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. I did not want to hurt this guy. I was the drag shovel, meaning I was at the end of the line and I carried the medicine and the toilet paper in a backpack. This is prison. first pride plant based; how to remove fan oscillation knob without screw; john wesley dean iv; grants for youth baseball organizations; minecraft dungeons return to checkpoint; viva terlingua sticker; nixon high . Yolo I am a rehabilitated productive ex gangmember in society. Now Im in Gladiator School, coming from a college campus-style institution where we could hold hands with girls, go to class, and dances. I did my time from the halls to arc to nelles then to yts. My first week at YTS, I have a picture of my Dad who came to visit me. Approximately 1-in-3 young people say they . Haha. Closed in 2010, Youth Training School (also known as Heman G. Stark . MacLaren has a school on site to help students earn high school and college credits. I refused to eat. . He spent most of his adult years in prison. But it really hit hard right here in YTS. Because I ran a pretty straight program. My Dad had a different girlfriend, raised a different family, but was always a part of my life. In the morning, thered be a piece of paper on your cell window. Just before i graduated from Oxnard community College, a number of female wards started coming up pregnant. Flag. I want you to know Im in charge.. The only types of people that you find in the different joints are victims or victimizers. She wrote me a letter and said, Adrin dont be mad, but this C.O. Wards and staff were in physical danger due to the environment, abundance of contraband and a broken health care system, the report said. Some of the stories about this place were true but not all. So the kicked us out. My mom was really worried. In the day room watching TV, this guy who had scars on his face from a box cutter, I said When I give you the signal, turn off the TV to get everyones attention. She couldnt say anything to the teacher because other girls would turn on her and say she was a snitch. There was a student aid in art class. California Youth Authority. I got those keys on my belt and felt, my god, how things have changed. - The. By Bryce Buyakie, Juvenile Justice Information Exchange, As David Reeve approached the picnic, he knew he was the odd one out. It made me very happy because that meant I could stay at Ventura. They were accepting murders. Lets steal a car.. I get on the floor where theres a crack under the door and Im hearing the officers say shes hot. They was tim was able to engage me was life changing. Pretending to be very concerned to search after a visit for drugs by asking to spread cheeks and take long silent looks speeding my cheeks and not knowing how long or whats he up to. Education. He spends his days gazing from the apartments rooftop into the dream-like waters of a koi pond below. Preston #81548. I was a juvenile lifer. I learned about chow, where to sit, and shower time. I see this guy who is 24 years old doing sexual activity to this 14-year-old girl. Contact: davidwilliamreeve (at) gmail.com, DAVID WILLIAM REEVE is a writer + photographer from Southern California who documents the lives of young people at risk. It was weird being back on the units Sacramento, kern, owens, paharo, American, Tuolumne my old cells, the visiting hall, where I would see my family cry ass they left all the crazy shit came back. By 1980, my Dad was working in Los Angeles and I had no supervision. You had a choice to take a shower in freezing water with hand dispenser soap. Find professional California Youth Authority videos and stock footage available for license in film, television, advertising and corporate uses. 89 F3738:271, ODC 2:9(3-8) Department of Youth Authority Records Fred C. Nelles School for Boys (Whittier State School) Box 588501 Elk Grove, CA 95758-8501 Voice: (916) 683-7754 FAX: (916) 683-7769 It took months of persistent emails and letters to the state corrections department and using his family connection as leverage. In this episode, Jeff (aka Huerito) is short timing when he leaves the comfort of Ventura Youth Correctional Facility to arrive at Fire Camp. I wanted some way out. We continue this next episode of difficult but important testimony. You need some counseling, somebody to talk to you and hear you out. Then Chad lol. Youre a gladiator, youre a YA baby, they said. My deceased husband was at the CYA in Chino in the early 1970s. I cut a piece of plastic from a plate on my food tray and waited for the night guard. Fucked up place but it made me who I am today a solid motherfuker. California Coalition for Youth PO Box 161448 Sacramento, CA 95816 (916) 514-4464 (916) 514-4499 fax. I was 14 years old and I was in with the wrong crowd, drinking beer. Where (children) are pitted against one another and beaten like animals by public [], Did my tour 03 to 08 cya 88605 was in hall e and f then went to hall c and. They sent a therapist in to talk to me. I had authority over other inmates. I was arrested for burglary and went to juvenile hall for the night. I fell to my knees beside her and could see she was still breathing. Gladiator School: Memories From the Terrible Past of . Everybody from Los Angeles got along. Mrs. Vicky Contreras. 4241 Williamsborough Drive, Sacramento, CA 95823, United States. They take me to her unit. In this episode, 14-year old Luis Ortega arrives in Los Angeles, lonely and vulnerable, before looking to South Centrals notorious 38th Street Gang for protection. School: Stark (Herman G.) Youth Training CDS Code: 36 32060 3638459 School Address . NRCC in 1996. In Ventura you were allowed to write letters. And who should we see about that? Im looking around, but nobody knows nothing. We were fighting this fire near the Grapevine; it was really cold. I lost my family, my brother died, I became an uncle. She called Youth Authority and said, if something happens to my son, Im going to sue you guys. They called from Sacramento and they transferred me. A beef had started with Echo Park. Two years after Reeve published the photo essay of the facility, he went to the park in Yucaipa. Reeve lives 20 minutes from YTS, also known as the Heman G. Stark Correctional Facility. 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. Instead, Some Are Left to Die in Prison. would approach whoever he thought the prettiest girl was. 1. He told me whenever youre drunk, but you still want to drink, pour your beer out and put water in it. 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. In my eyes, Im just a person that tried to survive. My Dad bought me anything I wanted. Provide students with a learning environment that provides them . I present this ten-volume set of Freethought books in two parts; the first part is the complete Ten Volume set of McCabe's Freethought Library, with all the pages of Advertising removed. I get a paper and write her a note and use the elastic string in my boxers to slide it under her door. He put me in the hole like that, naked. The room was baby blue and the lights stayed on. He gave me a .38 and I hid between two cars. Everyone else was just associates. This first episode depicts the Heman G. Stark Juvenile Prison, previously known as YTS or Youth Training School, as it stands today, years after it was closed by the State of California. My Dad said, you should never be involved in gangs, even though he was an outlaw biker. Its like Boot Camp. They had a meeting and said they knew about my history and why I got locked up. She would have sex with guys in exchange for $100 worth of commissary. I didnt love myself no more. I had a lot of good friends who were Nazi Lowriders. I dropped out of school. Much love to all my broken friends who cant be fixers. And most of the time he just couldnt even talk about it as an adult. Youth Training School (known formally as Heman G. Stark Youth Correctional Facility) had a reputation for mayhem, violence and murder that earned it the name Gladiator School. Turned alot of good kids who had a chance into bad guys. California currently has the dubious distinction of having the largest prison system in America. It was there that minors would harden themselves for survival, only to be returned to the streets more troubled and volatile than when they arrived. 13 years old . It felt like a prison. The facility was opened in 1959 with the goal of educating and rehabilitating wards between the ages of 12 and 25. They sent in a psychiatrist who asked, How come youre not eating, Adrin?. I made an announcement. Now, the state's 58 counties must each designate a local . the author helped turn the entire CYA into a single school district and hired a superintendent of education to manage this aspect of the program. When the lights came on the girl was crying. Convicted 1985. Records concerning juveniles are restricted. DJJ, formerly known as the California Youth Authority (CYA), has a long history of scandal, horrible conditions, terrible outcomes and excessive spending. Have faith. The California Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), previously known as the California Youth Authority (CYA), . Seen grown men guards beat up little kids like men seen doctors prescribed my friends psych meds and fuck em up. He told us he wanted to get back at some guys he had trouble with at YTS. So many disgusting horrific stories my boyfriend would tell me. Im 40 and still remember even the damn address. In the past, young people were locked in cages for school and recreation, and held in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day. Feb. 15, 2021 5 AM PT. I knew my Dad was going to be there. A Volkswagen passes by slowly, then takes off. I spent enough time there to see it all. This series will relay and respect their stories: Juvie told by the ones who were there. Youre going to shit when I tell you to shit. I was actually there when that lady got killed and the body was found at the dump. In one fight, the former CYA ward said he was given two black eyes. I didnt like Youth Training School. Since publishing the story The Closing of Californias Most Violent Juvenile Prison, survivors of YTS have come forward to tell stories of daily life inside. They bought a house and things were good. I couldnt register that what I was seeing was true. If you dont leave that class, its because you like him touching you!, You have a girlfriend on suicide watch, an officer said. I programmed. On August 9, 1996, Youth Counselor Baker, who was also assigned to C/D Company at the facility, worked a 5:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. shift, as shift coordinator. NRCC and Holton, saw it change from 89 to 90 when they banned smokes lol. This is how it works: there was this white girl and my roommate used to tell me the security officer would allow for her to go inside the mens bathroom and have sex. I aint gonna lie. If you had a girlfriend, you were lucky. CEA Santa Cruz Co. School. Everybody was doing sexual activity. All youth who have not yet completed a GED or high school diploma are required to attend school. I got along with gangsters better than people that were my friends. I would like to find out the answers for my two sons. If I only knew what I understand now maybe I would have never hurt so many people in my life especially my family. When you go to YA and get out, its like you went to war. We were tortured in there. Eventually, my Brother went to the Army; my Sister was married. Wed go to church because of the blind spots. did the night rounds and knocked on my door. He would ask, What type of shoe do you wear? My Dad had a good job. Publication Type. It was there that minors would harden themselves for survival, only to be returned to the streets more troubled and volatile than when they arrived. It closed in 2010. So sad that Gangs fighting And drugs were more prevalent in CYA and other youth programs . North Hollywood Boy reflects on years in gang, juvenile hall and California Youth Authority (pt1) Sexual assaults in CYA. Jesse Ferguson, a 22-year-old from Richmond, has been at N.A. Its hard but Im making it. I heard the door open the heard them cover her mouth and rape her. My body was burning with pepper spray. . I was in solitary confinement so long, I decided that this was not the life that I wanted anymore. Getty Images offers exclusive rights-ready and premium royalty-free analog, HD, and 4K video of the highest quality. End date 4/12/99 Thanx to all the counselors that believed in me,ie. My body is still burning from the pepper spray. All of them who I was able to build a relationship with return to Oakland and was connected to support services all did very well. I only cut him one time by his ear. The inmate population of California, in 1977, was 19,600. Nobodys victim. You knock on the door one more time Ill beat your ass. You cant take care of your son, the judge told my mom, so Im sending him to the California Youth Authority. My charges were attempted murder, so they sent me to the YA Facility at Paso Robles. I was trying to get out. Mom, can you get a lawyer? . It wasnt so much violence as much as the predator adult counselors. At YTS, they gave us a piece of land near the gym to build an ancient sweat lodge, where we would sweat and pray and vocalize the traditions of many tribes. or. 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. It was normal. I was sipping on water and then one of my homeboys says, Lets go. Gang affiliations defined enemies and allies on the street and in prison. Gladiator School: Stories from Inside YTS is an oral history of life inside Californias most notorious juvenile prison. In this episode, John (aka Cool Breeze) returns to YTS years after his incarceration to find employment there as a schoolteacher. I remember being referred to as a YA baby in prison due to going to CYA and consequently it came with a reputation to live up to. I am 1%/1000 that made it in life. I went straight into the street life and didnt care about anything. You could do whatever you want. Arrested 1983. WELFARE AND INSTITUTIONS CODE 1732.8 FOLLOW-UP REVIEW, SEPTEMBER 2004 STATE OF CALIFORNIA ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, GOVERNOR OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL PAGE 5 ORIGINAL FINDING NUMBER 1: The Office of the Inspector General found that dual-commitment wards are not allowed to attend their annual reviews and parole consideration date reviews and have little contact with the California Youth . The High School at N.A.Chaderjian Youth Correctional Facility in Stockton was stripped of its accreditation in May 2005 by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. by Fat Back. General Inquiries info@calyouth.org. Sucks but its true. Ibwas there forba couple years. In this cup was a little juice and some Thorazine. It was in the newspaper. Other State, county, or city-operated 24-hour custody facility. 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. 16 years to life. When I was in the infirmary, they said, Why did you slice your wrist, Adrin?, Ill give you some medicine to help you out.. But in Fire Camp youre not just with your race, now its a buddy system. And the whole tier was Smokey. 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. I wanted to do crime and gangster shit, and I didnt know why. I was not the only one. 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. This is called initiation! Working the graveyard shift, he becomes an unlikely father-figure to wards older than himself, as the facility faces closure from mounting costs and corruption. Since publishing the story The Closing of Californias Most Violent Juvenile Prison, survivors of YTS have come forward to tell stories of daily life inside. The stuff that we suffer through is worse than anything Ive ever read in any books, I went to prison after prison afterwards and believe my mind, through all the trials and tribulations of CYA, was shaped and forged to be the calloused, hardened, scarred mind that has not been in trouble In over 20 years now, but still sees the world through clouded, broken eyes. DAVID WILLIAM REEVE is a writer + photographer from Southern California who documents the lives of young people at risk. I grew up in a nice part San Bernardino. I went on a good 6 year tour. Conviction overturned 2009. 201 waterman rd ione ca 95640. The teacher used to read the newspaper to pretend he didnt see anything, but everywhere you look a guy is sitting next to a female. Among the picnickers who gathered at Yucaipa Community Park in Yucaipa, California for the reunion, was John Berge. The Collapsing Circus & California Government Violence and Murder | Christopher Maffei. I explained to them I was aware of them reading my file so you know why Im here (I was sent to YA for 1st Degree Murder). But mostly a learning experience. C. Hood 64961. If you said you were Indian, we believed you.. 327). I said, Come here, man. Shoulder to shoulder we hugged each other It worked. The state closed the facility in 2010, tocut costs, it said. Tons of memories some good and bad. They took the teardrop off of my face with a laser. 1977 ( tDAR id: 209096) This Resource is Part of the Following Collections PDF California Youth Authority Facilities Review - oig.ca.gov Gladiator School: Memories From the Terrible Past of . You cant just have this tattoo; you have to earn it. Report (Technical Assistance) If I could change time, I would have never done what I did. . The time I served there would be the building blocks that developed many behaviors that I would have to unlearn as an adult to earn my freedom once more. Youre fighting fires with somebody whos watching your back. . Lord High School has a similar structure to other public schools, including: A principal, certified teachers, and other support staff. 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 . That means that person is shipping out to Fire Camp. or. Reports Say California Youth Authority Facilities Provide 'Inadequate' Health Care, Mental Health Services. Was there medical experimentation going on at that facility in the 1970s. I understood that, eventually. The Captain had been with the department since YTS opened. Each tattoo means something to me. . Shed give you a list of what to buy her from the store. Tim later explained to me I reminded him of an abused animal, ready to attack anything that got close to me. I did what the California Youth Authority said I needed to do. I went on a shooting spree in 1993. I held knowledge about gangs because I was a shot-caller, so they didnt want me to have any contact with other gang members. At the reunion, he met Chuck Supple, the former state director of juvenile justice, who had flown from Sacramento to attend the picnic. Get the inside scoop on jobs, salaries, top office locations, and CEO insights. Select from premium California Youth Authority of the highest quality. So the Legislature authorized continued building a 1,200-bed youth training school, the O.H. At the end of the grant term, the CYA provided an evaluation to the Board including: These men who survived should tell their stories any way they can. 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. When members of the gang came out of jail, we always looked up to them. I heard that if youre in for murder, you cant go. And here comes the Volkswagen. "The state institutions were . I wrote in the letter, I know what happened.. Rafael "Al" Losno Jr. came to prison during the era when phrases like "battle gyms and gladiator schools" were the norm. My legs were hurting. The judge sentenced me until my 25th birthday. 3 He punched me in my ribs. They called me down to the security office and issued me a full set of keys for the institution. I was trying to mind my own business. I tell my Mom Ill do good, but I want to stay with Dad. Sir, why did you hit me? I was crying. Gavin Newsom has announced the proposed closure of the state's three youth detention centers including the one in Ventura County in the . If the female is sitting next to you its 100% thats your girlfriend. The despair. 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. More details about California Youth Authority According to our records, this business is located at 31 E Channel St Ste 112 in Stockton (in San Joaquin County), California 95202, the location GPS coordinates are: 37.9548822 (latitude), -121.2910291 (longitude). In this episode, Jeff (aka Huerito) is short timing when he leaves the comfort of Ventura Youth Correctional Facility to arrive at Fire Camp. He was there at Chino from about 93 to 2000. Coming of age,puberty. He saved me he had all girls and he said working at yts gave him all the sons he could ever want. My experiences while in YTS gave me the edge that I needed to want more then I grew up with. She had two knives stuck in her back. See the Department of Youth Authority Records finding aid at the California State Archives for additional detail. They wanted to see us develop stamina. He turned the camera monitor off and came inside and started hitting me. Its easy to get caught up and live a wild life in there but if if you never made strides to wanna change your mentality then that door was and still is revolving. The Nazi Lowriders were barely coming up. CA. I grew up in the system. They put me on home probation and said I could no longer live with my Dad. I would love for you to contact me at mrs.mimi.loya@gmail.com I truly need help with certain things that are happening under the site of Correctional officers. . Ill get you some Nikes. He earns no money by telling their stories. I didnt want to work. Til this day, I still struggle with it. The author, who was the director of the California Youth Authority (CYA) for 3 years beginning in 1991, describes CYA's responsibilities in governing the State's juvenile facilities. Murder rate suicide drugs corruption fight nights inhumane conditions restricted access to legal restricted access to family communication restricted access to medical restricted access to food staff abuse staff corruption man we experienced all that s*** and the f***** up part about it is is most of us came out of there like okay I survived that s*** and it was like a ride of passage you know I used to wear that s*** on my shoulder like a badge of honor now as Im older I realize that was just a coping mechanism for me to be able to accept and justify and understand the abuse that I went through that we all went through its not a badge of honor it was f***** up and it f***** us all up for life and most of you on here said the same thing that Im about to say right now whoevers not here right now which is very few of us are dead or in prison for life and thats what happened to all of us weve been left out of the system no one gives a f*** about all the abuse we went through and theres no m************ lawsuit for us f*** that mother f****** s*** I was in nrcc Chad Carl holton preston dewitt Nelson I experienced all that s*** so f*** you mother f****** gavin newsom and f*** all this b******* California lawsuits for m************ that experienced a tenth of the f****** abuse that we experienced and theyre getting paid but we just get left out f*** that s*** anyone wants to come together with me Im starting to coalition and were going to f****** rise up against this s*** and I got some attorneys on the team right now and were going to do this s*** email me jcv.closer@gmail.com. After discovering that his grandfather consulted for the prison, he tried to get a tour. The California Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), previously known as the California Youth Authority (CYA), .