Activities, books and classes in the Orange County jails
Recreation, reading and classes available to people in custody, and how to send them books, from the Sheriff’s Department’s pages.
The short answer
The Theo Lacy page lists what people in custody there have: Television, outdoor recreation, local newspapers, mail, commissary and special programs.
To send reading material: New paperback books, magazines and newspapers must be sent straight from a publisher, bookstore or distributor that does mail-order business. The package needs an invoice listing the buyer, the recipient, the contents and the name of the online store. The rest of the rules are below.
Official: Theo Lacy Facility (division page); Inmate Mail (OC Sheriff’s Department), checked
Classes and activities
- Religious services and vocational and educational programs. (Theo Lacy)
- Religious services and vocational and educational programs. (Central Jails)
- To join a class or activity, a person in custody submits an Inmate Message Slip or asks Programs staff or a deputy.
- All class topics are offered at every facility, in person or as correspondence packets.
- All classes and activities are voluntary.
Official: Theo Lacy Facility (division page); Central Men’s and Women’s Jails (division page); Inmate Services FAQs (OC Sheriff’s Department), checked
Books and magazines
- New paperback books, magazines and newspapers must be sent straight from a publisher, bookstore or distributor that does mail-order business.
- Hardcover, vinyl and leather-bound books are not allowed.
- A person can keep at most five books or magazines.
- Packages and mail can’t be dropped off at any jail.
Official: Inmate Mail; Custody FAQs (OC Sheriff’s Department), checked
For letters, see sending mail to someone in custody.
Where to go next
- Daily life Housing, care, mail and re-entry.
- Work-time credits Work and programs that may reduce a sentence.
Sources
Orange County Sheriff’s Department
- Theo Lacy Facility (division page)
- Central Men’s and Women’s Jails (division page)
- Inmate Services FAQs
- Inmate Mail
Every fact above links to the official page it comes from, with the date we checked it. We quote official wording only where the exact words matter. See how we check facts.