Experts who studied the lives of juvenile inmates in charge of the California Youth Authority released reports showing a system in worse shape the most outsiders could have imagined. The state subjects its charges to the harshest punishments of any juvenile detention system nationwide, leaving teenagers confined in steel-mesh cages when guards aren't prying them from their cells with mace and tear gas.
As horrifying as the reports are, they are consistent with the state's completely broken prison system. The common problems include:
A revolving door of crime. …
