How to Contact an Inmate at Mens Central Jail, Los Angeles (CA)
To reach someone at Men's Central Jail, you'll need the right address, phone numbers, and visiting schedule. If the person was recently arrested and is still being processed, you may need to contact the Inmate Reception Center (IRC) instead of the main jail.
Men's Central Jail (MCJ) is located at 441 Bauchet Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012. For phone contact, the Watch Commander line is (213) 974-4916, and Main Control is (213) 974-4921.
The county locator lists MCJ as open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The facility has a bed capacity of 5,640 inmates, which gives you a sense of its size but doesn't change how you go about calling or planning a visit.
Visiting hours: The county locator lists visiting hours as Thursday through Sunday, 10:00am to 4:00pm and 5:00pm to 7:00pm.
If your person was just arrested or transferred and may still be in intake, you'll want the Inmate Reception Center (IRC) instead of MCJ. The IRC is at 450 Bauchet Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Its Watch Commander phone is (213) 893-5303, and Main Control is (213) 893-5324.
Steps-to-follow
- ✓ Write down the main jail details: Men's Central Jail, 441 Bauchet Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
- ✓ Call MCJ Watch Commander at (213) 974-4916 if you need help getting directed to the right place
- ✓ Call MCJ Main Control at (213) 974-4921 for general facility contact
- ✓ If you are planning an in-person visit, use the listed visiting hours as your starting point: Thursday through Sunday, 10:00am to 4:00pm and 5:00pm to 7:00pm
- ✓ If the person is still being processed, contact the Inmate Reception Center (IRC) at 450 Bauchet Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
- ✓ Call IRC Watch Commander at (213) 893-5303 or IRC Main Control at (213) 893-5324
Not sure where to start? Try MCJ Main Control at (213) 974-4921 first. If your question is more urgent or you're having trouble reaching the right person, call the Watch Commander line at (213) 974-4916. When timing is the issue (say, someone was just booked), use the separate IRC contacts instead. Intake and processing are handled through the Inmate Reception Center at 450 Bauchet Street, which has its own Watch Commander and Main Control numbers.
- Confirm visiting windows before you go: The county locator lists visiting hours as Thursday through Sunday, 10:00am to 4:00pm and 5:00pm to 7:00pm.
- Double-check site hours for timing and travel planning: The same locator lists the site hours as Monday through Sunday, 24 hours per day.
- Make sure you are calling the right part of the system: Men's Central Jail uses different numbers than the Inmate Reception Center (IRC).
- Verify the MCJ number you need: MCJ Watch Commander is (213) 974-4916, and MCJ Main Control is (213) 974-4921.
- Use the IRC numbers if intake is the issue: IRC Watch Commander is (213) 893-5303, and IRC Main Control is (213) 893-5324.
Note: MCJ has a listed bed capacity of 5,640 inmates. That's useful background, but operational details can change, so don't rely on capacity figures when figuring out how to contact someone.
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