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Johnny Chang alleges California youth facility ran ‘gladiator school’ fights

Modern Wisdom · Ex-Gang Member: What Makes A Violent Man Change? - Johnny Chang · August 22, 2026
Johnny Chang alleges California youth facility ran ‘gladiator school’ fights
Modern Wisdom
Modern Wisdom
Ex-Gang Member: What Makes A Violent Man Change? - Johnny Chang
"I would see the cos correctional officers doing like wicked things. They would pit us against each other and call it gladiator school where we're fighting each other um and they would bet on us, you know."
Johnny Chang, a former gang member, claims that while he was held in California Youth Authority, he witnessed correctional officers deliberately setting up fights between young inmates and placing bets on the outcomes. He describes it as a routine feature of the environment he entered after being sentenced as a minor.
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Modern Wisdom
Modern Wisdom

Ex-Gang Member: What Makes A Violent Man Change? - Johnny Chang

August 23, 2026 · 1h 59m · 6 Egleze moments
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More moments from this episode

Crime & JusticeChang says he was 12 when prosecutors used RICO to send him awayCrime & JusticeChang says inmates could face 25-to-life for violence committed inside prisonSocietyChang recounts friend dying during botched robbery, followed by prison suicide letterRelationships & FamilyChang describes apology to abusive father as turning point after church conversation
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