Why Are People Held at Los Angeles County Men's Central Jail?
The Men's Central Jail in LA County is operated by the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department and is a temporary detention facility for people arrested for misdemeanor or felony crimes or who have an outstanding warrant.
Arrestees will remain here until they can post bail, get released on their recognizance (O.R. release), appear for their court arraignment, or until their trial date. Inmates are normally arraigned within two days of their arrest.
If a defendant is convicted, they can serve their county jail time at the Men's Central Jail, which can hold over 6.500 inmates. It's located at:
441 Bauchet Street,
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 974-4921
This facility only holds male inmates. All females are held at the Century Regional Detention Facility, known as the Lynwood jail.
Depending on a range of factors, male inmates are commonly transferred between Twin Towers Facility or the Pitchess Detention Center, known as Wayside Jail.
You can get information on inmates at the Los Angeles Men's Central Jail by calling the inmate reception center at (213) 473-6100 or using the online inmate search provided by the LA County Sheriff's.
Visitation of inmates is normally Thursday through Sunday between 10 am and 3 pm and from 5 pm to 7 pm. Inmates are one visit daily with no more than four people at once.
Before visiting an inmate, you will need to provide some type of identification, such as a California driver's license or an ID card.
If you seek to have an inmate's vehicle released from impoundment, you must get approval from the police agency that made the arrest. Our Los Angeles criminal defense lawyers will provide a closer review below.
What to Do If Your Loved One Has Been Put in the LA County Men's Central Jail?
Men's Central Jail is the main holding facility in Los Angeles County where somebody is arrested and they're going to be held in custody.
Suppose somebody gets arrested by a local law enforcement agency, like Wilshire or Van Nuys Divisions. In that case, they will typically be held at that location until they appear in court, usually within 72 hours.
Once the person appears in court, they could be housed in Los Angeles Men's County jail if they remain in custody.
So, if you have a family member there and are looking to help them, your first step is obviously to hire an attorney. The attorney can easily see the person.
You can see the person, but it's a little more difficult for family and friends to see people in Men's County jail than an attorney with unlimited access, as long as they have their bar card. I see people there all the time.
Getting an Inmate Released from Custody
So, step number one is to hire a lawyer if you have somebody who has been arrested and is in Men's County jail. The lawyer can work on issues regarding bail and try to figure out how to get the person out on their recognizance,
This means all they have to do is sign a promise to appear when released, or every crime that somebody is charged with has an assigned bail by the Los Angeles Superior Court judges.
So, bail could be set, and you could either post the bail yourself in the entire amount, or you can hire a bail bond agent, and they'll post the bail.
Depending on the bond company and what you can negotiate with them, you'll have to pay the bail bondsman a premium, usually between 6% and 10%.
Deciding Whether to Bail Them Out of Jail
So, that is step number one—to get the attorney. Step number two is that you can see your loved one in the Men's County jail, and lastly, you can decide whether or not it makes sense for you to bail them out.
Sometimes it doesn't make sense. Sometimes, the bail is way too high, and it will cost too much money, and it's very difficult to bail them out. Other times, it doesn't make sense because the:
- person has a prior criminal record,
- has a new case, and it looks like they're going to get custody time,
- either local custody time in the county jail or state prison.
So, why would you bail them out, only to have them have to go back in again? Once again, this is why you hire an attorney.
The attorney can talk to you, your loved one, the prosecutor, the judge, and then you can decide exactly what you want to do. Bail motions can be filed.
Inmate Housing at Three Different Locations in Los Angeles
When you talk about Men's County Jail, you're talking about one of the three locations where people in custody in Los Angeles County can be housed.
There's Men's County Jail, there's Twin Towers, which is right across the street. Usually, I see people with medical issues or mental issues housed in the Twin Towers, and then there's also Wayside, which is in Valencia.
So, those are the three locations. People ask me all the time:
- how do we know which one they will be housed in?
- How does the sheriff decide where people are housed between locations?
There's no rhyme or reason for deciding that. They move people around all the time.
I don't know if they make money each time they move somebody, but I don't see how they break people up. Maybe they have some system based on the type of crime or the person's criminal record.
The bottom line is, if you've got a loved one in the Men's County jail in Los Angeles and they've been charged with a crime, you've come to the right place.
Pick up the phone. Ask for a meeting with Ron Hedding. I stand ready to help you. Hedding Law Firm is located in Los Angeles County and offers free case evaluations.
