I’ve been to this facility 13 times… this time I’ve been here for five days. For disturbing the peace, and providing false information to an officer. Yeah… I read a lot in here. Right now I’m reading a book by Jodi Picoult, and Harry Potter, and the last book in the Twilight series.

- L, age 17, Ventura County Juvenile Justice Facility – cell in girls post-adjudication commitment pod, for girls that have been sentenced.

I’ve been here for… seven months, for Grand Theft Auto.

- M, left, age 17

This time? I’ve been in for six days. For drinking. But I’ve been here six or seven times before. 

 - A, right, age 15

The above images are from the Ventura County Juvenile Justice Facility, a big compound off the 101 freeway. For the rest of this month, we are going to focus on juvenile facilities close to home for us, Ventura. For some a summer getaway destination… For others, a place for incarceration.

The Ventura County Juvenile Justice Facility was built on a 45 acre parcel in 2003 for $65 million. It has a maximum capacity of 420 juveniles– 240 in detention and 180 in commitment. Since 2002, the Probation Agency has been involved in Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative.