Complaint Review: Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Estrella Jail Facility - Phoenix Arizona

80% of the jail population at the Estrella Jail in Phoenix Arizona are non-sentenced inmates. This means they have been accused but not convicted of any crime. Some of these inmates have been in jail for 30, 40, 50, 60 plus days. Most of these "detainees" have a bond lower than $500.00 but can't get the money together to put up so that than can await their court appearances outside of lock-up. These people that cannot pay their bond amounts remain locked up.

Now they are allowed 3 in county visits and 3 out of county visits a week. Girls get certain days and guys get certain days. These are people that aren't convicted of murder, rape, child molestation, etc. Most are probation violators, drug abusers, drinkers, credit card and checking account forgers etc...They (most of them) have children and husbands /siblings/friends on the outside that are allowed to visit them.

The problem with that is the guards at the jail. The guards at the jail are lazy, disrespectful, rude and sometimes "in-your-face mean". The guards are SUPPOSE to open the doors at 8:00 a.m. every morning. They actually get around to opening them about 8:15 to 8:30 a.m. Then you get to pick a number. Usually there are about 30 to 40 people there when the doors open. If that is the case and you are number 40 you WILL NOT get in for a visit until approx. 1:30 p.m.

This is because the guards can only manage to get 7 people an hour into see their loved ones. Now if thats the case and you just want to put money on someones books so that Arpio can take it to pay for DONATED FOOD. Or so the inmate can buy sample sized bottles of shampoo and rinse and toothpaste for $5 to $ 7 a piece, you must stand in line to get a number to put money on their books. So that could take up to 7 hours depending on your number.

Heaven help you if it is your first time there. If you don't know exactly what to do and have to ask any of the guards any questions you better prepare yourself for some of the ruddest, most disrespectful in-your-face yelling you've ever heard.

Basicly your treated like SH*# because you are there to visit someone in jail who's probably in there because he/she can't make bond and has had his/her court date continued out a couple of months.

When you try to talk to the guards they will look at you and walk away muttering some obscenity under their breath. They will ignore you all together, or yell at you to shut-up and get a number. If they treat friends and relatives of inmates that way I can't imagine how they treat the inmates. I'm not there because I committed a crime.

I'm there to visit a friend that again, HAS NOT BEEN CONVICTED OF A CRIME. Just who the hell do these people (guards) think they are? The last time I was there to visit someone I actually heard one of the guards say about an elderly black lady who had a question about leaving money there for her daughter, "How did she come up with money for her kid?

She probably spent a week walking around Phoenix picking up pennies" "Lets make her take a number to put the money on the books and then tell her she needs to get another number to visit her kid." This was said to another guard and was at 9:00a.m. That woman was still waiting to see see her kid at 5:15 p.m. that evening. I am getting pretty sick and tired of hearing how "probation works in Arizona" when most of the jail population is in there because of a violation.

And if someone you know happens to go to jail where you have to go and visit them. Bring a lunch, a few drinks, and alot of patients. Your going to need them.

Jill

Mesa, Arizona
U.S.A.