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Monterey County Jail

Monterey County Jail 1410 Natividad Rd
Salinas, CA 93906

Interview with Calvin

JM: How long was your sentencing for?
Calvin: 28 months with half time eligable.

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?
Calvin: I was in a dorm that was segregated dorm with just norhterners. They don't mix the race populations there.

The Monterey County Jail houses around 1200 inmates at any given time - this is a significant inmate population that is managed by around 200 full-time staff. Find out what to expect if you, a loved one or family member is headed to the MCJ.

Classification
Monterey is unique because around a third of all inmates are affiliated in one way or another with a gang. The classification system takes into account these affiliations, race, types of crimes committed and more. The purpose of this type of segregation is to make the inmate population less prone to violence. Violence in jail is bad for everybody - the inmates involved, the sheriffs who have to risk their lives intervening and family members on the outside who worry about their loved ones.

If you aren't a member of a gang (which offers some protection but also introduces a whole host of problems), you should learn to keep to yourself. Focus your attention and energy on people on the outside and avoid getting caught up in inmate drama which can often lead to fights. The stakes are pretty high - if you can avoid trouble (such as fighting and disobedience to the officers) you can reduce the length of your sentence up to 33%. This means for every month you are sentenced you will only serve twenty days.

Phone calls/visits
Calling people from jail is always expensive, but Monterey County Jail is even more expensive than most. The initial connection charge is $5 with each minute being around 17 cents. Also, when you make a call the jail's phone system will announce to the caller that you are calling from jail - keep that in mind when you're choosing who to give a call. Also, all phone calls are screened and can be used against you in court. The jail has a different phone you can use to discuss your case with a lawyer which is not subject to the same monitoring requirements (or your attorney can visit you in a private area).

Don't expect to get contact visits in Monterey - you will be behind a glass wall talking to your visitor over a phone. This is to prevent people from smuggling contraband into the jail on your behalf.

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