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CENTINELA
VISITING
DAYS/HOURS
Visiting hours 1-760-337-7900
ext 5888
DIRECTIONS
Centinella is about 20 miles from El
Centro. From San Diego
take I-8 East. It is about 102 miles
to the prison. After you come down out of the mountains
you hit a long flat stretch of highway.
I’m not good at distances, but I’d say about 10 miles you
will come to the exit for the prison.
You’ll see a sign about a mile from the exit that says
state prison. The exit is Dunaway Road
(some one must have thought that was funny way back
then)..At the stop sign on the exit,
turn left crossing over the freeway. Follow that road to
the end. At the “T” turn right. At the
1st stop sign turn left. About ½ mile and you
will enter the prison property. You
must not enter
the prison grounds before 8am.
You must line up on the side of the road and wait for the Patrol
Sargent to escort the
cars in. Many people get there very early (3am)
in the morning. Some even
spend the night in their cars. No one will hassle you.
And I’ve not heard of any safety problems.
There are no
restrooms near by, I believe the nearest is about 5 miles away. Also
there aren’t
any bushes. I suggest bringing a “potty jug”, you can
always “hide” between the car doors.
You will drive straight to the visitors parking lot.
Go to the visitors check in area. You will receive your
pass there.
Find your personal
directions on MAP QUEST
LODGING
The nearest restaurants & motels are in El
Centro. $35 was the cheapest I could find,
it wasn’t great, but the bedding was clean. If you have
Triple A check with them for a free booklet.
Hotel/Motel
Search
LOCAL
RULES
The “A” line is for processing, then you go to the “B”
line and this is where they examine what
you are wearing and what you are bringing in.
They have been pretty strict lately. After being
processed you walk to the yard. No trams or bus
You check in at the desk and then into the visiting room
it’s self. You leave your pass & id with
the CO’s at the desk. You will be assigned a table.
The usual 1 kiss & hug at entering and leaving.
Holding hands is okay, no other signs of affection
allowed. They are constantly changing CO’s so you never
know who will write you up. L
You can bring in:
2 pks. Cigarettes , un
opened,1 clear lighter, no matches, 10 photos, no Polaroid’s
$30 in one’s (no 5’s or 10’s)& change No pennies. (I
always take half1’s & half quarters, as the
change machine frequently is out of order)
Be sure to bring birth certificates for any children
One clear coin purse, no handles for the money, cogs
& etc.Two keys on a ring with no attachments
1 brush or comb, 1 handkerchief, white only or 1
unopened packet of Kleenex
For babies you can have:6 disposable diapers, 2 jars
of un-opened food per baby
2 clear plastic bottles of milk, juice or formula, per
baby 1 clear pacifier, 1 change of clothes,
1 clear diaper bag, 1 receiving blanket
Clothing is pretty much the same as other prison, no
blue denim, chambray or camouflage type
material. No underwire in bras. No spandex type clothing.
All clothing must be “family attire”
(be careful about the “panty lines” especially wearing
white slacks. No see thru type clothing,
even toddlers.You can wear sleeveless blouses. No
spaghetti straps, and watch the neck lines,
some scoop neck tee shirts are considered too low.
You can wear backless shoes (mules) and thong sandals,
no “shower shoes”
You also can wear shorts, no higher than 2” above the
knee.
1 ring, 1 necklace, 1 pair earrings, 1 watch. They write
on the back of your pass & count them
both in and out
Buy your food ASAP, as the food vendor sometimes doesn’t
show up. He usually comes around noon
to refill the food machines. The soda’s and water are a
different vendor and when it is empty it is
empty. I’ve never seen the “soda guy”.They do have a
patio with cement tables and benches, so
you can smoke outside. There is a little bit of shade
over several tables.
The temperatures have been running around 105-115
degrees and it is very humid.
(All the irrigation canals around there)
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