace and tear gas soaked blankets still makes my mouth water.And the thought of warm bologna sandwiches 3 times a day while doing a stretch in the rack at Preston def brings a half cocked smirk filled with a Im bad mutha fu#@#$ attitude to my face! I barely made it, but Im here taking care of my 5 kids. Youre going to come with me and have 5 minutes to talk to her.. This C.O. The overhaul, however quickly it came, has been batted around for years as critics pushed for reform. Santa Cruz, CA 95060. Gavin Newsom signed into law on Sept. 30, legislationto closethe stateDivision of Juvenile Justice, and replace it with local alternatives. But man, I seen some crazy ass shit in all the institutions I visited! I wish they could have taken all of them. I was sipping on water and then one of my homeboys says, Lets go. It felt like a prison. I made an announcement. Theoretically, that was accomplished. My husband went through nearly every program through out CA and to be honest all it did was made him a better criminal not nurturing or love was given at all he is finishing his 27 th year was in pelican bay at 21 and has been to most adult prisons and is finishing his sentence tace in Folsom Prison as we speak 6 months from his out date and the only person that helped him was himself (oh and me ), I did the CYA tour 91-96. The California Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), previously known as the California Youth Authority (CYA), . Conviction overturned 2009. I was 14 years old and I was in with the wrong crowd, drinking beer. Ill get you some Nikes. Was placed with an extremely abusive foster mother who beat me and my foster brother black and blue on a daily basis, to get away from her we committed the above crime. He starts telling us a story that the Department of Juvenile Justice was moving out of adult prisons and into a health and human services category in the state, Reeve said. I would take the city bus or ride my bike down to the neighborhood. We can see the glow of the fire down below. I had authority over other inmates. If the governor's plan is approved by the state legislature, it would end the brutal legacy of a youth prison system in California that once housed as many as 10,000 youth and teens. DA/FCC #: DA-01-317; Docket/RM: 96-45, 97-21 Rough Times Back then. I was sent to YTS after I committed armed robbery in the summer of 1977 as a ward of the Los Angeles County foster care system. Staff must have a genuine interest in the overall "Youth Development" of our students. Close School, the Karl Holton School, the DeWitt Nelson School, and there . You rinse off, and then youre done. The state gave CYA a budget of around $200,000, of which $60,000 was meant to pay the three board members' salaries. In the past, young people were locked in cages for school and recreation, and held in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day. Editor's note: This is Part 9 of "Gladiator School: Stories from Inside YTS" an oral history of life inside California's most notorious juvenile prison. My Dad bought me anything I wanted. Contact: davidwilliamreeve (at) gmail.com, DAVID WILLIAM REEVE is a writer + photographer from Southern California who documents the lives of young people at risk. By MARK GLADSTONE and JAMES RAINEY. I wrote in the letter, I know what happened.. Can you fight? Im a small guy, so I push the couch under the TV and reach up to turn it off. Gladiator school.. This storywasfirst publishedby the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange. Somebody went inside my locker and stole my Tres Flowers! He told the officers what I said. And he died on Friday, Aug 13, 2021. They shot me with this rubber bullet that knocked me to the floor then took me to the hole. We had pizza. Instead, Some Are Left to Die in Prison. Thats rape in my mind. He worked at the TWA call center that was a vocational training program for the airline. The judge sentenced me until my 25th birthday. Eighty years after California created separate incarceration facilities to spare teenagers from being locked up alongside adults, the state has pledged to begin the shutdown . I was sent there because YA had nothing more to offer me pragmatically so they offered my college. They identified themselves as that, and we accepted them. I was arrested for burglary and went to juvenile hall for the night. If the images or a settlement of some kind because of the abuse us awards went through while there if you have information at all on the lawsuit thats pending or was in the past that I could get compensation for please e-mail me at getrdonehauling@hotmail.com thanks my name is Greg Fawcett, Hello I was in the Californias Authority I was it Preston does a lawsuit going on about four awards that were there and can receive relief. Everybody from the Inland Empire got along. The Closing of Californias Most Violent Juvenile PrisonWe couldnt show fearRemember what they taught us?How soon will I know?The only way outWe were not afraid to dieThat Hell they put me inFifty-five fightsLost in the HallsPutting in workThe last watchThe white horse. Coming of age,puberty. If you were a female you went to Ventura. - The. I went to my room and got a toothbrush, put a razor blade on the toothbrush, and went to the laundry room where Sam was. Hello I was in the Californias Authority I was it Preston does a lawsuit going on about four awards that were there and can receive relief. California Youth Authority. Dont come with the YA mentality because this is adults, you start new.. E: FreshOutSeries@gmail.comhttp://www.freshoutseries.com/https://www.instagram.com/freshoutseries/https://www.facebook.com/Freshoutserieshttps://www.patreon.com/Freshoutseries-~-~~-~~~-~~-~-Please watch: \"Confessions of a Former Rampart CRASH Officer - Fresh Out: Life After The Penitentiary\" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdWStRS4zv4-~-~~-~~~-~~-~- I felt I needed to go along to get the older gang members approval. Good counselors and creepy . When I was in the hole, they brought a girl in I was looking right at her room and shes asleep. I broke down in the rack 1 time. So the Legislature authorized continued building a 1,200-bed youth training school, the O.H. It was in the newspaper. Its here that the 15-year old begins his career of crime, accelerating through the ranks of local jails, juvies, camps, and rehabs, before earning a formal education in survival at YTS. Never had a criminal record before. I did what the California Youth Authority said I needed to do. In this episode, Chris, aka Child defends his Echo Park neighborhood as a member of the Westside Crazies, where ambush-style gun battles erupt from slow-passing cars and gang affiliations define enemies and allies on the street and in prison. "J" is a prisoner in the largest juvenile-justice system in the world -- the California Youth Authority, a teen gulag with 9,000 inmates in 11 training schools, including the Nelles School, and . Its like Boot Camp. My choice was either go to Fire Camp or get more time, and I didnt want more time. The Chicanos and the Whites take showers together; its 3-minute showers, you go in there, you get wet, you step out and start soaping up, and you dont wash your hair. Some California Youth Authority juvenile prisons were known as "Gladiator Schools" by the wards who were incarcerated there. Pretty much ran my own program. Beautiful girl, I loved her so much. Through his interviews and research, hes heard of teachers who were abused, inmates who had to fight to protect themselves andguards who abused inmatesand set up Friday night fights between wards. In the 1980s, long before Snoop Dogg and the rest of his crew had found success, they were Westside gang members living a street lifestyle that often included run-ins with the law. He spent 22 monthsat YTS before returning as an adult, working as aVocational Instructor, and later as an Institutional Gang Investigator. You didnt talk to Blacks at all. The only thing Im thankful for in YA was for taking my teardrop tattoo off. It took me a while to come to terms with this and the whole evolution that allowed this to happen. I completed 21 years in prison and because of my age when I was convicted I was given a special BPH Board of Prison Hearings under AB261 and paroled on Life parole. I was in my room and the whole prison went on lockdown, searching for this lady. I was tired. Key findings of the survey include: 9-in-10 young people say mental health is a priority, but only 4-in-10 rate their own mental health highly. She had to do a sexual favor in return. The Crips and Bloods were separated. The state closed the facility in 2010, tocut costs, it said. brucelisker .com. I was screaming and crying. They were running a prostitution ring at the call center. Yolo I am a rehabilitated productive ex gangmember in society. They wanted to see us develop stamina. We were tortured in there. A Law Was Meant to Free Sick or Aging Inmates. 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