What Was Preston Created For?

During the late 1800s, there was no place for incorrigible, truant or just ill behaved boys. Neither was there a place for orphaned or homeless boys between the ages of 8-18. The only option the State had at the time was to ship all boys, no matter what their circumstances, to San Quentin Prison. It was then that the "Preston School of Industry" was created.

The Preston School of Industry was created for the purpose of giving minor boys a stepping stone in life that they would have not acquired had they stayed at San Quentin. It was set out to be a place where wayward boys would have the ability to earn a decent education, self discipline and a trade in order to make a living and flourish when they were released out into the world. The school was set up in three departments:

1.) Academic
2.) Military
3.) Industrial

You see, in the beginning the boys at Preston were not all criminals. Actually, the boys were mainly orphans, abandoned or just plain homeless. The ones who were considered criminals were mostly because of petty theft and truancy due to the fact of being homeless in the first place. Back then, there was no place for incorrigible, truant or just ill-behaved boys. Neither was there a place for orphaned or homeless young boys between the ages of 8-18. The only option the State had at the time was to ship all boys, no matter what their circumstances, to San Quentin Prison.--

(© Copyright 2012-2015, J’aime Rubio, Originally published either on blog “Dreaming Casually” by J’aime Rubio, or in the book “Behind The Walls- A Historical Exposé of The PrestonSchool of Industry” by author, J’aime Rubio.)

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