Former Horizon counselor describes violent culture, understaffing and improvised weapons at Bronx juvenile center

Booker G, an author and a former counselor at the Horizon Juvenile Center on Brook Avenue, described a culture of physical control and understaffing inside the facility, saying recent violence — including a Father’s Day clash that injured about a dozen youths — reflected systemic problems rather than an isolated outburst. "I believe that it was a calculated incident," Booker G said of the Father's Day fight, adding that riots were sometimes planned for holidays.

The account, drawn from his book Locked Up and Put Away and his decade working in juvenile detention from 2005 to 2015, detailed how counselors and residents negotiated authority on the halls. "You literally had to physically show that you were going to do something," Booker G said, describing a culture in which staff often resorted to physical restraint to establish order. He also recounted that residents sometimes enforced rules among themselves and that managers could exploit power dynamics among staff.

Booker G told the program that gangs were a persistent problem inside Horizon. He said the facility at times grouped residents by affiliation "to create peace," which could empower certain youths and later require disruptive separations. He also described improvised weapons: "They would take a deodorant bottle and make shanks," he said, adding toothbrushes, forks and taped objects were commonly repurposed into weapons.

Citing long‑term trends, Booker G criticized the juvenile system’s incentives, calling it "a cash cow" and saying detention costs have risen; during the interview he cited an approximate figure of $800 per youth per day. He argued many youths enter detention amid trauma and lacking community supports and urged increased investment in youth programs and mental‑health services as alternatives to incarceration.

Booker G acknowledged the system’s complexity and the constraints facing staff. He described instances where female counselors faced particular challenges and said some staff actions "probably were not legal or appropriate," language he uses in the book to characterize troubling on‑the‑job practices. He quoted a line from his manuscript: "Conflict resolution won't work. The only way to earn your stripes is to drop them," summarizing a culture in which physical dominance often substituted for therapeutic practice.

Moderated on Bronx Talk, the interview clarified that the facility described as "Farview" in the book refers to the Horizon Juvenile Center on Brook Avenue. Booker G said his account is based on personal experience and observation over years of work and that reforms adopted elsewhere — smaller community programs and mental‑health interventions — show alternatives exist.

The program did not present formal agency responses or a completed investigation into the Father's Day clash. The interview concluded with the host thanking Booker G and noting the book Locked Up and Put Away for listeners who want a fuller account.