She said, I cant believe this happened to me. Her whole body was shaking. They put me in the observation room where there is a camera. Now, the state's 58 counties must each designate a local . 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 dropped out of school. I explained to them the way you talk to us will get you killed and me in prison for the rest of my life. When I was in the hole, they brought a girl in I was looking right at her room and shes asleep. Tim later explained to me I reminded him of an abused animal, ready to attack anything that got close to me. zoom in on sign reading "department of youth authority san marcos school for . 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. When I was in the hole, it was dark. After all, it took some convincing for the group to make an exception for him. 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. We were fighting this fire near the Grapevine; it was really cold. My transition back into society was rough. We all road out together. My body is still burning from the pepper spray. Advocacy Information advocacy@calyouth.org. 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. Whites didnt have gangs. So, it was just my Dad and me. . He had gotten emails from former YTS inmates and wanted to meet them maybe even write more about the prison. Box 588501 Elk Grove, CA 95758-8501 Voice: (916) 683-7754 FAX: (916) 683-7769 These men who survived should tell their stories any way they can. I knew my Dad was going to be there. Contact: davidwilliamreeve (at) gmail. My buddy got hit, too. . CDS Code. I never lived in the neighborhood. "Here I was just a kid, slammed with 15 years-to-life . Then went to Karl Holton, then Preston. I was a ward of the courts from 1990-1999. 610), to the Department of Youth Authority in 1943 (ch. But in Fire Camp youre not just with your race, now its a buddy system. I spent my entire youth in the California Youth Authority (14-21). NRCC and Holton, saw it change from 89 to 90 when they banned smokes lol. The only thing Im thankful for in YA was for taking my teardrop tattoo off. Ben Lomond Youth Conservation Camp. They would put swastikas on, but there was no Aryan Brotherhood. 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. The more that people learn and know about what goes on inside of prisons, the more likely things are to change, he said. And absolutely someone should be held accountable. Then covid hit and I havent been back. She would have sex with guys in exchange for $100 worth of commissary. 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. Lets steal a car.. A source told the outlet that producers tried to rectify the situation but they . Provide students with a learning environment that provides them . I went to his house a couple of times and met his family. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I figured if nobody is going to follow the rules of an institution, Im going to relax the rules, too. I would like to find out the answers for my two sons. 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. Fire Camp is run by the California Department of Forestry. A county or juvenile facility. This is where the nightmare begins.. Here I am 14 years old. We play for real, they said. I kind of got jealous thats not right. In 2001, I went to Pelican Bay State Prison. Find out what works well at California Youth Authority from the people who know best. TIMES STAFF WRITERS. Some say it is worse than prison because you have an age range of 13-25 years old and when a 13 year old catches a life sentence he has nothing to lose and everything to prove. Big Herc went to California Youth Authority Preston, where you can find kids charged with everything from Assault to Murder. Totally messed him up and he had nightmares and began using drugs to quell his memories. But man, I seen some crazy ass shit in all the institutions I visited! I grew up in a nice part San Bernardino. It felt permanent., During the tour, Reeve snapped photos for what would become the first installment of Gladiator School.. I tell my Mom Ill do good, but I want to stay with Dad. I didnt know what was wrong with me. Photo by Peter Maiden We have returned to the situation of 50 years AKA Crouch October 18, 2013. I was terror-stricken; not even there. I figured I was going to parole from there. We were teenagers then. But for the Chicanos, they were already in gangs. I spent enough time there to see it all. He was bleeding so much they thought I sliced his throat. This all coming to light is a long time coming. Getty Images offers exclusive rights-ready and premium royalty-free analog, HD, and 4K video of the highest quality. Chopin it up with the homies on the wire. I started attending church, and it started changing. I wanted to show them how to make life work for them like I had done. I was cool with everyone. 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 . 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. 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 . My girl told me in letters that the student aid guy tried to abuse her and grabbed her ass. I wanted some way out. Youre not going to slice your wrist anymore, are you?. You soap up it takes 35, 45 seconds. CEA Santa Cruz Co. School. ca.gov. Fucked up place but it made me who I am today a solid motherfuker. I didnt see my Mom for six months. Im looking around, but nobody knows nothing. These places were atrocious. A guy killed himself by hanging from a sheet. For me, seeing that in Ventura, seeing her shaking, seeing the lights go out thats somebodys daughter. CREATIVE. With the juvenile system changing in California, he said its important to remember these stories so they arent repeated. Nobodys victim. California Dept of the Youth Authority. If I only knew what I understand now maybe I would have never hurt so many people in my life especially my family. The California Youth Authority (CYA) received a $150,000 direct grant from the CIWMB at its Board meeting in April 2003. Gladiator school.. It came back and around and stopped, then the shooting started. Sir, why did you hit me? I was crying. Thats when they would make us roll up our mattress, blanket, and sheets( roll yo shit up!!!) They wanted to see us develop stamina. My Dad had a good job. Yet, in truth, the system had not solidified reform. When I went to the hole, they stripped me down took all my clothes off. I couldnt believe it. I felt I needed to go along to get the older gang members approval. And here comes the Volkswagen. DA/FCC #: DA-01-317; Docket/RM: 96-45, 97-21 My Dad had a different girlfriend, raised a different family, but was always a part of my life. There was Im alive and staying alive, or the opposite.. He was a big guy, and he looked at me, a runner that weighed 129 pounds. I programmed. It was overwhelming that I was standing there in the classroom as a teacher. Learned how get up go to work at the trade I learned(plumbing). I had authority over other inmates. In one fight, the former CYA ward said he was given two black eyes. I couldnt see outside, but they can see in. There were brothers there who were very Black but had a little Cherokee in them. I felt I wasnt going to see all the violence that I had seen before, but it was worse. It made me very happy because that meant I could stay at Ventura. by Fat Back. Get the california youth authority . I couldnt register that what I was seeing was true. They gave him the wrong meds..Staff racking doors so violence could take place, take bets, or giving extra food (burritos from the outs) just to smash someones head. One thing that place taught me was move first or be moved on. My body was burning with pepper spray. In early 2016, the states youth system by then renamed the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) was deemed to be sufficiently reformed to be released from its 12-year consent decree. Now the officers turn against me and told another inmate that I was a snitch for what I told the psych. 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. 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. 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. He gave me a .38 and I hid between two cars. North Hollywood Boy reflects on years in gang, juvenile hall and California Youth Authority (pt1) Sexual assaults in CYA. Had that wall heater in the room that they said didnt work. I am 1%/1000 that made it in life. Its hard but Im making it. He has been married for 25 years and has raised six kids, including a son who became a LAPD officer. He gave me the paperwork a basic state application that included a physical exam, a background investigation, and a medical exam. He told me whenever youre drunk, but you still want to drink, pour your beer out and put water in it. I went to Nrcc when I was 15 (1999)than Preston, Karl Holton, and Dewitt. I had 3 solid homies that I would ride with. So sad that Gangs fighting And drugs were more prevalent in CYA and other youth programs . Im showing you who is in control right here. They left me there. Follow. When I got out of ADX Colorado, they gave me an ATM card and flew me to South 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. 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. She had two knives stuck in her back. 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. They were putting me to a test to see if I was going to snitch. He saw blood and hit the panic alarm. Thats rape in my mind. I wrote in the letter, I know what happened.. I suffered so bad. This is Wasco. 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. My legs were hurting. Remember what they taught us? I looked at him and he looked at me, and I didnt even care. I try to help people now. 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. Gladiator school.. You always look up. Id never seen that before. I was arrested for burglary and went to juvenile hall for the night. They put a sign on my door that said I refused to eat. Uncover why California Youth Authority is the best company for you. Violence was common at YTS. 93 to 97 from srcc to up north thats when I found out there were gangs up north serio.. Errie memories. 'I have had three different proposals of marriage over the years . We had meat. He turned the camera monitor off and came inside and started hitting me. David William Reeve is an independent writer and photographer who documents the lives of juveniles at risk. A Law Was Meant to Free Sick or Aging Inmates. Box , Stockton, 944-0501 Institution for 504 males. Than if you wanted the rest of your hour out your cell you can go outside in a cage and just get some fresh air and freeze your ass off.. ( I could talk for hours)Most people I was in there with are in prison or dead. The best company for you day and writer and photographer by night fight, the state & # ;. Out there were brothers there who were very black but had a little in... Time at YTS in part 4 of Gladiator School: Stories from YTS! Tell my Mom Ill do good, but I want to drink, pour your beer out put... Sex with guys in exchange for $ 100 worth of commissary Karl Holton, a! 4K video of the courts from 1990-1999 but man, I went to the hole, stripped! 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