Central Detention Center Inmate Lookup

Central Detention Center Overview

Central Detention Center is operated by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department at 630 East Rialto Avenue in San Bernardino. It is a county jail and detention center with a rated capacity of 930 beds according to the official Sheriff's facility page. The research describes Central as naturally tied to downtown court operations because it sits in the county seat near central court activity.

The Sheriff's page says Central originally opened in 1971 and served as the main county jail for more than 20 years. After West Valley Detention Center opened in 1991, Central closed for several years because of budget constraints and reopened in 1994 after the Sheriff negotiated a U.S. Marshals Service contract. The page says Central currently houses more than 200 federal inmates and more than 600 county inmates, and processes more than 20,000 inmates annually.

The official Central Detention Center facility page is the source for the screenshot below.

Use the facility page for address, history, and operational context. Use the Inmate Locator to confirm a specific person's current housing facility and to separate county jail custody from federal or state-prison lookup routes.

Central Detention Center Capacity and Population

The Sheriff's official facility page, inspected May 31, 2026, gives Central Detention Center a capacity of 930 beds. It also says the facility processes more than 20,000 inmates annually and describes a custody mix of more than 200 federal inmates and more than 600 county inmates. Those figures are facility-page statements, not a live daily census from the Inmate Locator.

How to Look Up an Inmate at Central Detention Center

Search Central Detention Center through the county Inmate Locator. A county jail profile can identify the housing facility, visiting information, mailing address, bail field, projected release date, and related court or hold information. If the profile includes a U.S. Marshal information panel, follow the roster's federal instruction because the Sheriff's Department says it does not provide court and charge information for that inmate category.

1. Open the County of San Bernardino Inmate Locator.
2. Use the 10-digit booking number if known, or search by name, DOB or approximate age, and gender.
3. Review similar-name results against DOB, sex, arrest date, arrest agency, and housing facility.
4. Confirm Central Detention Center appears as the Housing Facility before using Central's address or visit process.
5. For state prison use CDCR CIRIS; for federal custody use BOP or the U.S. Marshal Service Los Angeles Communication Center at (213) 894-2485; for immigration detention use ICE ODLS.

Central Detention Center Address and Contact

Call the facility before travel when housing, visit status, special classification, or public-counter access matters. The Inmate Locator may change as an inmate moves through court, classification, release, or transfer.

Visiting Someone at Central Detention Center

Central uses the San Bernardino County jail visit rules. Visits are scheduled in advance on a first come, first served basis, and no same-day visits are allowed. Visitors must check in 30 minutes before the scheduled visit, late arrivals are not admitted, and adult visitors need valid government photo ID. Dress-code restrictions apply, including no gang attire, hats, obscene clothing, sheer clothing, exposed midriff or chest, short skirts or shorts above the rule, or bare feet.

Mail, Phone, and Money at Central Detention Center

Mail and deposits follow the county jail rules unless the inmate profile gives a different facility-specific instruction. Search the inmate first to capture the housing facility, booking number, and Inmate Mailing Address. Mail must include a return address. Photos are limited to 10 at one time and cannot exceed 5 by 7. Books and magazines must come directly from a bookstore or publisher, and hardbound books are not accepted.

Booking and Intake at Central Detention Center

The Sheriff's research describes Central as a booking facility for police and sheriff stations operating in the east valley area. Booking creates the county custody record after arrest and can include identity confirmation, booking number assignment, fingerprints, search, property inventory, booking photo if taken, medical and mental-health screening, classification, and housing assignment.

Because Central also has a federal/USMS role, readers should not assume every person physically housed there has ordinary county court and charge information in the county profile. When the profile flags U.S. Marshal information, use federal custody channels for federal court and charge questions. For ordinary San Bernardino County charges, use Superior Court records after a case is filed.

About Central Detention Center

Central Detention Center's official history is closely tied to San Bernardino County jail overcrowding and federal contract housing. The Sheriff's page says county overcrowding in the 1980s led to construction of West Valley Detention Center in 1991. Central later reopened after a U.S. Marshals Service contract and has functioned as a west coast hub for transportation and housing of federal inmates arriving and leaving from across the United States and Pacific Rim Islands.

Programs named by the Sheriff for Central include high school diploma and substance-abuse intervention, plus juvenile programs for at-risk youth. Those program details are facility-page context and do not replace the Inmate Locator's current custody information for a specific person.

Central's federal contract history also affects record routing. A person can be physically held in downtown San Bernardino while federal court, federal charge, or transport information sits outside the county court system. When the roster points to U.S. Marshals or BOP resources, follow that route instead of treating the county jail profile as the final case record.