Gladiator School

In this episode, a young staff psychologist arrives in 2009 with a university degree and ambition for her first job. But the wards on I & J unit only see fresh meat, as Dr. Ashley Massimino armours her mind and body to absorb horrific confessions from the darkest corner of YTS, the Sexual Behavior Treatment Program.

In this episode, Fernando Vizcarra, a rookie correctional officer, stands his ground at YTS during one of its most difficult times, as violent assaults on the staff have put control of the prison in the inmate’s hands. An imposing administrative team responds with tactical force, accused of using mafia-style tactics to regain control of the institution. New alliances form as secrets are traded as currency, resulting in the killing of a counselor.

In this episode, Gerardo “Monkey” Martinez, a young Nahua Native from Mexico, arrives in El Monte, California to a family he doesn’t recognize. Violence at home puts him on the streets, where his skills has a fighter make him a friend or foe of rival gangs, resulting in a confrontation that takes one life, and ends another.

In this episode, the 15-year-old son of a prominent correctional officer arrives at YTS as a high school intern, soon to follow in his father’s footsteps. He comes of age in the institution as a young night watchman. Immersed in the prison’s hidden underbelly, he comes to know the institution like no other — a harrowing portrait of the prison after dark.

In this episode, Remigio “Mike” Chavez, is one of 11 sleeping on the floor of his family’s crowded, single-bedroom apartment in the Pico-Union neighborhood of Los Angeles —territory of the notorious 18th Street gang. He spends his days gazing from the apartment’s rooftop into the dream-like waters of a koi pond below. But as the dream fades, his nightmare begins, on a journey destined for YTS.

In this episode, Chris (aka Savage) is sent to The Hole for hiding a shank under his mattress, when the prison suddenly breaks out into riot.

“The Closing of California’s MOst Violent JUvenile Prison” 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. My grandfather was a respected warden and consultant to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, including a stay as Associate Warden at Atlanta’s Federal Prison in the 1940’s. He served as a consultant at Stark for a brief time in the 1970’s.