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In an ongoing series of photo essays of difficult but important testimony, “Gladiator School: Stories from Inside YTS” provides a history of life inside California’s most notorious juvenile prison. Closed in 2010, Youth Training School (later known as Heman G. Stark Youth Correctional Facility) had a reputation for mayhem, violence, and murder.
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Artifacts

Memories of the Last Watch

Memories of the Last Watch

David Reeve

davidwreeve

Southern California photographer covering juveniles at risk. Follow for new episodes of “Gladiator School” or visit www.gladiatorschool.org
Found behind the boxing gym. YTS '84. Anyone want Found behind the boxing gym. YTS '84. Anyone want to claim it?
A local story announcing the opening of Youth Trai A local story announcing the opening of Youth Training School in 1960. Thanks @jberge51
Walking through the chain link cages outside 0/R. Walking through the chain link cages outside 0/R. The football field is behind me. I think these cages were used for exercise. Anyone spend anytime here? Share a story in the comments ⬇️. #yts #chino #prison #gladiatorschool #californiayouthauthority
Did you know… Gordon Fingers, brother of legenda Did you know… Gordon Fingers, brother of legendary baseball player, Rollie Fingers, is a former correctional officer at YTS in Chino? I’ve been trying to track him down for an interview but he’s no longer on Facebook or at his recent residence in Fontana. If you know Gordon, please introduce us. 🙏 #rolliefingers #yts #chino #gordonfingers
Looking through the window of O and R Company #YTS Looking through the window of O and R Company #YTS. I heard some crazy stories about this place.
Gladiators… #YTS Gladiators… #YTS
What was it like shopping at the YTS canteen? What was it like shopping at the YTS canteen?
Instagram post 18092196646433910 Instagram post 18092196646433910
A really great feature story on Gladiator School i A really great feature story on Gladiator School in today's @latimes / @thedailypilot in Orange County. "Former wards and staff started reaching out to Reeve not long after he began publishing his photos online. The stories they shared with him include the account of a former YTS prisoner who went on to become a teacher at the facility after his release. Another documents the experience of Dr. Ashley Massimino, a psychologist at the prison who recounts masking her femininity while donning literal and figurative “armor” before each shift at the youth prison. “These stories have been very much sealed,” Reeve said. “Previous to this project the only time you knew what was going on inside that institution was from a newspaper reporter or when the state would issue a report ... none of those would actually speak to the people who were there because they didn’t have access to talk to a ward who had gone through a suicide attempt.” 👏@ohgodnotyouagain #YTS #chino #cdcr #cdcrfamily #Brea #latimes #dailypilot #californiayouthauthority
Exploring the Administration Hall at Youth Trainin Exploring the Administration Hall at Youth Training School (aka Hemen G. Stark Juvenile Correctional Inst.) in Chino, Ca. This story was shared by a retired correctional officer. To read more stories hit the link in my bio. #YTS #chino #gladiatorschool #prisonstories #californiayouthauthority #urbanexplorer
YTS housed thousands of young men, and on rare occ YTS housed thousands of young men, and on rare occasions a female ward would be housed under special circumstances. Here is a story about one of those times… “A heavy-set female ward was being housed in the Correctional Treatment Center’s padded cell (aka “Time Out Room” or “Recovery Room”). She wore only a smock and had a body odor problem. One day, she was required to have medication administered by injection. She became combative, and had to be physically restrained. Three female officers attempted to restrain her, but she became so violent all of them ended up in a scuffle on the floor. A male officer saw what was happening and stepped-in to assist. He grabbed her ankles and pulled her towards him long enough for the three female officers to gain control and allow medical staff to administer the medication. She never looked back to see the male officer assisting and thought it was only the three female officers who had restrained her. She was yelling threats and obscenities at the officers throughout the entire incident.” Story is shared from a retired officer. #yts #gladiatorschool #californiayouthauthority #cdcr #chino #prisonlife #prison #correctionalofficer #womeninprison
CORRECTIONAL TREATMENT CENTER AT YTS “A part-ti CORRECTIONAL TREATMENT CENTER AT YTS “A part-time nurse came into the old infirmary on her day off to speak with her supervising nurse. Once they were in the supervising nurse’s office, the part-time nurse pulled a chunk of glass out of her purse and attacked the supervising nurse. She was restrained by YTS officers and arrested by Chino police. She claimed the supervising nurse was having an affair with her husband, but the truth was she was upset because she didn’t get hired full-time and she blamed her supervising nurse. She was convicted and sentenced to the California Institution for women for eight years.” Story shared by a retired officer at YTS #yts #chino #californiayouthauthority #gladiatorschool #cya #prison #cdcr #photoessay #juvenilejustice #urbanexplorer #urbanphotography #urbandecay
“The boxing trophy” Gladiator School episode 1 “The boxing trophy” Gladiator School episode 18. #chino #yts #californiayouthauthority #gladiatorschool #cya #prison #photoessay #cdcr #juvenilejustice #boxing
“I think it was my first week there when a guy g “I think it was my first week there when a guy got stabbed in his eye. His eyeball got ripped out. I don’t remember who it was, but they were fighting, and he got stabbed in his eye, and his eyeball landed right in between my two feet.” Tony Espinosa, Gladiator School episode 18. #yts #gladiatorschool #californiayouthauthority #chino
The search for the boxing trophy began in February The search for the boxing trophy began in February 2024. I reached out to a couple retired YTS staff. One member of the facilities team responded. He had seen the trophy two years ago and placed it in a box. With help from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, we were able to visit YTS and locate the trophy in June. The CDCR kept it safe until we were able to arrange for Tony, the boxer, to come and pick it up. READ GLADIATOR SCHOOL EP18 - HIT THE LINKTREE IN MY BIO. 🙏 #yts #chino #californiayouthauthority #cya #gladiatorschool #urbandecay #photoessay
“My boxing coach was a Black man named Mercer “Smitty” Smith, and he had connections. Henry Tillman, the world heavyweight champion and Olympic Gold medalist, and his brothers, would come into YTS from the outside and spar with us because he knew Mercer Smith. We had the best gear money could buy. The gym had two rings — that’s how big it was. Four people could be sparring at one time. Heavy bags were all the way along the wall — speed bags, jump ropes, and a medicine ball. When we fought, we wore headgear and 10-ounce gloves, but when we were training, we wore 13-ounce gloves.“ Hit the linktree in my bio to read GLADIATOR SCHOOL episode 18, “The boxing trophy” #yts #chino #cdcr #californiayouthauthority #gladiatorschool #cya #photoessay
NEW EPISODE: Six months in the making, I went into NEW EPISODE: Six months in the making, I went into YTS for this new episode of Gladiator School. “The boxing trophy” details the story of a 1987 YTS boxing match that took place between Tony Espinosa, who was captain of the YTS boxing team, and an undefeated amateur boxer from San Francisco. It’s an amazing story and really special episode. I hope you can find a chance to read it. Thanks to the #CDCR for the help in making this story happen. Hit the link.tree in my bio to read the story - episode 18. #yts #boxing #prisonboxing #californiayouthauthority #chino #henrytillman #gladiatorschool #ventura #oxnard #photoessay #sonyphotography #fujiphotography #sonyalpha #urbandecay #boxinggym
What were the rules about fighting in church at #Y What were the rules about fighting in church at #YTS? Leave a comment below. The Catholic & Protestant Chapels held religious services for the wards on weekends and religious holidays. Clergy also had their offices located there. There was a time when wards would NEVER fight in any of the chapels. In the last days of YTS, there were constant fights in both of the chapels during religious services. No place was off limits to fighting in those last days. Story contributed by a retired correctional officer. Hit the link in my bio for more stories from inside YTS. #cya #churchfamily #chino #photoessay #californiayouthauthority #youthauthority #cdcr #fightinginchurch #urbandecay #urbanexplorer
#yts #gladiatorschool #cya #youthauthority #chino #yts #gladiatorschool #cya #youthauthority #chino #prison #photoessay Story contributed by a retired correctional officer. 🙏 For more stories from YTS, hit the link in my bio.
Do you know anything about this painting? It hang Do you know anything about this painting? It hangs on the wall of one of the chapels at #YTS. The second image is a close-up of the signature that looks to me like JR. I am wanting to identify the artist and learn more about this painting. It may have been painted by a ward, not sure. I want to reunite this artwork with the artist. Thanks. #californiayouthauthority #gladiatorschool #chino #chinostateprison #cya
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