The Ventura County Main Jail The Pre-Trial Detention Facility

Address/phone	Ventura County Main Jail 800 S Victoria Ave. Ventura, CA 93009 (map) (805) 933-8501
Find an inmate	Inmate locator
Video visits	Securus Technologies
Email inmates	Click here
Capacity	890 inmates, co-ed

The Ventura County Main Jail – also known as the Pre-Trial Detention Facility (PTDF) – temporarily houses arrestees until they

• post bail,
• get released on their own recognizance (“O.R. release“),
• are arraigned, or
• are acquitted at trial.

Most arrestees get released on their own recognizance unless they pose a flight risk or a safety risk or are facing capital charges.

Ventura County Jail also houses convicted defendants who have been sentenced to incarceration in a county jail. In general, these defendants were convicted of violent crimes or require psychiatric/medical services.

In this article, our Ventura County criminal defense attorneys¹ will address the following:

• 1. Posting bail
• 2. Inmate search
• 3. Phoning/emailing inmates
• 4. Visitation
  • 4.1. Video visitation
• 5. Sending mail
• 6. Inmate funds
• 7. Inmate services
• 8. Property release
• 9. Jail information
• Resources for inmates and families

If, after reading this article, you would like more information, we invite you to contact us at Shouse Law Group.

1. Posting bail

You can post bail for inmates at the Ventura County Main Jail 24/7 by either:

1. Cash paid in full
2. Cashier’s check made payable to the Ventura County Superior Court
3. Certified check made payable to the Ventura County Superior Court
4. Money order made payable to the Ventura County Superior Court
5. Credit/debit card through GovPayNow or 1 (888) 604-7888 (the jail’s Pay Location Code # is 6404)
6. Bail bond

If you opt to pay without using a bail bondsman, you will receive a refund of your money (minus an administrative charge) after the case concludes. However, if your loved one misses any court dates, your bail money will be lost.

If you opt to hire a bail bondsman, you must pay the agent a non-refundable fee of 10% of the total bail amount. You are not responsible for paying the other 90% unless your loved one then misses court.

Learn more at the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office – Posting Bail.

2. Inmate search

To check if someone is incarcerated at the Ventura Pre-Trial Detention Facility, call (805) 654-3335 or search online at the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department inmate information website. You can search by:

• name,
• date of birth, or
• booking number.

3. Phoning/emailing inmates

You may not call your loved one at the Ventura County Mail Jail. Instead, they can call you collect or with a prepaid calling card. To set up an Advance Connect prepaid calling account, contact Securus.

You can also email a loved one at the following rates (plus a $1.75 processing fee):

Click here to set up an email account with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.

Learn more at the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office – Phone Calls.

4. Visitation

Inmates at the Ventura Main Jail are generally permitted to have two 30-minute visits per week. Up to two people may participate in each visit (either two adults, or one adult and one child).

Visits are on a first-come, first-served basis, and you must wear an N95 mask. You may not visit if you yourself have been incarcerated at a jail in Ventura County within the last year.

Specific visiting schedules vary within each housing unit. It is advisable that you contact the jail at (805) 654-3335 prior to your anticipated visit to make sure that you arrive at the appropriate time. Currently, the schedule is as follows:

Hours	Wednesday	Thursday	Saturday	Sunday
8:30am – 11:30am Check-in starts at 7:30am, no check-ins after 11am.	C, E, G, MB (L1),3MS	B, E, SPECIAL, MB (L1), WB(L1)	A, F, WH (L2), 3MS	A, ADMIN
1:30pm – 4:30pm Check-in starts at 12:30pm, no check-ins after 4pm	B, F, WH (L1), 4MS	A,G, ADMIN	C, E, MB (L1), 4MS	B, G, WB (L1), SPECIAL
7pm – 9pm Check-in starts at 6pm, no check-ins after 8:30pm	D, H, ADMIN	C, F, WH (L1), 4MS	D, H, WB (L1), SPECIAL	D, H, 3MS

In order to visit a loved one at Ventura County Main Jail, you must present a government-issued photo I.D. card, such as

• a California driver’s license,
• a California identification card,
• a U.S. Passport,
• an alien registration card, or
• a U.S. military card.

You also must dress conservatively and can be turned away if you are wearing:

• sleeveless shirts, strapless tops, or midriff tops
• torn pants
• bare feet
• skirts or shorts more than one inch above the knee
• sheer, see-through, or provocative clothing

The only items you can bring with you to the visiting area are:

• your keys
• ID
• One baby bottle and/or blanket (if you have an infant)

Learn more at the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office – Inmate Visitation.

4.1. Video visitation

You can schedule video visits for a fee using Securus Video Connect. If you have questions about setting up an account, call 1-877-578-3658.

5. Sending mail

You may send postcards or enveloped mail to:

Your loved one’s name and booking number
The Ventura Pre-Trial Detention Facility
P.O. Box 6929
Ventura, CA 93006

Mail without a return address will not be delivered. Plus, mail that meets any of the following criteria will be returned to sender:

• postcards that have been altered from their original forms,
• mail marked with paint, crayon, glitter, cloth, stains, stickers, lipstick, perfume, etc., or
• mail depicting nudity, suggestive images, weapons, gang references, criminal activity or any other images that may incite violence, racism or riot.

Paperback books, newspapers and magazines are the only packages that inmates may receive, and they must be mailed directly from the publishing company or a reputable online distributor such as Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com. If you wish to send the Ventura Star, mail it to:

Your loved one’s name and booking number
The Ventura Pre-Trial Detention Facility
800 S. Victoria Ave.
Ventura, CA 93006

The jail staff inspects all incoming mail, so be careful not to reveal anything that could incriminate someone.

Learn more at the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office – Inmate Mail page.

6. Inmate funds

There are three ways to put money on your loved one’s books at the Ventura County Main Jail:

1. Online through JPay.com
2. By calling JPay at 1-800-574-5729
3. At the kiosk in the jail lobby (which accepts cash or credit card)

Learn more at the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office – Inmate Trust Account.

7. Inmate services

The Ventura Main Jail offers a variety of services to its inmates. Examples of some of these services include:

• on-site medical and mental health services,
• residential substance abuse treatment, such as narcotics anonymous (N.A.) and alcoholics anonymous (A.A.),
• educational services, such as English as a Second Language (ESL), computer training, and GED prep,
• vocational training in the areas of print shop and word processing,
• religious services and counseling,
• recreation activities, and
• a library

8. Property release

As part of the booking process at the Ventura Pre-Detention Facility, the jail staff collects and stores the new inmate’s clothes and belongings, which typically include car keys, a cell phone, etc. To pick up someone’s property, simply ask a deputy at the jail to get their permission to release it to you.

Note that this process could take several hours since the deputies are busy. Any property you do not pick up – such as their clothes or ID – will be returned to your loved one once they are released from custody.

9. Jail information

The Ventura County Pre-trial Detention Facility originally opened in 1980 and houses about 890 male and female inmates. In addition to the general population, the jail houses psychiatric offenders, violent offenders, and inmates with medical needs.

Each year, the Ventury County Jail processes about 29,000 bookings and releases. The facility employs more than 250 people, including medical service staff.

Learn more at the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office – Pre-Trial Detention Facility.

Resources for inmates and families

For help with reentry following incarceration, former inmates and their families can refer to the following:

• From Corrections to Community: Reentry Health Care – Information by the California Health Care Foundation about connecting people released from custody with community-based medical services.
• List of Reentry Programs in California – Guide compiled by HelpForFelons.org.
• Post Incarceration Reentry Resources – Guide compiled by Interface 211 Ventura County.
• Social Services – Options for social work help in Ventura County.
• Self-help Center – Legal forms and instructions at the County of Ventura Court website.

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