All convictions of DUI in Arizona carry mandatory jail time.

DUI is one of the most common criminal offenses in Arizona. All kinds of people get arrested for DUI: working professionals, students and/or the occasional troublemaker. Most people that are arrested for DUI are honest, hard-working people just like you.

After you have been convicted for DUI, the judge will schedule a time for your prison sentence. Most people will be required to spend their time at Tent City. Though, a lawyer may be able to arrange for you to go to city jail instead. Your court paper(s) should specify the date and time that your prison sentence begins. If for some reason they don’t, contact the court. Do not show up at the jail without a court ordered date and time. If your court papers don’t specify a time, the officers won’t know when to release you and an extended stay may be necessary. Most courts will allow you to choose the date and time that your want your prison time to begin (6 am is usually the best time to go).

When you arrive at the self surrender gate, you’ll probably see a crowd of folks waiting to get in. The sign on the gate states that new arrivals will be pulled in every hour. Though, this is usually not the case. On many occasions, newbies have had to wait hours before being permitted inside the jail. If your court order states that your sentence starts at 8 am then the clock starts ticking at 8 am regardless of whether you’re allowed to enter the jail or not. Furthermore, waiting outside the gate is much better then waiting inside (one of the reasons why it’s better to get an early start).

Role is taken and each new inmate is frisked and handcuffed before entering the processing area. Inmates are permitted to bring the following items:

1) A Non-Pornographic Magazine or Paperback Book
2) Toothpaste and a Toothbrush
3) A Non-Electrical Alarm Clock
4) A Flashlight
5) And Ten Dollars

Once inside “newbies” or new inmates must await processing, which includes general questioning, fingerprinting and mug shots. Handcuffs are removed and new inmates are placed in one of a half dozen holding cells. These holding cells range in size from 10 ft x 5 ft to 10 ft x 10 ft. Inmates are packed like sardines into these tiny rooms. It’s not uncommon for 30 inmates to be crammed in a 5 ft x 10 ft cell. A few lucky inmates will be able to sit on the bench that lines the parameter while most will need to stand. Some of the holding cells do have toilets though most would probably rather hold it then go in front of 30 strangers in a jam packed room. Waiting in these rooms is not pleasant. In fact, many believe that this routine is inhumane. The doors are closed and little air is able to gain entrance through a small slot in the door. Inmates may be required to wait inside these rooms for 12-15 hours usually without food or water. Over time the tiny glass window will fog up from all the sweat that has evaporated into the air, which also makes breathing difficult. The corrections officers prolong the process by taking fingerprints and mug shots separately. This along with shift changes and the occasional distraction makes the process take far longer then necessary. From time-time the inmates might try to get the officers attention by knocking on the door or writing help on the fogged up glass. Every once in a while, an officer may open the door up for a short period of time so that air can be let into the cell. At some point, medical forms are distributed, completed, and collect though it’s unlikely that they are reviewed. If you have a medical condition that would complicate your stay in the holding cell, you may be placed in the “hole” as an alternative. Inmates are frequently removed from Tent City on stretchers.

After each group of “newbies” has been processed, each inmate is given an ID card, handcuffed and taken to the tents. Inmates that haven’t eaten dinner will be given dinner at the tents. Meals typically consist of lunchmeat sandwiches, fruit, and milk. Sheriff Joe’s green meat is another favorite. At the tents, newcomers will be called one-by-one and given a thin blanket and a small pink towel. The ID cards have the tent and bunk assignment on the back. Tent City consists of around 20 tents army tents each containing about 30 bunk beds. Some of the bunks have a thin pad others are just metal. Inmates may take a pad from a vacant bed if their bed does not have one.

Inmates are permitted to roam around Tent City except during “lock downs” and “head counts” when all inmates are required to return to their tents. Inmates at Tent City for DUI do wear their street cloths. Inside Tent City there are a few vending machines (with food and shower products) that only accept coins, washing machines, a handful of pay phones, a shower room, a few drinking fountains, a restroom without dividers between the stalls, and a tent that has a small TV. Sheriff Joe requires all inmates to be clean-shaven. Furthermore, inmates with hair length below the ear may be required to cut their hair or be forced to go to the “hole”.

All through the night there is constant commotion at Tent City making it difficult for anyone to sleep. “Newbies” arrive at all hours, announcements are blasted from the loud speakers, head counts are conducted and of course inmates can be noisy themselves. Inmates on work release programs are asked to clean the bathrooms in the morning prior to leaving Tent City for the day. Those on work release are able to leave and return without too many hassles and are permitted some additional personal items.

“Kickouts” or inmates who have served their time are called throughout the day. The kickout process is similar to the initial processing. Inmates are handcuffed and brought back to the processing room where they are crammed back into the holding cells. Here the inmates wait to be fingerprinted again. After all the kickouts have been fingerprinted, they are called one-by-one, asked some simple questions, handcuffed, and lined up at the exit. Next, the inmates are walked outside the processing area and released. The corrections officers make sure that the kickout process takes a long time. Inmates may not be released for hours after the court ordered time.

A visit to Tent City is intended to be so horrible of an experience that inmates will learn their lesson and not break the law again. The lesson to be learned is don’t get a DUI in Arizona.