Southwest Juvenile Hall (SJH) is one of four detention facilities run by the Riverside County Probation Department. Male and female minors who have been arrested for a California juvenile offense may be briefly detained in this juvenile hall, confined for a period of time pending transfer, or may serve a post-conviction sentence here.
The Southwest Juvenile Detention Center is located in the city of Murrieta, CA, about 40 miles south of Riverside, CA. The address and phone number is:
30755-C Auld Rd.
Murrieta, CA 92563-2599
(951) 600-6750
The following information is provided by our team of California juvenile criminal defense lawyers. For the benefit of families who may have a child now detained at the Murrieta Juvenile Detention Facility, we address the following important topics:
- 1. Intake Procedure
- 2. Contact With Juvenile Detainees
- 3. Visitation Information
- 4. Life at the Facility
1. After an Arrest
When a child or teen is arrested and detained in Riverside County, he or she will first undergo an intake interview and assessment, including a mental health assessment. The detainee will be given a chance to call and speak to a parent/legal guardian during this process. A complete physical exam will take place within a few days.
California law requires that a judicial detention hearing be held within 48 hours of booking (excluding weekends and holidays). In Murrieta, youthful detainees see a judge in the Juvenile Division of the Riverside Superior Court in Murrieta, where an initial determination regarding custody or release is made.
If further detained, an adjudication hearing (juvenile trial) will take place within 15 days. In cases involving serious felony allegations, a youthful offender can potentially become a ward of the California Department of Juvenile Justice. In some (rare) instances, transfer to adult court may occur.
2. Contact with Your Loved One
Residents of the Southwest Juvenile Corrections Facility cannot receive personal phone calls from friends and family, but can make collect calls home. You can prefund your son or daughter’s outgoing calls through the gettingout.com website, which provides options for monthly billing, prepaid debiting or “quick connect” funding via credit card.
SJH residents can send and receive unlimited mail and are provided with materials /postage to send letters home. Mail is inspected but not routinely read by staff unless a security issue is suspected. Note that packages are not accepted for juveniles at this detention center.
3. Visitation Policies
Covid-19 Note: As of March 14, 2022, face coverings are no longer required, but highly recommended.
The Southwest Juvenile Hall welcomes visitation by family members and legal guardians. All visitors must first be pre-approved , with their names added to the resident’s visitation list.
In addition to parents and guardians, grandparents are encouraged to visit loved ones at the Southwest Juvenile Detention Hall on weekends. Other extended family members, siblings, and friends may be granted visitation on a case by case basis. A Special Visit form must be submitted by the resident seeking permission for these visitors.
Each resident has visitation one day per week, and two people can visit at a time. Visiting hours are as follows:
- High-level security male inmates — Saturday, 9:30 to 11:30. a.m.
- Female inmates – Sunday, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m
- Lower-security male inmates – Sunday, 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.
Pre-approved “special visits” are by appointment on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Plan to check in at least 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment. Visits start promptly at the pre-scheduled time, and there are no extensions for visitors who arrive late.
All visits are monitored by camera. There are several rules for visitors, as outlined below:
- You must present valid government-issued photo identification.
- Keep hands visible at all times.
- Do not bring personal property into the visiting area. This includes cell phones, purses, backpacks, cameras, and car keys. (Lockers are available for storage of some items.)
- Food, beverages and chewing gum are prohibited.
- Loud, disruptive, or provocative behavior will terminate the visit immediately.
- If you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs, you will be denied visitation.
- Bringing weapons or contraband into the facility is a felony crime.
There is also a strict dress code for Murrieta Detention Facility visitation. Prohibited items include:
- Tank tops or “muscle” shirts
- Revealing clothes, which includes short skirts or shorts, sheer or low cut tops, tube tops, halter tops, and crop top.
- Clothes styled in gang fashion or suggestive of gang-affiliation
- Clothes that display offensive wording or graphics
For more information on visitation, call the facility at (951) 600-6750.
4. Life and Health in Detention
Three meals and an evening snack are provided to Murrieta Juvenile Hall residents daily, and medically necessary dietary needs are accommodated. Youth have access to medical care and mental health counseling through on site medical staff, as well as doctors on call.
Southwest Juvenile Hall residents are kept busy daily with academics and other programming geared toward rehabilitation. Academic classes are provided onsite through the Riverside County Office of Education, and teens can work to obtain a diploma or GED. Drug and alcohol programs, gang awareness, and anger management classes are offered, along with weekly nondenominational religious services.
Physical education and recreation opportunities are also provided for a minimum of three hours a day on weekdays and up to five hours on weekends. Positive, productive behavior is encouraged through a point based system, through which residents earn privileges, and treats, as well as an “Honor party.”
The County of Riverside Probation Department provides an online “Detention Orientation Handbook” with more information.