CountyJail.net

        USA  /  California  /  San Bernardino County Jail    CountyJail.net has 1,420 interviews from ex-inmates. Share your story
Find San Bernardino County Jail inmates...

San Bernardino County Jail

630 East Rialto Avenue
San Bernardino, CA 92408
(909) 386-0969

Interview with Shawn, Tom, Linda, Margaret and Laura

JM: How long was your sentencing for?
Shawn: Twelve years with 80% It took about 35 mins to get sentenced
Tom: My original sentence was 15 days in County Jail, 100 dollar restitution and 52 weeks of anger management classes.
Linda: My sentencing was 2 years but I got credit for the 2 months I spent before my sentencing and I got to do the rest of the time on weekends.
Margaret: MY SENTENCE WASNT TIME, IT WAS A FINE OF $500.
Laura: I served almost 3 weeks in the county jail. I wasordered to paya fine of $500. I have to complete a52 week batters program. I am on summary probation, I can notown angun for 10 years,and I cant have any police contact for 3 years. My kids father ( whom I still live with ) was issued a no negative conatact order. If Ihave any negative contact, verbal orphysical and the cops arecalled I go to jail for a year.

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?
Shawn: The holding cell was cold, loud and smelled like dirty feet. plus the hours were long just standing around.
Tom: I was held in a holding cell for approximately 2 hours after video court. When everyone was done, everyone went back. Unfortunately each time it was about time for lunch so we would have to eat separately.
Linda: Yes I spent all day in the tiny holding cell. It was horrible because its all just cold cement and there is no place to sit because it is so crowded in there with all the other people going to court.
Margaret: AFTER SENTENCING, I WENT HOME. i DID SPEND TIME HOWEVER IN A HOLDING CELL AT WEST VALLEY AFTER BEING TRANSPORTED THERE FROM SAN BERNARDINO CENTRAL DETENTION CENTER IN SAN BERNARDINO.
Laura: After sentencing I was sentback to the jail holding cell for inmates. That was ok because I was going home and nothing could take that away. I didntwantto act to happy or gloatbecause not everyone was going home.

Nobody wants to go to jail, but if you or somebody you know is headed to the San Bernardino County Jail it can be helpful for everybody to know what to expect. Read former inmate's accounts of how to interact with other inmates, how phones work, how often you can use the phones and more.

Getting along with other inmates
The name of the game in jail is respect. This doesn't mean you have to go out of your way to help out other inmates. In fact, if you really want to get along and do your time as smoothly as possible you should keep to yourself whenever possible. If you are doing an extended stay (meaning a month or more), you will learn over time who you can trust and get along with without putting yourself in danger.

San Bernardino is a melting pot of different cultures and jail is no different. You will probably be separated by your race which helps you avoid a lot of racial confrontations that you might expect in other county jails. Remember, jail isn't prison - it's possible to get through your time there without any physical violence as long as you know what to expect and how to treat other inmates.

Telephones and visitors
One of the things that will help you avoid inevitable jailhouse drama is having a tight link with those on the outside. Writing letters, making phone calls and receiving visitors are great ways to do that. To make phone calls you must buy phone cards on commissary. If you know somebody within the jail that you would like to call you it's advised that you call the jail and make arrangements to put some money on the inmate's books (you can also go to the jail and do this in person).

One of the nice things about San Bernardino County Jail is that you can receive visitors up to three times per week. This is in contrast to 1-2 times per week that you can expect in other jails across the country.

Browse the categories on the left and find the information that you are interested in. At the bottom of every page you will be able to ask and answer questions.


Continue to the interview