Twin Towers Correctional Facility
Interactive map of Twin Towers Correctional Facility | |
| Location | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Status | Operational |
| Security class | Minimum–Maximum |
| Capacity | 2,074 (Tower 1) 2,085 (Tower 2)[1] |
| Population | 2,439 (as of March 2025[2]) |
| Opened | 1997 |
| Managed by | Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department |
| Governor | Gavin Newsom |
The Twin Towers Correctional Facility, also referred to in the media as Twin Towers Jail, is a complex in Los Angeles, California.[2] The facility is located at 450 Bauchet Street in Los Angeles and is operated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The facility consists of two towers, a medical services building, and the Los Angeles County Medical Center Jail Ward.
History
The 1.5 million square foot (140,000 m2) complex was opened in 1997, though it remained empty for a period prior to opening because of lack of operating funds. During that time, the deputy sheriffs had to prevent people from breaking in.[3] It was authorized and constructed after the 1994 Northridge earthquake damaged the historic Hall of Justice in the city. Security at the facility centers on a panopticon design that allows deputies and officers in a central control room to look through secure optical material to see into all areas of the facility.[4]
Despite the state-of-the-art security systems built into the jail, inmate Kevin Jerome Pullum walked out of an employee exit on July 6, 2001, two hours after being convicted of attempted murder, and remained at large for eighteen days before he was apprehended within a mile of the jail. Pullum used a newspaper photograph of actor Eddie Murphy to alter an identification badge he used in the escape. The attempt made Pullum the 13th person to successfully escape the facility.[5]
In May 2013, along with the adjacent Men's Central Jail, Twin Towers ranked as one of the ten worst county jails in the United States, based on reporting in Mother Jones, which noted the large number of complaints received by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Mother Jones described the facility as "overflowing" and the deputies as prone to attacking inmates "unprovoked" or for "the slightest infractions". They report an allegation that one inmate injured in an attack by multiple deputies was marched down a jail module as one deputy yelled "gay boy walking" and then beaten and raped by other inmates as deputies watched.[6]
The jail has also received criticism from human rights advocates as a central focus in the use of psychiatric medication to control prisoners.[7][8]
The facility has been used as a filming location for the movies Blast and Mean Guns, both directed by Albert Pyun.[9]
Notable inmates
- Robert Durst, real estate heir and killer, extradited to California to face murder charge for killing best friend Susan Berman[10][11]
- The Game, rapper[12]
- Freddie Gibbs, rapper[13]
- Ron Jeremy, pornographic actor[14]
- Johnny "J", rap producer
- Paris Hilton, reality TV personality. Was in jail for a few weeks.[15]
- Danny Masterson, former actor[16]
- Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson's personal doctor[17]
- Nick Reiner, son of film director and actor Rob Reiner, being held over for trial in the murder case of his father and his mother[18]
- Steve-O, Jackass cast member[19]
- Harvey Weinstein, former film producer extradited from New York to face his sexual assault trials[20]
References
- ^ "Population Management Bureau Daily Inmate Statistics" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on May 4, 2025. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
- ^ a b "County Correction Facilities & Jails - Los Angeles County". laalmanac.com. Archived from the original on September 1, 2015. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
- ^ "CNN - Prison has plenty of guard, but no prisoners". CNN. May 17, 1996. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
- ^ "Transcripts: Will Paris Hilton Go To Jail? Aired May 11, 2007 - 21:00 ET". Larry King Live. CNN. Archived from the original on February 9, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
- ^ "Elusive Escapee Finally Caught". Los Angeles Times. July 23, 2001. Archived from the original on March 17, 2024. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
- ^ Ridgeway, James; Casella, Jean (2013). "America's 10 Worst Jails: LA County". Mother Jones. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
- ^ "screaming-inmates-make-l-a-rethink-jailing-mentally-ill". bloomberg.com.
- ^ "America's Mental Health Crisis Hidden Behind Bars". npr.org. Archived from the original on November 29, 2025. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
- ^ "The Lay of the Land". clui.org. Archived from the original on December 22, 2025. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
- ^ Andrew Blankstein; Phil Helsel (October 26, 2018). "Judge orders Robert Durst to stand trial in murder of friend Susan Berman". NBC News. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ Dakin Andone; Paul Vercammen (July 31, 2020). "Robert Durst's murder trial has been postponed until April 2021". CNN. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ "Eight is Enough for The Game". TMZ. March 10, 2008. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
- ^ "The Miseducation of Freddie Gibbs". LA Weekly. December 2, 2009. Archived from the original on April 26, 2019. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
- ^ McDonald, Scott (August 31, 2020). "Ron Jeremy Accused of Sexually Assaulting 15-year-old Girl Among 20 New Allegations". Newsweek. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
- ^ "Twin Towers to Paris -- Great Seeing You Go!". TMZ. June 21, 2007. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
- ^ "Danny Masterson's Distraught Mom and Brother Visit Him in Jail as Rapist Actor's Wife Bijou Phillips Files for Divorce". Radar Online. September 20, 2023. Archived from the original on September 23, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
- ^ Antonio Castelan; Julie Brayton; John Cadiz Klemack; Patrick Healy (November 8, 2011). "Conrad Murray's First Night Behind Bars". NBC Los Angeles. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on December 15, 2025. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Steve-O Pulls One Last Stunt Before Going To Jail For SeaWorld's Whales". December 10, 2015. Archived from the original on June 13, 2025. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
- ^ Maria Puente (July 20, 2021). "Harvey Weinstein pleads not guilty to 11 sex-crime charges in L.A. after extradition from New York". USA Today. Archived from the original on April 10, 2022. Retrieved August 28, 2021.