The Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles opened in December 1988 as the fifth downtown federal detention facility built in the country, replacing overflow arrangements that had strained the nearby FCI Terminal Island. Rather than a traditional prison, MDC Los Angeles is a high-rise detention center that mainly holds men and women who are awaiting trial or sentencing in federal court, along with some inmates serving shorter terms. Its design stood out when it was built: instead of barred cells, it uses secured "rooms," with large windows, interior balconies, and open atrium spaces that gave it a less institutional feel than older penitentiaries. It also became the first Bureau of Prisons facility to go fully smoke-free. Because it primarily serves the pretrial population, turnover tends to be faster and less predictable than at a standard prison, and family members often find that a loved one's stay there is tied closely to their court schedule. For families navigating visits or mail, it helps to remember this is fundamentally a courthouse-adjacent holding facility in the heart of the city, not a long-term institution.