An oral history of stories from inside the California Youth Authority is documented by David Reeve (2019-2021). The Collapsing Circus & California Government Violence and Murder | Christopher Maffei. People need to know. Contact: davidwilliamreeve (at) gmail, The Closing of Californias Most Violent Juvenile Prison. 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. A2007 reportreleased by the states inspector general found that wards spent 22 hours a day in their cells while wards in the transitional program were not assigned classes, despite being in the unit for three months. I went on a good 6 year tour. I spent Two years in Gladiator School..California youth authority. They put me on home probation and said I could no longer live with my Dad. . Ben Lomond Youth Conservation Camp. Criminal status. This cholo guy rushed me and started fighting. I figured if nobody is going to follow the rules of an institution, Im going to relax the rules, too. Totally messed him up and he had nightmares and began using drugs to quell his memories. This army of Men of God started rising up there. I had to confront the Blacks and the Whites. I dont get involved with anything illegal. I went to his house a couple of times and met his family. Contact the California State Archives for more information. They bought a house and things were good. They put a sign on my door that said I refused to eat. In this episode, Adrin (not his real name) ascends the ranks of La Eme The Mexican Mafia as he trades violence as currency in seeking shelter from the swelling corruption he witnesses within the California Youth Authority. The next day you go to school and you see a girl wearing Nikes that they dont sell in the commissary, beautiful Air Jordans. Yolo I am a rehabilitated productive ex gangmember in society. In this episode, Jaime Morales is an ambitious youngster making a name for himself on the streets of South East LA. I want you to know Im in charge.. In this image, a young woman expresses her view with a sign during a reproductive rights protest in 2021 in Fresno. If you were a female you went to Ventura. I was walking in slow motion, like a zombie. brucelisker .com. I would take the city bus or ride my bike down to the neighborhood. I got a black hand tattoo across my chest. There were well-intentioned people who appear to have gotten caught up in the madness.. From inmates to staff to visitors to religious volunteers. tattoo on my hand for Southern United Raza. Ventura School for Girls replaced the name California School for Girls in 1925 (ch. Wearing a yellow badge means youre over 18. ca.gov. These men who survived should tell their stories any way they can. Visit davidreeve.net for more. After a number of violent incidents that included themurder of a counselorin 1996 the state began scrutinizing the prison, he said. I did ok in there. Ive been a Ironworker for about 14 years. Get the inside scoop on jobs, salaries, top office locations, and CEO insights. I was one of the few of my friends that had a dad. There was an older guy named Wino who had recently come out of YTS. They shot me with this rubber bullet that knocked me to the floor then took me to the hole. 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!. At the reunion, he met Chuck Supple, the former state director of juvenile justice, who had flown from Sacramento to attend the picnic. Yts 84-87 y+z 42759 Righteous Wood Here Frosty Lompoc, #66150;Definitely a gladiator school. Reports Say California Youth Authority Facilities Provide 'Inadequate' Health Care, Mental Health Services. I did my time from the halls to arc to nelles then to yts. Gladiator School: Stories from Inside YTS is an oral history of life inside Californias most notorious juvenile prison. I barely made it, but Im here taking care of my 5 kids. This all coming to light is a long time coming. It came back and around and stopped, then the shooting started. David William Reeve is an independent writer and photographer who documents the lives of juveniles at risk. There was no right or wrong. It became a party house. . Came to yts in spring of 1968. But as the dream fades, his nightmare begins, on a journey destined for YTS. 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 told us he wanted to get back at some guys he had trouble with at YTS. 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. I went three days without eating. I aint gonna lie. My body was burning with pepper spray. And here comes the Volkswagen. Visit davidreeve.net for more. 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. Memories of blood and even my neighbor that died. But Parliament's gain was a loss to a string of men. I was actually there when that lady got killed and the body was found at the dump. He would go to the girls room, give her some new shoes. A bullet went through the side of my face then hit my friend in the stomach, but the bullet didnt penetrate him. I went on a shooting spree in 1993. 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 . In this episode, Bruce Lisker is accused of an unimaginable crime that casts him from the safety of his suburban Sherman Oaks home into a nightmarish new reality and the struggle to survive Gladiator School. I was tired. It all becomes very complicated; its not good guys versus bad guys, Reeve said. This storywasfirst publishedby the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange. 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. I was listening. It became a party house. I wrote in the letter, I know what happened.. Reeve said the violence and lack of reform forced the state to close it. Feb. 15, 2021 5 AM PT. And who should we see about that? Thats when they would make us roll up our mattress, blanket, and sheets( roll yo shit up!!!) YTS was what you made it. By Sunday morning, my Dad comes home barefoot. It felt like a prison. At Fire Camp, somebody stole my shoes and money, and nobody would admit to it. Adrin isnt a snitch. I knew how to speak Nahuatl. Headquarters Education Services. Just because I was locked up in YA doesnt mean Im no good. My choice was either go to Fire Camp or get more time, and I didnt want more time. 937) as an independent . Website. Jeff earned his high school diploma while incarcerated and once paroled, never returned. You had to jump in water and get wet for 5 seconds, jump out,, than soap up, than jump back in to rinse off. After the cops leave, I heard the car come back a second time the Volkswagen again. The processed records of the California Youth Authority are described in the California Youth Authority finding aid. I was sent there because YA had nothing more to offer me pragmatically so they offered my college. I dont know how to do anything after being locked up for so long. They knew we had food. 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 didnt like Youth Training School. We were tortured in there. Til this day, I still struggle with it. He looked tough. There was another guy walking like a zombie all the time from taking Thorazine. Im human. If I wanted to buy beer, I could go to the bar and put it on his tab. The Youth Authority had been created in 1941 (ch. Youre going to come with me and have 5 minutes to talk to her.. Pretty much ran my own program. I could write a book right now! CHICO The minor convicted of attacking a 71-year-old woman at the Chico High School track was sentenced to four years and six months in the Butte County Juvenile Hall on Thursday. One thing that place taught me was move first or be moved on. We play for real, they said. Give me the gun, I said to my buddy. There were actually rougher places in my opinion. Provide students with a learning environment that provides them . 610), to the Department of Youth Authority in 1943 (ch. He was a big guy, and he looked at me, a runner that weighed 129 pounds. There were brothers there who were very Black but had a little Cherokee in them. Report (Technical Assistance) The judge sentenced me until my 25th birthday. Betty Boothroyd always claimed that she was 'married to the House of Commons'. I was in solitary confinement so long, I decided that this was not the life that I wanted anymore. I just lost it. When his desire to fit in with the gang leads to murder, Luis sheds his need for protection by fighting for survival in YTS. Its 2022 and still feels like yesterday. Gavin Newsom signed last year. There were no rules. It took me a while to come to terms with this and the whole evolution that allowed this to happen. Closed in 2010, Youth Training School (also known as Heman G. Stark . . Wasnt the best time in my life, saw some things, but the trauma made me who I am now. As of now, he has published seven parts on Medium with more on the way. Had that wall heater in the room that they said didnt work. After all, it took some convincing for the group to make an exception for him. Derrek who was a Compton Crip and I must have hiked five miles, and its two oclock in the morning. 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 . At the end of the grant term, the CYA provided an evaluation to the Board including: As an adult, he was recruited into the top ranks of the Mexican Mafia. Eventually, my Brother went to the Army; my Sister was married. Here I am 14 years old. You go through CPR training and fire rescue training. I wasnt afraid. But for the Chicanos, they were already in gangs. He was married and had a young child. 2. Funny thing about any institution is guys will try you. I wanted to do crime and gangster shit, and I didnt know why. I wasnt embarrassed. This is called initiation! 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 spent Two years in Gladiator School..California youth authority. She just disappeared one day. Shed give you a list of what to buy her from the store. Fire Camp was a whole different atmosphere. Was there medical experimentation going on at that facility in the 1970s. I only cut him one time by his ear. My experiences while in YTS gave me the edge that I needed to want more then I grew up with. 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. You either take mess or you dont. This is not a duplicate comment -I have never seen this website until today. My body is still burning from the pepper spray. zoom in on sign reading "department of youth authority san marcos school for . This has repercussions throughout the whole youth authority, statewide. As reluctant as I was I agreed as a vacation away from ts and chad. I said to them, Ten years ago I was sitting in the same place you are sitting.. I would like to find out the answers for my two sons. 1997-2005 I remember my YA #81160 without any effort. This is prison. I wanted to show them how to make life work for them like I had done. Select from premium California Youth Authority of the highest quality. Editors Note: Since the Gold Rush, Californias youth prisons or correctional institutions have been characterized by neglect, violence, and abuse, despite attempts at reform. The overhaul, however quickly it came, has been batted around for years as critics pushed for reform. A Law Was Meant to Free Sick or Aging Inmates. 13575 Empire Grade Rd. You dont do any of that stuff. I made an announcement. I didnt suffer anymore because I saw the way that Fire Camp was run. 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 has been married for 25 years and has raised six kids, including a son who became a LAPD officer. Tons of memories some good and bad. Flag. I was actively fighting, gang banging, throwing fucks, kicking off riots, Ironwood and tamarack programs. For me, seeing that in Ventura, seeing her shaking, seeing the lights go out thats somebodys daughter. There was Im alive and staying alive, or the opposite.. 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. My Dad came every weekend and every holiday. His name was Tim. It went from a handful of us in that unit to 30, 40 of us. But at the end, every individual needs to want to change and make better decisions in order to come home a better man. I felt I needed to go along to get the older gang members approval. Its hard but Im making it. When they took the handcuffs off, the guard slapped me real hard. I took the knives out of her back, called for help, then called my Dad.. When a second boy at the Whittier State School died under almost identical circumstances a year later, public demand for change became difficult to ignore. In this episode, Jeff (aka Huerito) is short timing when he leaves the comfort of Ventura Youth Correctional Facility to arrive at Fire Camp. In this cup was a little juice and some Thorazine. The state gave CYA a budget of around $200,000, of which $60,000 was meant to pay the three board members' salaries. I was in my room and the whole prison went on lockdown, searching for this lady. According to . In 2016, he was released from United States Penitentiary ADX, in Florence, Colorado the most isolated and secure prison in the country. Missing earlier happy times wanting to be accepted what Got me there by joining 18st gang. 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. In my eyes, Im just a person that tried to survive. I was gonna defend myself. Gladiator School episode 5 "The only way out". California Youth Crisis Line cycl@calyouth.org. My whole mind was thinking about escape. DA/FCC #: DA-01-317; Docket/RM: 96-45, 97-21 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 sliced my wrist and got under the blanket. 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. Ill get you some Nikes. Instead of him helping me out, the psych made it worse. "Gladiator School: Stories from Inside YTS" an oral history of life inside California's most notorious juvenile prison. Programs for young offenders. I started reading and educating myself on the Bible. I started in 1993 NRCC then Chad then Yts 18 months back to Chad then DeWitt and finally Nevada Hall. is giving out make-up and shoes. He approached my girlfriend and she wanted some shoes and had to do a sexual favor. Coming of age,puberty. 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. AKA Crouch October 18, 2013. After spending almost three decades inside California's toughest penitentiaries, Losno paroled from San Quentin this June as a changed man. Uncover why California Youth Authority is the best company for you. The schools are run by the county offices of education . Im looking around, but nobody knows nothing. I got mad at her and said you gotta get out of that class. If I get in a fight with the guy that touched her, theyd move me to a prison. Rip. Jason Velebit #71230 May 2004 A Review of the California Youth Authority's Infrastructure. California Coalition for Youth PO Box 161448 Sacramento, CA 95816 (916) 514-4464 (916) 514-4499 fax. My Dad bought me anything I wanted. Find out what works well at California Youth Authority from the people who know best. Im 40 and still remember even the damn address. I was cool with everyone. My mom was covered in blood. When I got out of ADX Colorado, they gave me an ATM card and flew me to South America. If you dont leave that class, its because you like him touching you!, You have a girlfriend on suicide watch, an officer said. He bothered some people 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 . The Captain had been with the department since YTS opened. Jeff J., aka Huerito served three years and ten months in multiple juvenile facilities, including Ventura Juvenile Correctional Facility where in 1984 he was selected to transfer to Youth Trade School in Chino and serve his remaining time in Fire Camp. My first day was going through the orientation process. Youre going to be here in the hole. I explained to them the way you talk to us will get you killed and me in prison for the rest of my life. 1978. If I wanted to buy beer, I could go to the bar and put it on his tab. My transition back into society was rough. I dropped out of school. She had two knives stuck in her back. I used to get love letters and stuff like that. Youre not going to slice your wrist anymore, are you?. Nations First Standalone Prison Campus Celebrates Graduation, $2.1 Million Grant Will Expand First AmeriCorps Program for Formerly Incarcerated People, Inmate shuffle: How California bounces around its mentally ill prisoners, In Wrongful Death Settlement, Family of Shaylene Graves Will Get $3.5 Million and a Platform to Urge CAs Prison Officials to Implement Policies That Better Protect Women in Custody, System-Impacted Youth Leaders Push for LA County to Fund Youth Justice Reimagined. 1. Chaderjian Youth Correctional Facility in Stockton, California (209) 944-6444. He gave me the paperwork a basic state application that included a physical exam, a background investigation, and a medical exam. Dont come with the YA mentality because this is adults, you start new.. 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. We had been out for two days, going from one fire to the next. All future Diplomas from this Stockton CYA facility will not carry the WASC accreditation. I had a girlfriend whose name was Suzanna. He told me whenever youre drunk, but you still want to drink, pour your beer out and put water in it. NCJRS Photocopy Services. 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. CEA Santa Cruz Co. School. General Inquiries info@calyouth.org. close and Chad to work with some of coming back to Alameda County Oakland. To my brothers, Because I wanted to be macho and do what the gang says? Was there medical experimentation going on at that facility in the 1970s. 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. They called him Lazy, but he is anything but that embarking on a spree of strongarm carjackings and robberies that land him in YTS, where he sparks a religious revival during the prisons darkest hours. It seemed like bad behavior was expected and respected. 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. Criminal Justice Journalism in the Public Interest, a mind-numbing level of controversy and scandal, phasing out the states youth prison system, Gladiator School: Stories from Inside YTS, signed into law on Sept. 30, legislationto close, What Really Happened To My Kids? He had gotten emails from former YTS inmates and wanted to meet them maybe even write more about the prison. Man, them DDMS hearing had me shot down at every board hearing, Was in Nellies and Preston 79 til 81 learned to be a tough guy seen so many old friends in cya when I hit. Follow. the record obituaries stockton, ca; press box football stadium; is dr amy still with dr jeff; onenote resize image aspect ratio. Sir, why did you hit me? I was crying. Good counselors and creepy . During the bad old days of the mid-1990s through to the early 2000s, when Californias youth prison system was known as the California Youth Authority, or CYA, the system was plagued by a mind-numbing level of controversy and scandal that included a wave of youth suicides and graphic reports of horrific abuse by staff. Rafael "Al" Losno Jr. came to prison during the era when phrases like "battle gyms and gladiator schools" were the norm. Gladiator School - California Youth Authority #CYA #YouthPrison #california I was trying to get out. Riots kicked off every week. I had a lot of good friends who were Nazi Lowriders. 4241 Williamsborough Drive, Sacramento, CA 95823, United States. Records concerning juveniles are restricted. Blacks vs Mexicans. Well that was 40 years ago. The Whites they were called Woods. He made excellent money. 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 . Youth Authority: California: Directed by Gabriel London. I said, Come here, man. Shoulder to shoulder we hugged each other It worked. Where was the oversight? 201 waterman rd ione ca 95640. He died of colon cancer at 53. My mom was really worried. I was gonna be tough. Visit davidreeve.net for more. I didnt want to work. They would put swastikas on, but there was no Aryan Brotherhood. Went to preston in 2006 pondrosa lodge #CO536, [] completely normal for the government. We had pizza. Somebody went inside my locker and stole my Tres Flowers! Education. Employment Information Whoever stole my Tres Flowers fuck yer mom, fuck yer dead homies.. I was telling the officer that I needed to go to medical, please, please. They cuffed me up and hung me by my feet in the shower. That means that person is shipping out to Fire Camp. If the Blacks are on one side of the shower, then you dont go in the shower at all. Im sure it fucked us up worse. You see that the Blacks are in one section; the Whites and Chicanos are on one side. The C.O. In this episode, Jeff (aka Huerito) is short timing when he leaves the comfort of Ventura Youth Correctional Facility to arrive at Fire Camp. The United States is going back in history and, led by conservative politicians, judges and religious groups, is banning women's right to decide about their own bodies. I grew up in the system. The anger I felt, the violence, the heartlessness, the cages, the smell, the water, the blood, the impact of being shot by beanbag guns, the riots, 1 one 1s, broken hands, the tension in the air just before it kicks off, staff assaults, drugs, alcohol, death. Conviction overturned 2009. Id never seen that before. Have faith. 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. Your eyes are focused straight ahead. And he cried because even tim could see what that place had done to me. Gang affiliations defined enemies and allies on the street and in prison. After I took my shower, I couldnt find my hair grease. 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. It was really bad. In ts it was gladiator school and in Chad it was known as the battle dome we even had a real goat named billy as a mascot.
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