While choosing for the rating star I couldn't help but laugh on the 4th & 5th star "Yay I'm A Fan!" & "Woohoo! As Good As It Gets!" like being in a Correctional is something to be proud of, lol. Ohwells, I never thought I would do a Yelp on a Correctional EVER! But hey, I got nothing to do so I might as well, just to kill time. I've been to the Elmwood Facility for about 5 or 6 times twice to visit and the other times to ask some questions or to fill out forms. The Filipino Officer that usually work at the main desk is very helpful & friendly. He searched as much infos. as he can give & gave us suggestions. If you're a first time visitor like me and want to set up an appointment to visit an inmate, I suggest skipping signing up online or calling because there is only one person working at the visitor's area so it takes forever to get a call through or get a response. Trust me, I wasted a good a hour & half on hold! Just go straight to Elmwood and sign up there. It takes 2-3 days (excluding weekends) for your papers to be processed and approved, so register ASAP! Just a warning, get all the infos. of the inmate at the clipboard, have your blue request form filled up, & your I.D ready before you go to the Visitor's Area because the lady that works there gets annoyed easily and will be rude to you if you have her wait. Before you leave make sure you get the form that gives you the rules & regulations of visiting an inmate. Visiting Day; You have to sign in so be there 30-45mins BEFORE your appointment because they are really strict about inforcing the cut off time, if you get in 28mins early, you are automatically considered as LATE. I suggest wearing as modirate as you can. Try to avoid the stripes or patterened types of clothing. You can only bring ONE key inside. No papers, no cellphones, no money, no nothing! JUST ONE KEY! You will go through a metal detector and the officer is really strict, so follow the rules if you don't want to get grilled for not following it. You can leave your stuffs inside your car (Atleast you don't really have to worry about having someone breaking in your car while you're in the parking lot, cause what are the chances of getting robbed while you're at a Police Station? Lol, beats me.) Or you can rent a locker for $.50 I suggest getting locker #6 because it only $.25 ;) HAHA! Depending on where your inmate is located you either walk, take the car, or a bus. They break you in a group so it's easy to drop off everyone. If there isn't enough people or if the inmate is located at the far end of the facility, they will schedule you for a video chat instead. So yeah, that's all the informations I can think of right now. This review is for the people that may need to know a little more about the facility or how the whole process of visiting an inmate. I hope I NEVER have to visit somebody there again and especially be an inmate, and I hope you won't too. ;) read more

They were very gentle when they handcuffed me, and their cells are incredibly roomy. Overall, very professional. I will be staying here again, for sure. read more

This morning I came in at 6:10 AM to request some personal properties to be released from my son, I walk in and this officer let me correct that correctional officer was sitting behind the desk talking to another correctional officer and they just continue talking ignoring me the whole time no one else was in the room. Finally he addressed to me and I had given him the paperwork, he then tells me you know I cannot fax this over, until 7 o'clock I told him I was not aware of that I was told yesterday from another officer to come in between six and 130 he corrected me again and told me no it's 7 o'clock to 230 I told him that was fine I will sit there and wait during the waiting process all I can hear that so-called correction officer curse and was loud and very disrespectful because I'm a woman and for him to talk like that very loud made me feel like I was voided, I wonder how he would feel if his mother was sitting there and men just cursed and have no respect for us women. He is not a role model!! I even wonder if this statement really matters or if they will even do anything about it Even while I'm sitting here in my car writing this statement out he's correction officers are playing with their alarms for no reason and laughing. No wonder our world is going down... Makes me also wonder how the inmates are being treated..!! read more

What can I say?! Not only are the servers here courteous, but the food is delectable. I must say, the the two Chicken Thighs for 5 soups deal is by far one of the top deals served in the state of California. Once the chicken is marinated with the chili seasoning and some pork rinds, Sunday dinners will truly be memorable. Not in the mood for something too heavy? The coffee pot heated stinky meat and mayo sandwich with the special seasoning from the kitchen is a great snack! The best part is, there are no reservations needed to dine here! It's always open and always welcomes you. Five stars! read more

Unfortunately,I live near this facility.Somebody stupid at this facility starts his shooting practice at 8 a.m. I don't understand why do they do it so early. Brainless guards!!!!! read more

Please fix ur metal detector.. I dont have weapon but your detector kept blinking..omg! Its irritated..u want us to be naked to be clear.

I've vacationed here a few times over the last 10 years and have always found it to be a a mellow, relaxing, and memorable experience that is bar none the best workout program our liberal California society has commercialized yet. Highly recommended over downtown's popular, yet hectic metro branch. The Elmwood locale is the perfect get away from the hustle and bustle of the Bay Area's taxing .com cubicle lifestyle. It's great to have a place so close where you can chill out and let the work stress slip away for a few days! Facilities are adequate, beds clean and comfortable, with ample storage space for your provided cup, pencil, and spork. You can rest easy in comfortable jumpsuits provided free of charge, (underwear optional) Note that management has brought back the striped leisurewear in an attempt to ride the 'vintage' craze. (Personally I prefer the traditional bright orange, it was easier to get noticed by the help staff when you needed assistance, even if they aren't as slimming) Dining is provided at convenient times throughout the day (too early, breakfast, and a lunch). In an effort to maximize the health benefits of your visit, a fattening dinner is not provided as standard fare. Noodles and other fattening snacks are available for a small fee, but you don't sign up for this program to leave a heifer did you? :) Which brings us to Elmwood's key selling point: aside from enjoying the social, relaxing atmosphere; you're going to leave a healthier, stronger, and more experienced* individual ready for the next hurtle. May your road take you back to the mind numbingly unhealthy working class, or to fulfill your physical potential at one of the state run resorts; rest assured a stay here will recharge your tanks for your next challenge. *Experience subject to change based on length of stay, staffing, available programs, and your ethnicity. read more

This place is okai, I visited one of my thug homies when he came in here. He had messed up two people by himself at the sametime. The visting was not that bad. The guards that were watching over me and my friend was pretty cool, they did not give any attitude at all. Maybe because they were chicks. " SORRY STEVE I DIDNT VISIT YOU" But let me tell you one this about this place. If your over weight and you need a quick way to lose couple pounds go in here smash some beer bottles over someones head and you will be in here in no time. read more

3 meals a day a bed to sleep in even got a TV was livin like a king for free. Now i spend 80 bucks a day for the same shit minis the TV. When I need to vacation I'll take a trip back. Gotta love the ranch. read more

I stayed from 2011 to 2016. Not a bad place to spend some time at all. Food wasn't bad for being free. There are tons of activities to get involved in. The outdoors are nice. Since it's so big, the COs do whatever checks they can, but it is very easy to get drugs or phones in anyways. My 5 years flew by, made some great friends along the way. I'd rather not go back but if I did, meh whatever. read more

What can I say? This place has got to be the most affordable resort in the South Bay region! Free lodging, free food, and extra clothes! What a deal!! But be careful though, breakfast time gets crowded so you would want to be first in line. Especially when its coffee cake! Delicious! If you are not used to constant yelling of requests/trades at 3am, I suggest you skip breakfast in the comfortable confines of your living space and memory foam mattress. Noise Check! read more

THIS PLACE IS AWESOME! The SOS is worth doing some time for! lol j/k this place sucks ass!

The food wasn't very good but the sex was great... So unexpected. The soap drops then BAM!

I got out of here last night. ugh. It's soooo boring in there! i literally was going crazy and it was just 2 days!!! lol. You can either starve with what they give you to eat or pay for more like a cup of noodles. i had milk and corn flakes for breakfast at 4am!! and lunch was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, dinner was peas, carrots and fake chicken with milk again.The girls there are nice, the "trustee" is the only mean one along with her friends it seems like they've been there the longest so they boss and yell at everyone. The cops there are rude they treat you like a dog. I was just glad the girls in my dorm area we're all nice and friendly :) Thank God i'm out of there! :) read more

I havent given got a chance to see my son. I was approved but cant get a visit doesnt show up and says the page is wrong. Finally i got a visit 2 weejs until i see him. I called to get info on what is commary they couldnt help me. I think that something needs to be done about how the handle there phones. Not very nice. Cindy read more

I have had the unfortunate incident of ending up at this facility for a few hours, with no prior police record ever. While the officers there seem professional, one thing did stick with me as a result of my stay and have changed everything I have thought about law enforcement (that of course is not to say every policeman/policewoman is like this, but obviously it has happened and I wouldn't be surprised if it happens again or if this had happened before me)... When I was released, the policewoman at the desk told me (along with the others who are about to be released) to sign some paperwork for getting back our belongings seized during time of booking, and asked us to not open the bag that has our belongings until we have exited thru the one-way gate. After I exited the gate and opened the bag, I noticed that all of the cash in my wallet was gone, so basically someone with the police department had stolen the money. And I have no way to prove it, since I had signed the paperwork. read more

i spent 6 months at elmwood back in the day, when i was there i hated the place so bad that i stayed out of trouble for a long time, then years later i was arrested in alameda county for some tickets and had to do a week in santa rita, i must say that elmwood is the better of the two, you get hot meals, tvs, and plenty of yard time to exercise, and can get your g.e.d. fairly easy, nostrip searches, (except for visits), and when released, light rail is close by to get home, while i do not recommend ever going to jail, if you have to do time, elmwood is easier. read more

don't try to fight a NORTHERNER because they don't believe in one on ones they will make it a riot fast their the most dominate and structured car in elwood ohh yeah fuck SNELL an Russell them niggas don't play read more

So I just got off work thought I'd be kind and drop some of my hard earned money off to my wild child who has landed her self in Elmwood yet again mind you I have two broken toes so I'm limping I was in and the guy said no parking you need to go park in visiting parking my response sir I just wanna put money on someone's books again you need to go park in visitor parking I go park limp all the way back in to the building ..smh after trying to load money for about 3 minutes I ask him is something wrong with the machine oh yes it is so simply asked him why couldn't he have told me that be I parked and walked way back over there...my point it's the day after Thanksgiving and I can see standing around talking with your coworkers are way more important than telling a guest the machine is broken not everyone who walks into those doors are a criminal so they shouldn't look down on everyone being a correction officer or police officer doesn't make you better it just means you choose that as your job smh things really need to change its 4:42 two officers talking more important than the visitors blah this place sucks read more

i remember back in the old days on the side of the cafeteria wall it said elmwood~catshit batshit dirty ol twat you can get it all at the elmwood restaurant. ( nothing like being in a 2 mile line at 5am nothing ! ) all sung to the tune of ~ bing bing bang bang eastside gang dont giva dang were ruff n tuff & hard to snuff many have tried many have died we dont die we multiply i ran through hell and didnt even sweat, swam the pacific ocean & didnt even get wet, a snake crawled up my leg wrestled with my dick & died that's why im the baddest mother fucker alive ! ya learn to snag everything with the same hand thats holding the tray ! they shoulda called it a four finger discount not 5. then they put ya to work ya turn in your id tag for a rake and go throw it under the bench in the t.v. room out by the weight pile . while all the fish brake there ass ya get to watch the lil rascals, the three stooges, and mayberry , !!! i know things have changed that,s why im rambling on ~ pretty much everything's medium security now . they say 90% of us old school jokers are dead , shit im in such good condition i could jump the fence switch clothes get a 12 pack of bud and be back in an hour ~ just like in the old days. ! still smoking ! read more

I typed "Elmwood" into the search box, not being serious, of course, because isn't it pretty much agreed on between...everybody in the entire world that JAIL SUCKS???!!! But apparently, even the county jail warrants (ha! A pun! Sort of..) a review. Where do I start? I want to be funny and give it a sarcastic "5 stars!!!", but my fingers won't let me click any more than 1, because they are traumatized and can't do it. Well, during my first (shut up) "unfortunate incarceration", as I like to call it, I was obviously a bit nervous, if you will, about what awaited me after my 12-hour stint in the holding cell downtown. The Hilton Hotel it was not, let me tell you. The thing that bugged me the most (besides being in jail in the first place) was the lack of a pillow. I don't want two itchy, stained blankets, I want a freaking pillow and one itchy blanket. And why no tampons? Making a shiv out of a tampon is pretty much impossible (I've tried), so what's the deal? I could go on, but one thing I will say is that thank god I'm a girl, because the guys have it a lot worse over there-my boyfriend (shut up) was in there a couple of times (we're classy like that), and I think his stay was worse than mine, and I didn't think that was possible. So, yeah, the customer service was awful, their bathrooms could use a little cleaning up, and the thread-count of the bed sheets leaves something to be desired. read more

I was just recently released, 6/10/13, i went in the day before 6/9/13. when i got released the C.O's couldn't find my property. I was released with a all white jump suit, what looks like plastic material, from a brand named "lakeland" MicroMax... search it... i also came out in jail house slippers, sock, and underwear. with nothing i came in with... my clothes n shoes along with my wallet and my id and medical cards, photos, cell phone. the C.O that took my bag of clothes when i changed into my stripes was the same C.O that was releasing the property bags the night i was released, and he couldn't recall where he threw my belongings.... Don't understand how it got lost in 1 day. I could understand if i was there for 1 year.... Very Careless from my point of view, The inmates have to follow these strict protocols, and if violated they can tack on more time to ur sentence, while the C.O's are in the clear, and no action is taken on their mistakes. read more