San Joaquin County Jail Jail Core

Jail Core is one of three facilities operated by the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office. The other two are South Jail and Honor Farm. Jail Core serves as the county intake center for those who are arrested. The facility provides detention services for inmates who have not made bail, as well as those who've been sentenced to county jail time. 

A primary function of the jail is to provide facilities for secure confinement. All facilities provide housing and services of equal quality for all persons. Juveniles are not detained in the facility.

Detention facilities are only a part of the San Joaquin County Criminal Justice System. The organization endorses the full development and use of alternatives to incarceration. Including a diversion program as alternative to prosecution, as well as bail and OR releases instead of detention.

Jail Core is managed under the direct supervision concept, which means all inmates are confined under the least restrictive conditions, based on their behavior. 

Inmates who adhere to facility rules, follow the directions of staff, and do not cause problems receive free access to make collect phone calls, visiting, recreation, religious, and education services. 

The facility restricts some or all privileges for inmates who display disruptive behavior.

Alternatives to incarceration include community service, restitution, work or education furlough, county parole, alternative work program (AWP), and home detention.

Inmate Search

To find out if your loved one is being held in one of the San Joaquin County Jails, 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 San Joaquin County Jail and Annex 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. 

Bail and Release Procedures

Inmates at San Joaquin County Core Jail are eligible for release in the following ways:

• Pretrial Services (a liaison unit between the jail and the courts) releases inmates under the Misdemeanor Citation Release Program and also the Felony Own Recognizance Program.
• Own Recognizance release by the courts following arraignment.
• Cash Bail for the full amount of the bail posted at the jail. The jail accepts United States currency or a Cashier’s check. The Cashier’s check must be made out to the San Joaquin County Superior Court. 
• Bail Bond for the full amount of the bail posted at the jail. Bail agents generally charge a 10% fee for posting a bond. This is usually payable upfront to the bail agent and is not recoverable or refundable.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Visiting hours at Jail Core are Monday through Friday between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm. Visiting is closed between 11:45 am and 1:00 pm for lunch and institutional count. 

Public visiting sessions at the San Joaquin County Jail—Jail Core are on a first come first served basis. Appointments are no longer accepted. You must arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the visiting time you want to sign up for to allow for check-in. There is limited visiting space and times available.

All visits at the jail last for a maximum of 45 minutes, and they begin on the hour. Inmates are allowed two visits per week. 

COVID protocols are in place in the visiting room. Which means appropriate facemasks are required in the lobby and for admittance. Children under 2 are not required to wear a mask. The visiting room does not provide masks, all visitors will need to have their own masks.

Due to unforeseen events, visiting hours may be temporarily changed or suspended. A notice will be placed at the entry of the affected area with further detail of the next available visiting time or instructions to call the site for updated information.

General Visiting Rules

• Appropriate clothing is required.
• You must present a valid government-issued photo ID.
• A visitor is allowed one visit per day at any of the three facilities
• A maximum of three visitors are allowed to visit an inmate at Jail Core, including infants and children.
• No eating, drinking, or smoking is allowed in the visiting room
• If you leave the visiting room after the visit has started, you will not be permitted to return
• No handbags, diaper bags, strollers, infant seats, or other large containers may be taken into the visiting room. These articles must be kept outside the facility. A limited number of lockers are available to secure small personal items. 
• If you have a baby, you may bring in a clear plastic bag containing 1 bottle, 1 small blanket, 1 diaper, and wipes to complete a diaper change
• Visitors under the influence of alcohol and or drugs will be excluded from visiting and may be subject to arrest
• Visitors are subject to search of their persons and property
• Visitors convicted of a felony, on parole or probation, or who have been released from any San Joaquin County custody facility within the past thirty days will be excluded from visiting.
• Visitors determined to be a victim or are named in an active protective order prohibiting contact of the inmate they are attempting to visit are prohibited from visiting that inmate.

The following items are not allowed in the Jail Core visiting room:

• Smoking material (including lighters and matches)
• Weapons (including knives and pocket knives)
• Food
• Purses, briefcases, diaper bags, strollers
• Electronic Devices (cell phones, tablets, cameras, recording devices, etc…)
• Drugs or Alcohol
• Cosmetic bags, nail clippers or files

Dress Code

Visitors are expected to dress appropriately. No suggestive or revealing attire will be acceptable. Failure to comply will result in exclusion from visiting. Unacceptable clothing items include but are not limited to:

• Pajamas or slippers
• Sexually suggestive or provocative clothes
• Shorts or skirts exposing more than mid-thigh include slits in garments (includes children)
• Bare midriff
• Tank tops, spaghetti strap tops, or sleeveless shirts
• Sheer or “see-through” clothing
• Attire displaying obscene or offensive language, drawings, or images
• Undergarments must not be visible
• Gang-related attire, style of dress, or items containing gang-related symbols or markings
• Coveralls or overalls
• Any article of clothing in poor repair, torn, ripped, or shredded in a manner causing it to be revealing
• Hooded apparel
• Hats
• Jackets or heavy coats

Directions to Core Jail

From Interstate 5, drive to French Camp, CA. (located approximately five miles south of Stockton, CA). Take the Mathews Road exit and drive westbound for one mile. For Intake and Jail Visiting, turn right on Canlis Blvd. Turn into the public parking area.

How to Call an Inmate

Inmates at San Joaquin County Jail 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. 

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

Phone calls are recorded and may be monitored at any time.

How to Send Money

In Person

You can send money to your inmate via the kiosk located in the 24-hour lobby of Jail Core -- as well as the visiting lobbies of the South Jail and the Honor Farm. The kiosks accept Cash, Credit Cards, and Debit Cards with the Visa or MasterCard logo on them.

US Mail

Postal Money Orders are also accepted via USPS when mailed directly to the inmate at:

999 West Matthews Road
French Camp, CA. 95231

Mailed money orders must have the inmate’s name, booking number, and a return address.

Online

Programs For Inmates

The County Office of Education provides GED, Adult Diploma, Life Skills, Ownership/Re-Entry, and Office Technology/Job Readiness classes at the San Joaquin County Jail Core.

The Sheriff's Office also contracts with Friends Outside—a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for families, children, and communities impacted by incarceration. 

They currently provide programs like Parenting, Creative Conflict Resolution, Anger Management, Fresh Start (Substance Abuse), Women's Wellness, Dads Peer Support, and Individual Case Management.

Vocational Program C-TECH

The Joaquin County Sheriff's Office offers a vocational program called C-TECH, which provides students with the necessary skills and credentials to obtain an entry-level position in a high-demand occupation. 

Inmates get hands-on training with portable equipment, and an opportunity to earn a certificate in:

• Introduction to Telecommunications
• Network Cabling for both fiber optic and copper-based systems
• Home Entertainment Residential Audio/Video Systems
• Introduction to Telephone Systems, and 
• Connecting to Business

Upon completion of each course, inmates earn an Industry-Recognized Certificate from CTECH.

Alternative Work Program (AWP)

This program allows participants to serve their sentences by working full-time (between eight and ten hours per day) at an assigned AWP work site. They are required to work five days per week if unemployed. Inmates in the AWP are also subject to alcohol monitoring and or drug testing.

For more information about inmate programming, call the Inmate Program's Director at (209) 468-4656 or an Inmate Caseworker at (209) 468-4373 or (209) 468-4370.

Pictures of San Joaquin County Jail Jail Core

Careers at San Joaquin County Jail Jail Core

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