How to Find Someone in a Southern California Jail
A step-by-step guide to finding a loved one in county or city custody anywhere in Southern California.
Start with what you know
The more details you have, the faster your search will go. Try to get the person's full legal name, including any middle name, their date of birth and the city where they were arrested.
Nicknames, misspellings and hyphenated last names cause a lot of failed searches. If a search finds nothing, try other spellings or search by last name only.
Figure out which agency made the arrest
In most Southern California counties, the county Sheriff runs the jails. Some cities, including Los Angeles, Long Beach, Santa Ana and Anaheim, run their own short-term city jails. Someone arrested by city police may be held there for a day or two before moving to county custody.
If you don't know who made the arrest, search the county Sheriff's system first, then check the city police department.
Use the official inmate locator
Every county Sheriff in the region offers a free online inmate search. Our county pages link straight to the official agency websites. You never need to pay a third-party site to find someone in a county jail.
Write down the booking number. You'll need it to send mail, put money on an account or set up a visit.
If you still can't find them
A recent arrest may still be in booking, which can take many hours. Check again later. The person may also have been released, moved to another county or taken into state or federal custody.
For state prisons, use the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) inmate locator. For federal custody, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator. For immigration detention, use the ICE Online Detainee Locator System.