Breaking Down Erik and Lyle Menendez’s Lives in Prison: Restrictions, Extracurriculars and More
Erik Menéndez and Lyle Menéndez could have their life sentence reduced in their murder case — but what do their lives currently look like in prison?
The brothers were arrested in 1990 on two counts of first-degree murder after their parents — José and Kitty — were found shot to death in their home. Lyle was 21 and Erik was 18 at the time of the murders and after two trials, they were sentenced to life without parole. Lyle and Erik have maintained that their mother and father were physically, emotionally and sexually abusive ahead of their deaths.
While initially remaining in the same prison, Erik and Lyle were transferred after their sentencing. They reunited in 2018 when they were moved into the same housing unit at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility.
Their case received renewed support in September 2024 after becoming the focus of Ryan Murphy's Monsters series. Despite Erik publicly slamming the scripted show, he met with Cooper Koch, who played him on screen.
What Else to Watch About Erik and Lyle Menendez’s Murder Case After Netflix’s ‘Monsters’
“They’ve done 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 then, people just didn’t believe that sexual abuse between males was something that you could believe and the easier pill to swallow was that they killed their parents for money. But now, after so much time, I think people are more open to understanding that something like that did happen.”
Koch added: “In fact, the warden told me himself that he feels like he’d be happy to have them as his neighbors and that he would be comfortable letting them watch his children. I think that says a lot!”
With support from Koch — and reality-star-turned-prison-reform-activist Kim Kardashian — Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón announced in October 2024 that a hearing has been set due to new evidence. That same month, Gascón recommended that a judge resentence Erik and Lyle.
Keep scrolling for insight into Erik and Lyle's day-to-day lives in prison:
Past Issues
Erik reflected on his adjustment to life behind bars, telling People in 2005, "The cell I live in is tiny ... about 6′ by 4′. Two people live in the cell. The cell is so small that only one person can be up off the bunks at a time. There is a commode and a sink."
It was hard for him to adjust to the "violent noises" in prison.
"It is very difficult to live with. It always affects you. And you have to keep to your own business," he noted. "There might be 300 to 400 people in the yard at a time and at any moment a fight could break out. In the past month, two inmates have been murdered. You have to stay away from the yard bullies."
Erik revealed he was bullied when he was initially sentenced.
"I was picked on for being bullied violently and it was traumatic and continual. There's a thing that a lot of inmates in prison go through when they're not part of a gang structure. They come in and they're basically a lone wolf. They just have to be by themselves," he detailed on the "2 Angry Men" podcast in February 2025. "Prison can be hard, and there's a lot of suffering here. So I was like, 'I'm not going to fight back. I'm not going to engage.' I had no one to really turn to for help since I was separated from Lyle.”
Erik continued: "I remember the day that I was told Lyle just got assaulted and got his jaw broken. ... It was difficult and that's why it took years to work out of it because you have to find yourself in prison. I believe that Corrections is doing their best. They're really trying. But 25 years ago, it was an even darker and more dangerous place.”
What Does ‘Monsters’ Get Wrong About Erik and Lyle Menendez’s Murder Case? Incest Claims and More
Current Examples of Improvement
In a statement to Biography.com in September 2024, the California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation offered an update on Erik and Lyle's behavior, writing, “During his incarceration, Erik Menendez has incurred two serious rules violations. Joseph [Lyle] Menendez has incurred no rules violations."
Erik and Lyle's good behavior paved the way for them to live in a “non-designated programming facility” at Donovan. The unit is known as Echo Yard, which allows inmates more freedom, rehabilitative and educational programming. Those opportunities include yoga, art classes and more.
In a rare interview, Erik gave an example of his day-to-day schedule, telling People in 2005 again, "I get up at 6 a.m. At 6:20 I have breakfast. I meditate at 6:50. Starting at 7:30 I read and write in my journal. We’ll either have a morning yard time starting at 9:30 or an afternoon yard time starting at 2:00 p.m. At two o’clock I start my job. I will try and call [wife] Tammi [Menéndez] in the afternoon. I’ll then work until 8:00 p.m. At 9:00 p.m. we’re locked down. I generally go to sleep around 10:30 p.m."
A Complete Timeline of Erik and Lyle Menendez’s Murder Case: From Arrest to Resentencing Request
Rules for Contacting Loved Ones
The brothers are categorized as Group A prisoners, which allows them most privileges that come with receiving visits and to make calls. Laws have been passed in recent years that made telephone calls free for inmates and their families.
In 2021, California started to provide prisoners with tablets. It took two years for Donovan inmates to take advantage of the opportunity and it is important to note that the devices don't have access to social media or internet browsers. The tablets are largely used to read news materials and stay in contact with loved ones through email, video calls and text messages.
Erik and Lyle also relied on technology to keep up to date on their cast, sharing on a podcast in 2025, "We were able to see quite a bit of it. I watched some of it through video chat that they allow us to do here. And obviously, we've seen a million clips of it on TV and heard a lot about it. We feel like we've seen the entire thing. But we have not yet."
Potential Extracurriculars
Echo Yard is considered an experimental part of the prison that is less restrictive. The unit operates outside of "normal prison rules," according to reporting from the San Diego Union-Tribune. Echo Yard allows inmates to take part in creative programs, education and support groups for people with anger management or substance abuse issues.
The prisoners can take courses such as victim awareness, money management and job hunting strategies. There is a yoga program, which allows prisons to earn a 10-day reduction in their sentence for every 52 hours of program participation. Rehabilitative Achievement Credits could offer inmates as much as 40 days taken off their sentences annually.
Donovan has a prisoner-published monthly newspaper and art classes as well. Lyle and Erik have notably taken advantage of Project Paint when they helped paint a 1,000-foot long mural at Echo Yard in 2020.
Elsewhere at Echo Yard, inmates can help raise service dogs and future guide dogs. Donovan also held a graduation ceremony for the first time in 2024 after nearly two dozen inmates received degrees through Inspiring Futures Through Educational Degrees.
Who Are the Menendez Brothers Married to While They’re in Prison? Conjugal Visits and More
Restrictions on Conjugal Visits
Erik has been married to wife Tammi since 1999 after they met via letter correspondences. Lyle, meanwhile, exchanged vows with Anna Eriksson in 1996 but they divorced five years later. He later found love with Rebecca Sneed and they got married in 2003.
Prisons in California permit conjugal visits but prisons serving life sentences without parole are banned from such privileges. The law was changed in 2016 but since Erik and Lyle committed a violent offense against a family member, they still aren't eligible for the family visits.
“Not having sex in my life is difficult, but it’s not a problem for me. I have to be emotionally attached, and I’m emotionally attached to Erik," Tammi told People in 2005. "My family does not understand. When it started to get serious, some of them just threw up their hands."
Lyle also offered a glimpse into this marriage to Rebecca, telling the outlet in 2017, "Our interaction tends to be very free of distractions and we probably have more intimate conversations than most married spouses do, who are distracted by life's events."
He concluded: “We try and talk on the phone every day, sometimes several times a day. I have a very steady, involved marriage and that helps sustain me and brings a lot of peace and joy. It’s a counter to the unpredictable, very stressful environment here.”