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Advice to Future Inmates
LA County Jail Interview
*Names have been changed to protect privacy.
Jail Media: Is there anything else that you would want a friend or family member to know if they were going to jail?
Ben Smith: Honestly, if you’re going to LA county Jail, don’t stress about it very much. You’re not going to do very much time. It’s not like other facilities, like Orange County or other places like that. In Orange County, you do 85% of your time. If you go there, you’re actually going to do your time. In LA, they might call you out in a day. Your name could always be called. It’s almost like a lottery sometimes. If they need extra beds, and you’re not in there for serious offenses, they’re going to kick you out. In Orange County, say they have 300 people coming in every night. Well, in LA, they have 3,000 people coming in every night. Another trick is if you come in on holiday weekends, like this coming weekend is Cinco de Mayo, which is a big holiday here in Southern California, there’s going to be a lot of people getting arrested for drunk driving and stuff, go turn yourself in Saturday or Sunday. They’re going to be overpopulated and they’ll kick you out even quicker.
