The Orange County Central Jail Complex
A resource guide for anyone whose friends and family members are inmates at the Orange County Central Jail Complex
The Central Jail Complex in Orange County consists of three different jail facilities located at 550 N. Flower St. Santa Ana, CA 92703 adjacent to the Sheriff's Headquarters building.***
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Below our Orange County criminal defense attorneys will address:
- How to post bail
- How to get inmate information
- How to contact an inmate
- Rules and Regulations for sending mail
- Schedule of visiting hours
- Inmate Visiting Policies
- How to put money "on the books" for inmates
- Procedure on "Return of Property"
- Special Program for inmates
How to post bail for inmates incarcerated at the Orange County Central Jail?
As soon as the booking process is completed at the Central Jail Complex, bail amount will be set according to the Orange County Bail schedule. After which, anyone can bail out an inmate pending for their trial to guarantee the inmate's appearance for his or her scheduled court hearing in front of a judge for sentencing.
The Orange County Central Jail Complex accepts the following forms of payment as bail:
- Cash
- Cashier's check
- Certified check
- Personal check
- Traveler's check
- Money Order
- Bail Bond
Cash - Posting bail in cash requires having the full amount of bail. Once the court proceedings have been concluded, the bail amount posted will be refunded to you. However, the Orange County Courts charge a small administrative fee.
Cashier's check - If paying with a cashier's check, please make the check payable to the Orange County Sherriff's Department. This method of payment will be accepted only once the issuing financial institution has properly verified its authenticity. It is very important to bring a business card with the bank employee's name and number for verification purposes.
Personal check - This method of payment is accepted provided the information on the check corresponds with the issuer's Driver's License or California Identification. The check must originate from a California bank and must have a California address. Please make the check payable to the Orange County Superior Court. Maximum amount accepted per checking account should not exceed $7,500.
Traveler's check - If paying with a traveler's check, please make check payable to the Orange County Sherriff's Department. Traveler's check will only be accepted if signed in the presence of a cashier at the cashier's office when posting bail.
Money order - If paying with a money order, please make money order payable to the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Money order should be the exact amount as set bail.
Bail bond - If the person posting bail does not have the full amount, hiring a bail bondsman is recommended. Information on bail bondsman is available on the internet or the yellow pages. Before hiring a bail bondsman, make sure that they are licensed bail bond agent. Ask to see their license and identification before hiring them. Ask for itemized receipts of all charges, and copies of all signed contracts and agreements for your own records.
NOTE: Company/business checks are NOT accepted as forms of payment to post bail. 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 Central Jail Complex?
For any inquiries on inmates detained at the Orange County Central Jail Complex, you may call (714) 647-4666 or you may also access their website at Sherriff's Department. To get inmate information, you must have the inmate's first and last name (middle name if applicable) and their date of birth.
How to contact an inmate detained at the Orange County Jail?
Inmates are given a one-time opportunity to make a collect call to a family member or a friend to advise them of their location. Any succeeding times, outgoing phone calls will require a calling card which the inmates may purchase at the commissary once an account has been set up for them by their family members or friends where they can withdraw money to purchase items such as a calling card.
These calling cards come in increments of $25 and $50 only. Global Tell Link is the name of the private telephone company where family members or friends may also purchase them online using a credit card to pre-pay for an inmate. To reach GTL.NET by phone, please call at 1-877-650-4249.
Inmate Mailing:
Inmate name and Booking Number (required information)
550 N. Flower St.
Santa Ana, Ca. 92703
Rules and regulations for sending mail to an inmate detained at the Orange County Central Jail Complex?
Inmates are allowed to send and receive an unlimited amount of correspondence while they are detained at the facility. With that being said, before the mail is delivered to the inmates, all incoming/outgoing mail goes through a standard investigative search for security reasons. Any mail deemed inappropriate by the Sherriff's Department will not be delivered, will either be destroyed or may be used as evidence against the sender and the inmate.
Below is a list of acceptable mail items:
Below is a list of unacceptable mail items:
Schedule of visiting hours at the Orange County Central Jail Complex
Intake/Release Center Visiting Hours
General population: Friday - Sunday 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
Last sign-up to visit is at 5:00 P.M. All visiting times are subject to change without notice.
Module J (Protective Custody)
Friday - Sunday: 9:00 A.M., 2:00 P.M. and 3:00 P.M.
Module J R-3
Friday - Sunday: 10:00 A.M. and 1:00 P.M.
Module J (Total Separation)
Friday - Sunday: 8:00 A.M. to 10:00 A.M. and 12:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M.
Module N
Friday - Sunday: Males: 9:00 A.M., 1:00 P.M., 3:00 P.M., and 5 P.M.
Females: 8:00 A.M., 10:00 A.M. 12:00 P.M., and 2:00 P.M.
Note: Inmates at the Intake/Release Center and the Central Men's Jail receive their meals from 11:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. and 4:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. daily, and no visits are offered at these times.
Orange County Central Men's Jail Visiting Hours
VISITING HOURS
Protective Custody
Friday, Saturday and Sunday 8:00 A.M. ONLY
General Population
Friday, Saturday and Sunday: 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
Total Separation
Friday, Saturday and Sunday: 1:00 P.M. ONLY
Civil Inmates
Friday, Saturday and Sunday: 2:00 P.M. ONLY
Note: Inmates at the Intake/Release Center and the Central Men's Jail receive their meals from 11:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. and 4:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. daily, and no visits are offered at these times.
Orange County Central Women's Jail Visiting Hours
VISITING HOURS
Friday - Sunday: 8:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.
Last sign-up to visit: 5:00 P.M.
Note: Inmates at the Intake/Release Center and the Central Men's Jail receive their meals from 11:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. and 4:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. daily, and no visits are offered at these times.
Inmate visiting policies at the Orange County Central Jail Complex
- Inmates are allowed one visit per visiting day from family or friends (Orange County criminal defense attorneys have much greater visiting opportunities)
- Visits are limited to two persons and one child under 5 years of age.
- Visits are on a first come/first served basis
- We strongly urge visitors to coordinate their visits with their loved ones so as to avoid a situation where two visitors show up (at different times) to visit the same inmate. One of the visitors will be turned away as inmates are only allowed one visit per day.
- Visitors are required to show Identification prior to a visit. The following are accepted forms of identification:
- . California Driver's License
- . California Identification Card
- . U.S. Passport
- . Alien Registration Card
How to put "money in the books" for inmates at the Orange County Central Jail?
This procedure provides the opportunity for family members or friends of inmates to deposit money into their account. By doing so, the inmates can purchase items available at the commissary that they might need while they are detained at the facility. The list below shows the three methods of payment for this service:
- U.S. currency - You may deposit cash into an inmate's account 24 hours a day 7 days a week at the Cashier's office. The amount of money deposited into the inmate's account must not exceed $500 at any given time.
- Money order - (Preferably United Stated Postal Money Order) If choose to deposit money on the inmate's account using a money order, it can only be done by mail and please make sure that they are addressed to the inmate, with their booking number and addressed properly as shown below:
Inmate name and Booking Number (required information)
550 N. Flower St.
Santa Ana, Ca. 92703
Procedure on "Return of Property" at the Orange County Central Jail Complex
Upon conclusion of the booking process, any property of the inmates in their possession at the time of the arrest may be released to a designated recipient. The inmates will have to fill out a release form stating the items that will be released such cash, credit cards, identification, and others alike, (provided they are not needed as evidence for their case) including the name of the person that they will be released to and this will have to verified upon retrieval of the items.
This procedure can be done during regular visiting hours. Please advise the inmate to coordinate with the Deputy to execute the process prior to the day of arrival to collect the items. As soon as the form is signed, the property will be available to be collected at the front desk. Do not forget to bring proper accepted form of identification for verification purposes.
Any property that is not retrieved by a family member or a friend will be put in storage and will be released upon completion of the inmates' time served in jail.
Special Program for inmates while detained at the Orange County Jail
The Orange County Central Jail provides its inmates correctional programs that give them the opportunity to learn skills and have proper job training while incarcerated. When they get released they are equipped with knowledge that they can utilize in the work force. It also helps the inmates to transition efficiently back into the outside world without having to relapse shortly after their release into a habitual criminal behavior.
The Sheriff's Correctional Programs Staff facilitates these programs which include educational classes, vocational education training, and "life skills" classes such as Parenting and Job Development. There are also other programs that help the inmates with personality development such as substance abuse recovery, domestic violence, anger management, fitness and exercise, general and law library services, religious and inspirational programs and pre-release preparation and assistance. These programs are specifically tailored for the inmates to make the most of the possibility of having a smooth transition to the community upon completion of serving their time in jail.
*** In 1968, The Central Men's Jail and Women's Jail were established in a traditional style cell block and dormitory facilities to accommodate inmates pending for their trial as well as sentenced inmates to serving their time at the county jail.
In 1988, the Intake Release Center otherwise referred to as the "IRC" was constructed to facilitate a timely and very precise legal booking/release procedure and also to ease the congestion in the Orange County Jail system. The “IRC” provides a well secured environment for both inmates and the staff due to its modular style of housing facility. The Central Jail Complex currently houses approximately 2,664 inmates in all three facilities.
