TL;DR
San Diego has multiple detention centers, including county jails (San Diego Central Jail, Las Colinas), a federal facility (MCC San Diego), a juvenile detention center (East Mesa), and an immigration detention center (Otay Mesa). Bail is available for many detainees. Bail Hotline offers 24/7 assistance for pre-trial release.
San Diego is California’s second-largest city by population and the eighth-largest in the country. With so many residents, it’s probably not surprising to learn that there are several detention centers in and around the city.
This blog is your guide to the major San Diego detention centers, offering key details about their operations and, where possible, important info about how to connect with and help the people held in them. We’ll also cover some basic and crucial facts about what detention centers are and how they function.
Remember, Bail Hotline is here to help you, your family members, and your friends post bail and exit pre-trial holding. While our bail bond services are not available for all inmates of all facilities, we’re often able to help people return to their normal lives by exiting pre-trial detention. Get in touch with our local San Diego bail bond office, open 24/7, to learn more!
The Basics of Detention Centers
The term “detention center” has a few distinct meanings, although they all relate to holding individuals in custody.
As the International Security Journal explains, detention centers can be either:
- A jail. A jail is a correctional facility that generally holds people who are accused but not convicted of crimes – people who are innocent in the eyes of the law. Jails also hold people convicted of crimes who receive short sentences, usually a year or less.
- An immigration holding facility. In this context, a detention center holds people with a pending immigration status. These people may or may not be accused of any crime.
So, detention centers can be jails by another name. However, not all detention centers function as jails. Some are dedicated to immigration-related issues and hold people based on their residency status, which may or may not have any connection to a crime.
For people held in local (i.e. city and county) detention centers that serve as jails, Bail Hotline offers a simple San Diego detention center inmate search tool. We make it easy to find out if a friend or loved one is held in a San Diego facility after being arrested, so you can work toward contacting them, starting the bail process, and more.
With this context in mind, here’s a review of major San Diego detention centers that fit into both definitions of the term.
Key Info for Major San Diego Detention Centers
Important San Deigo Booking Jails: San Diego Central Jail and Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility
In San Deigo County, there are several booking jails operated by the San Diego County Sheriff – jails where people who are arrested are initially held. However, there are two main county jails where recently many arrested people are processed, which are divided by males and females. These are:
- The San Diego Central Jail. The San Diego Central Jail is the main intake point for male arrestees. The official website for the jail has helpful information about location, contacting the jail, setting up visits (in person and with video phone calls), and more.
- The Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility. The Las Colinas Facility is the main intake point for female arrestees. The Las Colinas official website offers visit information, contact information, and more.
San Diego Federal Detention Center: MCC San Diego
MCC San Diego is a correctional facility operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBP) that holds people accused of federal crimes, but who have not yet been convicted. It also holds people convicted of federal crimes who are serving short sentences.
The FBP maintains an official website for MCC San Diego that offers plenty of helpful information. That includes guides for setting up visits and visiting hours, sending money and packages to people in detention, and more.
Keep in mind that bail works differently for federal prisoners awaiting trial. Bail is generally set by judges for each accused person individually. Also, bail bond agents are rarely used.
Instead, judges set rules for people in federal pre-trial holding. Financial pledges generally come from the accused person themselves or their friends and family.
Juvenile Detention Center in San Diego, CA: East Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility
The East Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility is the main booking facility for juveniles in San Diego County. Both male and female detainees are processed and held at this San Diego detention center. Most of the people held here are accused and arrested but not convicted – they are waiting for their cases to move forward in the legal system.
The East Mesa facility offers detailed information about visiting and contacting people held there on its official website.
San Diego Immigration Detention Center: Otay Mesa Detention Center
The Otay Mesa Detention Center is operated by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a part of the Department of Homeland Security. This facility holds people facing immigration action, which includes but is not limited to legal issues related to immigration status.
The Otay Mesa facility is often called the ICE detention center in San Diego. Keep in mind that there are two immigration detention facilities in the greater San Diego area: Otay Mesa, in the city itself, and Imperial Regional Detention Facility, in neighboring Imperial County.
ICE offers information on how to get in touch with detainees at Otay Mesa, as well as setting up visits and sending packages on the facility’s official website. Similar information is available for the Imperial Regional facility on its own website.
Help With Bail from the Experts at Bail Hotline
At many although not all of these San Diego detention centers, many people placed in pre-trial holding are eligible for bail. Posting bail allows people in pre-trial holding to exit detention and return to their everyday life. That can reduce stress and make it easier to prepare for their upcoming court appearances.
Bail Hotline is here to help you, your friends, and your loved ones use the bail system and exit pre-trial holding. Reach out to our local San Diego office for 24/7 support!
