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Jail Layout

Interview with Jen, Kelsey and Cody

JM: How many different blocks were there?
Jen: 3 different blocks 1 general population; all open beds, visiting with other inmates and dinning 2 partial security; partial lock down, every 2-4 hours the floors switch to visit and get out to watch tv, take showers, make calls, etc. 3 max security; the county, cops claim this is for your own protection; You get out for 1 hour a day, no other inmate interaction, take a shower, make calls and whatever else the cops will let you do in this block of time.
Kelsey: Fresno (years ago) had floors. Now they got these "pods" and the beds are stacked 3 high. Most of the girls just took the "penthouse" mattress and put it on the floor under the bottom bunk. It's a long ways to fall! Tulare (years ago) housed females on one floor at the downtown jail. We had several cells that had an area for beds (8, if my memory serves me right) plus a mattress on the floor under each bottom bunk. They also had a "dayroom" attached. It was like half for beds and half for... whatever it was designed for. It had a table & crappers. The cops used to even throw pkgs of Bugler in the tanks for free! Then BWDF was built.
Cody: In Main Jail there were four floors with inmates on them. In Pre-Tril I really have no idea, its hard to get a feel for the layout inside that building.

JM: Did they have names? If so, what were they?
Jen: There weren't really any names, mostly it went by the number that was given. Block 1, 2, or 3
Kelsey: Nah
Cody: Just numbers and letters. Such as Pod A-2, B-1, etc.

JM: Which types of inmates were housed in the different blocks?
Jen: General population was for drug offenders, tickets warrants and other small infracions Minimal security was for the women who had issues with other inmates; gang affiliation, child neglect, previous incarcerations that may have been trouble in another stay or on the streets Maximum security was used for the rats; people who tell to get out of trouble, and that can get you killed in jail, child abusers, or just inmates that area considered to be a threat to themselves or the cops.
Kelsey: TULARE: The women had 3 sections and they were accessed via Sally Port: 1. Gen Population #13; and 2. Lockdown for rats or Scary Mary's #12; and 3. Lockdown for girls who knew the system and used it well #11... The cops worked on the upper are and there used to be a clear glass or (acrylic) and they could see us as well as we could see them! Even the Sally Port had a visable floor! Now they have one-way vision.... We can't see them
Cody: I was told by a guard that about 90% of Main Jail is now technically in protective custody. In Pre-Trial our pod was mostly white drug offender/burglars, and Pisas. I know that in another pod they had normal inmates in the upper tier but on the bottom they had Nortenos who would program separately, eat separately, and were kept locked down a majority of the time.

JM: What do you remember being the nicest and worst parts about the different blocks?
Jen: Some of the cops were nice to chat with, and they actually went out of their way to check on me; I was sometimes on suicidal watch; it was the first time I ever went to jail like that, and had to leave my kids with other people
Kelsey: TULARE: In unit 11 you could "program" by whatever floor you were on...bottom or top tier. I loved the fact that even when our floor was able to program, you could shut your door and do your time by yourself if you choose to do so.
Cody: In Main Jail its a lot smaller of an area and you pretty much can't go to the bathroom without making eye contact with someone and it is LOUD. However the people were pretty nice. In Pre-Trial one of the worst things is that in your cell the lights stay on 24 hours a day which makes it pretty hard to sleep. They dim them just a little at night but it really doesn't help. But its a much larger open area, better visiting hours, you can go in the little exercise yard outside, more privacy, two man cells.

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