George Bailey Detention Facility

The Detention Services Bureau of the San Diego County Sheriff's Office operates the George Bailey Detention Facility (GBDF) in Otay Mesa, California. It is one of seven detention facilities located throughout San Diego County.

GBDF is a maximum-security facility that opened in 1993. It is the largest facility operated by the San Diego County Sheriff's Office. This 189,050-square foot facility has an operational capacity of 1,380 inmates. 

The facility design includes six housing units, a medical area, an inmate processing area and an administrative area. GBDF houses a very diverse population of inmates, some with special housing needs. 

Inmate Search

To find out if your loved one is being held in a George Bailey Detention Facility facility, click here or use VINE (see below). 

VINE (Victim Information and Notification Everyday)

Victim Information and Notification Everyday (VINE) is a free and anonymous telephone service that provides victims of crime both information and notification. VINE monitors the custody status of offenders in the George Bailey Detention Facility and receives updated information every 15 minutes.

The Toll Free Number for California VINE is 1.877.411.5588. Anyone can call the California State VINE line to determine an inmate's custody status. To search for offender information, callers will need one of the following items:

• Offender name or alias
• Secondary search option (if there is more than one offender with the same name), such as:
  • Arrest date
  • Date of birth
  • Middle initial
  • Offender identification number

VINE will let callers know about the offender's current custody status, the location of the inmate, and their offender number.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Due to COVID-19, visitation at the George Bailey Detention Facility may be suspended. Please call the Sheriff's Custody Information Office at (619) 210-0385 for information and to schedule your in-person or video visit.

The visiting room currently operates with strict protocols in place to protect from COVID-19. Guidelines include mandatory face coverings; symptom and temperature screenings and limiting visitors to one adult and one child per visit. 

Visit Reminders

• Visits are scheduled on a first come, first served basis and are subject to change without notice. Visits may be canceled at any time due to rule violations, inmate transfers, or for jail security.
• You must check in 30 MINUTES prior to your scheduled visit. (Cancellations can be made in person with ID verification or over the phone.)
• NO same day visits are allowed.
• Visit reservations must be scheduled 24-hours in advance via the Sheriff's Custody Information Office at (619) 210-0385.
• Visitors under the age of 18 years must be accompanied by a qualified adult who possesses valid photo identification and is cleared for visits. 
• Only those visitors with the valid photo identification will be allowed to visit.
• A maximum of three visitors (including children) may visit an inmate at any one time. Minors must be accompanied by their parent or legal/court appointed guardian.
• Nothing is to be brought into the facility except I.D. and car keys. The following items are specifically prohibited: purses or bags, diapers, diaper bags, toys, food or beverages, pets, firearms, knives, or other weapons, drugs or alcohol, and cigarettes.

Video Visits

In Person Visitation Times

House A, Module 1A/2A - 30 Minute Visits

House A, Module 3A/4A/6A - 30 Minute Visits

House B, Module 1A/2A- 30 Minute Visits

House B, Modules 3B/4B/6B - 30 Minute Visits

House C, Modules 3C/4C/6C - 30 Minute Visits

House 5A- 30 Minute Visits

House 5B - 30 Minute Visits

House C, Modules 1C/2C - 30 Minute Visits

5C - 30 Minute Visits

Module 101 - 30 Minute Visits

Module 102 Medical - 30 Minute Visits

Module 103 Medical - 30 Minute Visits

Module 114 Medical - 30 Minute Visits

Modules ISO Medical - 30 Minute Visits

Rules for incoming inmate mail

All inmate mail must have a return address, the inmate’s full name under which they are booked, and the correct booking number.

Mail that contains any of the following will be rejected: 

• Items that cannot be inspected without damaging (e.g., multilayered cards, Polaroids, laminated or glued items, etc.).
• Items containing foil or metal of any type, glass, wood, hard plastic, rubber, hair, leaves, flowers, paperclips, jewelry, staples, whiteout, colored paper, tracing paper, heavy art paper, glitter, confetti, stickers, tape, glue, paint, watercolors, tobacco products, other prohibited substances or any items written in crayon, chalk, or markers. 
• Items that may compromise the security of the facility. 
• Wall posters, travel brochures, catalogs, wall calendars or any other item larger than a legal-size piece of paper. 
• Personal photographs that contain nudity, partial nudity or are sexually suggestive.
• Photographs depicting gangs, gang hand gestures, weapons, drugs, or unlawful activities.
• Any material tending to incite or promote racism, violence or any other prohibited conduct. 
• Photographs can be no larger than 4”x6.” 
• Mail containing correspondence material (i.e., envelopes, paper, pencils, stamps, etc.) will not be accepted. All correspondence material must be purchased through the Sheriff's commissary. 
• Any item that contains any unknown substance or unknown odor (e.g., stains, lipstick, perfume, smoke, etc.). 

Deputies review everything sent into the facility. Do not send cash, stamps, coins, drugs, cigarettes or any other property with your letter. 

Instructions for sending email to your inmate

Search for your inmate on the San Diego County Sheriff's Department Who’s in Jail page using the inmate’s name. To prevent spelling conflicts, you may search using only the first two letters of the first and last name.

When you submit that search, you will get a screen asking you to enter a 5-letter code. Enter the five letters and submit it—the letters are not case sensitive.

Next, the result list should include one or more names. Click on the last name of the correct inmate to view the inmate’s page in the Who’s in Jail system. Please note that the last name may not look like a link, but it is.

There is an envelope icon located about halfway down the page that you can click in order to send a message. When you do so, you will be asked to verify your email address. 

How to Call an Inmate

Inmates at the George Bailey Detention Facility cannot receive incoming phone calls. However, they have access to phones and can make outgoing calls from the inmate housing area on a daily basis. 

All phone calls from San Diego County Sheriff's Department jails are free. This includes local, long distance, and international calls. An inmate can make unlimited phone calls per day, but each call is limited to 15 minutes.

How to Send Money

To deposit money into an inmate's account—or to send a care package—click here for the San Diego Sheriff's Office online commissary.

In order to send money or place an order, you'll need to provide the Booking Number that identifies the inmate you are placing the order for. If you don't know the Booking Number of the inmate, you will be able to verify the inmate's booking number from the checkout page.

Money deposited to the inmate’s account is available the moment it is processed and approved. Gift packs are delivered Monday through Friday in the evening. For orders placed before 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, delivery is scheduled the same day.

Programs For Inmates

Educational Courses

Educational courses offered at East Mesa include High School Equivalency and Computer Literacy. College-level courses are provided by Southwestern Community College, Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College, and Palomar Community College. 

STEM workshops are offered that cover scientific investigation, concepts in biology, DNA and genetics.  

Vocational Opportunities

Participants in the vocational programs at GBDF learn valuable skills and may receive certifications, which will prepare them for employment opportunities in the community after their release. 

Vocational opportunities at the facility include Culinary Arts, Commercial Laundry, Industrial Sewing, Landscape Maintenance, Construction Trades, and CIVICS.

Culinary Arts:

Students in this program work in the kitchen and the coffee cart. They learn about sanitation, safety, terminology, weights and measurements, functions of ingredients, recipes, and formulas. 

Commercial Laundry:

This program gives students instruction and hands-on experience in various commercial laundry operations.  Students work in a variety of different areas, including receiving and sorting garments for cleaning, operating and controlling industrial washing machines and drying machines, preparing products for storage, and dispatch. 

CIVICS:

The Community Involved Vocational Inmate Crew Services (CIVICS) program is a partnership between the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and the San Diego County Parks and Recreation Department in an effort to complete various park projects throughout the county. 

Construction Trade:

Students in this program work on projects such as carpentry, masonry-concrete, plumbing, electrical, drywall, painting, welding and other areas of expertise involving tenant improvements, remodeling, and small building structures.

Industrial Sewing:

Students receive practical experience in a commercial sewing environment. They learn pattern-making, cutting, sewing, and other practical methods. And, they make the uniforms for all of the jails, plus tablecloths, napkins, face coverings, and other special projects.

Wellness

Yoga is offered as a stress management tool through different exercises and meditation. 

Trauma Art workshops are taught by an artist to help participants use drawing techniques of lines, figures, perspective, etc. to process their emotions.

Theater Arts offers inmates a creative outlet via a partnership with The Old Globe and Playwright Projects. 

The Old Globe program examines Shakespearean and other theatrical characters through reading and the performance of monologues. Participants perform at least one published monologue-style piece, develop, write and edit at least one original personal narrative piece. 

Participants in the Playwright Project develop their own script for a play with the mission of improving literacy, communication, and creativity.

Psycho-Social

Psycho-social classes include Thinking for a Change, a 12-week course addressing self-cognitive change, social skills and problem solving. Beyond Anger and Violence focuses on anger along with the traumas experienced while addressing cognitive behavioral restructuring and grounding skills for trauma triggers.

Pictures of George Bailey Detention Facility

Careers at George Bailey Detention Facility

If you are interested in a career with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department and would like more information about the job openings in the George Bailey Detention Facility, click here.