Los Angeles County Jail System

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office -- and Sheriff Alex Villanueva -- operates the Los Angeles County Jail System in Los Angeles, California. 

The Los Angeles County Jail system provides short-term incarceration services for the entire county, and for the cities of Los Angeles, Glendale, Burbank, and Long Beach (which have their own municipal police departments). 

The jail system has an Inmate Reception Center (IRC). There is also The Men's Central Jail (MCJ) and Twin Towers Correctional Facility (TTCF), which are located in a dense cluster near Union Station, next to the station's rail yard. 

The North County Correctional Facility (NCCF) is the largest of the four jail facilities located at the Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic, California. The other Pitchess facilities are known as North, South, and Firefighters.

The L.A. County women's jail -- called the Century Regional Detention Facility or the Lynwood Jail -- is located in Lynwood, California.

There are also temporary holding and jail facilities located at the numerous L.A. County Sheriff's Office stations in the area. The stations are:

• Altadena
• Avalon
• Carson
• Century
• Cerritos
• Compton
• Crescenta Valley
• East LA
• Industry
• Lakewood
• Lancaster
• Lomita
• Malibu/Lost Hills
• Marina del Rey
• Norwalk
• Palmdale
• Pico Rivera
• San Dimas
• Santa Clarita Valley
• South Los Angeles
• Temple
• Walnut/Diamond Bar
• West Hollywood

All of the facilities in the Los Angeles County Jail System house adult males and/or 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.

The Los Angeles County Jail system is one of the largest detention systems in the world, and it incarcerates about 200,000 individuals each year. With such large numbers, they have faced numerous problems within the various facilities. For example, Mother Jones ranked the Men's Central Jail and the Twin Towers Correctional Facility one of the ten worst jails in the United States in 2013. 

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is the largest sheriff's department and the fourth largest local policing agency in the United States, with approximately 18,000 employees.

Inmate Search

To find out if your loved one is being held in the Los Angeles County Jail System, you can click here or use VINE (see below). 

For general custody related questions and help with inmate location, call (213) 473-6100. To get the inmate's booking number, you'll need their complete name, date of birth, and/or date of arrest.

For Healthcare Concerns which require immediate assistance, please call the medical command center at (213) 893-5544.

Inmate Classification

Inmates who are listed as unclassified are pending a permanent housing location. This means they are unable to receive phone calls or visits. 

Once the inmate has been interviewed by the sheriff liaison, they are able to safely house them in a location within the facility. Classification can take two weeks to a month before it is completed. Once classified, phone calls and visits can be made.

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 Los Angeles County Jail System 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

To schedule your visit at any of the Los Angeles County Jails CLICK HERE.

COVID Visiting Restrictions

January 2022 -- Due to COVID-19 social distancing restrictions, visiting is limited to one adult and one child per visit. Public visits must be scheduled, no walk-ins allowed.  

North Shores Clinical Labs provide free COVID-19 testing. Testing sites are available at LASD Custody Visiting Centers. Results will take approximately 15 min. Click the following links to preregister at: MCJ, CRDF, or at Pitchess

For more information regarding COVID-19 testing sites, please click the following link: On-site-visitor-covid-testing

Please arrive at Men's Central Jail one hour before the start time of your visiting appointment. All other visiting locations, please arrive at least 30 minutes prior to start time.

For more information regarding COVID-19 visitation requirements, please click the following link: Covid19updates

Visitors must show proof of a full COVID vaccination, a negative COVID test within the last three days, or proof of previous infection. Otherwise, the visit will be canceled.  

MINORS: Because most minors are not eligible for vaccination, the Department of Public Health (DPH) is allowing them to provide proof of a negative COVID test, or proof they have had COVID.

Visiting Questions

If you have any questions or concerns regarding visitation, please contact the Inmate Video Visitation System Help Desk at (213) 680-IVVS (4887) Monday to Friday, between 7:00am - 2:00pm.

If you are on Probation, Parole, or an Ex-Felon, you are required to complete a pre-approval form prior to your visit at a County jail facility or patrol station. Please click here: Visiting Clearance Form.

Inmate Reception Center

The inmate reception center is where a person is taken after they are arrested. This is a temporary holding facility, and no visits are allowed.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has strict inmate mail procedures for security and safety reasons. Your cooperation when corresponding with an inmate is greatly appreciated. If you have any questions, please contact the Mail Room Supervisor at (213) 893-5874.

Mail Rules

All envelopes and paper must be free of debris and/or any illegal substances, perfume/cologne, powders, lip stick, or dried liquids. Your mail or parcel will be returned for the following reason(s):

• Food or cosmetic items
• Blank envelopes, envelopes with a metal clasp, postage stamps, envelopes with gang or suggestive drawings/artwork
• Cash, personal or second-party checks, payroll checks, out-of-state checks
• Blank money order(s) (money orders must be signed and made payable to the inmate)
• Money order(s) that would increase the inmate’s trust funds in excess of the $300 limit
• Out-of-state money order(s)
• Money order in an amount exceeding $200 limit
• Musical, plastic, or blank greeting card(s)
• Identification card(s) or facsimiles
• Paper clip(s), staple(s), pen(s), pencil(s), glitter, sticker(s), glued or gummed label(s)
• Postcard(s) larger than 6”x 9”
• Rosary bead(s), balloon(s), string bracelet(s), or jewelry item(s)
• Lottery ticket(s) or prepaid telephone card(s)
• Cellophane tape or any type of tape on letters
• Audio, CDs, or cassette tapes
• No gang symbols

Books, Periodicals, and Publications must be mailed directly from the publisher or vendor, and must not include any of the following:

• Depictions of an explicit sexual nature or publications that depict full or partial frontal nudity
• Publications that depict or describe how to create weapons or commit crimes, or contain content that has been determined to compromise jail security
• Metal or plastic binding
• A hard cover

Inmates may receive a maximum of three books and three periodicals or publications each week.

Photographs and Computer-Generated Image Rules

• Photo size: Minimum of 3″x 5″ / Maximum of 4″x 6″
• No nudity, sexually-suggestive content, or gang imagery

How to Call an Inmate

Inmates at the Los Angeles County Jail cannot receive incoming phone calls. However, they have access to phones and 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

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and Jail System does not accept online deposits for inmates.

To deposit money in person, bring a valid photo ID and go to either one of the following addresses:

Inmate Reception Center (IRC)
450 Bauchet Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

OR

Century Regional Detention Facility (CRDF)
11705 S. Alameda Street
Lynwood, CA 90262

Mailing Deposits to Inmates

Depositing money via mail must comply with the following rules:

• Within the State of California: a certified Bank Cashier’s Check or United States Postal Money Order
• All other states: United States Postal Money Orders ONLY
• The check/money order must be payable to the Inmates Name AND Booking Number
• $200 maximum amount

Mail the check/money order to one of the two following addresses:

Male Inmates:

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
P.O. Box 86164 Terminal Annex
Los Angeles, CA 90086-0164
Attn: Inmate Name, Booking Number

Female Inmates:

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
Century Regional Detention Facility
11705 S. Alameda Street
Lynwood, CA 90262
Attn: Inmate Name, Booking Number

If you have Inmate Deposit Questions, call:

Male Inmates: (213) 893-5875
Female Inmates: (323) 568-4535

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reserves the right to decline or return deposits that violate Department Policies.

To order a care package for your inmate being held in the Los Angeles County Jail system, click here. To see an example of the inmate packages available for purchase, click here. 

Programs For Inmates

The Inmate Services Bureau at the various Los Angeles County jails provide comprehensive services in inmate programming. This includes vocational, academic, and life skills education and support programs.

Inmate Services Bureau (ISB) oversees the Fire Camp Training Unit, Education Based Incarceration (EBI), Religious and Volunteer Services (RVS), Jail Enterprise Unit (JEU) and the Business Management Unit (BMU).

Education Based Incarceration (EBI)

The Education Based Incarceration Unit (EBI) gives inmates the academic, vocational, and life skills they need to build self-esteem and attain the job training that will ready them to reenter society successfully.

The EBI Unit is responsible for all inmate education -- academic, career technical education, Life Skills, or therapeutic activities. Programs are open to all qualifying inmates. Currently, there are over 67 different curricula (class topics) being delivered.

Inmates housed in this unit have access to a high school diploma, college courses (in collaboration with College of the Canyons), CTE courses (such as farming), Gender Responsive Rehabilitation (GRR) programs, and more.

One of the most successful incentive programs in the EBI unit is The Tattoo Removal Service.   This incentive program helps inmates secure employment, gain community acceptance, and increase their likelihood to maintain healthy lives.

Fire Camp Unit

The Fire Camp Training Unit trains inmates via academic and vocational programs so they can function as wildland fire suppression crews, maintain emergency response facilities, and support conservation projects. 

Inmates use these skills to support local, state, and federal public lands including timberland, watershed, parks, and recreation areas.

In the Fire Camp Training Unit, inmates learn skills needed to support California’s wilderness firefighters. The program runs in collaboration with the Los Angeles County Fire Department and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.  

A majority of graduates from the Fire Camp Unit transition to a Los Angeles County Fire Camp to serve their communities.

Jail Enterprise Unit

The Jail Enterprise Unit (JEU) gives inmates hands-on training in manufacturing, repair, and service trades. They also their products to support other educational, recreational, and life-skills programs.

Business Enterprise Unit

The Business Management Unit (BMU) oversees all of the fiscal concerns of the ISB and Inmate Welfare Fund so it can support educational, recreational, and life-skills programs.

Religious and Volunteer Services

Through the Religious and Volunteer Services Unit (RVS), inmates and their families have access to programming which enhances their lives during incarceration and supports them upon reentry into the community.

The RVS Unit administers the Jail Chaplaincy Program and coordinates 12-Step assistance for inmates. They also take care of death and hospital notices, marriages, and they coordinate special religious events.

Pictures of Los Angeles County Jail System

Careers at Los Angeles County Jail System

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