Sacramento County Jail Info – Visiting, Bail, Contacting Inmates

Address/phone	Sacramento County Jail 651 I Street Sacramento, CA 95814 (map) (916) 874-6752
Find an inmate	Inmate locator
Bail info	Call jail at (916) 874-6752
Visiting hours	Monday through Sunday from 7:30am to 9:30pm “first come, first served”
Email inmates	Click here
Send care packages	Icaregifts.com
Capacity	2,432 inmates, co-ed

The Sacramento County Main Jail is under the command of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department. This Jail primarily serves as a temporary housing facility for arrestees until they

• post bail,
• are released on their own recognizance (known as an O.R. release),
• appear for their arraignment, or
• await their trial at the Sacramento County Superior Court.

It also houses some convicted defendants, although most post-conviction defendants serve their time about a half-hour away in Elk Grove’s Rio Cosumnes Correctional Facility.

If your loved one is being held at the Sacramento County Main Jail, continue reading for answers to frequently-asked-questions as provided by our Sacramento criminal defense attorneys:¹

• 1. How do I post bail at the Sacramento Main Jail?
  • 1.1. Cash bail
  • 1.2. Cashier’s check
  • 1.3. Bail bonds
• 2. How do I search for my family/loved one?
• 3. How do I make calls and send emails?
• 4. When can I visit?
  • 4.1. Dress code
  • 4.2. Visitor rules/regulations
• 5. How do I send mail?
  • 5.1. Prohibited items
  • 5.2. Regarding books/magazines
  • 5.3. Care packages
• 6. How do I transfer money to an inmate?
• 7. How do inmates get their property back?
• 8. What services does the jail provide?
• 9. How does the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Work Release Program work?
• Resources for inmates and families

If, after reading this article, you would like more information, we invite you to contact us at Shouse Law Group.

1. How do I post bail at the Sacramento Main Jail?

You may post bail for your loved one at the jail’s cashier’s office 24 hours a day / 7 days a week with the daily exception of 6:00am to 8:00am and 6:00pm to 8:00pm. The jail’s cashier office is located in the detention facility at:

651 I Street
Sacramento, CA 95814 (map)

As discussed below, the Sacramento Main Jail accepts three forms of bail:

1. cash bail,
2. cashier’s checks and
3. bail bonds.

The bail amount is set according to the Sacramento County bail schedule and depends on the circumstances of the case. A Sacramento criminal defense attorney can also request a bail hearing to request a lower bail or O.R. release, where you pay nothing at all.

1.1. Cash bail

If you post bail using cash, you must pay the entire bail amount up front.

As long as your loved one attends all future required court appearances, your bail money will be returned to you after the case ends (minus a small administrative fee). Though if your loved one misses a court appearance, your bail money will be forfeited to the court.

1.2. Cashier’s check

If you post bail using a cashier’s check, you must post the entire bail amount up front. Cashier’s checks must

• be bank-drawn,
• be made payable to the Sacramento County Superior Court,
• include the inmate’s name and booking number.

Your loved one’s release could take a while to secure with a cashier’s check. This is because the jail will not release an inmate until it can verify the funds.

So if you post a cashier’s check after banking hours or on the weekend, your loved one may still have to wait quite some time before being released.

As with cash bail, bail paid by cashier’s check will be returned to you after the criminal case ends as long as your loved one attends all required court appearances.

1.3. Bail bonds

Bail bonds are the most common way to bail someone out of jail since most people do not have enough cash to post the entire amount up front.

When you hire a bail bondsman, you are only required to pay them a nonrefundable fee of 10% of the total bond. Though if your loved one does not show up to a future required court appearance, then you owe the bondsman the entire bail amount.

Local bail bondsmen advertise via the Internet and in the phone book. Make sure you verify the bondsman’s license, and retain copies of any documents for your records.

2. How do I search for my family/loved one?

The quickest way to determine if your loved one is incarcerated at the Sacramento County Mail Jail is through the jail’s online inmate search. Or else call the facility directly at (916) 874-6752.

3. How do I make calls and send emails?

When inmates are booked into the Sacramento Jail, they are given time during the day to call you.

You may not call your loved one. Though you may send and receive emails through the Sacramento Sheriff – click here for instructions.

Note that jail staff monitors all calls and emails, so be careful not to say anything incriminating.

If you have a family emergency, you can contact the Main Jail Social Worker at (916) 874-6345 or the Jail Chaplain at (916) 874-7724, Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 3:30pm.

4. When can I visit?

Visiting hours at the Sacramento County Main Jail are from 7:30am to 9:30pm, except that there are no visits

• from 10:30am to 11:30am,
• from 3:30pm to 4:30pm, or
• from 6:30pm to 7:30pm.

Every inmate is allowed two social visits per week, each lasting 45 minutes. However, inmates who have already been convicted and sentenced get three social visits per week, each lasting 45 minutes.

Visits are scheduled on a “first come, first served” basis. To get notified about changes to visiting hours, sign up here. After you create your account, click on: My Subscriptions -> Sacramento County -> Unincorporated County -> Main Jail/RCCC Visitation.

Each visit is limited to three visitors max, including infants and children. At least one visitor must be 18 years old or older. Be prepared to show either your:

• driver’s license or DMV identification card (from all U.S. or Mexico)
• military identification card
• passport
• Matricula Consular (MCAS) Mexican identification card

Note that parents or guardians who bring their children must show proof of their relationship (such as birth certificates or guardianship papers). Meanwhile, emancipated minors may visit without a guardian as long as they show original court documentation as proof of emancipation.

4.1. Dress code

You may not wear the following when visiting a loved one at Sacramento County Main Jail:

• revealing clothing,
• tube tops,
• see-through mesh materials,
• short shorts,
• micro skirts or mini skirts,
• tank tops with thin straps,
• backless tops or sleeveless tops,
• midriff or cutout shirts,
• bathing tops, or
• clothing with profanity or logos that promote violence, hate, sex, drugs, or gangs

In addition, you must wear shoes.

4.2. Visitor rules / regulations

Upon entering the jail, you may be searched, and the jail staff may run your name for outstanding warrants.

The only personal items you may bring into the visiting area are your

• keys,
• ID, and
• small wallet.

Note that you may not visit an inmate without prior consent from the Jail Commander or Watch Supervisor if you:

• were an inmate at the Main Jail or the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Facility within the last 30 days; or
• are a felon who has served time in California State Prison²

5. How do I send mail?

To send letters to a loved one at the Sacramento County Mail Jail, address the unpadded envelopes to:

Inmate’s Name, “X”-reference number, Housing Location
Sacramento County Main Jail
651 “I” Street
Sacramento, CA 95814

Example:
Doe, John X-1234567, 6W303
Sacramento County Main Jail
651 “I” Street
Sacramento, CA 95814

Envelopes without a return address will be rejected, and envelopes displaying drawings will be returned.

5.1. Prohibited items

You may not mail packages. The only items you can enclose are:

• the paper that your letter is written on – any cards may not be larger than six by nine inches, and they cannot be musical or plastic;
• money orders or cashier’s checks that are filled out with your loved one’s full name, X-reference number, housing location, and the purchaser’s full name and address; and
• photos that are no larger than four by six inches, and they must not depict pornography, nudity, suggestive behavior, or gang activity (Polaroids are not allowed).

Your letters may not include:

• staples, paper clips, or metal clasps
• glitter, stickers, postage stamps,
• plastic, tape, bubble wrap, glued or gummed labels,
• suggesting or gang-related drawings/art, or
• any other items, such as clothing or food

5.2. Regarding books/magazines

Sacramento County Mail Jail inmates may possess up to five paperback books, magazines, or newspapers at a time. These reading materials must be mailed directly from the publisher or a reputable online service such as Barnesandnoble.com or Amazon.com.

The jail will return materials that incite racism, riots, or violence or that contain imagery of

• gangs,
• drugs,
• pornography,
• nudity, or
• obscenity.

5.3. Care packages

Even though you are personally prohibited from sending packages to inmates, you can have certain preapproved items sent via ICare gift services. Delivery is on Saturday or Sunday, so you must place your order by midnight Wednesday.

6. How do I transfer money to an inmate?

To put money on your loved one’s books at the Sacramento County Main Jail, you can either:

1. use the TouchPay kiosks in the jail lobby;
2. use TouchPay Direct online;
3. call TouchPay at (866) 232-1899; or
4. go to a TouchPay retail location; or

TouchPay accepts cash and credit/debit cards. You also need to know your loved one’s X-reference number and the Sacramento Jail’s location number, which is 257501.

7. How do inmates get their property back?

Once your loved one is booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail, their clothing and other personal property are collected and stored. This property is generally returned to them once they are released.

Though if your loved one wishes to release their property to you, they must simply sign a “release of property” form. To pick up released property, you must show your driver’s license or state I.D. card.

8. What services does the jail provide?

The Sacramento County Main Jail offers a variety of services to its inmates. Examples include (but are not limited to):

• mental health counseling,
• religious services,
• drug and/or alcohol counseling and meetings,
• anger management,
• domestic violence counseling,
• English as a second language classes, computer classes, literacy classes and the opportunity to earn a general education diploma (“G.E.D”) or high school diploma, and
• work programs.

9. How does the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Work Release Program work?

Sacramento County Main Jail inmates who have less than 90 days remaining of their sentence may be eligible to live at home and perform manual labor from 7:00am to 4:00pm instead of being incarcerated.³ There are no fees to participate in this program.

Learn more about the “Sheriff’s Work Project” (SWP) at the Sacramento Sheriff Work Release website.

See our related article on Sacramento DUI penalties.

Resources for inmates and families

For help with reentry following incarceration, former inmates and their families can refer to the following:

• From Corrections to Community: Reentry Health Care – Information by the California Health Care Foundation about connecting people released from custody with community-based medical services.
• List of Reentry Programs in California – Guide compiled by HelpForFelons.org.
• Post Incarceration Reentry Resources – Guide compiled by Interface 211 Sacramento.
• Adult Re-entry Programs – Services by the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) to help ease the transition for newly-released inmates.
• Sacramento Sheriff’s Office Reentry Services Unit – Handbook of programs to help newly-released inmates.

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