Peter J. Pitchess Detention Center, detention center in Castaic, California, USA
Peter J. Pitchess Detention Center is a large prison facility in Castaic, California, run by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The complex spans over 2,600 acres (1,050 hectares) and contains multiple sections with different security levels, including the North Facility, East Facility, and North County Correctional Facility.
The facility was established in 1938 as Wayside Honor Rancho, where inmates worked on farms and cared for livestock. It was renamed in 1983 after Peter J. Pitchess, a former sheriff, and expanded into a modern multi-level prison complex.
Visitors use the visitor center opened in 1993, which has parking, and are transported by bus to different sections of the facility. The complex is spread across vast grounds with many separate areas, so allow extra time for travel within the site.
The facility operates oil wells and a co-generation power plant on its grounds that have supplied energy since the 1950s. Additionally, the complex has maintained a heliport since 1972 for official and emergency transport.
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