San Diego County Jails: Facility Contacts, Visits, Phone Calls and Mail
The San Diego County Sheriff's Office operates several detention facilities. This guide helps families and other contacts confirm the correct facility, arrange a visit, receive calls, address correspondence and find official instructions for medical information and commissary deposits.
Custody information: Call 619-409-5000 and select the option for the relevant detention facility. Have the person's full name and booking number available if known.
Independent guide. This website is not affiliated with the San Diego County Sheriff's Office. Use official agency pages and their linked service providers for reservations, payments and documents. Facility schedules and service availability can change.
Confirm the Person's Facility and Booking Number
Start with the official Who's in Jail lookup. Both the first-name and last-name fields require at least two characters. Compare the available identifying details and note the facility and booking number associated with the record.
For search troubleshooting, missing results and Chula Vista Police arrest information, see our inmate search guide.
A booking number identifies a custody record and is different from a criminal court case number. Use the identifier requested by the particular jail service. For a court case or court documents, see our court case search guide.
Facility assignments can change after booking. Confirm the current location before scheduling a visit or submitting a facility-specific request. The Sheriff's lookup also warns that displayed release dates may be inaccurate and directs users to contact the facility for confirmation.
Detention Facility Locations and Contacts
The Sheriff's detention facility directory lists the following locations. The shared custody information number is 619-409-5000; select the appropriate facility option.
| Facility | Physical address |
|---|---|
| East Mesa Reentry Facility | 446 Alta Rd., Suite 5200 San Diego, CA 92158 |
| George Bailey Detention Facility | 446 Alta Rd., Suite 5300 San Diego, CA 92158 |
| Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility | 451 Riverview Parkway Santee, CA 92071 |
| Rock Mountain Detention Facility | 446 Alta Road, Suite 5400 San Diego, CA 92158 |
| San Diego Central Jail | 1173 Front Street San Diego, CA 92101 |
| South Bay Detention Facility | 500 Third Ave. Chula Vista, CA 91910 |
| Vista Detention Facility | 325 S. Melrose Dr., #200 Vista, CA 92081 |
These are physical facility addresses. For correspondence to a person in custody, use the Mail Processing Center instructions below rather than copying an address from this table.
Arrange an On-Site or Remote Video Visit
Begin with the official Visiting page and the person's facility page. Available times depend on the facility and housing assignment. Reservations do not guarantee that a visit will occur; transfers, security needs and other operational changes can cause cancellation.
An on-site visit may use video equipment rather than face-to-face contact. Check the visit format offered by the selected facility.
| Visit type | How to reserve |
|---|---|
| On-site social visit | Use the Sheriff's eVisit system accessed through Who's in Jail, or call 619-409-5000 and select the facility. |
| Remote video visit | Create an account and reserve through SmartInmate, following the Sheriff's facility instructions. |
Reservation timing
For on-site social visits, the general Visiting page requires reservations at least 24 hours in advance and states that same-day scheduling is unavailable.
The Sheriff's published telephone reservation hours are Wednesday–Sunday, 6:30 a.m.–6 p.m., except George Bailey, which lists 10 a.m.–6 p.m. The online eVisit reservation hours are Wednesday–Sunday, 7 a.m.–7 p.m. Times are local to San Diego, Pacific Time.
These are reservation service hours, not actual visiting hours. For remote video visits, use SmartInmate and follow the facility's video schedule and advance-booking requirements. Confirm the current housing-unit schedule and appointment details before traveling; contact the facility if its instructions differ from the general summary.
Check in before the appointment time
| Facility | Check-in time before the scheduled visit |
|---|---|
| San Diego Central Jail, Las Colinas, South Bay and Vista | 30 minutes |
| George Bailey, Rock Mountain and East Mesa | 60 minutes |
Allow time for identification checks and security screening. Confirm any additional instructions on the facility page and in your reservation.
Identification, children and belongings
- Adult visitors must bring valid identification.
- Minors must be accompanied by a parent, court-appointed guardian or another adult with legal custody, as required by the Sheriff's instructions.
- The published general limit is three visitors per visit, including children.
- Review the facility's restrictions on clothing and personal items before arriving.
Las Colinas specifically directs visitors to bring only identification and car keys into the facility. Do not assume belongings permitted elsewhere are permitted at the selected jail.
If you are on probation or parole, have served time in state prison or have been in custody within the previous 90 days, the Sheriff's official FAQ says you need permission from the facility's Watch Commander before visiting. Review the official visiting instructions and contact the facility about the required authorization before arranging a visit.
Remote video visit limits
The Sheriff's published telephone and video policy limits each incarcerated person to two 30-minute video visits per week. Actual time slots depend on the person's housing assignment and availability.
Receive Calls From a Person in Custody
The official telephone policy states that local, long-distance and international calls from Sheriff's jails are free. It permits unlimited calls per day, with each call limited to 15 minutes. Access remains subject to facility operations.
Calls blocked as spam
The Sheriff identifies 727-349-1561 as the number used for calls from its detention facilities. Some mobile carriers may filter these calls as spam. Save the number and check your phone's blocked-call settings or ask your carrier for help.
For telephone-service customer support, the official page lists Smart Communications at 1-727-349-1561. This service number does not provide direct incoming access to a particular person in custody.
Recorded calls and verified professional numbers
The Sheriff states that calls are recorded unless the receiving number has been verified by the Detention Investigations Unit as belonging to an attorney, physician or religious advisor and entered into its Do Not Record database.
For that verification process, the published contact is 858-285-2051. A professional relationship alone does not establish that a number has been registered. Treat ordinary personal calls as recorded.
Address Mail and Check Publication Rules
The official mail instructions require the person's name, booking number and assigned facility, along with the sender's name and return address.
Correspondence address template
Confirm the person's current booking number and facility, then replace the bracketed text:
[Incarcerated person's full name], Booking #[number]
[Assigned detention facility]
Mail Processing Center
451 Riverview Parkway, Building C
Santee, CA 92071
Include your full name and return address on the envelope.
The Sheriff directs senders to this centralized address and warns that mail sent directly to detention facilities covered by its centralized processing policy will be rejected and returned.
Letters, legal correspondence and publications
Ordinary mail is inspected for contraband and scanned for safety and security concerns. The published policy states that attorney-client legal mail is checked for contraband but not read.
Books and magazines must come directly from a reputable vendor or publisher under the official instructions. Do not mail publications from a personal collection.
The mail policy lists specific acceptable items and links to further restrictions. Check those instructions before sending checks, money orders, photographs or other enclosures. Permission to send correspondence does not mean that any personal package will be accepted.
Medical Information and Family Concerns
Authorization to receive information
The Medical and Mental Health page states that a person in custody must sign a Release of Information form before medical or mental health information can be provided to another person through that process.
The form must identify the authorized recipient by name and phone number. Being a relative or friend does not replace the required authorization.
The official page provides the information sheet and form in English and Spanish. Follow the submission instructions and make sure the recipient's contact information is complete and readable.
Providing health information or reporting a concern
Authorization to receive protected information is separate from asking how to provide information to the care team. If you need to report a health concern, share relevant history or explain a medication issue, contact the facility and ask for the appropriate medical or mental health communication channel.
If the concern is urgent, describe that clearly when calling. Do not wait for a records-release request to be processed before seeking instructions about an immediate concern. Confirm the facility's procedure before bringing or mailing medication or medical supplies.
Account Deposits and Commissary Purchases
People in custody can use account funds to purchase approved commissary items, such as food, hygiene products and stationery. The official commissary page links to the Sheriff's e-commerce service for deposits and gift-pack purchases.
- Confirm the person's identity and booking information before selecting an account.
- Enter the transaction through the provider linked from the official Sheriff's page.
- Review current charges, limits and delivery or account instructions before paying.
- Keep the transaction confirmation and use the listed provider support channel if a problem occurs.
A commissary deposit and a gift-pack order are different transactions. Select the service you intend to use rather than assuming an account deposit automatically purchases items.
Bail Information
The Sheriff's Jail Information page provides a licensed bail bond agency list and guidance about bail-agent scams. The Sheriff's Office states that it does not endorse any bail agency.