Inside Menendez Brothers’ Prison Lives: Restrictions, No Conjugal Visits

Erik Menéndez And Lyle Menéndez Could be released in parole in their case of murder – but what do their lives currently in prison look like?

The brothers were arrested in 1990 Two heads of first degree murder After their parents – José and Kitty – were found killed in their house. Lyle was 21 years old and Erik was 18 years old at the time of the murders and after two trials, they were sentenced to life without parole. Lyle and Erik argued that their mother and father were violent, emotionally and sexually before their death.

While remaining initially in the same prison, Erik and Lyle were transferred after their conviction. They met in 2018 when they were transferred to the same housing unit to the correctional establishment of Richard J. Donovan.

Their case received renewed support in September 2024 after having become the center Ryan Murphy‘s Monsters series. Despite Erik publicly slam the scripted showHe met Cooper Kochwho played him on the screen.

“They’ve therefore so much amazing work in prison. Erik teaches meditation. He teaches speech classes. They’re Both Incredible People,” Koch Told the Hollywood Reporter in September 2024. “I think back? That you Could Believe and the Easier Pill to Swallow was that they killed their parents for money.

Koch added: “In fact, the director told me that he had the impression that he would be happy to have them as neighbors and that he would be comfortable letting them look at his children. I think that says a lot!”

With the support of Koch – and Reality-Star that has become-reform-activist Kim Kardashian – Los Angeles district prosecutor George Gascón announced in October 2024 that an audience was set due to new evidence. The same month, Gascón recommended that a judge does not summarize Erik and Lyle.

Continue to scroll for an overview of Erik and Lyle’s daily life in prison:

Past problems

Erik thought about his adjustment to life behind bars, People In 2005, “the cell in which I live is tiny … about 6 ′ per 4 ′. Two people live in the cell. The cell is so small that one person can be both berths at a time. There is a chest of drawers and a sink. “

It was difficult for him to Adapt to “violent noises” in prison.

“It is very difficult to live with it. It always affects you. And you have to keep your own business,” he noted. “There could be 300 to 400 people in the courtyard both and anytime, a fight could break out. During the last month, two detainees were murdered. You must stay far from the court intimidators. ”

Erik revealed that he had been intimidated when He was initially condemned.

“I was chosen for having been intimidated and it was traumatic and continuous. There is one thing that many prison prisoners are going through when they are not part of a gang structure. They enter and they are essentially a lonely wolf. Will not get involved. I had no one to turn really to get help since I was separated from Lyle.”

Erik continued: “I remember the day I was told that Lyle had just assaulted and that her jaw was broken. … It was difficult and that’s why it took years to work there because you have to find yourself in prison. I think the correctional services do their best. They really try. But 25 years ago, it was an even darker and more dangerous place.”

In relation: What are the “monsters” are wrong about the case of the murder of Erik and Lyle Menendez?

Netflix’s Monsters series is faced with the way he represented Lyle Menéndez and Erik Mennendez – specifically inaccurate details on events leading to their murder. The limited series, published on September 19, was centered on Lyle (Nicholas Alexander Chavez) and Erik (Cooper Koch), who were convicted of the 1989 murder of 1989 […]

Current examples of improvement

In a statement at Biography.com in September 2024, California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation offered an update on the behavior of Erik and Lyle, writing: “During his imprisonment, Erik Menendez incurred two violations of serious rules. Joseph. Joseph. [Lyle] Menendez has not incurred any violation of rules. »»

The good behavior of Erik and Lyle paved the way for their living In an “uninated programming center” in Donovan. The unit is known as Echo Yard, which allows prisoners more freedom, rehabilitation and educational programming. These opportunities include yoga, art courses and more.

In a rare interview, Erik gave an example of his daily schedule, saying People In 2005 again, “I got up at 6 am at 6:20 am, I have breakfast. I meditate at 6:50 am. From 7:30 am [wife] Tammi [Menéndez] in the afternoon. I will then work until 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., we are locked. I generally go to sleep around 10:30 pm ”

Rules to contact relatives

The brothers are classified as prisoners of group A, which allows them most of the privileges that come with visits and calls. Laws have been adopted in recent years which have rendered free telephone calls for prisoners and their families.

In 2021, California began to provide prisoners with tablets. Donovan prisoners took two years to take the opportunity and it is important to note that the devices I do not have access to social media or internet browsers. Tablets are widely used to read news equipment and stay in touch with email, video calls and SMS.

Erik and Lyle also relied on technology to keep up to date with their casting, sharing on a podcast in 2025: “We were able to see a lot. I watched a game via a video chat they allow us to do here. And we have obviously seen everything.

Potential parascolia

Echo Yard is considered an experimental part of the prison which is less restrictive. The unit operates outside “normal prison rules”, according to reports from the San Diego Union-Tribune. Echo Yard allows prisoners to participate in creative programs, education groups and support for people with anger management or drug addiction problems.

Prisoners can take courses such as awareness of victims, money management and job search strategies. There is a yoga program, which allows prisons to win a 10 -day reduction in their sentence for all 52 hours of participation in the program. Rehabilitation success credits could offer prisoners up to 40 days removed per year.

Donovan also has a monthly newspaper and art courses published by prisoners. Lyle and Erik notably took advantage of project painting When they helped paint 1,000 feet long Murale at Echo Yard in 2020.

Elsewhere in Echo Yard, prisoners can help raise assistance dogs and future guides dogs. Donovan also organized a graduation ceremony for the first time in 2024 after nearly two dozen prisoners received diplomas through inspiring future thanks to educational diplomas.

In relation: Who are the Menendez brothers married while they are in life for life?

Ted Soqui / Sygma via Getty Images Erik Mennendez and Lyle Menéndez both found partners while serving their individual life convictions following a high -level murder case. The Mennendez brothers were arrested in 1990 for two first degree murder leaders after their parents – José and Kitty – were found killed in their homes. Two […]

Restrictions on marital visits

Erik has been married to his wife Tammi since 1999 after meeting via correspondence of letters. Lyle, meanwhile, exchanged wishes with Anna Eriksson In 1996, but they divorced five years later. He then found love with Rebecca Sneed And they got married in 2003.

California prisons allow marital visits, but prisons serving perpetuity penalties without parole are prohibited from these privileges. The law was modified in 2016, but as Erik and Lyle committed a violent offense against a family member, they are still not eligible for family visits.

“Not having sex in my life is difficult, but it is not a problem for me. I must be emotionally attached, and I am emotionally attached to Erik,” said Tammi People In 2005. “My family does not understand. When he started to become serious, some of them simply launched their hands.”

Lyle also offered an overview of this marriage to Rebecca, saying at the point of sale in 2017: “Our interaction tends to be very free from distractions and we probably have more intimate conversations than most married spouses, who are distracted by life events.”

He concluded: “We are trying to speak on the phone every day, sometimes several times a day. I have a very stable and involved marriage that helps support me and brings a lot of peace and joy. It is an unpredictable and very stressful counter-environment here. ”

Medical help search

In July 2025, Erik’s family confirmed that he was in hospital after being diagnosed with serious illness. The fear of health led Erik to be taken to an outdoor medical establishment, where he remained in good condition.

Erik’s lawyer Mark Geragos addressed the issue when he made a public request for California Governor Gavin Newsom to release his client immediately.

“I don’t want to let the cat come out of the bag. Erik has a serious state of health at the moment,” he told TMZ. “I’m not going to violate the privilege of Hipaa or the lawyer’s client, but if there is someone who should be known – especially at the moment, a month before the audience – it’s Eric.”

Geragos has chosen not to disclose details on the question of whether the diagnosis of Ménendez is “deadly”. (The exit subsequently confirmed that Erik was under treatment for kidney stones.)

“I hope not,” replied the lawyer before confirming that leading “is treated at the moment”, adding: “It is a serious condition and I think it must be outside to focus on the hearing. I do not want to enter the weeds of the medical condition, but I think that is the appropriate thing to do.”

Geragos continued: “I just think it is a serious illness and he should be medically on leave so that he can work with the lawyer for parole and be at speed and be ready. It is the only right and equitable thing to do.”