California's state youth correctional system, the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), is violent, isolated, and lacks accountability. Fights and riots are a part of daily life and create a culture of fear. DJJ's violent conditions are concealed by an absence of state oversight and the facilities' long distances from youths' families and communities. For decades, DJJ, and the agencies that preceded it, cycled through numerous controversies. Despite frequent attempts at reform, the state system has continued to subject generations of California youth to inhumane conditions and lasting trauma. This report aims to examine life in DJJ, from staffing to safety to reentry. Too often, the story of youth confinement is told by those who operate institutions. The authors have highlighted the experiences of young people who know firsthand the challenges of navigating the system and are grappling with everyday life on the outside. Their insight forms the basis of the conclusions, namely that DJJ leaves youth traumatized, disconnected, and poorly prepared for life after release. Today, as it has for more than 100 years, the state system is failing youth, their families, and their communities, and is neglecting its most basic obligation: to rehabilitate young people and keep them safe.