Anaheim Inmate Jail Search

Anaheim inmate population records involve both a city jail and the Orange County Sheriff's system. Anaheim is one of the few California cities that runs its own jail facility. The Anaheim City Jail holds people for short periods after arrest. Most inmates then transfer to Orange County custody for longer holds. If you are looking for someone in Anaheim, you may need to check two places. This page covers the city jail, the county search tool, statewide options, and the laws governing access to Anaheim inmate records.

Anaheim City Jail

Anaheim runs its own city jail. This puts it in a small group of California cities that maintain a local detention facility. The Anaheim City Jail is operated by the Anaheim Police Department and has a capacity of roughly 120 beds. It sits at the police headquarters location. The jail handles initial booking for people arrested by Anaheim officers. Inmates typically stay at the city jail for 24 to 96 hours. After that, people who are not released on bail transfer to Orange County jail facilities run by the sheriff.

Call the Anaheim City Jail at (714) 765-1988 to check on someone in city custody. Give the person's full name and date of birth. Staff can tell you if that person is in the Anaheim facility right now. The Anaheim Police Jail page has general info about the facility. The city jail mostly holds people on misdemeanor charges and people awaiting transfer. Some low-level offenses get processed entirely through the city jail without ever going to county.

The Anaheim Police Department jail information page is shown below.

The city jail is temporary. For inmates held longer than a few days in Anaheim, check the Orange County system.

Orange County Jail Inmate Search

The Orange County Sheriff's Department handles longer-term custody for Anaheim inmates. After a short hold at the Anaheim City Jail, people transfer to county facilities. The sheriff runs several jails in Orange County. The Intake Release Center in Santa Ana is the main booking hub. Theo Lacy Facility in Orange holds male inmates. The James A. Musick Facility in Irvine handles minimum-security inmates. Women go to the Orange County Women's Jail in Santa Ana.

The Orange County Sheriff has an online inmate search at apps.ocsheriff.gov. Enter a name and the tool shows current inmates in county custody. Results include charges, bail, booking date, and facility location. If someone was arrested in Anaheim a few days ago and you cannot find them in the city system, they have likely transferred to county. Check the Orange County search next. The tool updates multiple times per day as bookings and releases happen across the county.

Note: The city jail and county jail are separate systems. Check both if you are not sure where an Anaheim inmate is.

Statewide Search Tools

California offers two main statewide tools for inmate searches. CIRIS is the state prison inmate locator run by CDCR. It covers all 34 state prisons in California. If someone from Anaheim went to state prison, CIRIS will show their facility, admission date, and parole hearing schedule. The tool is free. Search by last name or CDCR number. It does not include city or county jail inmates from Anaheim.

VINELink works across all 58 California counties. It includes Orange County where Anaheim sits. Search by name and see if someone is in custody. VINE also sends alerts when an inmate's custody status changes. This covers releases, transfers, and escapes. Call 1-877-411-5588 to use VINE by phone or search online. The BSCC Jail Profile Survey tracks monthly jail population numbers for Orange County and every other California county. It is useful for seeing jail population trends in the Anaheim area over time.

Anaheim Inmate Record Access

California law makes basic booking data public. Government Code 6254(f) covers arrest and booking records. This means the name, charges, bail, and booking date for any Anaheim inmate are public information. Both the Anaheim Police Department and Orange County Sheriff release this data. Anyone can request it. No ID or reason needed. The county posts it online. The city provides it by phone and through its website.

Full criminal histories are restricted under Penal Code 11105. You cannot get another person's criminal record through a public request in Anaheim or anywhere in California. To check your own record, go to a Live Scan site and pay $25 to the DOJ. Several Live Scan locations operate in Anaheim and the surrounding cities. The Orange County Public Defender's office can help residents understand their records. Legal Aid Society of Orange County also provides free assistance with record clearing for eligible Anaheim residents.

Visiting and Contacting Inmates

Visiting at the Anaheim City Jail is limited since holds are short. Call (714) 765-1988 to ask about visiting someone in the city facility. For inmates in Orange County custody, the sheriff sets visiting schedules by facility and housing unit. Check the Orange County Sheriff's website for current hours. Video visits are available at county facilities. You need a valid photo ID for all in-person visits.

Phone calls from Orange County jail carry fees. State prison calls in California are free since January 2023, but county jail rates still apply. Families can fund an inmate's phone account online. Mail goes to the holding facility. For county inmates, send it to the specific Orange County facility. Include the inmate's full name and booking number on all mail. Electronic messaging and commissary deposits are available through the county's approved providers. For Anaheim City Jail inmates, call the facility to ask about mail and contact options since rules differ from the county system.

Nearby City Inmate Records

Several cities near Anaheim share the Orange County Sheriff's jail system. Search their inmate population data below.

For full county jail details, see the Orange County inmate population page.