Inyo County Jail

The Inyo County Sheriff's Office operates the Inyo County Jail, which is located in Independence, California. It houses adult males and females who have been arrested by county or municipal law enforcement and are awaiting trial, inmates who have been sentenced to the county jail, and inmates being held for transport to the California Department of Corrections.

Inmate Search

To find out if your loved one is being held at the Inyo County Jail, you can call the facility directly 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 Inyo County Jail 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

Visiting hours at the Inyo County Jail are on Saturdays and Sundays between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm. You must call the jail between the hours of 8:00 am and 2:00 pm the day of your intended visit to make reservations for inmate visitation. 

If you go to the Inyo County Jail without a visitation appointment, you will have to wait for the next available visiting period. Appointments are canceled if you arrive late, but you can wait for the next available visiting period.

Visiting is closed for lunch from 11:45 AM to 1:00 PM. All visitors must be present and sign in before 2:00 PM on the day of the visit.

Visitors who wish to see different inmates may only sign up for one visit at a time. Visitors are limited to one 30-minute visit per inmate per day. A maximum of two persons are allowed to visit an inmate at one time, including children. 

Visitors are required to provide a valid picture I.D. before being allowed to visit. Visitors under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Children ages 12-18 may visit a biological parent without an adult present. NO CONTACT VISITS ARE ALLOWED.

Inmate Mail Rules

Photographs may be given or sent to inmates at the Inyo County Jail, subject to the following guidelines:

• The photographs must be unadorned and no larger than 3 inches by 5 inches in size.
• Jail staff may prohibit photographs which they deem capable of compromising the security of the facility. This includes Polaroid photographs.

Mail containing items considered to be contraband will be returned to the sender. No packages are accepted for inmates.

Inmates at the Inyo County Jail are allowed to have books, magazines, newspapers and periodicals through subscriptions mailed directly from a publisher or bookstore. The jail does not accept these materials from visitors on visiting days, and will not accept packages received by mail for inmates.

How to Call an Inmate

Inmates at the Inyo County Jail cannot receive incoming phone calls. However, they can make outgoing collect calls from the inmate housing area.

California law has established the right of an arrested person to make at least three free local telephone calls upon being booked: one call to an attorney, one to a bail bond agent, and one to a relative or other personal contact.

How to Send Money

To send money to an inmate at the Inyo County Jail, you must drop off a money order at the jail lobby or mail a money order directly to the facility. No cash, personal checks, or debit/credit cards. All money orders must be made payable to the inmate.

Programs For Inmates

Work Release Alternative Program (WRAP)

The Work Release Alternative Program is for people who are sentenced to the Inyo County Jail for five to 30 days. They must apply for the program and meet the requirements set by the Inyo County Sheriff’s Department. Persons accepted to the program are assigned work locations in the county as designated by the coordinator.

Pictures of Inyo County Jail

Careers at Inyo County Jail

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