New Women's Jail Facility at Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic, CA

There may be a new women's jail facility for female inmates at Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic, CA. It's designed to solve overcrowding problems, enhance inmate supervision and operational costs. The new women's facility at Pitchess would house 1,156 inmates and include a 26-bed medical clinic. It would provide “a medium- to low-security environment for female inmates which maximizes rehabilitative, educational and vocational opportunities. At the present time, Women are housed in the 1,122-bed Century Regional Detention Center, which would change to a men's jail once the women's facility opens at Pitchess in Castaic.

Then, the “deficient and deteriorating” Men's Central Jail would be replaced with a “podular design … that enhances inmate security while reducing annual staffing costs by approximately $23.7 million in the first full year by improving inmate visibility, integrating dayroom-program and outside recreation space within each individual module, drastically curtailing the need for inmate movement, and providing the sheriff with greater flexibility in aligning housing.”

The plan would increase the county jail system's capacity by 393 beds. The realigned facilities would free up 4,054 beds for high-security male inmates.

The new female housing complex in Castaic would be completed in early 2016. The Men's Central new towers would open in late 2017.

Suspect Held at Men's Central Jail

Lonnie D. Franklin Jr., the suspected Grim Sleeper serial murder suspect, is being held at Los Angeles County's Men's Central Jail in Downtown Los Angeles. Franklin is a "K-10" or "high-powered" inmate which means he is kept away from the general prison population because of the notoriety of his alleged crimes.


He was attacked in court on Friday, July 9th by convicted murderer Antonio Rodriguez who may have been trying to earn credibility points with other inmates according to his attorney.