Jail Information
Address: | 826 4th St, Eureka, CA 95501 Map |
Phone: | (707) 441-5121 |
Website: | Humboldt County Custody Services Division |
Inmate Information: | Humboldt County Inmate Information |
A December, 2018 media article described this correctional facility in detail, discussing challenges faced because of “AB 109,” California’s Public Safety Realignment initiative passed in 2011. (Under this law, inmates who would have been sentenced to prison may now be held in jail, contributing to overcrowding and other concerns.)
The six-story Humboldt County Jail is located in downtown Eureka, near the courthouse.
Important information is offered here to assist family and friends of individuals detained in the Humboldt County Correctional System. Below, our team of California criminal defense lawyers provide key information on the following topics:
- 1. How do I search for an inmate in Humboldt County?
- 2. How do I post bail at the Humboldt Jail?
- 3. Can I call an inmate?
- 4. How do I put money on an inmate’s account?
- 5. What are the visiting hours and policies?
- 6. Can inmates send and receive mail?
- 7. What is life like at the Humboldt Detention Facility?
- 8. Is there a work release option?
- 9. Property Release
1. How do I search for an inmate in Humboldt County?
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office provides up-to-date, online information about recently booked inmates in the jail. The website includes a “Jail Reports” page, from which you can click the “booking sheet” link on the approximate date of your loved one’s arrest. You will find a list of names of individuals booked into the facility on any given date.
Data provided online includes arrest date and time, booking number, and criminal charges ( indicated, unfortunately, by their California code numbers.) For more information on a specific inmate, call the jail directly at (707) 441-5121.
2. How do I post bail at the Humboldt Jail?
Many detainees at the Humboldt County Detention Center will have the chance to gain freedom through payment of a bail bond. Bail can be paid at the jail with cash, a traveler’s check, money order, or a certified check made out to “Humboldt Superior Court.” Alternatively, you can use the services of a licensed bail bonding agent.
3. Can I call an inmate?
California law mandates that criminal detainees be permitted to make three, free (local) phone calls, such as to family/friends or in search of legal assistance. Friends and family members are not permitted to call into the jail and speak with a detainee or inmate, nor will Humboldt County Jail staff deliver messages.
Eureka inmates are provided with access to phones within the common areas of their housing units. Under general circumstances, inmates can use the phones between 7:30 a.m. and 11 p.m. Calls are made collect from these phones, and are limited to 20 minutes duration. To facilitate phone calls and prepay for minutes visit the Globaltel website, where you can set up an account with a credit/debit card.
It is important to keep in mind that all inmate phone calls at HCCF are subject to monitoring and recording. For this reason, it is strongly recommended that you avoid speaking about pending criminal charges over the phone.
4. How do I put money on an inmate’s account?
Each Humboldt County Jail inmate will have a trust account that is used to pay for commissary purchases, as well as for medical co-pays. Commissary products include snacks/treats, toiletries, stationary materials and entertainment items. There is a commissary spending limit for HCCF inmates of $150 a week.
Family members and friends can contribute to inmate cash accounts in one of a few ways:
- Lobby Kiosk – The jail lobby has a kiosk machine which is available seven days a week from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. For a Tuesday commissary order, deposits must be made by Monday.
- Telephone – Call (866) 345-1884 to make a deposit through Access Corrections Secure Deposits, which accepts credit and debit cards.
- Online – You can pay with credit or debit cards at AccessCorrections.com. Handling charges will be assessed for each transaction.
- Mail – You can also send funds to the jail using a money order. Do not send cash or personal checks.
- Care Packages – You can order inmate care packages through the Access SecurePak.com catalog. The care packages are delivered along with the other commissary orders.
5. What are the visiting hours and policies?
As long as they are not under disciplinary restrictions, Humboldt County inmates can receive at least two 30-minute visits each week. There is a limit of one visit per day. Humboldt County Detention Center visitation is offered on a first come, first serve basis, with sessions starting on the hour and half hour.
HCCF visiting hours are designated according to the various housing locations within the facility. As of April 2022, the visiting schedule for HCCF is being modified, so the best option is to contact the jail and get the inmates visiting hours. You can find out your inmate’s housing unit by calling (707) 441-5121.
Due to Covid-19 concerns, visitors are required to wear a mask according to Humboldt County Health Officer’s Facial Coverings Order. There is also a maximum of two visitors per inmate, and each time slot is limited to four inmates. Hand sanitizer will be available in the public visitation lobby and a disinfectant wipes will be offered to visitors to take with them to their visit. Also, visitation booths will be cleaned following each session.
For a visit to the jail, you must be onsite with all personal property stored away in jail lobby lockers at least 10 minutes ahead of time. ( Since all visitors are required to fill out a request form in the lobby, you should arrive at least 15 minutes early.) Valid, government-issued photo identification will be required (or a DMV printout request.)
Other visitation rules at the Humboldt County Jail are:
- Minors under 18 must arrive for visitation in the company of a parent or guardian (or present proof of emancipation).
- No food or beverages are allowed within the visitation area.
- Do not write notes or make hand signals during visitation.
- No cameras or recording devices may be used.
- Provocative or revealing clothing is not acceptable for visitation.
- Visitors under the influence of alcohol or drugs will be denied entry.
- Disruptive behavior will end the visit.
- Rule violations may lead to suspension of all future visitation privileges.
6. Can inmates send and receive mail?
There is no limit to the amount of correspondence a Humboldt County Correctional Facility inmate can receive and send. Inmates can purchase writing materials and stamped envelopes through commissary. (Indigent inmates are also generally provided with materials to send out two letters a week.)
All incoming envelopes must include a full return address, including first and last name, and should be addressed as follows:
Inmate’s Full Name c/o
Humboldt County Correctional Facility
826 Fourth St.
Eureka, CA 95501
Envelopes should be plain and unadorned with any type of foreign matter, including lipstick, perfume, glitter, stickers or glue. Do not send bubble wrap envelopes. Stationary used for correspondence must be white (non-colored) paper.
The following items are not accepted through the mail:
- Stationary or postage stamps
- Polaroid photos or any photos larger than 5” x 7”
- Tobacco products
- Greeting cards
- Any written material that is obscene/pornographic, related to gang activity or advocating violence, crime, or racism.
You can order magazines, newspapers and soft-cover books for inmates, but they must arrive directly from a publisher or the following vendors: Amazon, Borders, Walden Books, Barnes & Noble. All purchased reading material must be appropriate, following rule #5 above. Note that inmates cannot keep more than five books and 10 magazines at a time in storage.
7. What is life like at the Humboldt Detention Facility?
Incoming inmates at HCCF are assessed and classified before they are assigned to a minimum, medium, or maximum security housing unit. The facility is a “direct supervision” facility, with most of the population living in “dormitory style” housing. Some inmates are segregated for security reasons and kept apart from the rest of the population.
Humboldt County inmates have access to necessary medical care and dental services contracted through California Forensic Medical Group. The jail has a short-term medical housing unit onsite. Mental Health and substance abuse treatment is available, if needed, provided through the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services. Medical co-pays ($3.00) are assessed for some services. The co-pays are taken from the inmate trust account, but lack of funds will not preclude necessary services and medication.
Vocational and educational programs are offered to inmates through College of the Redwoods. There are Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous meetings, Native American talking circles and motivational enhancement therapy programs, as well as religious ministry services.
Some inmates are given the opportunity for “good time” work at the jail, with options including kitchen shifts, laundry room work, and janitorial services. There is also an opportunity to work for Cal-Trans, which uses inmates for roadside and clean-up projects outdoors.
The Humboldt County Correctional Facility complies with the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) of 2003. There is a “zero tolerance policy” for acts or behaviors of sexual abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment or sexual misconduct, and reports of abuse are encouraged.
Inmate handbooks with more details about life at HCCF are available in English and Spanish.
8. Is there a work release option?
The Humboldt County Sheriff facilitates a work release program called SWAP, which is an alternative confinement option for selected, low-risk offenders. Some of the jobs that SWAP inmates might perform include:
- Cutting, splinting and stacking firewood
- Caring for farm animals
- Landscaping work
- Washing and cleaning vehicles
- Kennel work
9. Inmate Property
The Humboldt County Jail does not accept any type of incoming property for inmates. Clothing to wear for jury trials should be arranged through the inmate’s lawyer.
Confiscated inmate property held at the jail can be released once a property release form is executed. All property must be released to a friend or family member at one time. To pick up property in the jail lobby, you must have proper identification.
Note that clothing cannot be released until the inmate’s sentence has been served, and money (in the form of a check) can be released only within the first week after incarceration begins.