Find San Diego County Inmates

San Diego County inmate population records are managed by the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. The sheriff runs seven detention facilities across this large Southern California county. San Diego County offers a free tool called "Who's In Jail" that lets you search for anyone currently in custody. You get charges, bail, booking details, and facility location. The system updates often and covers all San Diego County jails in a single search. Booking data is public under California law. For phone help, call (619) 615-2700 to reach the detention services division.

San Diego Who's In Jail Search

The San Diego County Sheriff's Department runs a search tool called "Who's In Jail." The name is straightforward and so is the tool. You go to the page, type a last name, and hit search. Results show every person with that name who is currently in San Diego County custody. Each result includes the person's full name, date of birth, charges, bail amount, booking date, and which detention facility holds them. The search covers all seven San Diego County jails at once.

The tool is free. You do not register or create an account. San Diego County keeps the system open to the public around the clock. It updates as bookings and releases happen throughout the day. If someone was just arrested in San Diego County, give it a few hours before searching. The booking process takes time, and the record will not show up until intake is complete. Common names can return a long list. Use a first name or date of birth to narrow results in San Diego County.

Once a person gets released from San Diego County jail, their record stays visible for a short period with an updated status. After that, it drops off the public search. For old booking data, submit a records request to the sheriff's department.

San Diego County Detention Facilities

San Diego County operates seven detention facilities. The San Diego Central Jail at 1173 Front Street in downtown San Diego is the main booking location. It processes most new arrests in the central part of the county. The Vista Detention Facility at 325 South Melrose Drive in Vista handles bookings for the North County area. The George Bailey Detention Facility at 446 Alta Road in Otay Mesa is one of the larger housing facilities. The South Bay Detention Facility in Chula Vista, the East Mesa Reentry Facility, the Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility for women in Santee, and the Facility 8 in Santee round out the system.

The total capacity across all San Diego County facilities is about 5,900 beds. The actual daily population tends to sit around 5,400 inmates, making San Diego County one of the top five largest jail systems in California. The BSCC Jail Profile Survey tracks monthly population stats for San Diego County. You can pull data on average daily population, rated capacity, bookings, and more going back years. San Diego County has invested in reentry programs to try to reduce the jail population over time.

Note: Each San Diego County facility serves a different part of the county or houses different inmate categories. The Who's In Jail tool searches all of them at once.

How to Look Up San Diego County Inmates

Start with Who's In Jail. It is the best source for current San Diego County inmate population data. The tool runs on the sheriff's site and is free to use. If you cannot find someone there, try VINELink next. VINE covers every California county. It works well when you do not know which county holds a person. You search by name across the whole state. Call 1-877-411-5588 to use VINE by phone. VINE also sends alerts when an inmate's custody status changes in San Diego County.

For people who are in state prison rather than county jail, use the CIRIS inmate locator from CDCR. CIRIS covers all California state prisons but not county jails. San Diego County sends many convicted inmates to the state prison system each year. Once those people leave the county jail, the Who's In Jail tool no longer shows them. CIRIS picks up from that point and shows the current prison assignment, admission date, and parole hearing schedule.

The San Diego County Sheriff also answers phone inquiries at (619) 615-2700. Staff can tell you if a person is in custody and share basic details about their booking.

San Diego County Records and California Law

Government Code 6254(f) makes booking records public in California. The San Diego County Sheriff follows this law by posting inmate data through the Who's In Jail system. Names, charges, bail, and booking information are all disclosed to the public. You do not need a special reason to search San Diego County inmate population records. The law treats booking data as open information.

Criminal history records get different treatment. Under Penal Code 11105, the California DOJ controls access to full criminal background files. The San Diego County Sheriff does not release those. Only authorized agencies, qualified employers, and the individual can view complete criminal histories. If you need your own record in San Diego County, visit a Live Scan location. There are many across the county in San Diego, Chula Vista, Oceanside, Escondido, and other cities. Submit fingerprints and pay the $25 DOJ fee. Processing takes a few days.

San Diego County inmate population data tells you who is in jail right now. It does not give you a full criminal background. Those are two different things under California law.

Who's In Jail Search Portal

The image below shows the San Diego County Who's In Jail search page where you look up inmates.

The page has a clean search form. Enter a name and click search. Results list each inmate with charges, bail, and facility. San Diego County designed this tool to be simple and fast, and it works well on both desktop and mobile.

Cities in San Diego County

San Diego County includes several large cities. All use the county sheriff for jail and detention services. Visit a city page for local details on inmate population records.

Nearby Counties

Counties bordering San Diego run their own jail systems with different inmate search tools.