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Riverside County Jail

4000 Orange St
Riverside, CA 92501
Phone: (951) 955-4400

Interview with Rod, Kerry, Milton and James

JM: How long was your sentencing for?
Rod: 1ST TIME 90 DAYS. 2ND TIME PROBATION 5 YEARS. 3RD TIME, I AM OUT ON AN ACTIVE CASE, ON A FEDERAL KICK. I AM DUE TO BE BACK IN COURT ASAP.
Kerry: IT WAS FOR 52 WEEKS
Milton: For three years with half time
James: On the 28th of June 2013 I went to court for formal sentencing and was sentenced to 2 years under the new AB109 law which split my sentence into 8 months in custody and 16 months supervised release (for a total of 24 months which is of course 2 years). Of the 8 months in custody I was given half time due to no violence on my record, so the most they could have kept me was 4 monthe (half of the 8 months). I was released less than a week after that June 28th court date due to overcrowding (what they call a "fed-kick" because the federal government has a injunction against the county where they are not allowed to have inmates housed on the floor and they have to release other inmates early in order to house the ones just coming into the facility).

JM: Did you spend time in a holding cell after your sentencing? If so, what was that like? If you didn't where did they they take you instead?
Rod: YES. WELL, I GUESS LIKE MOST HOLDING CELLS, IT'S NOT ANY FUN. DARK, COLD, CROWDED.
Kerry: THEY TOOK ME ME TO THE OLD RIVERSIDE COUNTY JAIL IN DOWNTOWN RIVERSIDE.WELL I DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT IT WAS LIKE OTHER THAN THEY PUT ME INTO A CELL WITH ABOUT FIVE OTHER GUYS
Milton: Yes they took me back tocourt holding cell and I waited there for a while until there was enough of us so they could take us back to our pod
James: Yes, and this was a very miserable experience. I was sentenced at approximately 9:30am on June 28th 2013, which was a friday. I was kept in a holding cell with no blanket or mat or anything at all besides the clothes I had on until I was transferred to the Banning jail and I was, under the same circumstances of having no blanket etc. finally housed at 12:30am Sunday morning! Yes that's right, 39 hours after being handcuffed in the courtroom after sentencing I was finally housed in a unit of the Larry Smith Jail in Banning. I have medical conditions which do not allow me to comfortably lay down on a hard concrete surface, and after nearly 2 days of being in that holding cell my butt felt like minced meat and my entire body ached and I caught pneumonia.

Have you ever driven by Riverside County Jail and wondered what happens behind those locked doors? Maybe you or someone you know is looking at serving some time in this facility. Either way, you have come to the right place to get the inside scoop about life inside this jail.

We have interviewed former inmates, who have shared information about various topics, ranging from their experiences in court to what the Riverside County food is like. You can access these interviews by clicking on the links to your left. Take a few minutes to either satisfy your curiosity, or prepare yourself for a future stay, by reading their stories.

Meals
We all have to eat, and food taste and quality are important to most people, including those who are locked up. Riverside County provides inmates with three meals per day. The food is described as "fair to okay." One former inmate commented that it isn't something you would pay for, but it's edible.

That is more than can be said about some other jail food, so if you are going to be spending some time, and meals, in Riverside County, you can count yourself lucky. For those who have money on their books, a jail store called commissary is available for orders twice a week. Items that can be ordered include soda, Top Ramen, popcorn, chips and a lot of other snack foods.

Getting Out Early
Many jails are set up to release inmates before their sentences are fully served, which helps them deal with overcrowding. Riverside County typically releases inmates when they have completed 2/3 of their sentence. However, when overcrowding issues are at their worst, this jail has been known to release inmates after they have served only 10% of their time.

To get this time off, inmates need to stay out of trouble. It is more common that non-violent offenders will be let out early rather than those who are incarcerated for violent crimes.

Visitation
Inmates in Riverside County are allowed two visits per week. The jail has a schedule according for visitation according to which sector the inmate lives in. The visitor has to call at least two hours before the visitation time to schedule an appointment. Visitors have to check in early at the jail for their visit. Visitors often have to wait up to an hour, even though they had an appointment.

Continue to the interview