San Bernardino County Booking Lookup, Custody, Bail, Visits & Release Guide
San Bernardino County does not use a simple static jail roster. Its Sheriff-operated locator can search current inmates by a 10-digit booking number or by identity details and can also show projected releases and recent out-of-custody records.
This guide explains what to enter, how to identify the correct person, what the result fields mean, what to do when no record appears, which of the four county detention facilities is involved, and how to handle visitation, bail, money, mail, medical information, property, court records, release and reentry without opening a dozen separate government pages.
The fastest locator method when you already know the booking number.
West Valley, Central, High Desert and Glen Helen.
Reviewed August 17, 2026.
The fastest way to find someone in San Bernardino County custody
Enter the inmate’s 10-digit booking number and select the booking-number search. This is the most precise option and avoids same-name problems.
Enter last name, first name, date of birth and gender. A middle name can help, but do not use it if you are unsure how the person was booked.
Enter an approximate age instead. The locator searches approximately two years younger and two years older than the age entered.
How to use the San Bernardino County inmate locator
What the San Bernardino inmate record can tell you
The locator is unusually useful because it combines identity, arrest, housing, visiting, mail and release information in one record. Understanding these fields can prevent unnecessary calls.
| Locator field | What it means | What you should do with it |
|---|---|---|
| Booking # | The county booking identifier assigned to the custody record. | Save it. You will need it for visits, mail and many family-service questions. |
| Name / Alias | The identity and any alias currently connected to the booking. | Use aliases to troubleshoot future searches and verify the correct person. |
| DOB / Age | Identity information useful for separating people with similar names. | Match this before paying money or contacting a jail. |
| Physical description | May include height, weight, eye color and hair color. | Use only as a secondary identity check because appearance can change. |
| Arrest date | The date associated with the arrest information known to the Sheriff. | Compare it with the arrest date you were told. |
| Arrest location | Where the arrest is recorded as occurring. | Useful when you are unsure which police agency handled the case. |
| Arrest agency | The law-enforcement agency associated with the arrest. | Save it if you later need arrest reports or agency records. |
| Bail | Current bail information associated with the custody record. | Check every listed charge before paying anything. |
| Housing facility | The county jail currently housing the inmate. | Use that facility for mail, property and travel planning. |
| Visiting information | Visiting information connected with the inmate’s current housing. | Use it together with the booking number to reserve a visit. |
| Mailing address | The proper facility-specific inmate mailing destination. | Copy it from the live record because housing may change. |
| Projected release | An expected release date when one is available. | Treat it as a projection, not a guaranteed pickup time. |
| Release date / released to | Information available after a release is recorded. | Remember that the Sheriff states it receives no further updates after release. |
No inmate found? Check these possibilities in order
Projected releases and recent out-of-custody searches
San Bernardino’s locator is more useful than a conventional roster because it provides separate date-based release tools.
Select an available future release date in the locator to see people currently projected for release on that date.
A projected date can still change because of warrants, court orders, sentence calculations, medical needs or other custody conditions.
Select an available past release date to review the Sheriff’s recent out-of-custody list.
This is the first place to look when a person appeared earlier but no longer appears in the active inmate search.
Which San Bernardino County jail is holding the inmate?
The Detention and Corrections Bureau operates four main adult detention facilities. Always use the housing facility shown in the inmate’s current locator record rather than guessing from the city where the arrest occurred.
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739
Facility / inmate locator phone: 909-708-8371
West Valley opened in 1991 and is one of California’s largest county jails. The Sheriff lists a bed capacity of 3,347 and approximately 50,000–60,000 bookings and releases each year.
The facility provides medical, dental, mental-health and religious services. Medical staff are on duty around the clock and the jail includes specialized medical and mental-health housing.
San Bernardino, CA 92415
Phone: 909-386-0969
Use the inmate’s locator record to confirm that CDC is the current housing facility before mailing anything or traveling.
Adelanto, CA 92301
Phone: 760-530-9300
Inmate locator line: 909-708-8371
High Desert opened in 2006 and is a Type II facility. The Sheriff states that it provides secure housing for more than 2,100 inmates.
Devore, CA 92407
Phone: 909-473-3689
Glen Helen is also the base for substantial inmate-services and reentry programming. County reentry staff work across the jail system from the Glen Helen campus.
You found the inmate — what should you do next?
It is the key identifier for visiting, mail, deposits and many jail-service questions.
The correct facility determines where you visit, send mail and handle property.
One payable charge does not mean another no-bail or sentenced charge disappears.
Visits require the booking number and must be scheduled in advance.
Use the Superior Court portal for the current hearing date and case information.
Use projected-release or out-of-custody tools when release timing matters.
San Bernardino County Jail visitation rules
The current county corrections guidance lists visits Wednesday through Saturday, generally from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Appointments must be made at least one day before the requested visit. Same-day visits are not offered through the inmate-locator scheduling system.
Check in 30 minutes before the appointment. Late visitors may be turned away.
How to schedule online
Scheduling by phone
The Sheriff’s current inmate-locator page tells visitors who do not use online scheduling to call Tuesday through Saturday between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. and to call the day before the visit.
A broader corrections page displays additional phone-hour language. Calling within the narrower 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. window is the safer practical choice.
Current general visit limits
| Rule | Current county guidance | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly visits | Maximum two visits totaling one hour per week until further notice. | Plan important visitors before using the available weekly appointments. |
| Visitors per visit | Current corrections guidance limits visits to two visitors, generally one adult plus another adult or minor. | Do not bring a larger group unless the facility specifically approves it. |
| Check-in | 30 minutes before appointment. | Build security screening and parking time into the trip. |
| Searches | Visitors, belongings and vehicles may be subject to search. | Bring only necessary permitted items. |
| Special classifications | Different visiting restrictions may apply. | Call the visiting line when the locator or staff identifies special classification. |
Accepted visitor identification
Do not wear or bring these items
Gang attire, hats, offensive graphics, sheer garments, tank or halter tops, strapless or spaghetti-strap tops.
No clothing exposing chest, breasts, midriff, genital area or buttocks. Shorts, dresses and skirts must not be shorter than mid-thigh.
No cellphones, photographic or recording devices, weapons, tobacco or illicit drugs.
Visitor with a California felony-prison history
California Penal Code section 4571 restricts a person who has served time in a California state prison from entering jail grounds without written authorization from the facility commander or designee.
San Bernardino County bail: what to check before paying
Bail is one of the areas where families make expensive mistakes. Start with the inmate locator and look at every listed charge.
| What you see | What it means practically | Recommended next step |
|---|---|---|
| Bail amount beside every applicable charge | The record may be eligible for release when acceptable bail is posted for all required charges. | Call 909-350-2476 to confirm the total and accepted form before paying. |
| “No bail” on one charge | The inmate must remain in custody on that charge until further court action. | Do not assume paying bail on other charges will produce release. |
| “Sentenced” beside a charge | The inmate has a custody period ordered by the court for that charge. | Confirm release calculation rather than trying to bail that sentenced charge. |
| Another hold or warrant | Another legal matter may continue custody even after bail on the visible case. | Ask whether another agency or court must clear the inmate. |
Available bail routes
The full required cash amount must be posted for each charge that requires bail.
A licensed bail agency can provide a surety bond. Sheriff’s personnel are prohibited from recommending or steering users to a particular bail agent.
Property-bond procedures are handled through the Superior Court rather than as a simple jail-counter transaction.
Cashier’s checks
Sheriff’s general information says cashier’s checks may be used, but incorrect check information will delay processing. Call 909-350-2476 before purchasing the check and ask exactly who it must be payable to and where it should be presented.
When will a San Bernardino County inmate actually be released?
A projected release date is useful, but the Sheriff’s Department publishes general release windows rather than promising an exact pickup time.
| Release reason | County’s general timing | Family planning tip |
|---|---|---|
| Court-ordered sentence completed | Generally between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. | Do not plan pickup around a single exact hour. |
| Court order, cite release, own recognizance or case not filed | Generally the same day between 6:00 a.m. and midnight. | Confirm status before driving to the jail. |
| Special medical, mental-health or structured-living plan | May occur at any time depending on the individual release plan. | Coordinate with the responsible facility or release-planning staff. |
How to put money on a San Bernardino County inmate account
Inmates use account funds to purchase hygiene items, snacks and other permitted personal products through commissary. Always verify the correct inmate and booking number first.
Lobby kiosk deposits
Deposit kiosks are available in the lobby of the four main county jails.
The county lists lobby kiosk deposits as available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Kiosks accept cash, credit cards and debit cards. Kiosks do not accept personal checks or money orders.
Mailed account deposits
Separate Sheriff’s locator instructions allow specific mailed deposits. These rules are different from the lobby kiosk rules.
| Payment | County rule | How to avoid rejection |
|---|---|---|
| Money order | Accepted when issued by the U.S. Postal Service or Western Union. | Make it payable to the correct detention facility and include inmate name and booking number. |
| Bank cashier’s check | May be posted after the issuing bank is verified. | Confirm the facility’s current instructions before purchasing. |
| Cash through mail | Do not mail cash. | Use the facility kiosk instead. |
| Personal check | Not accepted. | Use an approved deposit method. |
Care packages
San Bernardino County identifies iCare as its care-package option. The Sheriff warns users to use the verified iCare site because fraudulent look-alike sites can exist.
San Bernardino County inmate mail, photos and book rules
The safest mailing method is to open the inmate’s live record and copy the facility mailing address shown there. Housing can change, so do not rely on an old address from a prior booking.
Put all of this on the outside of the envelope
Paper and envelope rules
- Use a plain envelope.
- Use permitted lined writing paper or an acceptable non-cardstock postcard.
- Do not send blank envelopes, blank paper or stamps.
- Do not use perfume, powder or cologne.
- Do not place kiss impressions on correspondence.
- Do not send heavily stained or extremely dirty correspondence.
- Do not use white-out, crayons, paint, markers, glue, tape, glitter, stickers, labels or colored pencils.
- Do not include metal, plastic, gum or food.
Photo rules
The inmate locator’s mailing guidance says to send no more than 10 pictures at one time.
Pictures should not be larger than 5 × 7 inches.
Print the inmate’s name and booking number on the back of each photograph.
Books, magazines and publications
Inmate telephone communication
San Bernardino County states that inmates have access to telephones for legal and personal calls while housed in county facilities.
Make sure the inmate has your correct telephone number and that your phone settings are not automatically blocking correctional calls.
Because service arrangements and account rules can change, contact the inmate’s current facility when a call-account problem cannot be resolved from the inmate’s information.
What to do when an arrested family member has medication or mental-health needs
San Bernardino County publishes unusually detailed family instructions for this situation. Families can give medical and mental-health staff important treatment information even when privacy laws prevent staff from disclosing the inmate’s condition back to the family without consent.
Step 1: tell the inmate to disclose the condition during screening
Encourage the person to be direct with Sheriff’s nursing staff and jail mental-health screeners about physical conditions, psychiatric diagnosis, medications, prior treatment and current safety concerns.
Step 2: locate the inmate and booking number
Use the inmate locator to obtain the housing facility and booking number. If the locator fails, call 909-350-2476.
Step 3: prepare a medical / mental-health fax
Current fax destinations
Fax: 909-463-5180
Use for important physical medical information.
Fax: 909-463-5233
Use for psychiatric and mental-health treatment information.
What happens after you provide medication information?
The information helps jail clinicians assess the inmate, but the Sheriff’s guidance explains that jail medical or mental-health staff make their own clinical assessment and may not prescribe exactly the same medication or treatment previously used outside the jail.
Medical records
Phone: 909-463-5007
Email: Medicalrecords@sbcsd.org
How to find the current San Bernardino County criminal court case
The inmate locator is for custody. The Superior Court portal is the better source for the current criminal case, hearing schedule, minute orders and court documents that are publicly available.
San Bernardino, CA 92415-0240
Criminal phone: 909-384-1888
Public phone hours: 8:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Clerk office: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
The court states that public case information is provided as a service and may contain errors or omissions. The online information is not itself the official court record.
Inmate property: what can be picked up or dropped off?
San Bernardino County limits personal property transactions. The Sheriff’s published general rules identify four main categories that may be accepted for pickup or drop-off:
Facility and case restrictions can apply; confirm before bringing clothing.
Use approved inmate-account procedures rather than handing money directly to an inmate.
Medication is handled through jail medical procedures, not directly between a visitor and inmate.
Legal paperwork is among the limited property categories recognized by the Sheriff’s published guidance.
How someone outside the jail picks up inmate property
Booking photos, arrest records and public-record requests
Users often expect an inmate locator to provide a mugshot. San Bernardino County’s Sheriff’s Department says it generally does not release booking photos.
Use the Sheriff’s inmate locator first. It is specifically identified by the Records unit for current inmate booking and release information.
Public-record disclosure depends on the type of record, the requester’s eligibility and California disclosure exemptions. Some records may be partially withheld or unavailable.
Safety, sexual-abuse reporting and PREA
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department states that it follows the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act and maintains a zero-tolerance policy for sexual abuse in correctional facilities.
Reports may involve conduct by an employee, vendor, contracted agency, volunteer, inmate or another person associated with the Department. The Sheriff states that a report can be made through a Sheriff’s Department facility or station.
Programs, education, work release and reentry help
San Bernardino County’s Community Service & Reentry Division and Inmate Services Unit provide educational, behavioral and transition programming across the county correctional system.
Five Keys Charter Schools partners with the county on high-school diploma programming for justice-involved participants.
In-custody classes can include substance-abuse education, living skills, parenting and anger-management programming.
The county describes vocational instruction in detention facilities as part of preparation for community reintegration.
Work Release / Electronic Confinement Unit
San Bernardino County operates work-release and electronic-confinement alternatives for qualifying lower-risk cases under court and program rules. Some participants complete sentences through volunteer work crews; others serve community-based custody under GPS monitoring.
Phone: 909-473-2580
Hours: Seven days a week, 7:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; closed on holidays.
Release notifications for victims and concerned family members
The inmate locator provides access to VINE / VINELink notification information. VINE can notify registered users about custody-status changes by available methods such as phone or email.
Use it when a release, transfer or custody-status change affects personal safety or planning.
Keep your own safety plan and independently verify an important custody change when necessary.
San Bernardino County jail phone directory by problem
| Your problem | Office / facility | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Cannot find inmate / bail question | Jail Public Information / Bail Information | 909-350-2476 |
| Schedule a social visit | Inmate Visiting Appointment Line | 909-887-0364 |
| West Valley inmate / facility question | West Valley Detention Center | 909-708-8371 |
| Central Detention Center question | Central Detention Center | 909-386-0969 |
| High Desert inmate / facility question | High Desert Detention Center | 760-530-9300 |
| Glen Helen / inmate services | Glen Helen Rehabilitation Center | 909-473-3689 |
| Work release / GPS confinement | Administrative Support Unit | 909-473-2580 |
| Official religious visit | Inmate Services Unit | 909-473-2646 |
| Inmate medical records | Correctional medical records | 909-463-5007 |
| San Bernardino criminal court case | Superior Court Criminal Division | 909-384-1888 |
Local San Bernardino inmate-search tips that prevent wasted trips
The Sheriff’s own family instructions recommend this when the person cannot be found.
The locator’s ±2-year age search is more useful than guessing the wrong birth date.
When an active record disappears, use the release-date list before assuming the search system is broken.
Four facilities are in use and the inmate can move. An old jail address can delay mail.
Incorrect bail-check information can delay processing. Confirm the exact payee first.
Security screening is part of the appointment; arriving at the appointment time itself can make you late.
The current locator provides a 10-picture-per-mailing instruction. Following the stricter rule reduces rejection risk.
The jail medical process wants diagnosis, medication and safety information—not an explanation of the criminal charges.
The Sheriff explicitly says the locator’s court appearance date may not be current.
Main detention facility map
West Valley Detention Center is a major intake and detention facility and also provides the county jail information / bail contact used when an inmate cannot be located online.
Official sources and final live actions
The procedures above have been brought into this page so users do not need to open government pages simply to understand the rules. The links below are retained mainly for actions that must occur on a live government or approved service system.
- San Bernardino County Sheriff Inmate Locator
- Detention and Corrections Bureau jail rules
- Inmate General Information and family mental-health guide
- West Valley Detention Center facility information
- High Desert Detention Center facility information
- Community Service & Reentry Division information
- Sheriff public-record guidance
- Official Inmate Medication Information Form
- San Bernardino Superior Court criminal case resources
San Bernardino County Jail inmate search FAQs
How do I search for an inmate in San Bernardino County?
Use the Sheriff’s official Inmate Locator. Search with the 10-digit booking number if you have it. Otherwise use the person’s name, date of birth and gender. If you do not know the exact birth date, enter approximate age and the system searches two years before and two years after that age.
What information appears in the inmate locator?
A record can include booking number, name, alias, DOB, age, physical descriptors, arrest date, bail, arrest location and agency, housing facility, visiting information, mailing information, projected release and release information.
What should I do if the inmate does not appear?
Retry without the middle name, use approximate age when DOB is unknown and test other legal names. Also check the recent out-of-custody list. If no result appears, call 909-350-2476. Some records may not appear publicly because of legal disclosure exemptions.
How do I schedule a jail visit?
Locate the inmate first and save the booking number and housing facility. Use the visit-scheduling link in the inmate record when available or call 909-887-0364. Reservations must be made in advance and visitors should arrive 30 minutes early.
How many visits can an inmate receive?
Current county corrections guidance states a maximum of two visits totaling one hour per week until further notice, subject to classification and facility restrictions.
How do I post bail?
Review every listed charge first. Cash requires the full applicable bail amount, a licensed surety bond may be used, and property bonds go through the court. Call 909-350-2476 before using a cashier’s check. Bail does not guarantee immediate release if another no-bail charge, sentence or hold exists.
How can I deposit inmate money?
Lobby kiosks at the county’s main jail facilities accept cash, credit cards and debit cards 24/7. Mailed money orders follow separate rules and must be issued by the U.S. Postal Service or Western Union under the Sheriff’s published instructions.
What are the inmate mail rules?
Put the sender name and return address plus the inmate name, booking number and correct facility address on a plain envelope. The current locator advises no more than 10 photos per mailing and a maximum photo size of 5 × 7 inches. Hard-bound books are not accepted.
How can I tell the jail about medication or a mental-health condition?
Obtain the booking number and housing information, then provide the inmate’s diagnosis, doctors, medications, dosage, side effects, suicide-risk history and other urgent medical facts. Current Sheriff’s guidance lists medical fax 909-463-5180 and mental-health fax 909-463-5233.
How do I check the current criminal court date?
Use the San Bernardino Superior Court public case portal because the Sheriff’s locator warns that its displayed court date may not be current. The San Bernardino District Criminal Division can be reached at 909-384-1888.