Overview
Lincoln Heights Jail rises beside the Los Angeles River northeast of downtown, a vast Art Deco city jail opened in 1931 that held tens of thousands of prisoners before closing in 1965; it is fixed in the city's memory for the 'Bloody Christmas' scandal of 1951, when officers beat prisoners in its cells — events later dramatised in L.A. Confidential — and its history also includes deaths in custody. After closure the building housed community uses and became a heavily used film and video location, its cellblocks appearing across movies and music videos. Crews, security staff and urban explorers have described disembodied voices and screams, cell doors slamming, footsteps on empty tiers, cold spots and shadow figures, giving it a reputation as one of Los Angeles's most haunted buildings. The jail is closed to the public and cannot be entered outside sanctioned productions or events, which the record must state plainly. Its history involves real institutional violence and death, which should be handled soberly, with the paranormal material presented as reports and legend rather than fact.