Search Pasadena Inmate Records

Pasadena inmate population records are split between the city and the county. The Pasadena Police Department runs a Type I city jail that handles short-term holds after arrests. For longer stays, inmates transfer to Los Angeles County Sheriff custody. The county runs the largest local jail system in the nation and holds people from Pasadena alongside inmates from dozens of other cities. You may need to check both the city jail and the county system to find someone arrested in Pasadena. This page explains how each system works and gives you the tools to search both.

LA County Jail Lookup

Los Angeles County is the primary system for Pasadena inmate population records beyond the initial booking phase. The county sheriff operates several massive facilities. Twin Towers Correctional Facility and Men's Central Jail sit in downtown LA. Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood holds female inmates. North County Correctional Facility in Castaic is a large site too. On a typical day the county holds well over 12,000 people. Pasadena inmates who transfer to county go through the Inmate Reception Center first, where they get processed into the sheriff's system.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff runs a free online tool called the Inmate Information Center. You search by name or booking number. The results page shows charges, bail amount, next court date, and the specific facility where the inmate is held. This tool updates multiple times per day. After a Pasadena arrest, it can take several hours for the person to show up in the county database. If you just learned about the arrest, try again later in the day or the next morning. The sheriff's phone line at (213) 473-6100 can also help with Pasadena inmate lookups in the county system.

Below is the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Inmate Information Center used for Pasadena and all other LA County inmate population searches.

Note: This county tool does not include people still held at the Pasadena city jail. Check with Pasadena PD first if the arrest was recent.

Pasadena City Jail

Pasadena runs a Type I city jail at the police station on Garfield Avenue. This is a temporary holding facility. People booked here stay for a short time, usually less than 96 hours. The jail handles initial processing for all Pasadena police arrests. Officers bring people in, take fingerprints and photos, and hold them while charges get sorted out. If the person posts bail, they leave from here. If they can not post bail or the charges are serious enough, they transfer to the LA County jail system.

To check on someone in the Pasadena city jail, call (626) 744-4616. Give the full name and date of birth if you have it. Jail staff can confirm whether the person is still in Pasadena custody or has been moved. There is no online search tool for the Pasadena city jail. The phone is your only option for a real-time check. Staff answer calls at all hours since the jail operates 24/7. DUI arrests, warrant pickups, and misdemeanor cases are common at this facility. Some people cycle through the Pasadena jail in just a few hours if they get cited and released.

Visiting at the Pasadena city jail is limited. Since it is a temporary facility, there is no set visiting schedule like you would find at a county site. If you need to see someone, call ahead and ask. The jail may allow a brief visit depending on circumstances, but do not count on it. Wait until the person transfers to county for regular visit options.

California Statewide Tools

Not every Pasadena inmate stays in local custody. Some go to state prison. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation runs CIRIS for state prison searches. It is free. Enter a last name and search. You get the inmate's current prison, admission date, and scheduled parole hearings. CIRIS covers all 34 California state prisons. It does not include county or city jails. So a person in Pasadena city jail or LA County jail will not show up in CIRIS.

VINELink covers the gap between local and state systems. VINE works across all 58 California counties. Search by name and see if a person is in custody anywhere. You can set up alerts too. When an inmate's status changes, VINE sends you a call, text, or email. This is helpful for Pasadena cases because you might not know which facility a person ended up in. Call VINE at 1-877-411-5588 or search online. The service is free and open to everyone.

The BSCC Jail Profile Survey tracks Los Angeles County jail population data going back decades. This includes figures for Pasadena inmates held in county custody. You can pull reports by year and see trends in jail capacity, daily counts, and booking numbers.

Pasadena Inmate Data Access

Booking data from Pasadena arrests is public information. Government Code 6254(f) makes arrest information, charges, and booking details open to public review in California. This is the law that lets the LA County Sheriff post jail rosters online. It also means the Pasadena Police Department must share basic booking data when asked. You do not need a reason to request it. Name, charges, and bail are all fair game.

Criminal history is restricted though. Under Penal Code 11105, the California DOJ controls access to full criminal records. Only authorized agencies, certain employers, and the person themselves can see these files. In Pasadena, you can get your own record by going to a Live Scan location and paying the $25 DOJ fee. Several fingerprinting services operate in the Pasadena area. The Pasadena Police Department may also offer Live Scan for personal record checks.

Nearby City Inmate Records

These cities sit near Pasadena in the Los Angeles County area. Most share the same county jail system through the LA County Sheriff.

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