A History of PDC North Facility

09/03/2013

A History of North Facility in Castaic, CA.

After visiting a loved one at Pitchess Detention Center's North Facility, have you ever wanted to know a little bit more about the history of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's jail facilities? The Sheriff's Department has facilities from Los Angeles to Lancaster, and many of them are incredibly large and fascinating structures. This article concerns North facility, built in 1987 as a medium-security jail.

North Facility is made up of four modules, each containing four dormitories, eight disciplinary cells, a multi-purpose room (MPR), a medical office, a visiting area, a main control room, and two dorm control rooms. The dormitories are complete with a sleeping area, a dining area/day room, and restrooms. Two dormitories per module share an outside recreation area as well. Its original design housed 90 men per dormitory, 360 men per module, and a total of 1,440 men for the entire facility.

The facility is one of four jails located on Peter J. Pitchess Detention Center, named after former Sheriff of Los Angeles County, Peter Pitchess. The names of the other three facilities are East, South, and North County Correctional Facility. The Detention Center is located in Castaic, just off the 5 freeway, and is 2,620 acres. It used to be known as the Wayside Honor Rancho, and some people still refer to it by that name.

The Wayside Honor Rancho was a minimum security facility in 1938 when it was first built. The inmates worked on a farm setting until 1992, when the farming aspect of the jail was terminated and closed completely in 1995. It received its current name of Pitchess in 1940.

PDC North, along with the other facilities that make up the Pitchess Detention Center, house over 8,000 men awaiting hearings or trial, or serving time for parole violations, state sentences, or county sentences. The Center is the county's largest jail complex, and the oldest operating jail complex in the county.

On your next visit, look around at some of the unique sites the Center has to offer. From oil rigs to farms run by county staff, Pitchess Detention Center is one of the most unique jail complexes in the nation.

Contact Information: Public Information Officer - 661-295-8840, pdcnorthpio@lasd.org