The alleged actions of correctional officers facilitating fights between children in their care are horrific and unacceptable.

“What if we take a bunch of kids and we put them in some fighting pits? with that, you might be going. Phil, what are you talking about? That is absurd.”

He argues that juvenile hall can be more violent and difficult than adult prison settings.

“I think juvenile hall sometimes can be more vicious than a prison. It's just, you know, you could fight with anybody. You know, people are trying to take your shoes. People are trying to just, you know, mark you out, take your lunch.”

The staff members at the school took active pleasure in inflicting severe physical abuse on students.

“No, I think they really enjoyed that. I was told by other boys that had been beaten that the instructors wanted to see who made the boys hurt the most.”

The state should not try 14 or 15-year-olds as adults, as they lack the maturity and context to be held to the same standards as adult offenders.

“And under these new laws they passed it to where as juveniles that was 14 or 15 can no longer be tried as adults in the state of California.”

He suggests his father's harsh parenting and physical abuse served as a motive for his actions.

“I couldn't just walk away from that and then I shot my mom and she's still sleeping yeah I waited for a little bit I think she went back to sleep I shut her”