California's county jails function like county jails throughout the United States: they are used to incarcerate people pre-trial, through a trial and sentencing, and for some sentences of commitment. The majority of people incarcerated in California's county jails have not been sentenced (they are pre-trial and have not been convicted of a crime).

Historically, time would be served in a county jail for sentences of less than a year, including sentences for misdemeanors and some felonies. In 2011, the Public Safety Realignment Act was signed into law in response to the Supreme Court case Brown v. Plata and the resulting court order to address prison overcrowding in the state. Realignment "shifted responsibility for all sentenced non-violent, non-serious, non-sex offenders from state to local jurisdictions", which decreased California prison populations, increased California county jail populations, and changed the types and distribution of crimes for which people were serving sentences in county jails.

For comparison, in December 2019 there were approximately 71,200 people incarcerated in California county jails (based on average daily population), Alt URL 124,027 people incarcerated in California state prisons, and 51,923 people on parole in California.

California county jails

Rated capacity and average daily population reports from the California Board of State and Community Corrections were used to determine what constitutes a distinct jail facility for this list.

Jail County Rated Capacity Alt URL Average Daily Population (ADP) Alt URL Notes Santa Rita Jail Alameda 3489 2563 Amador County Jail Amador 76 94 Butte County Jail Butte 614 538 Calaveras County Adult Detention Facility Calaveras 128 100 Colusa County Jail Colusa 92 59 Marsh Creek Detention Facility Contra Costa 188 49 Martinez Detention Facility Contra Costa 695 418 West County Detention Facility Contra Costa 1104 628 Del Norte County Jail Del Norte 146 104 El Dorado County Jail, Placerville El Dorado 303 243 El Dorado County Jail, South Lake Tahoe El Dorado 158 140 Fresno County Main Jail Fresno 1064 952 The Fresno County Sheriff has been under a Federal Consent Decree since 1993 in response to chronic overcrowding. Fresno North Annex Jail Fresno 1152 1564 The Fresno County Sheriff has been under a Federal Consent Decree since 1993 in response to chronic overcrowding. Fresno South Annex Jail Fresno 528 416 The Fresno County Sheriff has been under a Federal Consent Decree since 1993 in response to chronic overcrowding. Glenn County Adult Detention Facility Glenn 144 96 Humboldt County Correctional Facility Humboldt 417 388 Herbert Hughes Correctional Center Imperial 314 150 Imperial Adult Regional Facility Imperial 288 204 Imperial County Oren Fox Detention Facility Imperial 276 32 The facility opened in 2018 with funds allocated under AB 900, County Jail Funding & Reentry Facilities. Inyo County Jail Inyo 96 39 Kern County Central Receiving Facility Kern 292 126 Lerdo Justice Facility Kern 796 701 Lerdo Maximum/Medium Security Facility Kern 374 152 Lerdo Pre-Trial Facility Kern 1344 870 Kings County Jail Kings 373 561 Lake County Hill Road Facility Lake 286 249 Lassen County Adult Detention Facility Lassen 231 94 Los Angeles Century Regional Detention Facility Los Angeles 1708 2148 Los Angeles Men's Central Jail Los Angeles 3512 4506 Los Angeles North County Correctional Facility Los Angeles 2214 3783 Los Angeles Pitchess Detention Center East Facility Los Angeles 926 72 The facility is currently closed, but is being used as a fire camp. Los Angeles Pitchess North Facility Los Angeles 832 1421 Los Angeles Pitchess South Facility Los Angeles 782 1455 Los Angeles Twin Towers Correctional Facility Los Angeles 2432 3318 Stated by the Sheriff's Office to be the world's largest jail and the world's largest mental health facility. Madera Adult Correctional Facility Madera 560 460 The facility was run by the Madera County Department of Corrections, and not the Sheriff as is typical in California. As of 2021, the Department of Corrections was folded back into the Sheriff's Office. Marin County Jail Marin 349 265 Mariposa County Adult Detention Facility Mariposa 58 43Voted best County Jail in California. Mendocino Adult Detention Facility Mendocino County 295 284 John Latorraca Correctional Center Merced 564 416 Merced County Jail Merced 189 176 Modoc County Jail Modoc 43 39 Mono County Jail Mono 48 26 Monterey County Jail Monterey 575 669 Monterey County Rehabilitation Facility Monterey 250 181 Napa County Jail Napa 276 237 The jail is run by the Napa County Department of Corrections, and not the Sheriff as is typical in California. Wayne Brown Correctional Facility Nevada 284 195 Orange County Intake Release Center Orange 407 455 James A. Musick Facility Orange 449 0 The facility is under temporary closure for renovations as of July, 2019, and is expected to re-open in 2022. It was also an ICE detention facility. Orange County Men's Jail Orange 1219 1209 Orange County Women's Jail Orange 274 294 Orange County Theo Lacy Jail Orange 2080 2894 Placer County Main Jail Placer 492 323 South Placer Minimum Security Jail Placer 120 91 South Placer Jail Placer 300 242 Plumas County Jail Plumas 67 60 Blythe Jail Riverside 79 114 Indio Jail Riverside 238 348 Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility Riverside 1458 1450 Robert Presley Detention Center Riverside 760 741 Southwest Detention Center (also called Cois Byrd Detention Center) Riverside 1142 1141 Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center Sacramento 1625 1624 Sacramento County Main Jail Sacramento 2380 1877 San Benito Adult Detention Center San Benito 142 121 San Bernardino Central Detention Center San Bernardino 772 732 Also used by the United States Marshals Service as a west coast hub for the transportation and housing of federal inmates. Glen Helen Rehabilitation Center San Bernardino 1070 901 High Desert Detention Center San Bernardino 2098 1235 West Valley Detention Center San Bernardino 3072 2465 East Mesa Reentry Facility San Diego 760 700 San Diego County Facility#8 San Diego 200 181 George Bailey Detention Facility San Diego 1380 1522 Las Colinas Women's Detention Facility San Diego 1216 782 San Diego Central Jail San Diego 946 950 South Bay Detention Facility San Diego 386 395 Vista Detention Facility San Diego 807 714 San Diego Work Furlough And Residential Reentry Center San Diego 483 335 This facility is operated by CoreCivic, and is under the jurisdiction of the San Diego County Probation Department, rather than the Sheriff. San Francisco County Jail#2 San Francisco 392 286 San Francisco County Jail#4 San Francisco 402 288 San Francisco County Jail#5 San Francisco 768 608 John J. Zunino Facility San Joaquin 1195 1019 San Joaquin County Honor Farm San Joaquin 493 290 San Luis Obispo County Jail San Luis Obispo 714 439 San Luis Obispo Honor Farm San Luis Obispo 63 50 Maguire Correctional Facility San Mateo 688 489 Maple Street Correctional Facility San Mateo 586 430 Men's & Women's Transitional Facilities San Mateo 88 39 Santa Barbara Medium Security Facility Santa Barbara 160 151 Santa Barbara County Main Jail Santa Barbara 659 707 Santa Clara County Elmwood Complex - Men's Facility Santa Clara 2399 2227 Santa Clara County Elmwood Complex - Women's Facility Santa Clara 634 350 Santa Clara County Main Jail Santa Clara 1350 663 Santa Cruz Blaine Street Facility Santa Cruz County, California 32 18 Santa Cruz Main Jail Santa Cruz County, California 319 282 Santa Cruz Rountree Medium Facility Santa Cruz County, California 96 67 Shasta County Main Jail Shasta 381 431 Siskiyou County Jail Siskiyou 104 86 Claybank Facility Solano 358 222 Solano County Justice Center Solano 712 231 Stanton Correctional Facility Solano 365 255 Sonoma County Main Adult Detention Facility Sonoma 848 721 Sonoma County North County Detention Facility Sonoma 561 264 Stanislaus County Public Safety Center Stanislaus 1014 803 Stanislaus County Public Safety Center Units 1 & 2 Stanislaus 384 281 Stanislaus County REACT (Re-Entry and Enhanced Alternative to Custody Training) Center Stanislaus 288 143 Sutter County Jail Sutter 352 250 Tehama County Jail Tehama 191 169 Trinity County Detention Facility Trinity 53 54 Bob Wiley Detention Facility Tulare 696 604 Tulare County Men's Correctional Facility Tulare 366 237 Tulare County Pre-Trial Facility Tulare 384 347 Tulare County Jail Tulare 272 237 Tuolumne County Jail Tuolumne 147 144 Todd Road Jail Ventura 796 770 Ventura County Main Jail Ventura 828 747 Monroe Detention Center Yolo 272 239 Walter J. Leinberger Memorial Center Yolo 120 70 Yuba County Jail Yuba 426 372 Also an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility.

The following counties do not have jails:

Alpine County: jail services are contracted to El Dorado County and Calaveras County. Sierra County: this county does not have an official jail tracked by the Board of State and Community Corrections, but the Sheriff's website says that "as of March 17, 2015 the Sierra County Jail began operating as a Temporary Housing Facility".

See also Incarceration in California

References