California's youth prison system is costly, dysfunctional, and abusive. Stark and Preston youth prisons are prime examples of its failures. Both massive, isolated youth prisons are decrepit, old, and plagued by pervasive violence. These prisons, and the rest of the Division of Juvenile Justice, should be closed to make room for more just and affective alternatives.
UPDATE: The Division of Juvenile Justice just announced that Stark youth prison will be closed!
| spent on Preston in 2009 | Preston Budget: $59,729,385.00 | |
309 |
young people locked inside Preston | 92.9% are youth of color |
| spent on Stark in 2009 | Stark Budget: $89,324,062 | |
379 |
young people locked inside Stark | 90% are youth of color |
Preston is infamous for the double suicide of Durrell Feaster and Deon Whitfield. The two boys shared a 6' by 8' cell, where they were locked up for 23 hours every day as "punishment." On Martin Luther King Day five years ago, Deon and Durrell hanged themselves using bed sheets tied to the corder of their top bunk bed.
These are the stories of families whose kids are locked inside California's youth prison system.
Watch more stories
Watch more stories