Honoring the Voices from History
CJCJ has a rich historical archive on California’s youth justice system. We collect stories and primary documents of individuals who were held in the state’s youth correctional facilities. These institutions have had many names, including houses of reform,industrial schools,training schools, the California Youth Authority (CYA), and the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). Despite changing names, these institutions were sources of extreme violence, neglect, and abuse. These histories must not be hidden or forgotten as the damage inflicted was long lasting and is still present.
For decades, CJCJ has advocated for closing these state youth facilities. We have also been called to testify across the state on the atrocities in these institutions. You can read our extensive reporting and review our collected data.
We highlight the voices of those with direct experience in these institutions. No one can better tell the story of California’s youth prisons — or highlight the need for accountability and repair — than those directly affected by the system’s brutality. This page spotlights these individuals through interviews, photos, and videos that span over a center. Such perspective tells the true cost and lasting, multigenerational damage of these prisons.
