The “Twin Towers Jail” in Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Twin Towers Correctional Facility…operated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department…consists of two towers (hence its name): a medical services building and the L.A. County Medical Center Jail Ward.

This facility houses maximum security inmates as well as a large portion of the county’s mental health inmates. Inmates who suffer from various levels of acute medical and mental health needs are incarcerated in the medical services building. Those requiring severe health care services are housed in the medical center.

The only female inmates who are housed at this facility are those who require medical attention. Otherwise, they are incarcerated at the Century Regional Detention Facility. And male inmates may be alternatively housed at the Los Angeles Men’s Central Jail or the Pitchess Detention Center.

Measuring 1.5 million square feet, the Twin Towers Jail in Los Angeles is considered the world’s largest jail. It is located at

450 Bauchet Street,
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 893-5100

Parking for the general public is available in a paid parking lot on the corner of Vignes Street and Bauchet Street.

Parking is a flat fee of $7.00 (all day) and is operated by the city of Los Angeles.

NOTE: Parking is on a CASH only basis.

In this article, our Los Angeles County criminal defense attorneys¹ will explain the following:

• 1. Procedures on How to Post Bail for an Inmate at the Twin Towers Jail in Los Angeles
  • 1.1. Cash bail
  • 1.2. Cashier’s checks
  • 1.3. Money orders
  • 1.4. Bail bonds
• 2. How to Get Inmate Information
• 3. How to Contact an Inmate at the L.A. Twin Towers Jail
• 4. The Twin Towers’ Visiting Hoursand Policies
  • 4.1. Visiting hours
  • 4.2. Visiting restrictions
• 5. Rules and Regulations Regarding Mail Correspondence
  • 5.1. Prohibited items
  • 5.2. Acceptable items
  • 5.3. Care packages
• 6. How to Put Money “On the Books” for an Inmate Housed at the Twin Towers
• 7. Inmate Services
• 8. Procedures for “Return of Property” at the Los Angeles Twin Towers Correctional Facility

If, after reading this article, you would like more information, we invite you to contact us at Shouse Law Group.

1. Procedures on How to Post Bail for an Inmate at the Twin Towers Jail in Los Angeles

“Bail” refers to the amount of money that a defendant must post in order to be released from the jail system. It is intended to assure the court that the defendant will appear in court as expected. If the defendant attends all court appearances, the bail will be returned at the end of the case. If the defendant does not attend all of his/her court appearances, he/she forfeits that money to the court.

Once an inmate has been booked into the Twin Towers facility, anyone can pay (or “post”) bail on his/her behalf. You can do this 24 hours a day / 7 days a week at the L.A. Inmate Reception Center (“IRC”) which is located in between the two towers.

Bail for Twin Towers’ inmates is set according to the Los Angeles County bail schedule based on the crime(s) for which he/she was arrested.

The Inmate Reception Center accepts four types of bail payments (many of which are discussed in detail in our article on How to Post Bail in California): cash bail, cashier’s checks, money orders and bail bonds.

(Note that this will change in October 2019 when California replaces the cash bail system with a procedure for preventative detention hearings that focus just on the merits of the case.)

1.1. Cash bail

If you post cash bail, it must be for the full bail amount. Once you post cash bail, the jail inmate is released pending his/her arraignment. If the inmate attends his court appearances, the bail will be returned following the conclusion of the criminal case (minus a small administrative fee). If the inmate does not attend those appearances, he/she forfeits your money to the court.

1.2. Cashier’s check

Similar to cash bail, if you opt to use a cashier’s check, you must post the entire bail amount. The L.A. IRC only accepts California bank-drawn cashier’s checks. Checks should be payable to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. They must also include the inmate’s full name and booking number.

Because the funds must be verified before the Twin Towers Correctional Facility will release an inmate, the inmate’s release may take a while, depending on the time of day and whether the arrest takes place on a weekend.

1.3. Money orders

IRC will only accept U.S. Postal Service money orders that are payable to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and include the inmate’s name and booking number. Like cash and cashier’s checks, money orders must also post the entire bail amount.

1.4 Bail bonds

Since most people don’t have the funds to post cash bail or a cashier’s check, posting a bail bond is the most common way to bail someone out of jail. This is because…assuming the defendant makes all of his/her court appearances…you are only required to pay a maximum 10% of the total bail amount.

You obtain a bail bond from a bail bondsman (aka a bail agent). If the defendant makes all of his court appearances, you pay nothing on top of the 10%, but you do not get that 10% back…it is the bondsman’s nonrefundable fee. If the inmate doesn’t make those appearances, you will be liable for repaying the entire bail amount to the agent.

When you use a bail bond, the application process only takes about half an hour. The inmate is usually released shortly after that. You can search for bail bondsmen via the Internet or in the phone book. Make sure you verify the bondsman’s license and retain copies of any documents for your records.

∗NOTE: Once you post bail, you should immediately consult with a skilled Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer who can schedule a bail hearing to argue that the bail should be reduced or eliminated. One of our experienced local attorneys can also help devise the most effective legal defense to help your loved one fight his/her case.

2. How to Get Inmate Information

You can obtain information on inmates at the L.A. Twin Towers Jail 24 hours a day / 7 days a week by

1. calling the L.A. Inmate Reception Center (“IRC”) at (213) 473-6100, or
2. visiting the Los Angeles Sheriff’s inmate information website.

That said, inmate information is usually not available until at least two hours after the time of booking.

In order to get inmate information, you need to provide the inmate’s complete name and date of birth or booking number. Once you have provided this information, a deputy will provide the inmate’s

• booking number (if you don’t already have it),
• next scheduled court date, and
• bail information.

And on that note, if you would like further case information on an inmate, such as an upcoming date for his/her

• arraignment,
• pretrial hearing,
• jury trial, or
• sentencing hearing,

you may visit the Los Angeles County Case Information website.

You can also call the jail for information on what happens with ill inmates during the coronavirus /covid-19 pandemic or who are suffering from mental illness / mental health issues.

Also see the LA County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) website.

3. How to Contact an Inmate at the L.A. Twin Towers Jail

When an inmate is booked into the Twin Towers Jail, he/she may make one free outgoing phone call. Beyond that, all outgoing calls must be collect or placed with a calling card. Inmates are not allowed to receive incoming calls.

If you would like to send an inmate a prepaid calling card, you have two options:

1. send the inmate money in accordance with the policies set forth under Section 6. How to Put Money “On the Books” so that he/she can purchase one at the Jail’s commissary, or
2. send the inmate a prepaid calling card in a commissary care package (discussed below under Subsection 5.3. Care packages).

If you have a loved one incarcerated at the L.A. Twin Towers Jail, you may want to contact your local telephone carrier to make sure that collect and calling card calls are not blocked on your telephone plan.

The good news is that contact with inmates at Twin Towers isn’t limited to phone calls. You can also visit an inmate in person or correspond via mail. These options are discussed in the next two sections.

4. The Twin Towers’ Visiting Hours and Policies

Most inmates housed at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility are allowed to have friends and family visit them at the facility.

4.1. Visiting hours

If you wish to visit an inmate at the Twin Towers, you may typically do so Saturday through Tuesday. Visiting hours are between 7:30am and 6:00pm but vary within that timeframe depending on the exact location in which the inmate is housed. Exact times are posted on the Twin Towers’ visiting hours website.

The Jail staff will accommodate visitors on a first-come, first-served basis. Visits are limited to 30 minutes in length. A maximum of two visitors of any age may visit an inmate at one time. Inmates may see visitors once per day, twice per week. Inmates wear jumpsuits.

Minors under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. However, an inmate’s minor children between 12 and 16 may be able to visit without an adult with the prior approval of the facility unit commander.

Attorneys and members of the clergy are not bound by these hours or visitor limits and have access to inmates 7 days a week, typically during normal business hours.

∗Know that visiting hours are subject to change without prior notice, which means that you should probably call the inmate information line at (213) 473-6080 prior to planning a visit. There are no visitors during lockdowns.

4.2. Visiting restrictions

All visitors are subject to a search of their person and property. Additionally, all visitors must provide a government issued photo I.D. card, such as

• a California driver’s license,
• a California identification card,
• a U.S. Passport,
• an alien registration card, or
• a U.S. military card.

Even with a valid I.D., certain individuals are prohibited from visiting inmates at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility. This includes individuals who:

• have been incarcerated in the California state prison,
• are on formal probation and do not receive prior permission from the Jail’s unit commander, or
• have an outstanding warrant.

At no time may visitors bring anything to the inmates. In fact, the only items a visitor may bring to the visiting area are a car key and piece of identification. Any other items must be left at home, in your car or stored in a jail locker that you may rent for 50 cents.

5. Rules and Regulations Regarding Mail Correspondence

If you wish to send mail to an inmate at the Los Angeles County Twin Towers Correctional Facility, address it to

[Inmate’s complete name and seven-digit booking number]
Terminal Annex
P.O. Box 86164
Los Angeles, CA 90086-0164

All mail must comply with the facility’s rules and regulations below. If it does not, it will be returned to the sender. However, if the mail contains anything inherently illegal, it will be stored as evidence and could subject you to criminal prosecution.

5.1. Prohibited items

Prohibited items include (but are not limited to):

• food,
• cosmetics,
• stationary, blank envelopes, envelopes with metal clasps, paper clips, staples, pencils, glitter, stickers, postage stamps, glued or gummed labels, cellophane tape or any type of tape on a letter, or envelopes with gang or suggestive drawings/art work,
• cash, personal or second-party checks, traveler’s checks, payroll checks, blank money orders, out-of-state non-U.S. Postal Service money orders, or any money order exceeding $200,
• musical, plastic or blank greeting/post cards larger than 6″x9″,
• rosary beads, balloons, string bracelets or other jewelry items,
• lottery tickets, or
• pre-paid telephone cards.

5.2. Acceptable items

You can send up to five (5) photographs to a Twin Towers inmate (inmates are only allowed to possess five (5) photos at any time) as long as they are a minimum of 2″x3″ and a maximum of 4″x6″. Photos containing any nude, sexually suggestive, or gang-related content will not be delivered.

And as far as reading materials are concerned, you may send up to (3) books per week and up to three (3) magazines per week, none of which may be sexually explicit in nature. That said, the only way that books, magazines, etc. will be accepted is if they are mailed directly from an actual or on-line bookstore or publisher.

5.3. Care packages

Even though you are personally prohibited from sending certain items (such as food or pre-paid calling cards), you can have these types of items sent via a commissary care-package. The Keefe Commissary contracts with several L.A. County jails (including the Twin Towers Correctional Facility) and offers a variety of care packages that you may choose to have delivered to an inmate.

For more information, visit the Keefe Commissary website.

Please know that this link is the only way you can send a care package to an inmate. Not only do the Jail’s mail rules and regulations prohibit you from sending these types of items on your own, but care packages sent from outside sources will not be accepted either.

6. How to Put Money “On the Books” for an Inmate Housed at the Twin Towers

When you put money “on the books” for an inmate at the Twin Towers, it means that you create or contribute to an “in-house” bank account that allows the inmate to make purchases at the Jail’s commissary.

If you would like to mail money to an inmate, send a California bank-drawn cashier’s check, a money order or a U.S. Postal Service money order to

[Inmate’s complete name and seven-digit booking number]
Terminal Annex
P.O. Box 86164
Los Angeles, CA 90086-0164

Be sure to follow the rules/regulations that were described above in Section 5. Rules and Regulations Regarding Mail Correspondence.

If you wish to put money “on the books” in person, you may do so 24 hours a day / 7 days a week at the cashier’s office in the Inmate Reception Center located in between the two Twin Towers.

7. Inmate Services

Because the Twin Towers Correctional Facility is the world’s largest jail, it offers a number of services to its inmates.

In addition to providing a variety of medical and mental health services, examples of some of these “extras” include:

1. a commissary where inmates can purchase a variety of items such as food, reading materials, hygiene products, games, etc.,
2. outdoor recreational activities,
3. television privileges,
4. a library (and a law library for inmates who wish to represent themselves, otherwise known as “pro per” representation),
5. vocational training,
6. chapel services for all major religious denominations, and
7. Alcoholics Anonymous “AA”, Narcotics Anonymous “NA” and other substance abuse and alcohol counseling.

8. Procedures for “Return of Property” at the Los Angeles Twin Towers Correctional Facility

When an inmate is booked into the Los Angeles Twin Towers Jail, his belongings are collected and stored. This property is usually returned to the inmate upon his release. Alternatively, an inmate can designate another person to claim that property by filling out a property release form.

If an inmate fills out this form designating you as the person to whom property should be released, you may go to the lobby of the Inmate Reception Center located in between the two towers Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 8:00pm to collect the property.

If you are trying to get an inmate’s vehicle released, you must contact the arresting agency. They will be able to provide details about the particular vehicle in question, such as where the vehicle is located and whether or not it has been impounded (in which case, it may have to remain impounded for a specific period of time).

Call us for help…

For more information about the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles, or to discuss your loved one’s case confidentially with one of our experienced Los Angeles criminal defense lawyers, do not hesitate to contact us at Shouse Law Group.

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