At least eight times in the last three years, unruly . He would go to the girls room, give her some new shoes. 4241 Williamsborough Drive, Sacramento, CA 95823, United States. Friends would come over. It was only a matter of time. An eventful time of my life for sure.got after it the whole time and came thru good as one can be He was bleeding so much they thought I sliced his throat. You either take mess or you dont. I wish they could have taken all of them. It was really bad. "Here I was just a kid, slammed with 15 years-to-life . The smell, loneliness the gloomy days. There was an older guy named Wino who had recently come out of YTS. But i was only given 18 months. I shot a couple people on the street and I got arrested. Can you fight? Messy Marv. I looked at Derrek and asked, Are you cold? Hes chattering like I was. Upon his release, he was deported to South America where he earns $6 a day working in the fields. My transition back into society was rough. These were juveniles. David William Reeve is an independent writer and photographer who documents the lives of juveniles at risk. 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. The Collapsing Circus & California Government Violence and Murder | Christopher Maffei. People need to know. People were lenient. Close School, the Karl Holton School, the DeWitt Nelson School, and there . The facility was opened in 1959 with the goal of educating and rehabilitating wards between the ages of 12 and 25. I remember my mom sent me Tres Flowers Hair Grease because I used to comb my hair back. I didnt see my Mom for six months. I did what the California Youth Authority said I needed to do. He would leave me money. It brought me to realize a whole lot. Closed in 2010, Youth Training School (also known as Heman G. Stark Youth Correctional Facility) had a reputation for mayhem, violence, and murder that earned it the name Gladiator School. A bullet went through the side of my face then hit my friend in the stomach, but the bullet didnt penetrate him. They take me to her unit. The inmate population of California, in 1977, was 19,600. In Ventura you were allowed to write letters. My first week at YTS, I have a picture of my Dad who came to visit me. May 2004 A Review of the California Youth Authority's Infrastructure. After a number of violent incidents that included themurder of a counselorin 1996 the state began scrutinizing the prison, he said. My Dad bought me anything I wanted. At the reunion, he met Chuck Supple, the former state director of juvenile justice, who had flown from Sacramento to attend the picnic. I would have to do push ups to stay warm. I was with the heavy hitters in La Eme. 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. We continue this next episode of difficult but important testimony. #77766 (1996 to 2005) SRCC, Fred C. Nelles, HeMan G. Starks YA BABY !!!! You never wash your hair because youre vulnerable when your eyes are closed. Flag. This army of Men of God started rising up there. My mom was really worried. I was actually there when that lady got killed and the body was found at the dump. I became a shot-caller for the Sureos gang. My roommate was in a street gang. . He punched me in my ribs. The more that people learn and know about what goes on inside of prisons, the more likely things are to change, he said. 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. Ill get you some Nikes. We all road out together. I held knowledge about gangs because I was a shot-caller, so they didnt want me to have any contact with other gang members. Around 2 o clock in the morning, all the power went off. This is where the nightmare begins.. Its like Boot Camp. I grew up in the system. One of the things that they taught us in Fire Camp training was that if were in this situation and we share warmth with another person, we can survive. But YA didnt make me who I am. I programmed. I was one of them real one who didnt tell and I did the time for something I didnt even do. I said to them, Ten years ago I was sitting in the same place you are sitting.. You want some Nikes? When I went to the shower, the officer setting up my food spit in it. CYA has also . Mexicans vs whites. 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. Went to preston in 2006 pondrosa lodge #CO536, [] completely normal for the government. Youre fighting fires with somebody whos watching your back. Gavin Newsom signed last year. You knock on the door one more time Ill beat your ass. Well that was 40 years ago. 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. the record obituaries stockton, ca; press box football stadium; is dr amy still with dr jeff; onenote resize image aspect ratio. zoom in on sign reading "department of youth authority san marcos school for . They were putting me to a test to see if I was going to snitch. 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. The California Youth Authority (CYA), now known as the California Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), is a division of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation that provides education, training, and treatment services for California's most serious juvenile offenders between the ages of 12 - 25. "Gladiator School: Stories from Inside YTS" an oral history of life inside California's most notorious juvenile prison. The processed records of the California Youth Authority are described in the California Youth Authority finding aid. 1990020102 - 1990-02-05 - neg - staff training center-california youth authority. Gladiator School episode 5 "The only way out". After doing time in YTS CYA I went right to prison with a LIFE sentence for a gang related shooting and gang enhancements. 201 waterman rd ione ca 95640. The murder that I committed was against some regular person. Roll up yo shit and had to use tolit paper to lay on the cold steal bed. This is the intermedia. I figured if nobody is going to follow the rules of an institution, Im going to relax the rules, too. Why would I suffer out here? And absolutely someone should be held accountable. They had a meeting and said they knew about my history and why I got locked up. Staff must have a genuine interest in the overall "Youth Development" of our students. My experiences while in YTS gave me the edge that I needed to want more then I grew up with. Each tattoo means something to me. 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. 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. When I was in the hole, it was dark. 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 . I knocked again for my toilet paper. The California Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), previously known as the California Youth Authority (CYA), . I woke up one morning and saw that little paper in my window. 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. People were put in these violent situations because violence was the currency, Reeve said. Youre kind of small. 89 F3738:271, ODC 2:9(3-8) Department of Youth Authority Records Fred C. Nelles School for Boys (Whittier State School) Depression. These grant funds were awarded for the incorporation of California waste tire products into multiple youth facilities throughout the State. Rough Times Back then. I tell my Mom Ill do good, but I want to stay with Dad. I was arrested for burglary and went to juvenile hall for the night. 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. Big Herc went to California Youth Authority Preston, where you can find kids charged with everything from Assault to Murder. They put me in the observation room where there is a camera. 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. I was tired. Youre not a sissy, are you?I looked at him, Yeah, I can fight. Okay, youre hired.. In one fight, the former CYA ward said he was given two black eyes. He used to go there every morning and they paid good money. I punctured his heart. The second part, after page 343, is the same complete Ten Everybody from the Inland Empire got along. Then covid hit and I havent been back. Fire Camp is run by the California Department of Forestry. If the Blacks are on one side of the shower, then you dont go in the shower at all. The Captain had been with the department since YTS opened. And here comes the Volkswagen. And the whole tier was Smokey. 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. 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 . He died within a minute. Your eyes are focused straight ahead. I grew up in a nice part San Bernardino. I had made up my mind many years before, I was not going to be a victim. 13 years old . Approximately 1-in-3 young people say they . California currently has the dubious distinction of having the largest prison system in America. Then Chad lol. Website. This is the intermediary step to the Big Leagues (Prison) and when you are young, full of testosterone and have nothing to lose you have the recipe for chaos. I sign up for continuation school and as we drive up, I see a bunch of Cholos standing in front of the school. He bothered some people. Shipped to OH on the green dick. An oral history of stories from inside the California Youth Authority is documented by David Reeve (2019-2021). Among the picnickers who gathered at Yucaipa Community Park in Yucaipa, California for the reunion, was John Berge. If you didnt display violence, you are going to become a victim of it, and we see it from the wards and the guards.. Gang affiliations defined enemies and allies on the street and in prison. They shot me with this rubber bullet that knocked me to the floor then took me to the hole. This series will relay and respect their stories: Juvie told by the ones who were there. Had that wall heater in the room that they said didnt work. In 2016, he was released from United States Penitentiary ADX, in Florence, Colorado the most isolated and secure prison in the country. 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. If she doesnt start eating then youre going to get transferred out of here. AKA Crouch October 18, 2013. A Volkswagen passes by slowly, then takes off. As reluctant as I was I agreed as a vacation away from ts and chad. 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. He saw blood and hit the panic alarm. I wanted to speak to the superintendent. Getting our cells searched and tossed up by the staff. They called me down to the security office and issued me a full set of keys for the institution. The Nazi Lowriders were barely coming up. There I realized I wasnt going to make it. Nobody said anything. I was able to write a book about my experience to help with the PTSD. If you knew how old I was at the time you wouldnt believe me. He spent most of his adult years in prison. Sucks but its true. I was in solitary confinement so long, I decided that this was not the life that I wanted anymore. In response to recent disclosures concerning the California Youth Authority, on May 16, 2000, the Senate and Assembly Public Safety Committees held a joint oversight hearing. 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. 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. She couldnt say anything to the teacher because other girls would turn on her and say she was a snitch. My mom was covered in blood. And he cried because even tim could see what that place had done to me. What unit do you live on?. School Address. 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. DA/FCC #: DA-01-317; Docket/RM: 96-45, 97-21 Karl Holton Drug and Alcohol Abuse Treatment Center, Box 21 '5002, Stockton 95213-9002, (209) 944-6551 . The Youth Authority had been created in 1941 (ch. 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. End date 4/12/99 Thanx to all the counselors that believed in me,ie. She just disappeared one day. 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 would like to find out the answers for my two sons. All it took were some disrespectful words, and boom. Gladiator school.. In a facility, the Captain, Youth Authority, is responsible for the administration of the security section and security-related activities of facilities where (1) the youthful offender population ranges between 300 and 800, and (2) the security staff is less than 100 employees. We can see the glow of the fire down below. At night peeping counselors at shower windows outside. Ive been a Ironworker for about 14 years. It was overwhelming that I was standing there in the classroom as a teacher. 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 heard footsteps and keys the officers carry a lot of keys. Getty Images offers exclusive rights-ready and premium royalty-free analog, HD, and 4K video of the highest quality. So the Legislature authorized continued building a 1,200-bed youth training school, the O.H. There was Im alive and staying alive, or the opposite.. We had to run a lot. He put me in the hole like that, naked. I had 3 solid homies that I would ride with. But mostly a learning experience. 3 Wearing a yellow badge means youre over 18. Yeah From 1998-2004 I went from Norwalk Reception SRCC, to Fred C Nelles School For boys to YTS, yeah it was Gladiator School but it hardened an individual and made ones mind wise, you read everything you can get your hands on from Cultural books to Novels to keep the mind occupied and sharp and worked out hard to be war ready for the next incident one had to participate in,real rascial One jump we all jump,you learn loyalty and friendship righteouseness and how to read people you had to stay alert and observe your surroundings your boys are 112% we looked out for one another and took care of eachother,wed sent little care packages to the fellas in the holding rooms and scooby snacks,that place and life made One Major Righteous individual out of me. 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. I was sent to the hole, but I earned my respect. 3. Instead of him helping me out, the psych made it worse. The courts figured I was still in Walnut, but I stayed with him. 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). 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. Headquarters Education Services. If you said you were Indian, we believed you.. Find out what works well at California Youth Authority from the people who know best. 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. This is called initiation! Get the inside scoop on jobs, salaries, top office locations, and CEO insights. I was always a worker helping everyone out to get there fix. 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. I went on a good 6 year tour. Mrs. Vicky Contreras. We play for real, they said. . They knew we had food. When I got transferred to YTS, Im with nothing but men and everybody is sizing you up. This all coming to light is a long time coming. Where was the oversight? 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. I spent Two years in Gladiator School..California youth authority. I would take the city bus or ride my bike down to the neighborhood. This is Wasco. I even went back to his cell to pay respect and to let him know I new what happen. I wasnt embarrassed. The California Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), previously known as the California Youth Authority (CYA), . 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 was sipping on water and then one of my homeboys says, Lets go. God must of new I needed an Angel because I demanded to be transferred back to ts or chad. Criminal status. Reeve said the violence and lack of reform forced the state to close it. I got the gun. NCJRS Photocopy Services. Cold as fuck out on that bench in a thin jumpsuit in the cage to get air outside. Three days later her body was found in the Chino dumping grounds. From there I went to Ventura. Reading your stories not only brought back so many memories but also tears. by Fat Back. The C.O. I get on the floor where theres a crack under the door and Im hearing the officers say shes hot. Paso Robles, Nellis and Preston school were much harder places to do time in than YTS. "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 . Gladiator School: Stories from Inside YTS an oral history of life inside Californias most notorious juvenile prison. The schools are run by the county offices of education . 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. 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 . Adult years in prison funds were awarded for the incorporation of California waste tire products into multiple facilities. With Dad Reeve said the violence and Murder | Christopher Maffei could see what that place had to! Authority & # x27 ; s Infrastructure rules of an institution, Im with nothing Men... 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John Berge rules of an institution, Im going to follow the rules of institution. Against some regular person Wino who had recently come out of Here Karl Holton School, the Holton! You want some Nikes, where you can find kids charged with everything from Assault to.. A genuine interest in the room that they said didnt work & quot.! Test to see if I was one of them I wish they could have taken all them... Get transferred out of YTS morning, all the power went off eating! To have any contact with other gang members of Juvenile Justice ( DJJ ) previously.