The Glendale City California Jail
*A resource guide providing inmate, bail and visiting information for the Glendale Jail and Police Station
The Glendale City Jail and Police Station, located in Glendale, California, can house up to 96 inmates at any one time. It is the third busiest city jail in Los Angeles County, as approximately 500-700 inmates are booked into the facility each month.
Individuals who are arrested in the city of Glendale are transported to this facility where they typically only stay for one to three days until they
- are released on their own recognizance (known as an "O.R." release),
- post bail, or
- are taken to court for their arraignment.
This facility is for short-term housing only. Male defendants who must return to jail...either because they can't post bail or because they have been convicted of their offense...will generally be transferred to a larger Los Angeles County jail such as the Los Angeles Twin Towers Jail or the Los Angeles Men's Central Jail. Women will be transferred to the Century Regional Detention Facility.
In this article, our Glendale criminal defense attorneys1 will explain the following:
1. Procedures on How to Post Bail for an Inmate at the Glendale City Jail
1.1. Cash bail
1.2. Cashier's check
1.3. Bail bonds
2. How to Get Inmate Information
3. How to Contact an Inmate at the Glendale
City Jail
4. Visiting Hours and Policies
5. The Glendale City Jail "Pay to Stay"
Weekender Program
If, after reading this article, you would like more information, we invite you to contact us at Shouse Law Group.
You may also find helpful information in our related articles on California's Arraignment Process; How to Post Bail; O.R. Release; The Los Angeles County Bail Schedule; Bail Hearings; Pretrial Hearings; Case Information; The Los Angeles Twin Towers Jail; The Los Angeles Men's Central Jail; The Century Regional Detention Facility; Warrants; Probation and Parole.
1. Procedures on How to Post Bail for an Inmate at the Glendale City Jail
Once an inmate's bail has been set, a friend or family member may post bail on his/her behalf. Bail for inmates at the Glendale City Jail is set according to the Los Angeles County Bail Schedule and is determined by the crime(s) for which the inmate was arrested.
"Bail" is the amount of money that is designed to reasonably assure the arresting agency and court that the defendant will make his/her court appearances after being released from jail.
The Glendale City Jail accepts three forms of bail: cash bail, cashier's check and bail bonds, all of which are discussed in detail in our article "How to Post Bail in California". You may post bail directly at the Glendale Police Station (where the jail is located) 24 hours a day/7 days a week.
The Jail / Police Station is located at 131 North Isabel Street, Glendale, CA 91206. Their telephone number is (818) 548-3124.
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1.1. Cash bail
If you elect to post cash bail, you must post the full amount. Once you post cash bail, the inmate is released pending his/her arraignment. If the inmate attends his/her court appearances, the bail will be returned following the conclusion of the criminal case. If he/she does not, the defendant forfeits your money to the court.
1.2. Cashier's check
Similar to cash bail, if you opt to use a cashier's check, you must post the entire bail amount. The Glendale City Jail only accepts California bank-drawn cashier's checks. But before you get the check, call the jail directly at (818) 548-3124, and ask who to make it payable to, because it will vary inmate to inmate. You will ultimately make it payable to the court where the inmate will be charged.
This method of bail can be paid directly at the jail 24 hours a day / 7 days a week. However, because the funds must be verified before the jail will release an inmate, the inmate's release may take a while.
Cashier's checks should list the booking number and full legal name of the inmate.
1.3. Bail bonds
Posting a bail bond is the most common way to bail someone out of jail. This is because you are only required to pay a maximum 10% of the total bail amount.
This means that if, for example, the inmate's bail is set at $50,000, cash bail or a cashier's check would have to be for the full $50,000. However, if you elect to use a bail bond, you would only pay a maximum of $5,000 to a bail bondsman, and he would pay the rest.
The downside is that bail bondsmen keep your 10% as their fee. So if the defendant makes all of his/her court appearances, you pay nothing more, but you do not get that 10% back. If the inmate doesn't make those appearances, you will be liable for repaying the entire bail amount to the bondsman.
Bail bondsmen advertise via the Internet and in the phone book. Just make sure you ask to see the agent's business license and retain copies of all documents for your records.
*NOTE: Once you post bail, you should immediately consult with an experienced Glendale criminal defense lawyer who can schedule a bail hearing to argue that the bail should be reduced or eliminated. A skilled local attorney will also review the case to help develop the most comprehensive legal defense to help your loved one fight his/her case.
2. How to Get Information about an Inmate at the Glendale City Jail
In order to obtain information about an inmate at the Glendale City Jail, you may call the Glendale Police Station at (818) 548-4840 or the jail directly at (818) 548-3124. You can alternatively access information via the web on the Los Angeles Sheriff Department's inmate information website.
Before a deputy will release information, you must provide the inmate's correct full legal name or his/her booking number.
Typically, inmates who are being held in custody must be arraigned within two (2) days of being arrested. At that point, the judge will either continue the arraignment or will set the case for a pre-trial hearing. If you wish to look up the case information for an inmate being housed at the Glendale Jail, visit the Los Angeles County Case Information website.
3. How to Contact an Inmate at the Glendale
City Jail
Inmates at the Glendale Jail are allowed to make three (3) free local telephone calls when they arrive at the facility. Beyond that, any outgoing calls must be collect. If you know you have a loved one in jail, make sure to contact your local telephone carrier to ensure that your ability to receive collect calls isn't blocked.
Unfortunately, inmates are not allowed to receive incoming calls.
You may, however, visit an inmate at the Glendale City Jail, provided that you comply with the facility's visiting hours and policies described below.
4. Visiting Hours and Policies
The general public is allowed to visit inmates at the Glendale City Jail 7 days a week from 1:00pm-4:00pm, with the last visit beginning at 3:45pm. Each visit is limited to 15 minutes. Inmates may have one visit from one friend/family member (or one adult and one child) per day. However, attorneys and clergy members are permitted unlimited visiting privileges 24 hours a day / 7 days per week.
All visitors must bring valid picture identification, including
- a California driver's license or identification card,
- a U.S. Passport,
- an alien registration card, or
- a U.S. military card.
All visits are conducted via a video visit station. As a result, visitors may not bring anything to the inmates. And because inmates are only temporarily housed at the Glendale Jail, they are not there long enough to receive mail...that is, unless they participate in the Jail's "Pay to Stay" weekender program, discussed below.
***A word of caution – anyone who has an outstanding warrant or is on probation or parole will probably not be allowed to visit an inmate and may be arrested on site.
And visitors may not take home an inmate's property that has been collected and stored at the Jail. Although some detention facilities do allow inmates to release their property to another person, the Glendale Jail does not.
5. The Glendale City Jail "Weekender" Program
In addition to providing temporary housing to inmates awaiting their arraignment, the Glendale City Jail offers a program called the "pay to stay" weekender program. This type of "private jail" program allows eligible defendants to serve their time at the Glendale Jail instead of among the general population at one of the L.A. County jails.
Despite its name, inmates do not have to serve their sentences exclusively on the weekends, but may opt to serve their time during any 2-4 day periods until they have served their entire sentence. Inmates may be required to work in the jail's laundry and/or with the facility's janitorial service.
This program allows inmates who are employed or who are students to continue working or going to school.
The weekender program is available for $85 a day to men and women who meet the eligibility criteria and who have been pre-approved by the judge. For more information about these criteria, you can contact the jail directly at (818) 548-3124 or (818) 548-3125 or visit the Glendale City Jail's weekender program website.
Call us for help...
For more information about the Glendale City Jail, or to discuss your loved one's case confidentially with one of our experienced Glendale criminal defense lawyers, do not hesitate to contact us at Shouse Law Group.
1 Our Glendale criminal defense attorneys' offices are located at 450 North Brand Blvd., 6th Floor, Glendale, CA 91203 and our telephone number is (818) 904-5900. In addition, our Los Angeles criminal defense lawyers have local law offices in Beverly Hills, Burbank, Lancaster, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Pomona, Torrance, Van Nuys, West Covina, and Whittier.
