Which Way, L.A.?

Deplorable Conditions in California's Juvenile Prisons

Gang violence, solitary confinement and punishment without rehabilitation are all part of the continuing story of California-s Youth Authority. The CYA is a "very dangerous place- where neither staff nor young inmates feel safe, according to a review this month by a nationally recognized criminologist who was -astounded- by the level of violence. Such reports are nothing new to the people who run a system that-s being called one of the worst in the nation by experts quoted in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and other publications. Tomorrow, a State Senate committee will begin hearings, but there-s real doubt that new interest in an old problem will lead to meaningful change. We hear more about the system's state of decline and what's in store for the future from an attorney who provides free legal services to state prisoners and a former head of the CYA. Making News: Dean Flies to Vermont to Announce Plans Yesterday in Wisconsin, it was Kerry with 40 percent, Edwards with 34 and Howard Dean with 18-another disappointment for the one-time front-runner who-s never managed a victory. Today in Vermont, Dean bowed out of the race. Perry Bacon, who's covering the story for Time magazine, says Dean still hopes to win enough delegates to influence party platform at this summer's Democratic National Convention in Boston. (This segment was originally broadcast earlier today on To the Point.) Reporter's Notebook: What's Next for the Deaniacs? Now that Howard Dean has announced he will no longer actively seek the Democratic presidential nomination, what about the hundreds of thousands of his supporters, so passionate that they came to be called -Deniacs?- Los Angeles-based actress Jane Wilson, who organized a group called Faithful Moms for Dean, is a "Deniac." Wilson explains what led her to Dean, and what she'll do now that he's has withdrawn from the race. (This segment was originally broadcast earlier today on To the Point.)