Theo Lacy Jail Facility

(Inmate, bail and visiting information for the Theo Lacy Facility in Orange County)

The Theo Lacy Jail Facility is located at:

501 The City Drive South
Orange, CA 92868
(714) 647-4666

Parking is available for visitors in the north parking structure located right across from the Juvenile Courthouse and adjacent to UCI medical building.

Below our Santa Ana criminal defense lawyers will explain:

Rules and Regulations for sending mail

How to put money "on the books" for inmates

Procedure on "Return of Property

How to post bail at the Theo Lacy Jail Facility

Once the booking process is concluded at the Theo Lacy Jail in Orange County, bail amount will be set according to the Orange County Bail schedule. Afterwards, a family member or a friend can bail out an inmate for his or her release pending for trial to guarantee appearance for future court dates.

The methods of payment accepted for bail at the Theo Lacy Facility are as follows:

Cash

Cashier's check

Certified check

Personal check

Traveler's check

Money Order

Bail Bond

Cash - The full amount of bail is required when posting bail in cash. After the court proceedings are through, a refund of posted bail will be given back to you. However, a small administrative fee will be charged to you and the rest will be refunded.

Cashier's check - When paying with cashier's check, make the check payable to the Orange County Sheriff's Department. For this method of payment to be accepted, the legitimacy of the issuing financial institution has to be properly verified first. It is crucial for this procedure to bring a business card with the bank employee's name and number for verification purposes.

Personal check - To use this method of payment, the information on the check must correspond with the issuer's Driver's License or California Identification Card. The origin of the check must be from a California bank and must have a California address. The check must be made payable to the Orange County Superior Court. Maximum amount accepted per checking account should not exceed $7,500.

Traveler's check - Traveler's check are accepted only if they are signed in the presence of a cashier at the cashier's office. Make check payable to the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

Money order - When paying with a money order, make money order payable to the Orange County Sheriff's Department. The amount of money order should be the same as bail amount.

Bail bond - If you do not have the full bail amount, a bail bond is your best option. You may find information on bail bond services on the internet or the yellow pages. When hiring a bail bondsman, make sure to verify that they are licensed bail bond agents. Also, it is advisable to ask for itemized receipts of all charges, and copies of all signed contracts and agreements for your own records.

For a more detailed discussion, visit our page on the bail and release process in California.

NOTE: Posting bail using company/business checks will NOT be accepted. Cash, money orders and checks will NOT be accepted as combined payment to post bail. After posting bail, consult an Orange County Criminal Defense Attorney for legal counsel.

How to get inmate information at the Theo Lacy Jail Facility

To access inmate information at the Theo Lacy Jail, you may call the jail/custody operations at (714) 647-4666. You can also access inmate information on line from the Orange County Sheriff's Department's website. When inquiring about inmate information, you must have inmate's first and last name (middle name if it applies), as well as his or her date of birth.

Inmates in custody in Orange County may also be housed at the Orange County Central Jail Complex or the James Musick Jail Facility. Minors are generally detained at the Orange County Juvenile Hall.

How to contact an inmate at the Theo Lacy Facility?

The inmates incarcerated at the Theo Lacy Facility are not allowed to receive incoming phone calls. They are however allowed to call initially to advise someone of their location and their situation. Afterwards, they are required to have a calling card to make any outgoing calls.

The inmates may purchase these calling cards from the commissary provided they have money on their account. Family members or friends may either deposit money on their account or pre-purchase them online with a credit card at Global Tell Link which is the name of the private telephone company that services the jails. To reach GTL.NET by phone, you may reach them at 1-877-650-4249.

These calling cards are only available in increments of $25 and $50 only.

Or you may contact the inmate via mail at:

Inmate Mailing:

Inmate name and Booking Number (required information)
501 City Drive South
Orange, CA 92868

Rules and Regulations for sending mail at the Theo Lacy Facility

The inmates at the Theo Lacy Jail are allowed to send and receive unlimited amount of mail for the entire time that they are detained in jail. However, all mailings go through a strict standard search for safety measures before they get delivered to the inmates. All mailings deemed inappropriate by the Sheriff's department will not reach the inmate and will deliberately destroyed provided they can not be used as evidence against the sender and/or the inmate.

Below is a list of acceptable items sent via mail:

You may send Money Orders in the mail but do now forget to make the money order payable to the Orange County Sheriff's Department, with the inmate's name and booking number indicated on the reference line of the money order. Otherwise this will not be delivered to the inmate.

Photos must be a maximum of (8x10) in size and must not depict any of nudity or have any explicit sexual innuendos.

Inmates are not allowed to have more than 10 pages of any photocopied/reproduced or printed material, including photos.

All reading materials should be received from or sent directly by the publishing company or an accepted distributor (i.e. Amazon.com, barneandnoble.com, costco.com, walmart.com, etc.). Each inmate is only allowed to have a maximum of 5 books at any given time.

Below is a list of unacceptable items sent via mail:

All mailings without a return address

All items that cannot pass through the inspection procedure without the possibility of being damaged such as multi-layered cards, photos, and/or laminated items

All items containing foil or metal of any type, glass, wood, hard plastic, rubber, glue, perfume, or other illegal substances

Maps, travel brochures, wall calendars, wall posters, or catalogs

Credit cards or personal checkbooks

Any food item

Any article of clothing, hygiene item or other personal property

Personal checks/Payroll checks

Padded envelopes

Hard cover books or used paperback books

Writing paper, pencils, envelopes and stamps (Generally, these items are available for purchase at the Commissary. Stamps and envelopes must be ordered from USPS.COM and must be shipped directly to an inmate)

All packages or envelopes exceeding (9"x12") in size

Schedule of visiting hours at the Theo Lacy Facility

Each visitor who enters the Theo Lacy Jail is subject to a thorough physical inspection passing through a metal detecting screening device for security purposes. Anyone found in possession of any illegal items such as contraband, firearms, or any deadly weapon that can injure another person will arrested on the spot.

Anyone who refuses to go through this procedure will be denied entry to the facility.

Visiting hours at the Theo Lacy Facility are from 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM with the last sign-up taken at 5:30 PM. Visiting days are from Thursday through Sunday. No visitation privileges from Monday through Wednesday.

Inmate Visiting Policies at the Theo Lacy Facility

Each visitor entering the facility is required to provide a valid identification upon request. The list below indicates the accepted forms of identifications:

A California driver's license

A California identification card

A U.S. passport

An Alien Registration card

Each inmate is allowed a 30-minute visit and only 1 visit per day.

No more than 2 adults and 1 child under the age of 5 may visit at any given time.

Minors are required to be accompanied by a parent or a legal guardian at all times. Also, minors are only allowed to visit if they are a direct blood relative of the inmate and with the approval of the Watch Commander.

All kinds of food, drinks, candy, gum, cell phones, cigarettes, matches, lighters, pepper spray, weapons or anything deemed inappropriate by the Watch Commander will not be allowed in the visiting area.

Any visitor who appears to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol is not allowed and will be subject to arrest on the spot.

Any kind of clothing that is derogatory, offensive, revealing, or deemed inappropriate by the Watch Commander or his representative are not allowed in the visiting area.

Any visitor whose conduct happens to be offensive or potentially disrupts the orderly conduct of the facility will not be granted to enter the visiting area.

How to put money "on the books" at the Theo Lacy Facility

This is a procedure available to inmates at the Theo Lacy Jail which allows the inmates to have money deposited into an account where they can access to purchase items at the commissary. The cashier's office only takes U.S. currency and/or money orders as forms of money to be deposited into an inmate's account. The amount of money deposited into an inmate's account must not exceed the maximum limit of $500.00 at any given time.

Money orders may also be mailed to the inmate through United States Postal Service and are preferably issued by them as well. If using a Government check, this must be directly mailed to the inmate. This is required for tracking purposes so that the inmates can properly endorse the checks and then be able to deposit it into their account.

Procedure on "Return of Property" at the Theo Lacy Facility

Once the booking procedure is completed, all properties such as wallets, cash, credit cards, and other personal effects in the possession of the inmates at the time of the arrest are put in storage. By signing a release form, the inmates may release their properties to a designated recipient. To retrieve these items, the designated person must present a valid form of identification for verification purposes before they are released.

This procedure can be done during regular visiting hours and it is recommended that all paperwork is processed by the inmate prior to the recipient's arrival at the facility so to avoid unnecessary delay.

Additional Information

The Theo Lacy Facility was originally completed back in 1960 to accommodate the overcrowding jail population of Santa Ana's Sycamore Street Jail, which at that time was only able to contain approximately 400 inmates. After its most recent expansion, the jail is now considered to be the largest correctional institution in Orange County with a maximum capacity of over 3,100 inmates.

This facility houses a wide range of inmates from minimum to maximum security. At the Theo Lacy Jail, the minimum-risk security inmates are housed in an area where they have more ability to move without restraint as opposed to the higher-risk inmates situated in more protected areas of the jail. Throughout the facility, the lower-risk security inmates also perform various duties such as cleaning, kitchen and maintenance functions as part of their job while detained at the jail.

Higher-risk security inmates are housed in a highly technological section of the jail where the inmates have superior protection that gives them less movement in the facility. The inmates at Theo Lacy Facility also have the privilege of medical, dental and mental health services available 24 hours a day, 7 days week.

If your loved one has a case at the Theo Lacy Facility, the Orange County Central Jail Complex, the James Musick Facility or the Orange County Juvenile Hall, we invite you to contact our Santa Ana criminal defense lawyers for a free consultation at (714) 288-9455.