Ventura County Jail

Jail Layout

Interview with Ford, Miss T and Reta


JM: How many different blocks were there?
Ford: WoW! Maybe eight blocks with each block having four tanks. Each tank holds up to twenty-four inmates.
Miss T: I don't know.
Reta: they have quads. A,B,C and I think maybe D but not 100% sure. men's side and women's side each had A,B,C quads. in each quad there's the upper tier and lower tier. in Ventura county jail you spend 24 hours or more in your cell at times.

JM: Did they have names? If so, what were they?
Ford: F block G block and so on
Miss T: They did, but I cannot remember. I think they were letters.

JM: Which inmates were housed in the different blocks?
Ford: The inmates are broken into various groups. General Population is where most inmates go, you are considered OK if you are in the segment. NO enemies, no threat of suicide or mental disorders. They also have red band which is for inmates who have attacked other inmates or officers and are required to remain in a segregated area. There is also orange band, the one you don't want, these consists of informants, both jailhouse and street. IN the orange band are also sex offenders or worse. I think there is also a rainbow band for those with a mental disorder or who require intense observation.
Miss T: I was in a block with girls who had done drug related crimes.

JM: What do you remember being the nicest and worst parts about the different blocks?
Ford: The nicest part was the cells themselves, roomy with a table. A toilet and a sink. The draw back to the cell was the fact that you could only flush your toilet once every half an hour. The worst part was the utter lack of proper cleaning of the shower and day room area. A combination of lack of cleaning supplies and inmate apathy. I was also placed into a cell twice that had feces in and on the toilet, broken toilet, once was forced to remain with the condition over night. THe other time took six hours for repair. Very unpleasant and stinky!
Miss T: I think the blocks were all pretty much the same, in terms of layout. I didn't spend any time in any block but my own, so I'm not sure.
Reta: the cold, better than everyone else guards who are down right cruel, evil, twisted, very harsh and lacking of any empathy at all the nicest??????????????????????????? nothing. the other inmates-I met a few super nice people who were there who helped me through it