How To Find a Jail Phone Number In California
In California, jail phone numbers serve as a vital connection between inmates and persons outside prison. Incarcerated individuals rely on inmate calls to maintain relationships with their friends and family members, seek legal counsel, and facilitate rehabilitation.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) regulates how and when inmates communicate by telephone. The state also encourages a two-way system, allowing loved ones to phone jail numbers and stay in touch with inmates.
Positive communication with loved ones encourages and motivates inmates to cope with the challenges of incarceration. Such healthy relationships with family and friends can incentivize people serving time to engage in good behavior, which can reduce sentence and rehabilitation programs. Staying in touch with loved ones also makes inmates less likely to return to activities that put them in jail. Additionally, inmates need to communicate with their lawyers to receive fair legal representation, as is their right. Hence, telephone communication between inmates and their legal representatives ensures that incarcerated people can discuss their cases, understand their legal options, prepare for court hearings, and strategize for appeals. Inmate-attorney communication also reduces the need for frequent physical visitations and can help inmates boost their parole chances in some cases.
A jail phone number can be found by performing a California inmate search for the subject of interest and obtaining the contact information of the facility where the inmate is housed.
What is California's Provision on Inmate Phone Calls?
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation offers California state prison inmates and their loved ones access to unlimited minutes of free audio calls. The provision results from the Keep Families Connected Act (Senate Bill (SB) 1008), which applies to calls made from standard institution wall phones and tablets.
Inmates can make local and international calls for free from institution telephones or state-issued tablets. The state, through its vendor, can also provide tablets to loved ones for free.
The CDCR does not limit the number of phone calls an incarcerated individual can make, but each call is subject to a 15-minute time limit. Institution-set activities and operational timetables can also restrict call times.
The Department also reserves the right to change, restrict, or withdraw telephone privileges based on an inmate's behavior and adherence to the facility's code of conduct. Section 3044 of the California Code of Regulations (CCR) empowers the CDCR to establish an inmate's telephone privileges according to their work and privilege groups.
A Classification Committee approves inmate assignments to specific work groups. These work groups subsequently play a role in determining every inmate's corresponding privilege group. Privilege groups, in turn, dictate an inmate's access to different facility amenities and resources, including telephone use.
Workgroups aside, an inmate's behavior ultimately defines their privilege group. Group A is the highest privilege group, and inmates in this category generally enjoy the most extensive telephone access. Inmates in Group C and lower are primarily limited to emergency phone calls, as determined by the facility staff.
Inmates can also communicate with their attorneys and legal representatives by telephone. The institution's staff or relevant committee unit will vet the attorney to ensure they are the inmate's legal representative. Attorneys must provide relevant information as required by law and provide written answers to specific questions under oath and penalty of perjury.
County detention facilities may have different telephone policies. For example, inmates in San Diego County adult institutions are entitled to free 15-minute phone calls and do not have restrictions on how many calls they can initiate or receive each day. Some counties only permit inmates to initiate phone calls, while others allow loved ones to phone jail facilities. The inmate telephone system also affords detainees access to paid telephone calls in some jurisdictions. This system may allow inmates to place collect calls or receive calls with a prepaid calling account. In some cases, a designated inmate telephone number is also available to persons on an approved calling list. However, this may be restricted to eligible inmates and available if the inmate's account is sufficiently funded.
Eligibility Requirements for Inmate Calls in California
Inmates must meet specific requirements to access jail facility cell phones and tablets. Loved ones and people on the other end of the line must also meet some conditions to use the phone jail services. The requirements are as follows:
- Inmates must belong to Privilege Group A to have regular telephone access during non-training/work hours or belong to Privilege Group B to have personal telephone access once every month under regular conditions.
- Inmates must not be the subject of disciplinary actions that restrict them from making or taking phone calls.
- People receiving phone calls from inmates must have active accounts with the CDCR's vendor.
- Attorneys are typically required to register for confidential or "Do Not Record" phone conversations to ensure their conversations with inmates are not recorded.
Regulations and laws vary in different counties. Loved ones looking to connect with inmates in county jails must consult the sheriff's Department of that county to learn about what rules apply and any phone call requirements.
Are Inmate Phone Calls Public in California?
No. California law does not designate inmate phone calls as public information. While 15 CCR § 3282 permits correctional institutions to record phone calls placed on inmate or facility phones, the data is not readily available for public inspection. Phone calls received, logs and recordings are not part of the data outlined in 15 CCR § 3261.2 (c) that can be released without written authorization from the parolee or inmate.
Phone conversations between inmates and their legal representatives are considered private and confidential. According to the law, attorneys must place a request to prevent the institution from recording inmate-attorney phone calls. County sheriff's offices across the state provide various methods for attorneys to place "Do Not Record" requests.
How to Perform a California Prison Inmate Search
A California prison inmate search is a critical step in locating an inmate and retrieving a jail phone number. To perform this type of search, inquirers may Visit the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation inmate locator website. On the site, enter the inmate's information, including the CDCR Number or the inmate's last name/first name.
An inmate search will furnish requesters with the following:
- The inmate's CDCR number
- The inmate's age
- The location of the inmate's current institution
- Admission date
- Parole eligibility date
- Release date
Where Is a Jail Phone Number Typically Listed in California?
Individuals who want to communicate with inmates in any of the state's correctional facilities can check the Contact Us page of the CDCR's website. The website contains helpful links and contact information for different facilities, especially addresses and phone numbers of adult correctional and rehabilitation institutions.
How To Find a County Jail Phone Number In California
Families, loved ones, and attorneys of inmates in county jails will have to go to the county's Sheriff's Office website to find out how to contact an inmate. For example, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department has an online phone directory where interested individuals can find the phone numbers for different units, such as the Inmate Information and Inmate Services Cashier Units.
Note that many counties outsource their telephone systems to an independent provider.
California Jail Phone Numbers and Contact Information
The following are the addresses and phone numbers of jail facilities managed by the CDCR:
Avenal State Prison (ASP)
1 Kings Way
Avenal, CA 93204
Phone: (559) 386-0587
California City Correctional Facility (CAC)
22844 Virginia Boulevard
California City, CA 93505
Phone: (760) 246-7600
California Correctional Center (CCC)
711-045 Center Road
Susanville, CA 96127-0790
Phone: (530) 257-2181
California Correctional Institution (CCI)
24900 Highway 202
Tehachapi, CA 93561
Phone: (661) 822-4402
California Health Care Facility (CHCF), Stockton
7707 Austin Road
Stockton, CA 95215
Phone: (209) 467-2500
California Institution for Men (CIM)
14901 Central Avenue
Chino, CA 91710
Phone: (909) 597-1821
California Institution for Women (CIW)
16756 Chino-Corona Road
Corona, CA 92880
Phone: (909) 597-1771
California Men's Colony (CMC)
Highway 1
San Luis Obispo, CA 93409
Phone: (805) 547-7900
California Medical Facility (CMF)
1600 California Drive
Vacaville, CA 95696
Phone: (707) 448-6841
California Rehabilitation Center (CRC)
5th Street & Western
Norco, CA 92860
Phone: (951) 737-2683
California State Prison, Corcoran (COR)
4001 King Avenue
Corcoran, CA 93212
Phone: (559) 992-8800
California State Prison, Los Angeles County (LAC)
44750 60th Street West
Lancaster, CA 93536-7620
Phone: (661) 729-2000
California State Prison, Sacramento (SAC)
100 Prison Road
Represa, CA 95671
Phone: (916) 985-8610
California State Prison, Solano (SOL)
2100 Peabody Road
Vacaville, CA 95696
Phone: (707) 451-0182
Calipatria State Prison (CAL)
7018 Blair Road
Calipatria, CA 92233
Phone: (760) 348-7000
Centinela State Prison (CEN)
2302 Brown Road
Imperial, CA 92251
Phone: (760) 337-7900
Central California Women's Facility (CCWF)
23370 Road 22
Chowchilla, CA 93610
Phone: (559) 665-5531
Chuckawalla Valley State Prison (CVSP)
19025 Wiley's Well Road
Blythe, CA 92225
Phone: (760) 922-5300
Correctional Training Facility (CTF)
Highway 101 North
Soledad, CA 93960
Phone: (831) 678-3951
Folsom State Prison (FSP)
300 Prison Road
Represa, CA 95671
Phone: (916) 985-2561
High Desert State Prison (HDSP)
475-750 Rice Canyon Road
Susanville, CA 96127
Phone: (530) 251-5100
Ironwood State Prison (ISP)
19005 Wiley's Well Road
Blythe, CA 92225
Phone: (760) 921-3000
Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP)
3000 West Cecil Avenue
Delano, CA 93216-6000
Phone: (661) 721-6300
Mule Creek State Prison (MCSP)
4001 Highway 104
Ione, CA 95640
Phone: (209) 274-4911
North Kern State Prison (NKSP)
2737 West Cecil Avenue
Delano, CA 93215
Phone: (661) 721-2345
Pelican Bay State Prison (PBSP)
5905 Lake Earl Drive
Crescent City, CA 95531
Phone: (707) 465-1000
Pleasant Valley State Prison (PVSP)
24863 West Jayne Avenue
Coalinga, CA 93210
Phone: (559) 935-4900
Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility (RJD)
480 Alta Road
San Diego, CA 92179
Phone: (619) 661-6500
Salinas Valley State Prison (SVSP)
31625 Highway 101
Soledad, CA 93960
Phone: (831) 678-5500
San Quentin State Prison (SQ)
San Quentin, CA 94964
Phone: (415) 454-1460
Sierra Conservation Center (SCC)
5100 O'Byrnes Ferry Road
Jamestown, CA 95327
Phone: (209) 984-5291
Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison, Corcoran (SATF-CSP, Corcoran)
900 Quebec Avenue
Corcoran, CA 93212
Phone: (559) 992-7100
Valley State Prison (VSP)
21633 Avenue 24
Chowchilla, CA 93610
Phone: (559) 665-6100
Wasco State Prison (WSP)
701 Scofield Avenue
Wasco, CA 93280
Phone: (661) 758-8400
How to Put Money On Phone For Jail Calls in California
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation offers free phone calls to inmates and their loved ones throughout state-run adult facilities. Families and loved ones can receive calls from inmates without having to fund phone accounts. However, they must still create an account with the Department's vendor.
On the other hand, most counties use third-party providers for telephone services. Loved ones are expected to visit the vendors' websites, follow their procedures to open an account, add funds and top up the account to facilitate phone calls.
How to Add Money to Inmate Phone Account in California
Inmates in CDCR jail facilities do not need money in their phone accounts to make or receive telephone calls. Families and loved ones can also receive phone calls from jail numbers for free.
However, friends and families may need to send money to an inmate's phone account, depending on the county jail where the inmate is being held or serving time. While some counties (like San Diego) offer free phone calls, others require relatives and friends of inmates to send money to inmate phone accounts to allow them to call pay phones to initiate and receive phone calls.
How to Accept Collect Calls From Jail On Cell Phone For Free In California
Prison collect calls allow loved ones to pay for the phone calls they receive from inmates. The CDCR no longer has a collect call service, as phone calls to and from state facilities are now free. However, some county jail systems still use the system, especially those with policies only allowing inmates to initiate phone calls.