4th Avenue Jail
201 S. 4th Ave Phoenix, AZ 85003 Phone: (602) 876-1239
The Fourth Avenue Jail opened in April 2005. This state of the art facility is considered to be one of the most secure and technologically advanced facilities in the nation. This facility was part of the largest county jail expansion project in the history of the nation, supported overwhelmingly by the taxpayers of Maricopa County.
Fourth Avenue has a capacity of 2,064 beds of which 288 are specifically designed to house the highest security level inmate in the system. The Fourth Avenue Jail was designed first and foremost with the interest of public safety in mind, following Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s philosophy of remaining tough on crime.
The Fourth Avenue Jail features user friendly video visitation for the general public. This facility also maintains a fully staffed and equipped medical and dental clinic. In addition, inmates are offered educational and religious services in the chapel and classrooms within the facility.
Please see the “Frequently Asked Questions” (FAQ) pages for more information about visitation hours/rules, regulation and rules about inmate mail, and other questions related to the Fourth Avenue Jail.
Durango Jail
3225 W. Gibson Lane Phoenix, AZ 85009 Phone: (602) 876-3555
The Durango Jail was built in 1976 as a minimum security jail. The Durango Jail houses approximately 1,500 inmates in nine housing units and two barracks buildings. Each housing unit contains four “pods,” and each pod contains a general-purpose day room area with metal tables and stools, and a bathroom area with toilets and showers. There are three large outside areas for recreation.
The Durango Jail houses adult “general population” male inmates. The jail also has a fully staffed and equipped medical clinic, non-denomination chapel and three education classrooms where inmates can attend scheduled religious and educational programs throughout the day.
"The Durango Jail Barracks, one of Sheriff Arpaio's methods of combating over-crowding in the jail system.
Please see the “Frequently Asked Questions” (FAQ) pages for more information about visitation hours and rules, rules about inmate mail, and other questions related to the Durango Jail.
Estrella Jail :
Location: (Map It) 2939 W. Durango St Phoenix, AZ 85009 Phone: (602) 876-1222
The Estrella Jail was built in 1991, and is podular/dormitory in design. There are approximately 1,000 inmates, predominantly female, housed at the Estrella Jail. Each housing area contains general-purpose day rooms, and bathroom/shower areas. There are outside areas for recreation.
The Estrella Jail has a fully staffed and equipped medical clinic, a non-denominational chapel area for religious services, and three education classrooms where inmates can attend educational, drug rehabilitation, or life-skills classes.
First Avenue Jail
Location: (Map It) 102 W. Madison Street Phoenix, AZ 85003
When it was built in 1962, the First Avenue Jail was the first “modern” jail in the Valley, intended to house an average of 500 inmates in a “traditional” jail environment. This jail was closed in 1999 and does not currently house inmates.
Lower Buckeye Jail
3250 W. Lower Buckeye Phoenix, AZ 85009 Phone: (602) 876-1236
The Lower Buckeye Jail was opened in April 2005 and is the largest detention facility in Arizona. Its design is based on Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s “no frills” philosophy, and provides safety and security for staff and inmates. The Facility currently houses all classifications of inmates, and includes separate housing for juvenile inmates (who are remanded on adult charges) and various types of special management inmates.
The housing units were designed to minimize inmate movement by providing needs (such as medical, education, visitation, religious services and various rehabilitation programs) within the inmate’s assigned housing unit, thus practically eliminating routine inmate movement. Along with safety and security, employee needs were also a priority in the design. Conference and training rooms were added to provide quality training. Break-room areas and an exercise facility with male and female locker rooms are available for employee use. Many innovative tools were designed and utilized to make operations more streamlined, staff friendly, and to increase security. A few of these tools include Video Visitation, Nice Vision Recording, Touch Screen Controls, and the Iris Scan.
Tent City Jail
The Tents Jail was begun in 1993 when Sheriff Joe Arpaio was able to obtain some surplus military tents. These tents were set up in an area adjacent to one of the existing Maricopa County Jails in Phoenix, Arizona. Sheriff Arpaio had previously decided that he would not release any inmates due to jail overcrowding, and housing sentenced inmates in the tents seemed a good solution. Funding for the project was minimal, and included the cost for cement necessary for base pads, secure fencing, and electric costs for heating, cooling and lights.
The Tents Jail can currently hold up to 2,000 inmates.
Sheriff Arpaio has added a few improvements at the Tents Jail, including two Sky Watch Towers for security, stun fences around the perimeter, and facial recognition computer software for inmate identification. K-9 units and patrol deputies have been added for additional security. The Classification Unit conducts background checks on inmates before they are housed in the tents, so that dangerous or predatory individuals are not placed there.
Scheduling tours: Group tours of the internationally famous Tents Jail can be scheduled in advance by calling: 602-876-5551
. Tours will be conducted by Tents jail staff
. Group size: 10 to 30 adults
. Time and date availability to be determined by Tents Jail Administration
. Dress standards apply. (Business casual is appropriate.)
. Other guidelines/requirements may be established by Tents Jail Administration.
Towers Jail
The Towers Jail was built in 1982, designed as a 360-cell facility with six tower units. There are four pods in each tower, and each pod contains housing areas with general-purpose day rooms, and bathroom/shower areas. The jail also contains a fully staffed and equipped medical clinic, a non-denominational chapel for religious services, and classrooms for educational, drug rehabilitation, and life-skills programs. Additionally, there are three outside areas for recreation.
The jail houses multi-classification adult male inmates; the population is approximately 800 inmates.
Towers Visitation Area