A Law Was Meant to Free Sick or Aging Inmates. I realized I got hit. Below is an account of photographer David Reeve's "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 . I had to confront the Blacks and the Whites. Ibwas on ironwood at Preston and KL at yts the auto mech instructor was called Doc we even developed a friendship after I was out. TIMES STAFF WRITERS. 13 years old . One minute, I was a kid, then I did all this jail time, and I was back on the streets expected to perform as an adult!. It was so hard working. "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 . Jeff earned his high school diploma while incarcerated and once paroled, never returned. In this episode, Chris (aka Savage) is sent to The Hole for hiding a shank under his mattress, when the prison suddenly breaks out into riot. My Dad bought me anything I wanted. Advocacy Information advocacy@calyouth.org. On December 1, 1979, I was in a Christmas parade riding my lowrider bike; I came home and nobody was there. I knew my Dad was going to be there. My girl told me in letters that the student aid guy tried to abuse her and grabbed her ass. If I could change time, I would have never done what I did. The California Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), previously known as the California Youth Authority (CYA), . I didnt see my Mom for six months. 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. Give me the gun, I said to my buddy. In the 1990s there were 10,000 youth incarcerated in the juvenile prisons with another nearly 10,000 youth in CYA's parole system. 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. I didnt like Youth Training School. There were no rules. The second part, after page 343, is the same complete Ten 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. He had gotten emails from former YTS inmates and wanted to meet them maybe even write more about the prison. They put a sign on my door that said I refused to eat. 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. The processed records of the California Youth Authority are described in the California Youth Authority finding aid. proposal to construct a training center on about 6 acres of state-owned land at ca youth center to include office space, library, classrooms, residential rooms, computer learning center. We were teenagers then. Guys will do that. The C.O. 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. Now, of course, California leaders are phasing out the states youth prison system, which will be replaced with local supervision and services, as part of a reimagined approach to youth justice. Some California Youth Authority juvenile prisons were known as "Gladiator Schools" by the wards who were incarcerated there. I knew how to speak Nahuatl. We get into a gun battle. Sentenced till I turned 25. From inmates to staff to visitors to religious volunteers. In 2016, he was released from United States Penitentiary ADX, in Florence, Colorado the most isolated and secure prison in the country. So, it was just my Dad and me. Records of the State Reform School (Marysville) include Board of Trustees' Minute Book, 1860-1868 (B0898, #1155); Cash Ledger, 1861-1868 (B0898, #2308); and Register of Audited Accounts, 1862-1868 (B7857, #2309). David William Reeve is an independent writer and photographer who documents the lives of juveniles at risk. Fucked up place but it made me who I am today a solid motherfuker. at like 3 a.m until whenever. A bullet went through the side of my face then hit my friend in the stomach, but the bullet didnt penetrate him. The story begins at a reunion in Yucaipa for former YTS prisoners. Your eyes are focused straight ahead. The only types of people that you find in the different joints are victims or victimizers. The core requirement of the Farrell agreement was that CYA must exchange its abusive, and viciously punitive system for a rehabilitative model of working with kids. I never lived in the neighborhood. "Despite popular myth, CYA and then DJJ, have not been 'gladiator schools' for the past two decades," Ramsey said." Laurence W. Spanne. 0:45. Youre going to come with me and have 5 minutes to talk to her.. In 2001, I went to Pelican Bay State Prison. When I was in the hole, it was dark. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Whoever stole my Tres Flowers fuck yer mom, fuck yer dead homies.. He turned the camera monitor off and came inside and started hitting me. I sign up for continuation school and as we drive up, I see a bunch of Cholos standing in front of the school. I was screaming and crying. I punctured his heart. The California School Directory contains information about California public schools, . 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. 1978. I spent my entire youth in the California Youth Authority (14-21). Ben Lomond Youth Conservation Camp. Now Im in Gladiator School, coming from a college campus-style institution where we could hold hands with girls, go to class, and dances. 44 32276 4430013. This is where the nightmare begins. We had been out for two days, going from one fire to the next. My experiences while in YTS gave me the edge that I needed to want more then I grew up with. It became a party house. Wards and staff were in physical danger due to the environment, abundance of contraband and a broken health care system, the report said. I did not want to hurt this guy. Til this day, I still struggle with it. 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. He told me whenever youre drunk, but you still want to drink, pour your beer out and put water in it. Yeah I want to know what all these lawsuits going around where the f*** are our lawsuits I was in that mother f***** for almost 5 years straight I went in a child and came out of man I f****** witnessed and participated in numerous acts of extreme violence all of us even those of us that say man YA saved my life it didnt save your life bro You got m************ Stockholm syndrome all of us for those of you guys that ended up getting raped or for even you m************ that was raping those dudes every single one of us was a victim of f****** abuse and we should be on a f****** class action lawsuit we should be the one saying f*** that s*** if you were in ya in the 90s we experienced the worst prison systems in the United States had to offer second to f****** Louisburg Federal penitentiary back in the 80s. Jesse Ferguson, a 22-year-old from Richmond, has been at N.A. Somebody went inside my locker and stole my Tres Flowers! 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. I wanted to speak to the superintendent. People were lenient. My whole mind was thinking about escape. Im human. Its hard but Im making it. Everyone else was just associates. Reading all these comments brought back memories, I was at Preston and yts they saved my life i was a active gang member and was giving a chance when i was at yts i was in the automotive trade and was selected to go to Fred c Nellis to work on county vehicles..i was driving County cars and trucks we fixed them. They were putting me to a test to see if I was going to snitch. It made me very happy because that meant I could stay at Ventura. And he cried because even tim could see what that place had done to me. My buddy got hit, too. NRCC and Holton, saw it change from 89 to 90 when they banned smokes lol. When you go to YA and get out, its like you went to war. Snoop himself spent time inside California's notorious "Youth Authority" - the CYA - which in recent years has come under court order for abusing and failing . I was sipping on water and then one of my homeboys says, Lets go. 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. The judge sentenced me until my 25th birthday. Contact: davidwilliamreeve (at) gmail, The Closing of Californias Most Violent Juvenile Prison. Report (Technical Assistance) Ive been a Ironworker for about 14 years. Box , Stockton, 944-0501 Institution for 504 males. What unit do you live on?. But i was only given 18 months. 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. Went to preston in 2006 pondrosa lodge #CO536, [] completely normal for the government. I wish they could have taken all of them. They left me there. In 1978 my Mom and Dad reconciled and got back together. 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. Berge recounts his time at YTS in part 4 of Gladiator School: Stories from Inside YTS. The project is personal for Reeve, a 49-year-old marketer by day and writer and photographer by night. DJJ, formerly known as the California Youth Authority (CYA), has a long history of scandal, horrible conditions, terrible outcomes and excessive spending. Im showing you who is in control right here. Rough Times Back then. He refused to take me to medical. But Parliament's gain was a loss to a string of men. Totally messed him up and he had nightmares and began using drugs to quell his memories. Jason Velebit #71230 I was trying to get out. Well that was 40 years ago. Finally, in November 2004, a consent decree was ordered as part of the settlement of a lawsuit, Farrell v. Harper, which detailed nightmarishly unconstitutional conditions in the CYA facilities, and laid down a list of mandated reforms. She had two knives stuck in her back. If you wear a white badge, youre underage. Everybody was doing sexual activity. If you dont leave that class, its because you like him touching you!, You have a girlfriend on suicide watch, an officer said. My Mom and Dad divorced in 1967. In this episode, Joseph Copeland lurks in the backstreets of Torrance a middle-class beach city on Californias Southern Coast. It made me survive so many years in Federal Prison. 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. California Youth Authority. Leave me alone, I shouted and lifted my hand. . He told us he wanted to get back at some guys he had trouble with at YTS. Ill give you the toilet paper when I want to, not when you need it., I was a little bit scared. When I tell you to stand up, youre going to stand up. There I realized I wasnt going to make it. 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 . I was terror-stricken; not even there. This all coming to light is a long time coming. 1. My deceased husband was at the CYA in Chino in the early 1970s. They took the teardrop off of my face with a laser. Youth Camps where you put in work and fight daily.. Crouch is a beast he went to the YA and came back a sav..They called that dude the Russian concussion I think . Additionally, a majority (54%) say they have felt stressed frequently in the past month and approximately a third felt helpless or sad (35%) or fearful (30%). In this image, a young woman expresses her view with a sign during a reproductive rights protest in 2021 in Fresno. A county or juvenile facility. Its 2022 and still feels like yesterday. I made an announcement. Have faith. Contact: davidwilliamreeve (at) gmail, The Closing of Californias Most Violent Juvenile Prison, The Closing of Californias Most Violent Juvenile Prison. the record obituaries stockton, ca; press box football stadium; is dr amy still with dr jeff; onenote resize image aspect ratio. Google Map. This storywasfirst publishedby the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange. Fortunate enough to not get an L. To be dead on truthful, if you was playing politics and living that life style, then you were bound to get caught up in a mess. I learned So much but got Negatively influenced because all there was is negativity going on around everywhere , Back then CYA was worser than Prison. Find professional California Youth Authority videos and stock footage available for license in film, television, advertising and corporate uses. Had that wall heater in the room that they said didnt work. Even with us gone, they still kept coming up pregnant. Programs for young offenders. I started attending church, and it started changing. School Address. "Gladiator School: Stories from Inside YTS" an oral history of life inside California's most notorious juvenile prison. If I wanted to buy beer, I could go to the bar and put it on his tab. The next day you go to school and you see a girl wearing Nikes that they dont sell in the commissary, beautiful Air Jordans. Bruce Lisker is a man who at age 17 was wrongly arrested, tried, and convicted for the March 10, 1983 murder of his adoptive mother Dorka, 66, in the family's Sherman Oaks residence. did the night rounds and knocked on my door. You dont peter-gaze, you dont do anything. Lol. The prison was closed in 2010 when the State had no other solution for the violence and mayhem there; a State Attorney called it an especially horrible place and hundreds of workers lost their jobs. 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