Hi!
I went on Christmas day to vist my honey at CIM mainline. What awful visiting conditions they have there! Its outside visiting, picnic tables under a carport roof. They make you sit facing the outside and it was pouring rain. The rain was coming in sideways and it was like being at the beach with the spray hitting you. It was freezing cold and at 11 am they have inmate count. All the inmates have to line up against the fence with no roof cover and stand there untill the whole instution count clears. about 15 to 20 mins. It the pouring rain. There is no visiting room of any kind. The bathrooms were so groose! No towlet paper and filth all over the wet bathroom floor. These "carport canipoys over the tables are metal and there are lots of leaks. They only let you wear one layer of clothes over your top, no hats allowed, I was drenched. Plus there is no shuttle to take you around to the various yards, so you have to walk to them in the wind and the rain. I felt so bad for my honey I cut the vist short so he could get back inside and get dry.
Lucky I was there a hour before visiting started because there is a short covering in front of the entrence building, but the line was aboout 1/2 a mile long and those poor folks had to stand out in the pouring rain. People were covering themselves with plastic bags. Also no underwire bras allowed. I wore my warmest jacket and I was still shivering in the cold rain. Thank god he gets out in 6 weeks. It is a 5 hour drive for me and I will not repeat that horrible experience. I suppose in the summer it would be ok but not in bad weather. Ther freeways coning throught LA were flooded and there was some really bad wrecks. Visiballity was almost non exestint! The spray coming over the road devided was like a wave of water being throun on my windshield. It was a total nightmare, But I hadnt seen my honey in 6 months, so I went. I just hope he will make it this time when he paroles. It has been 2 violations scince we have been together and I just dont know how things will go. He is 49 and just to old for more prision time. He still has his D number. I asked him if he thought he might be instutionlized and he said no but my friends say I am barking up the wrong tree. Why do I fall in love with someone who is so unable to do life on the outside? I must be nuts. I probally need a 12 step program for people addiction. VBut I do love him. Its heartbreaking to see him repeat his mistakes again. Anyway thats my opion of the winter visiting at CIM mainline. I have visited hime at about 5 other prisions at this one was the worst!
Comments welcome.
Wendyb San Luis Obispo

That sounds horrible! I go visit at CIM west reception. I was there on Christmas as well and saw the long line for mainline and central. I'm unsure why, but there is never a line for the west yard. It's an inside visiting room, with ten windows for the non-contact visiting and tables and chairs for the contact ones. I'm not sure why the mainline visiting is so bad? But I'm sorry that you had to drive such a long way for such a yucky experience! But hey, at least you got to see him! I'm sure he was very happy for that :-)

Hi Wendyb-

sorry you had to visit your guy in such a awful place....

i totally relate to what you are talking about....my guy is in mainline cim as well...so first of all thanks for the heads up...do you have an idea what is a good time to go during visiting on sat and sun...

boy and the recording for cim's visiting sounds so homey...they definitely don't let you in on how unaccomadating a visit at mainline is...

my guy is a "j", and i worry about the same things ie: is he institutionalized, it sure seems like it, he is 35 and been incarcerated in and out since he was 17, since 1995 he has been paroled, and then returned like 15x...it is heartbreaking..

have you tried al-anon i think it would be really helpful for you...

i believe planning for what he will be doing when he gets out is important....so to help prevent returning to prison...does he have a drinking problem, based on what you said about his return to prison....if so, AA (which i am sure you know) can help for support for him..

best to you and yours..
i will keep you in my prayers..
francis

p.s. hi wishonstars...of course you and i are in on this post...=}

Hi Francis... Of course huh =)
In regards to your question about the best time to visit on the weekend... when I went last Saturday at around 9:30 AM, the line for Mainline wasn't too bad. I'm getting ready to go for my visit today, so I will be sure to check out the line for Mainline and tell you how it is at whatever time it is that I finally get there.

I also visited at CIM on Christmas day. It was freezing and wet, nowhere to go to get out of the rain, but, what was important was that we got to share some time together on Christmas day. If nothing else, it helped him to know that he was not forgotten on Christmas.
I am thankful that we have 6 hours on a weekend or holiday that we can spend together. Maybe it is not in the nicest weather, but then again, we are not visiting in the nicest situation either. He is in prison, they could just tell us we can't visit at all. As far as I have seen, the guards have always been very nice and have to work under the same circumstances, battling the weather as well.
I am sure I would probably see it differently if I had to drive five hours through LA. I was having to do that in the beginning and it was miserable.
I usually go on Sunday's and even when I get there 15 minutes before they open it is still about an hour wait in line. When I have gone later, around 11:30 there is not much of a line. If you get there around 10:30 you will have to wait until after 12:00 to see him because of the count.
I'm sorry about your visit, I know it was freezing. Hopefully the weather will be better next time. I went today, it was cold but at least no rain.
I also have questions about why I stay with someone in prison. He has only been in once but I still wonder if there is something wrong with me that makes me stay. It must be a co-dependant thing but I guess that is the way I am.
Good luck with everything.
Dazed

Well, there was no line but like Dazed said, I got there at 11:10 (right before count) and more people were there before me, so I had to wait until 12:30 to see him. Sundays seem to be a lot more busy than Saturdays, unless it was just today? Anyway, Mainline didn't appear to have a long line, although when I walked up I saw some people sitting outside, but I don't think they were in line. My boyfriend mentioned something about them taking away Thuesday and Friday visits. Does anyone know anything about this? And how much notice they will give us if they are taking them away. Thanks a lot.

so star girl-
how was it...are things going well....i hope so...

it must be heartbreaking to say goodbye...

so much drama...

thanks for the info, and dazed as well...

i havn't gone yet, i don't know--much trepidation...

dazed-is your man in mainline...mine is...but, he hasn't told me to much about it...do you know?
best and peace-
francis

Well, I've never really come across anything positive about CIM/Chino (except the processing time of their mail room!). Visiting CIM was never one of my brighter moments...sorry to hear the conditions were so much worse during the rain! How terrible! I'm sorry you had to deal with all that but the important thing as that you were able to spend time together!! Oh and just as a heads up -- you mentioned how visiting there during the summer might not be so bad!? Well, it's not much better then and there's MANY other unpleasant conditions to deal with!! Dairy land is NOT the best place to be during the heat in SoCali!! YUCK!!

Hi Ah Dariy land, yes, now that you mention it when I drove into Chino about 5:30 am I noticed the strong order of urine and manure. I assumed there must be aminal farms nearby although it was pitch black and I didnt see any. Yes that order was dampened by the rain, but I Bet it gets to smelling pretty ripe in the sweltering summer heat. What a shithole!
hee hee.
Anyway it is a hell of a long drive for me. And right through downtown LA. That traffic scares me a lot. Good luck to you all who are contuing with the guest. I am not going back for a few months. Only to pick up my man on his release date!
WEndyb

The visit was wonderful Francis, thanks for asking. Saying goodbye is hard. It was very hard the first time, but I see him once a week and I just try to think about the next time that I will see him and that makes it a little easier. I get letters daily that are very optimistic and therefore it helps me deal with this a lot easier when he has a bright outlook on things =) He keeps me positive about the situation. If he wasn't like that, it would make it a lot more difficult. I get to see him again on New Year's day... I just love how the holiday visits don't count toward your four monthly visits =)

Yes, mine is mainline in Chino. I am going to visit on New Years also but will wait until 11:30 to go so that I don't have to wait in the long line.I have heard that Saturday's are much better. Not so long of a line.
My boyfriend has also said that they are doing away with the visiting on Thursday and Friday nights. They don't have anything posted stating this though so I don't know if it is going to happen in January like he is telling me. If they do stop the night visiting the lines will be even longer on the weekend. I have never heard that we only get 4 visits a month. Is that for mainline?
Yes, there are a lot of cows in Chino and I am sure the heat and the smell will be quite hard to deal with in the summer. Chino is an old prison so the conditions are not real great. I have heard that it will be closing in the next couple of years so there is no reason to make it better.
WendyB, I have also heard that they make you come early in the morning to pick him up when he is released but you have to wait for about 3 hours. You can't leave and you can't go sit in your car, so bring a book. You might need something to do while waiting. I am not sure, but that is what I've been told. I'm sorry your drive is so long, I guess I just got lucky.

So you haven't heard of the four times a month limit? Mine isn't in Mainline, but in Reception West. On Sunday's visit he told me that someone in there told him that they don't stick with it, and they let his girlfriend come more than four times a month. So maybe it's worth a try then.