Sybil Brand Institute

The Sybil Brand Institute (in full, the Sybil Brand Institute For Women) was a famous county jail in Los Angeles County, California. The facility was named after Sybil Brand (May 8, 1899-February 17, 2004), a noted local philanthropist and civic leader.

The Sybil Brand Institute was completed in 1963 as a minimum to maximum security facility and was the primary Los Angeles County women's correctional facility. Though designed to hold 900, its peak occupancy was 2,800. It is located at 4500 East City Terrace Drive, in Los Angeles, California.

It is perhaps best known as the jail where Susan Atkins admitted to fellow inmate Virginia Graham, that she and other members of the Manson family were responsible for the infamous Tate-LaBianca murders. Another famous inmate was Susan McDougal, of Whitewater scandal fame. Furthermore, Chelsea Handler, a prominent comedian, was sent to the Sybil Brand Institue based on fraud charges after her sister reported that Chelsea had stolen her I.D. and had been using it to get into bars.

It was forced to close in 1997 after sustaining extensive damage in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. It has yet to be reopened or remodeled due to persistent budget shortfalls affecting both Los Angeles County and the state of California.

In the meantime, it has become a popular location for filming, hosting two or three productions per month. Movies and TV shows that were shot here include the Johnny Depp film Blow, Arrest and Trial, Gangland, The X-Files, 24, The O.C. and America's Most Wanted. As a women's prison, the interior walls are pink and are usually painted over before filming.