Inmates Arrests Visitation Books Send $$
Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office
Santa Cruz County - County Jail - California
Santa Cruz County Jail California

 

About Santa Cruz County Jail

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office is responsible for the Santa Cruz County Jail.  The Sheriff is an elected position, and is actually the Sheriff-Coroner.  The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office was established in 1850 to serve as the county’s chief law enforcement officer.  The Sheriff’s Office is responsible for providing a variety of county-level services, including patrol services, investigations in unincorporated areas, running the county’s adult correctional facilities, providing security for the Superior Court, operating as a coroner, and serving civil processes.

The Sheriff’s Office has different branches: administration, corrections, and operations.  The jail is part of the corrections division.  The corrections department is handled by Chief Deputy Jeremy Verinsky.  The Corrections Bureau has four different correctional facilities: the Main Jail in Santa Cruz, the Blaine Street Facility in Santa Cruz, the Rountree Medium Security Facility, the Work Release/Custody Alternative Program.  It is also responsible for providing prisoner transportation and security services for the court.

The role of the Main Jail Corrections Division is to provide safe and secure housing for the inmates and to keep the community safe from the inmates.  The prison is managed by the Jail Facility Commanders, who are in charge of the jail’s daily operations.  This includes handling inmate transport, inmate medical care, family visits, professional visits, inmate programs, and overseeing staff.  They also coordinate with county agencies and outside contractors.  The jail supervisors are Lieutenant Chris Clark and Lieutenant Dan Freitas.

Santa Cruz County Jail Addresses

Physical Address

The Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office has four different correctional facilities.  We are including addresses for all four facilities, but the main jail is the main facility. 

Santa Cruz Main Jail
259 Water Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Blaine Street Facility
141 Blaine Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Rountree Medium Security Facility
90 Rountree Lane
Watsonville, CA 95076

Work Release/ Custody Alternative Program
259 Water Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Mailing Address

The mailing addresses for non-inmate mail are:

Santa Cruz Main Jail
259 Water Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Inmate Mailing Address

The mailing addresses for inmate mail at the main jail is:

Inmate Name
Santa Cruz Main Jail
259 Water Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

At the Santa Cruz main jail, inmates are able to send and receive unlimited amounts of mail.  However, to correspond with an inmate at the jail, you must follow the jail’s inmate mail rules.  Failure to follow those rules can result in a suspension of jail privileges.

It is very important to make sure and address the mail with the inmate’s full name, inmate number, and mailing address.  You also need to make sure you include a full return address for anyone sending mail to the jail.  This includes the sender’s full name and address.  In addition, all mail should be addressed from the actual sender; inmates cannot give and receive third-party mail.

Both incoming and outgoing mail will be opened and checked for contraband.

You cannot send postage stamps to inmates for their use; they cannot get any type of stamps or stickers in the mail.  Inmates will be allowed to purchase stamps for their use.

Inmates are permitted to receive photographs in the mail.  They can only receive a maximum of five photos per letter.  All pictures must be 4” x 6” or smaller.

Inmates can get greeting cards, but those greeting cards must be single-layer.  Greeting cards cannot have a plastic coating, must be standard sized, cannot have electric or audio parts, cannot have moving parts, and cannot have anything in it that can be used as a weapon.

You cannot send published materials, like books, newspapers, or periodicals directly to an inmate. 
Inmates receive publications or any other materials that contain pornography, obscenity, violence, racism, gangs, gambling, or incite murder, arson, or riots.

Generally, inmates cannot receive or send mail to or from inmates at penal institutes, unless authorized by the Facility Commander.

If you want to send published material to an inmate, you can have it sent directly from the publisher.  This includes books, magazines, and newspapers.  However, the published materials should be softcover.  Inmates are not permitted to receive any published materials with hardcovers.

There are a number of different things that may be considered contraband.  The list of contraband is not limited to items that might be illegal, but anything that could be dangerous or disruptive to the jail environment.   Some examples of contraband include: weapons and anything that can be used to make a weapon; foreign substances like bodily fluids, perfumes, paint, glitter, or lipstick; stickers, stamps, or post-it notes; cigarettes; e-cigarettes; tobacco-containing products; prescription drugs; over-the-counter drugs; illegal drugs; snacks; drinks; or materials that could be used to plan an escape.

Phone Numbers

The main phone number for the main jail is: 834-454-7800.  The main number for the work release center is 831-454-7814.  The main phone number for the Blaine Street Facility is 831-454-2177.  The main number for the Rountree Medium Security Facility is 831-454-7873. 

Inmate Roster

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office does not maintain a full inmate roster.  However, it does have a public arrest report.  On these reports, which are fixed by date, you can find a significant amount of information about the inmate.  These arrest reports do not have mugshots/ booking photos attached to them.  On the arrest report, you can find the booking date, housing location, date of birth, booking number, the inmate’s name, the inmate’s age, the inmate’s hair color, the inmate’s eye color, the inmate’s height, the inmate’s weight, the inmate’s city and state, the inmate’s occupation, the case number, the office, the charge, the charge description, the agency, the arrest date, the level, the warrant, the charge, the release date, the type of warrant, the court, the department, the court case number, the court date, the bond amount, and the arrest location.  Using this resource, you can find inmate about inmates at the facility.

Santa Cruz Arrest Log

While the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office does not maintain a full inmate roster, it does maintain a public arrest report.  In addition to the inmate’s name and arrest date, you can find the following information: the inmate’s name, the booking date, housing location, date of birth and age, booking number, the case number, the office, the charge, the charge description, the agency, the court, the department, the court case number, the court date, the bond amount, the arrest location, and a physical description.  The inmate’s physical description includes: the inmate’s hair color, the inmate’s eye color, the inmate’s height, and the inmate’s weight.  You can also find more demographic information on the inmate, such as the inmate’s city and state, the inmate’s occupation, the arrest date, the level, the warrant, the charge, the release date, the type of warrant.

Santa Cruz Mugshots

The Santa Cruz County Jail does not maintain a mugshot database; in addition, they do not have mugshots on their public arrest reports. 

Jail Visitation

Visitors at the Santa Cruz County Jail have to be on an inmate’s visitor list.  These visitor lists can only be updated every 30 days.  The inmate is the one who has to submit a visitor clearance form.  In order to put visitors on the list, the inmate needs the visitor’s full name, phone number, date of birth, address, and a government ID number (which can include a driver’s license, passport, or Matricula number.  The inmate submits the list for clearance, but people who have been in custody within the last 60 days, are on parole or formal probation, or has a warrant or restraining order, is not permitted to visit.

Visiting appointments can be scheduled from Monday through Thursday, from 8:00am to 4:00pm, and Fridays from 8:00am to 3:00pm.  In addition, there are visiting slots available on Saturdays and Sundays.  They are scheduled based on inmate housing assignments.  To schedule an appointment for a visit, you can call 831-454-7800. You may schedule visits up to a week in advance.

There are rules for visits.  If you fail to comply with the rules for visitation, you may have the visit terminated, you might lose the right to visit, and you may impact the inmate’s right to visitation.

Visitors have to arrive a half hour before check-in; visitors who arrive after the 45-minute mark will have their visit cancelled.

Visitation is by appointment only; visitors must be approved before visitation.  You must make the appointment through the Reception Staff, and you have to make them at least 24 hours in advance.  You have to cancel visitation 24 hours in advance; failure to do so will result in it being counted as a missed appointment

An inmate must be in custody for 72 hours before they can have a visit. 

Inmates can have up to visits per week, but only one per day.

Each visit may have up to 2 adults and 3 children.  Children cannot be left unattended during a visitation; they cannot be left in the library, the parking lot, or the lobby.

Minor visitors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.  Parents must show the minor’s birth certificate and legal guardians have to show paperwork demonstrating that they are the legal guardian.

All visitors must be dressed in an appropriate manner.  You cannot wear revealing clothing, clothing with offensive messages, clothing that is distracting, or clothing that is gang related.  Jail staff determines whether clothing is appropriate.  In addition, visitors must wear shoes.  The following items are prohibited in the dress code: dresses or skirts that are more than 2 inches above the knee; visible undergarments; clothing that exposes and any part of the midriff, chest, back, or shoulders; transparent clothing; strapless clothing; halter tops; bare midriff clothing; tank tops; spaghetti straps; any clothing with unfastened buttons and zippers; clothing that is law enforcement or military patterned;  footwear or clothes that contain metal; any hats; medical attire; scrubs; any attire with offensive language or drawings; any clothing with obscene drawings; and visible tattoos that are offensive or gang-related.

All visitors are subject to search. Attempting to bring contraband into a jail may be a crime and subject you to criminal prosecution.

The visitation schedule is broken down by cell block:

Saturday 8am is block N.
Saturday 9am is block L.
Saturday 10am is block K.
Saturday 11am is block H/G.
Saturday 12pm is block P/E.
Saturday 1pm is block D
Saturday 2pm is block N.
Saturday 3pm is block M/A.
Saturday 4pm is block B/F.
Saturday 5pm is block Q/J.
Saturday 6pm is block O/C.
Sunday 8am is block O/J.
Sunday 9am is block D.
Sunday 10am is block M/A.
Sunday 11am is block B/F.
Sunday 12pm is block P/E.
Sunday 1pm is block N.
Sunday 2pm is block L.
Sunday 3pm is block K.
Sunday 4pm is block H/G.
Sunday 5pm is block Q/C.
Sunday 6pm is block N.

You can find a visitation schedule online at http://www.scsheriff.com/Portals/1/County/sheriff/MainJailVisitingSchedule.pdf.

Inmate Phone Privileges

Inmates cannot receive incoming calls.  All outgoing calls must be collect or paid for on inmate accounts.  Telephone usage is a privilege, not a right, so inmates can lose their phone privileges. 

If you are having an emergency and need to reach an inmate, you can contact the jail and relay the message to the jailer on duty.  The jailer has discretion whether or not to relay the message to the inmate and ask the inmate to contact you.

Inmate Trust Accounts / Commissary

The Santa Cruz County Jail has commissary/ canteen services.  Commissary is how inmates purchase items that are not supplied by the jail.  In order to make commissary purchases, inmates must have money in their inmate trust accounts.  You can put money on inmate trust accounts in several different ways. 

You can leave money in the lobby of the Main Jail at one of the kiosks.  You can use cash or credit cards to make deposits in the kiosks.  You can make deposits from 8:00am to 5:00pm, 7 days a week.  You can also mail in money orders.  Money orders should be made payable to the inmate.  You can also make credit card deposits online at www.santacruzpackages.com and www.inmatedeposits.com.  You can also make deposits by phone at 866-345-1884.

Bail Information

You can find bail information at https://www.santacruzcourt.org/forms-filing/fee-bail-schedules.  The Superior Court of California, County of Santa Cruz, sets fees and a bail schedule.  There are both misdemeanor and felony bail schedules.

All felony violations are processed by the Criminal Section of the Superior Court.  They require a mandatory court appearance.  If a defendant has been booked for more than one violation, bail has to be based on the violation that has the highest bail amount.  Bail does not accumulate for all violations that are based on the same factual scenario.  There may also be bail enhancements.

While you can make many payments online in Santa Cruz County, you cannot pay bail online.

You may pay the full amount of bail, which is known as cash bail.  If you pay a cash bail, then, as long as the defendant complies with all of the terms and conditions of bail, then the bail is returned, regardless of the outcome at trial.

If you are unable to pay the full amount of bail, you can use the services of a surety, also known as a bail bondsman, to pay the bail.  A surety does not actually pay the bail to the court.  Instead, a surety makes a promise to the court to pay the bail in the event that the defendant does not appear for his scheduled court appearances and otherwise comply with the conditions of bail.  If you use the services of a surety, then you have to pay a fee, regardless of whether a defendant complies with the conditions of bail.

Conclusion

The Santa Cruz County jail is one of four correctional facilities that is operated by the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office Corrections Bureau.  It is located at 259 Water Street in Santa Cruz, California.  The main jail phone number is 831-454-7800.  You can find out if an inmate is located at the Santa Cruz County Main Jail if you look them up on the arrest roster.

 


Year Built or Opened: 1981 Warden or Supervisor: Sheriff Jim Hart Daily Inmate Count: 388 Total Capacity: 311 Security Level(s): minimum - medium

Inmate Name
259 Water Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Phone Number(s): 831-454-2420
Email Address: [email protected]

259 Water Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95060