West County Detention Facility

The West County Detention Facility is located in Richmond, California and is one of three detention facilities operated by the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff. (The other two facilities in Contra Costa County are the Martinez Detention Facility and the Marsh Creek Detention Facility).

The newest of the three jails in Contra Costa County, West County is a direct supervision jail that is designed to operate as a co-educational, program-oriented facility. It houses a maximum of 1,096 inmates in a total of five housing units -- four for males, and one for females.

The West County Detention Facility has an open campus that allows inmates to leave their housing units and walk freely to the different programs -- educational, vocational, religious, medical appointments, and social visits. Each housing unit also has an outside courtyard that the inmates can use for recreational activities.

To find out if your loved one is being held at the West County Detention Facility, contact the facility directly, 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 West County Detention Facility and receives updated information every 15 minutes.

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. 

Information provided when calling VINE includes:

• Current offender custody status
• Location of offender
• Offender number (if searched by name)

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

All visits with family and friends must be scheduled by the inmate. The visiting times at the West County Detention Facility are:

Monday - Thursday:

• 12:30 p.m.
• 1:30 p.m.
• 2:30 p.m.
• 3:15 p.m. (Thursday only)
• 4:15 p.m. (Thursday only)

Saturday and Sunday:

• 8:30 a.m.
• 9:30 a.m.
• 10:30 a.m.
• 12:30 p.m.
• 1:30 p.m.

Visiting Registration

Up to three visitors may visit an inmate at one time. Registration of scheduled visitors begins 30 minutes before their visiting time.

Each adult visitor must complete a visitor form before approaching the Visitor Registration Desk. The registration must be complete, legible, and include the following:

• Visitor’s name
• Visitor’s address
• Visitor’s date of birth
• Driver’s license number
• Inmate name and Booking Number
• Visitor’s relationship to inmate

When they complete the form, visitors will approach the Visitor Registration Desk with their form and acceptable photo identification. The following are acceptable forms of ID:

• Driver’s license with photo
• Department of Motor Vehicles identification card with photo.
• Picture passport
• Armed forces identification card with photo
• Picture identification cards issued by the United States Department of Justice.
• Picture identification cards issued by any foreign government agency that also includes physical descriptors and birth date.
• Parents and/or guardians of minor children will be required to provide a birth certificate or proof of guardianship of minor children during processing of the initial visit.

Visitor Clearance

When a visitor has officially registered at the West County Detention Facility, the officer will verify that there is a scheduled visit and that the visitor is on the inmate's approved visiting list. 

They will also conduct a records check on the visitor to make sure they do not have any outstanding warrants, are not a parolee, and that they haven't been confined in any Contra Costa County Detention facilities during the past six months. Once the visitor has been cleared, the inmate will be brought into the visiting room.

Visiting Rules

• Visitors are subject to search of both their person and property, including their vehicle. All visitors are required to submit to contraband and/or metal detection device(s), and a thorough search of all personal items, including inspection of a wheelchair, implant, prosthesis or assistive device, prior to being allowed to visit with an inmate.
• All persons under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. 
• Visitors under the influence of alcohol or drugs will not be allowed to visit and may be subject to arrest.
• No cell phones, pagers, palm or laptop computers, cameras, tape or digital recorders, purses, bags, briefcases, or any other items into the visiting areas. 
• Personal items should be left at home or locked in the visitor's vehicle. Items may also be locked in the public lockers located in the lobby area.
• Possession of tobacco or tobacco products within the detention facilities is prohibited.
• No food or drink is permitted in the visiting areas.
• There will be no physical contact between visitor and inmate.
• Visitors may not give articles or gifts to the inmate. Visitors and inmates attempting to exchange or pass any item will have their visit terminated immediately.

Dress Code

Visitors are expected to dress appropriately. They must remain fully clothed at all times while inside the West County Detention Facility. Appropriate attire includes undergarments; a dress or blouse/shirt with skirt/pants or shorts; and shoes or sandals.

Prohibited attire consists of:

• Clothing that resembles county-issued inmate clothing;
• Clothing that resembles law enforcement or military-type clothing, including rain gear;
• Clothing that resembles any uniform worn by any department in CSB.
• Clothing or garments that expose the breast/chest area, genitals, or buttocks
• Clothing that is sheer, transparent, or excessively tight
• Clothing that exposes more than two inches above the knee, including slits when standing.
• Undergarments must be worn beneath translucent clothing, under all circumstances. No clothing or accessories displaying obscene or offensive language, drawings or objects is allowed.
• Gang related clothing, style of dress or items containing gang related symbols or markings.
• Head coverings (except clear, see-through rain gear), and readily removable wigs or hairpieces. 
• Gloves or scarves
• Coats or jackets
• Bathing suits
• Overalls or coveralls
• Exaggerated hairstyles

Mail without an identified sender (name and address) will be returned to the U.S. Post Office. All inmate mail at the West County Detention Facility must have the following information on the face of the envelope:

The full first and last name of the inmate.

The inmate's booking number.

The following mail is prohibited:

• Any mail that contains instructions for the manufacturing of explosives, weapons, drugs, or other unlawful substances.
• Mail that advocates, encourages, depicts, or otherwise condones violence, the use of weapons, gang related activities, or other conduct which jeopardizes jail security.
• Mail that advocates racial, religious, or national hatred or which otherwise contains matter of a character tending to incite murder, arson, riot, or any other form of violence.
• Anything containing sexually explicit images that depict frontal nudity in personal photographs, drawings, magazines, or other pictorial formats.
• Explicit Material 
• Oversized mail that is not likely to reasonably fit in an inmate's personal storage drawer/bin.
• Polaroid photographs.
• Envelopes with any writing on it other than the name and address information of the sender and receiving party.
• Mail containing any writing/drawing in crayon, marker or colored pencils.
• Mail that contains any stains or unidentifiable marks.

How to Call an Inmate

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

How to Send Money

Money can be deposited to an inmate’s account at the West County Detention Facility either in person or online. Money for inmates will only be accepted via Money Orders, Cashier's Checks, government checks, and Traveler's Checks. The inmate's name and booking number must be on the front of the check or money order.

Personal checks or cash will result in the envelope and all its contents being returned to the sender. Money Orders, Cashier's Checks, and Traveler's Checks must be made out to the inmate. Please include the inmate's date of birth if you do not know the booking number.

To add money to an inmate's account online with a Credit Card and Debit Card, use Smart Deposit at MyCarePack.com.

Programs For Inmates

Inmates at the West County Detention Facility have the opportunity to work in the kitchen and laundry. These jobs allow them to gain valuable experience and skills in culinary arts, safe food handling, and commercial laundering.   

Educational and vocational programs are provided through a contract between the Office of the Sheriff and the Contra Costa County Office of Education. The Adult School at the facility has a full-time staff on-site that includes a principal, teachers, and administrative professionals.

Inmate services/programs offered include:

• DEUCE (Substance abuse, anger and stress management, job development)
• Computer applications, including web design
• Adult Basic Education

• Parenting
• AA/NA
• Independent Study
• Transitional Services
• ESL (English as a Second Language)
• GED/ High School Diploma preparation and testing

Pictures of West County Detention Facility

Careers at West County Detention Facility

If you are interested in a career with the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department and would like more information about the job openings at the West County Detention Facility, click here.