Butte County Jail

The Butte County Jail is located in Oroville, California. This facility is operated by the Butte County Sheriff's Department, and it houses adult male and female inmates who have been arrested by local law enforcement. 

Inmates are held at the Butte County Jail after they are arrested for crimes ranging from violations to misdemeanors to felonies. To find out if your loved one is being held at the Butte County Jail, register with VINE for inmate status updates.

The corrections division of the Butte County Sheriff's Department oversees the operation of the 614-bed county jail, as well as other inmate-related programs. The average daily population at this facility is 580 inmates. The Butte County Jail is the largest correctional facility north of Sacramento.

Inside the Butte County Jail, there are a number of different working groups and units. They include inmate support services (chaplains, drug and alcohol abuse counselors), the sheriff's road crew, the jail medical unit, the Gang Unit, the Classification Unit, the Inmate Transportation and Extradition Unit, and food prep and laundry services.

Posting Bond

The purpose of a bond is to make sure that an arrested person will appear at their scheduled court date when they are released from jail. Judges usually determine the amount of bond, while the sheriff determines the sufficiency of the bond. If a person is arrested with a warrant, it will generally have the bond amount listed. 

Most criminal detainees are eligible for temporary release from incarceration through the payment of a bail bond. 

Cash Bond: The person who is arrested (or someone acting on their behalf) may post the entire bond amount in cash, which will be held by the sheriff or the court pending disposition of the criminal case. 

Surety Bond: Secure release from jail through a professional licensed bail bonding company, aka a “surety bond.” The bonding company will charge non-refundable fees that are not applied to any fines, costs, or restitution that may later be ordered by the court. 

OR Bond: Releasing someone on their “own recognizance” is simply a promise to re-appear at a later date for further judicial proceedings. These are usually used for minor offenses.

Inmate Release

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

The Butte County Jail allows each inmate two 45-minute visits per week. Visiting hours are on Saturdays and Sundays. To see a detailed visiting schedule by housing unit, click here. For a visiting application, click here.

COVID notice:

As of November 2021, all visiting at the Butte County Jail is being allowed at half capacity.  One adult visitor per inmate is allowed, and visitors are required to wear a mask and follow mitigation measures at all times.

• Visitors must be at least eighteen (18) years of age. No minors are permitted at this time.
• Visitors are required to wear a mask or face cover and practice Social Distancing upon entering the Sheriff’s Office complex. 
• Only one visitor will be permitted per 45 minute visiting period.
• A valid government picture identification issued by an agency of the U.S. Federal or State government (i.e., state operator's license, state identification card, military identification card, or passport) is needed to prove identity.
• Visiting periods start promptly at the times listed. Visitors must arrive 30 minutes early to allow for visitor registration and calling the inmate up to the visiting area.
• Visiting time is forty-five (45) minutes on Saturday and Sunday. 
• Video and audio recording devices are prohibited within the Butte County Sheriff's Office premises. 
• Food and beverages are prohibited within the Visiting Center.
• All visitors are subject to search of their person and their belongings. 
• Firearms, deadly weapons, or explosives are prohibited on Butte County Sheriff's Office premises 
• Persons on active parole or having been released from incarceration within thirty (30) days are not allowed to visit.
• Convicted felons are not allowed to visit
• Visitors must be properly attired. Visitors may be refused entry if wearing suggestive clothing, no shoes, no shirt, or scantily dressed.
• Visitors will only communicate with inmates they have signed up to visit

All magazines, books, or newspapers must be sent directly from the publisher. Paperback books delivered directly from the manufacturer are the only books allowed. No Hardback books will be accepted. No other articles or packages are accepted. 

How to Call an Inmate

Detainees at the Butte County Jail cannot receive incoming phone calls. However, they can make outgoing collect calls from the housing area between 10:00 am and 10:00 pm. They may call out either by calling collect, having an account through the inmate phone company, or by purchasing calling cards off of commissary.

According to the laws of California, all incoming jail detainees are given the opportunity to make at least three local phone calls, free of charge. These calls allow arrestees to tell their friends or family members about their arrest and/or to seek help from a criminal lawyer.

IC Solutions Prepaid Collect program

You can set up a prepaid account for future telephone calls to your telephone number, only. With a prepaid account, you can also leave a 30 second voicemail message for your inmate.

Call Center Debit program

Friends and family can deposit funds to an inmate’s debit calling account, which allows the inmate to call any approved phone number.

How to Send Money

Money can be deposited to an inmate’s account at the Butte County Jail through TouchPay.  TouchPay offers online payments using a debit or credit card, kiosk payments, as well as telephone payments for a processing fee. 

You can use any of the following payment options:

• Online: www.gtlfsonlinepay.com
• Lobby Kiosks: (24 hours a day) Cash/Credit/Debit card transactions in the lobby of the jail
• Toll Free Call: 866-232-1899, the site ID number is 795965

Programs For Inmates

The Butte County Jail has an Alternative Custody Supervision (ACS) unit that is responsible for supervising offenders who are released from the jail and placed into the community. Before an inmate is placed in the program, they are assessed to determine the level of risk their release would pose to public safety. 

If the corrections division determines the risk is reasonable -- and the offender meets all other program requirements -- he or she may be accepted into the program. Currently the ACS program has the capacity to supervise 200 offenders. 

Correctional Deputies who are assigned to the ACS unit use different techniques to supervise the offenders. They conduct regular and unannounced home visits, ensure compliance with the terms and conditions of release, and provide basic case management. 

The ACS unit uses both Radio Frequency (RF) and Global Positioning System (GPS) equipped ankle bracelets to monitor offenders who are released to the Sheriff’s Alternative Custody program. This program requires Offenders to remain at their residence, unless they are working, attending classes, or have permission to leave.

This program also features the Day Reporting Center (DRC), where offenders who are part of the ACS program meet with Correctional Deputies and programming staff to attend classes designed to address their individual criminogenic needs and reduce recidivism.

Pictures of Butte County Jail

Careers at Butte County Jail

If you are interested in a career with the Butte County Sheriff's Department and would like more information about the job openings at the Butte County Jail, click here.