MDC Los Angeles Inmate Search and Prison Information

MDC Los Angeles is commonly referred to as the Metropolitan Detention Center, Los Angeles. It is a federal prison in downtown Los Angeles, California. This facility can hold both female and male inmates before and during their court proceedings, as well as prisoners serving shorter sentences. It is operated and managed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

MDC Los Angeles opened their doors in late 1988. The facility is 272,000 square foot. The facility cost $36 million to construct. MDC Los Angeles design plan was a bit different than other prisons. They wanted them to call their cells rooms instead. They did not want to use the tradition iron bars on their cell doors either. They wanted to use plate glass windows instead. They wanted to have atriums and balconies. Ultimately, they wanted the prison to look more like an office building rather than a prison.

MDC Los Angeles was the first federal prison to ban smoking.

Before MDC Los Angeles opened their doors, FCI Terminal Island was the facility that houses Los Angeles, pretrial inmates. MDC Los Angeles was the answer to FCI Terminal Island overcrowding issues.

When MDC Los Angeles opened, it was a godsend to the courthouse. It officially ended the process of having to transfer the inmates through the Harbor Freeway every day. It ended up saving the United States Marshals Service nearly $200,000 a year by using MDC Los Angeles rather than FCI Terminal Island.

How to Find Someone in MDC Los Angeles

MDC Los Angeles is a federal prison. The easiest way to lookup an inmate in federal prisons is going to the BOP website.

They have a database where you can search all federal inmates.

Sending a Mail/Care Package

Inmates can receive letters from family and friends back home. Senders must ensure that they put their return address on the envelope in case something needs to be return. Senders should also be aware that no glitter, unused writing paper, unused stamps, and unused envelopes are not permitted in your letters. These items will either be returned to you or discarded. 

The mailing address is: 

Inmate Name, ID Number
Los Angeles Metropolitan Detention Center
P.O. Box 1500
Los Angeles, California 90053

Sending Money

You can put money into your inmate's commissary account by Western Union or MoneyGram. Each option you can do online or in person.

You will need to the following information

• Inmate Name
• Register Number (inmate number)
• City (always will be FBOP)
• State (always will be DC)

If you can’t get down to either Western Union or MoneyGram, you can send money directly to their PO box. That information is:

INMATE NAME & REGISTER NUMBER
P.O. Box 474702
Des Moines, Iowa 50947

Do NOT send money to an inmate using the MDC Los Angeles address. All funds sent through the mail must be addressed to a processing center in Des Moines, Iowa. This applies to all Federal inmates, regardless of where they are incarcerated.

Email

The last way to stay in touch with an inmate at MDC Los Angeles is through email. Email is also through Trulincs.

The email program is funded by the inmate trust fund, which is kept up with purchases from the commissary, the telephone service, and fees paid directly to Trulincs.

Emails are monitored and screened for content not suitable for them.

Admissions and Orientation Handbook

Your first day in prison, you are bombarded with a ton of information. One booklet you will be giving is the Admissions and Orientation (A&O) Handbook. 

This handbook will supply you with general information about the prison itself alongside the prison’s rules, programs, and regulations you will have to follow while you are serving out your sentence. 

It will be in your best interest to familiarize yourself with handbook as it is your responsibility to transition smoothly to prison life. 

The handbook is in English and in Spanish.

Commissary

The commissary was founded in 1930 by the Department of Justice. The Commissary was placed in all Federal Institutions. 

The commissary allows inmates to shop for “luxury” items while they are in prison. Funds are typically deposited by their friends, families, and their prison jobs. 

Inmates have a spending limit of $360 per month. The commissary is only open on a designated day of the week where they can utilize the shop. 

All federal prisons have their commissary list with prices available to the public. 

Legal Activities

Even when in prison, you may still need legal counsel. There are strict procedures one will have to follow to obtain legal reference materials alongside their legal counsel.

There are also many opportunities to be taken advantage of to afford the proposal of legal documents when behind bars.  

All procedures for legal activities can be located here.

Visitation

Visitation schedule for MDC Los Angeles goes off of an inmate’s floor level. The visitation schedule is as follows:

Sundays: 5 North from 8am to 1pm
Mondays: 6th floor from 2:30pm to 8pm
Tuesdays: 7th floor from 2:30pm to 8pm
Wednesdays: 9 South & 5 South from 2:30pm to 8pm
Thursdays: Inter-floor from 5pm to 8pm and Special Housing Unit from 2:30pm to 8pm
Fridays: Annex & 9 North from 2:30pm to 8:pm
Saturdays: 5 North from 8am to 1pm

Inmates can have 3 visitors for up to 90 minutes. Everyone over the age of 16 must have a valid government ID to be permitted into the visitation area. If the visitation room gets full, the first people in, will be asked to leave to make room for new visitors.

How Often Can I Visit?

This will depend on what rank the inmate is. There are three ranks:

• LSCI – 12 points
• FCI – 5 points
• USP – 9 points

Here is the point schedule for visitations:

FCI

• Each visit is one point regardless of the day.

LSCI

• 2 points for weekend visits
• 2 points for federal holidays visits
• 1 point for weekday visits

USP

• 2 points for weekend visits
• 0 points for federal holiday visits
• 1 point for weekday visits.

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