Long Beach Custody Lookup

Long Beach inmate population records come from two sources. The Long Beach Police Department runs its own city jail, which makes it one of the few California cities with a dedicated holding facility. Long Beach also falls under Los Angeles County, so the county sheriff's jail system holds most inmates after initial booking. If you need to find someone in custody in Long Beach, you may need to check both the city jail and the county system. This page explains how both work and where to search.

Long Beach City Jail

Long Beach is one of the few cities in California that operates its own jail. The Long Beach City Jail is run by the Long Beach Police Department. It serves as a short-term holding facility for people arrested by Long Beach officers. Most inmates stay in the city jail for 24 to 96 hours. After that, they either post bail and go home, or they transfer to Los Angeles County custody for longer holds. The city jail handles the initial booking process for Long Beach arrests. Fingerprints, photos, and charge paperwork all happen here first.

Call the Long Beach City Jail at (562) 570-7260 to ask about someone in city custody. Give the person's full name and date of birth if you have it. Staff can tell you if that person is currently held at the city facility. The Long Beach Police Department also provides inmate information through its website. This is the first place to check for very recent arrests in Long Beach before the person moves to county.

The Long Beach Police inmate information page at longbeach.gov is shown below.

Keep in mind that the city jail is temporary. For inmates held longer than a few days, check the county system instead.

Los Angeles County Jail Search

After the initial hold at the Long Beach City Jail, inmates transfer to Los Angeles County custody. The county sheriff runs the largest jail system in the United States. Long Beach inmates typically go to one of the county's main facilities. The Inmate Information Center is the county's online search tool. Go to the LASD Inmate Information Center and search by name or booking number. The tool shows charges, bail, court dates, and which facility holds the person. If you cannot find someone in the Long Beach city jail, check here next.

The Los Angeles County jail system holds more than 12,000 people on a typical day. Inmates from Long Beach can end up at several county facilities depending on classification and charges. Twin Towers, Men's Central Jail, and North County Correctional Facility are the most common destinations. Women from Long Beach usually go to Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood. The county search updates several times each day. New transfers from Long Beach may take a few hours to appear after they arrive at the county facility.

Note: Check the city jail first for recent Long Beach arrests, then check the county system if the person has been in custody for more than a day or two.

California Statewide Searches

If someone from Long Beach went to state prison, search CIRIS. This is CDCR's inmate locator for all 34 California state prisons. It is free and open to the public. Search by last name or CDCR number. CIRIS does not cover city jails or county jails. It only tracks people in state prison custody. Results show the current prison, admission date, and parole hearing schedule.

VINELink searches all 58 California counties at once. This is good when you do not know where someone is being held. It covers Los Angeles County and every other county in the state. Call 1-877-411-5588 or use the website. VINE also sends custody status alerts. Sign up and get a notification when someone's status changes in Long Beach or anywhere in California. The BSCC Jail Profile Survey tracks monthly jail data for Los Angeles County which includes Long Beach inmates held in county facilities.

Inmate Record Laws

Booking data in Long Beach is public. Government Code 6254(f) requires California law enforcement to release arrest and booking information. Names, charges, bail, and booking dates are all public record. Both the Long Beach Police Department and Los Angeles County Sheriff comply with this. You can request this information in person, by phone, or online where tools are available.

Criminal records are restricted. Penal Code 11105 limits full criminal history access in California to authorized parties only. You can check your own record at a Live Scan location and pay $25 to the DOJ. Long Beach has multiple Live Scan providers. The Long Beach Legal Aid Foundation can help residents who need to clear old records or understand their criminal history. The difference matters. Booking records are open to anyone. Criminal histories are not. When searching for Long Beach inmate population data, you are accessing the public booking records.

Contacting Long Beach Inmates

For inmates in the Long Beach City Jail, contact is limited. The facility is short-term. Visiting hours are restricted and depend on when the person was booked. Call (562) 570-7260 to ask about visiting someone at the city jail. For inmates transferred to Los Angeles County, the county facilities have regular visiting schedules. Check the LASD website for hours at each location. Video visits are available at most county facilities.

Phone calls from Los Angeles County jail use a paid system. State prison calls in California are free since January 2023. County jail rates have dropped but still carry fees. Mail goes to whichever facility holds the inmate. Write the person's full name and booking number on the envelope. If the person is still at the Long Beach City Jail, address mail to that facility. Once they transfer to county, mail goes to the county location. Los Angeles County also accepts electronic messages and commissary deposits through third-party vendors listed on the sheriff's site.

Nearby City Inmate Records

These cities are near Long Beach and most share the Los Angeles County jail system. Anaheim is in Orange County with its own setup.

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