About California Inmate Information Services

California Inmate Information Services is an independent, free, public-information website. We publish plain-language guides for people who have just learned that a friend or relative has been arrested in California and don't know where to begin.

Many of the people who reach our pages are reading late at night, worried, and facing official websites that assume you already know how the system works. We try to close that gap. We explain where custody records are kept, what a booking number is, how bail and release work, what happens at an arraignment, and when it makes sense to talk with a lawyer.

What we do

• Publish county-by-county guides with links to each sheriff's official inmate search, jail facilities, and the local superior court.
• Write in-depth articles on arrest, booking, bail, pretrial release, and the court process under California law.
• Point readers to primary sources, including the California Penal Code, the Judicial Branch of California, and the California Department of Insurance, so they can check everything themselves.

What we are not

We are not a government agency, and we are not affiliated with any sheriff's office, police department, court, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. We are not a law firm and do not give legal advice. We do not sell bail bonds, we do not accept payment to recommend any bail agent or attorney, and we do not search private databases or perform background checks.

How our content is made

Our editorial team researches each guide from official sources: statutes, court rules, published court decisions, and the websites of the agencies involved. Each article lists the sources it relies on and shows the date it was last reviewed. When laws change or an agency moves its records online, we update the affected pages.

We aim for accuracy, but jail procedures, websites, and laws change, sometimes without notice. If you spot something out of date, please tell us through our contact page. We read every correction.

How the site is funded

The site is free to use. We may display advertising served by third parties such as Google AdSense to cover our costs. Advertising never affects what we write, and advertisers don't review or approve our content. Our Privacy Policy explains how ad cookies work and how to opt out.

Please read

Before relying on anything here, please review our Disclaimer and Terms of Use. We're also committed to making the site usable by everyone. See our Accessibility Statement.