JM: How many different blocks were there? Rod: I DON'T KNOW I THINK THERE WERE 19 DIFFERENT
PODS THAT HOUSED APPROX. 39 PEOPLE IN EACH.
THAT'S JUST THE ONES THAT I COULD SEE. Kerry: i can't say i can recall Milton: One through twelve and fourteen through
nineteen James: There are numerous blocks at the Banning jail, as
they expanded it a few years ago. I imagine it is
up to a dozen or so.
JM: Did they have names? If so, what were they? Rod: PODS. SECTORS. BAYS. BLOCKS. DORMS. THEY HAVE
ALL
DIFFERENT NAMES. Kerry: i can't say i can recall any names or such Milton: They were numbered
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,14,15,16,17,18,19
units 12,14,15,16,17 had smaller pods in
them from A-G James: They are numbered and then each unit within a
block would be given a letter....up to 'G'.
JM: Which types of inmates were housed in the different blocks? Rod: THEY ARE NOT SEGREGATED. ALL RACES ARE HOUSED
TOGETHER. ALL DIFFERENT CRIMES ARE HOUSED
TOGETHER. THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO ARE SEPARATED ARE
THOSE WHO ARE ON SUICIDE WATCH, OR PEOPLE WHO
POSE A THREAT TO THEMSELVES OR OTHERS. PC. Kerry: the sheriffs did not give a lot of info regarding
the other pods as far as ican recall the sheriffs
were pretty mum on topics such as that one as it were Milton: Some were girls other were state prison
inmates other were protective custody
inmates other were for first time people in
jail and two units were for the inmate
workers of the jail James: Well ever since the new AB109 law was passed there
are inmates doing prison terms entirely at the
county jail, so they would be housed together.
Then there is the protective custody inmates who
are housed within a block. Lower level non-violent
inmates are usually housed together when possible
and another criteria might be pre-sentenced
inmates and post-sentenced inmates housed apart.
JM: What do you remember being the nicest and worst parts about the different blocks? Rod: THEY WERE ALL ABOUT THE SAME. EXCEPT ONE AREA
WAS GENERAL POPULATION, AND ONE WAS 23 HOUR A
DAY LOCK DOWN. Kerry: well as far as i acn recall the nicest part about
the whole thing is that they pretty much let you
sleep as much as you wanted to for the most
part.But at the same time it was pretty noisy in
ther all of the time so sleeping did get hard to
come by Milton: Well Sommer latest of the jail were cells
and that was Rhett need jail and it war
pretty nice and the other part of the jail
was open dorm with bunk vedas on each
side which was a older part of the jail and
things were just always braking and would
stop working James: If you are housed in a two man cell it is relly
difficult if your cellmate is someone who you
don't particularly like. Let's say you are the
type of inmate who is a little older and would
prefer to do there time reading or quieting
yourself, and you are housed in a cell with a
younger kid who is at the cell door all day when
there isn't dayroom yelling and shouting out to
his buddies in other cells. That can be annoying.
The nicer parts might be if you have a cellmate
who you have something in common with,
particularly how you prefer to do your time, and
that makes it much easier to get through.