The California Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), previously known as the California Youth Authority (CYA), . Now Im in Gladiator School, coming from a college campus-style institution where we could hold hands with girls, go to class, and dances. Shed give you a list of what to buy her from the store. at like 3 a.m until whenever. An eventful time of my life for sure.got after it the whole time and came thru good as one can be I cut a piece of plastic from a plate on my food tray and waited for the night guard. If the Blacks are on one side of the shower, then you dont go in the shower at all. I was in my room and the whole prison went on lockdown, searching for this lady. 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. It broke a rule for that officer to do that for anyone to do that. I had a meeting with all the Chicanos, but they didnt admit to it. When the lights came on the girl was crying. If I only knew what I understand now maybe I would have never hurt so many people in my life especially my family. Enrichment Specialist act as a positive adult role model, coach, and mentor. We get into a gun battle. When I was in the infirmary, they said, Why did you slice your wrist, Adrin?, Ill give you some medicine to help you out.. I explained to them the way you talk to us will get you killed and me in prison for the rest of my life. He punched me in my ribs. 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. Now, the state's 58 counties must each designate a local . We had been out for two days, going from one fire to the next. The first class I went to was English class. After discovering that his grandfather consulted for the prison, he tried to get a tour. California Youth Authority / Department of Juvenile Justice Office number only . This storywasfirst publishedby the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange. 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. I felt I needed to go along to get the older gang members approval. I was trying to get out. In this image, a young woman expresses her view with a sign during a reproductive rights protest in 2021 in Fresno. You see that the Blacks are in one section; the Whites and Chicanos are on one side. Karl Holton Drug and Alcohol Abuse Treatment Center, Box 21 '5002, Stockton 95213-9002, (209) 944-6551 . I went to Camp Karl Holton and it was more peaceful. Depression. I wanted to speak to the superintendent. When youre a Black Hand in the Mexican Mafia, you cannot theres no rape. These changes to the system are a result of Senate Bill 823, which Gov. He worked at the TWA call center that was a vocational training program for the airline. Im human. My body was burning with pepper spray. Before we go to eat dinner, we go to the living room to watch TV for an hour. Photo by Peter Maiden We have returned to the situation of 50 years My whole mind was thinking about escape. I had made up my mind many years before, I was not going to be a victim. . 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. After doing time in YTS CYA I went right to prison with a LIFE sentence for a gang related shooting and gang enhancements. Then Chad lol. 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. We were fighting this fire near the Grapevine; it was really cold. We were teenagers then. 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. 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. Jesse Ferguson, a 22-year-old from Richmond, has been at N.A. I dropped out of school. Provide students with a learning environment that provides them . David William Reeve is an independent writer and photographer who documents the lives of juveniles at risk. If you had a badge, you had the right to rape. You go through CPR training and fire rescue training. You either take mess or you dont. I was sadden as I read this article it brought back so many memories to time I served while at YTS CYC 1991-1994. They shot me with this rubber bullet that knocked me to the floor then took me to the hole. Reports Say California Youth Authority Facilities Provide 'Inadequate' Health Care, Mental Health Services. They was tim was able to engage me was life changing. Jason Velebit #71230 Only went to jail one time but did a gang of time as a youngsta. 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. I didnt know what was wrong with me. But YA didnt make me who I am. The only types of people that you find in the different joints are victims or victimizers. They took the teardrop off of my face with a laser. 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. 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. Some of the stories about this place were true but not all. Ya baby 58158 checking in. 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. I spent Two years in Gladiator School..California youth authority. I went to live with my Mom in Walnut, California, with her boyfriend and my two younger Brothers and a baby Sister, with a different dad. The smell, loneliness the gloomy days. He died of colon cancer at 53. Gang affiliations defined enemies and allies on the street and in prison. Laurence W. Spanne. I used to get love letters and stuff like that. Youre a gladiator, youre a YA baby, they said. Box , Stockton, 944-0501 Institution for 504 males. They like to flaunt themselves, and if you get caught peter-gazing, its rough for you. 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. 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. Flag. C. Hood 64961. Wearing a yellow badge means youre over 18. Rafael "Al" Losno Jr. came to prison during the era when phrases like "battle gyms and gladiator schools" were the norm. The processed records of the California Youth Authority are described in the California Youth Authority finding aid. Education. The California Youth Authority was known as "Gladiator School." You could do all the smashing you wanted to. Less than year faced life as juvenile. Much love to all my broken friends who cant be fixers. I want to no in this day and age were class action lawsuits are flying around on every social media platform why is it that there is not a class action lawsuit from us the people who are in youth authority to suffer through all this in the 80s and 90s I was in Fred C. Nelles , El Paso de Robles, Karl Holton , OH Close, Dewitt Nelson, and finally YTS, and lets not forget SRCC and NRCC. We had to run a lot. All youth who have not yet completed a GED or high school diploma are required to attend school. School Address. I didnt love myself no more. It felt permanent., During the tour, Reeve snapped photos for what would become the first installment of Gladiator School.. . I did what the California Youth Authority said I needed to do. Adrin isnt a snitch. And most of the time he just couldnt even talk about it as an adult. They left me like that for two days in the hole. Everybody was doing sexual activity. I was in YTS from 1981 to 1988. Registers and some case files are available for wards of Whittier State School (1891-1930), Preston School of Industry (1894-1914), and Ventura School for Girls (1907-1931). Criminal status. The institution was filled with drugs. Everybody from Los Angeles got along. N A Chaderjian High School is located within the N.A. People were put in these violent situations because violence was the currency, Reeve said. Went to preston in 2006 pondrosa lodge #CO536, [] completely normal for the government. Unlike the men barbecuing and swapping prison stories, Reeve never spent time in Californias juvenile justice system or its infamous Youth Training School, which the men dubbed the Gladiator School., They called YTS a gladiator school because you are going to learn and harden yourself into becoming a gladiator, Reeve said. Close School, the Karl Holton School, the DeWitt Nelson School, and there . Box 588501 Elk Grove, CA 95758-8501 Voice: (916) 683-7754 FAX: (916) 683-7769 They knew we had food. Select from premium California Youth Authority of the highest quality. I am 1%/1000 that made it in life. I became a shot-caller for the Sureos gang. I went to prison in Atwater, CA in Terre Haute, Indiana in Oklahoma too. A source told the outlet that producers tried to rectify the situation but they . Around 2 o clock in the morning, all the power went off. The only thing Im thankful for in YA was for taking my teardrop tattoo off. A county or juvenile facility. You knock on the door one more time Ill beat your ass. Leave me alone, I shouted and lifted my hand. This is prison. 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. 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. Northern California Youth Center, Stockton, CA Includes four institutions.