Contra Costa County Jail Roster Overview
The Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff runs the largest bureau in the department, Custody Services, which manages three adult detention facilities and the Custody Alternative Facility. Sheriff David Livingston is the 22nd Sheriff of Contra Costa County. He took office on January 3, 2011 and has been sworn in to terms in 2015, 2019, and January 3, 2023. Headquarters sit at 1850 Muir Road, Martinez. The main office phone is (925) 655-0000 and dispatch is (925) 646-2441.
The In-Custody Locator is the public face of the Contra Costa County jail roster. It accepts a last name and first name or a booking number. The result row links to a detail page with charges, court date, bail, and housing. Updates happen as bookings, transfers, and releases move through intake. A new booking can take a few hours to show up after arrival at Martinez Detention Facility, so the live roster lags the actual jail floor.
The Contra Costa County inmate search does not cover everyone in custody. People held by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons appear in the BOP Inmate Locator. People sentenced to state prison move to CDCR after county time and show on CIRIS, not the county roster. Federal pretrial detainees may sit in Contra Costa jails on a U.S. Marshals contract bed but display on the BOP feed too. Immigration holds, hospital transfers, and out-of-county transports may briefly disappear from the public view before they reappear at the new facility.
How to Use the Contra Costa County Inmate Roster
The Sheriff In-Custody Locator is built around a name or booking number lookup. A clean Contra Costa County inmate search takes only a few steps. Have the full legal name and a date of birth nearby; common surnames in Contra Costa return many rows.
- Open the Custody Services page on the Sheriff site and click through to the In-Custody Locator.
- Enter the last name. Add a first name to narrow the result set on common Contra Costa surnames.
- If the booking number is known, enter it directly. The booking number returns one row and skips the name match.
- Press Search. The result page lists current bookings with name, booking date, facility, and a link to the detail row.
- Click the detail link. The profile lists charges, bail or no-bail status, next court date, and arresting agency.
- If the In-Custody Locator returns no result and the person was arrested within the last few hours, wait or call the Martinez Detention Facility records desk at (925) 335-4600.
- For a recent release, check the linked Sheriff in-custody reports. If still nothing, the person may have been booked then cited and released without a roster entry.
The Sheriff visiting page warns that custody pages are for reference and may not include a complete policy. Verify any time-critical fact by phone with the holding facility.
Contra Costa County Inmate Search Fields
The In-Custody Locator field set is short by design. Field labels match the Sheriff locator page. The table below pulls from research ยง11 and is the same field inventory court clerks and Sheriff staff use when they walk a member of the public through a roster lookup.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Name | Text | Likely yes for name search | Exact or partial last name on the Sheriff locator. |
| First Name | Text | Optional / paired | Narrows the name match in the Contra Costa County jail roster. |
| Booking Number | Text | Optional alternative | Direct lookup if the booking number is known. |
| Search | Button | Yes | Runs the query against the live roster. |
| Detail | Result link | No | Opens the inmate detail row from a match. |
| In-Custody Reports | Link | No | Sheriff-linked reports may show the current custody list. |
The official locator did not expose every label in static text during research. Verify the live field labels on the Sheriff page before scripting any automated Contra Costa County inmate search workflow.
What a Contra Costa County Inmate Profile Shows
An inmate profile on the In-Custody Locator carries a fixed field set. Charges, bail, court date, and housing are the public fields a member of the public will read off the screen. Medical data, mental health flags, and protective custody status do not show.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Name | Full legal name of the Contra Costa County inmate. |
| Booking Number | Local booking or CEN identifier tied to the intake event. |
| Facility | Martinez, West County, or Marsh Creek. |
| Custody Status | In custody, or released if the report includes recent releases. |
| Booking Date and Time | When the intake closed at the holding facility. |
| Arrest Date and Time | When the arresting agency took the person into custody. |
| Arresting Agency | Local police, Sheriff patrol, CHP, or other agency. |
| Demographics | Sex or gender, age or DOB, and race or ethnicity; height, weight, hair, and eyes if exposed. |
| Charges | Charge description, code or statute, and level if shown. |
| Bail / Bond Amount | Per case or per charge, where set. |
| Court Date | Next scheduled Contra Costa Superior Court appearance. |
| Case Number / Warrant Number | Court case or warrant tied to the charge. |
| Release Date / Reason | If included in a recent release report. |
| Mugshot | May appear if posted; not promised on every profile. |
| Housing Location | Facility name; detailed pod or tank is held back for security. |
Medical records, mental health flags, suicide watch status, protective custody flags, attorney notes, classification scores, and victim or private information are not public. The Sheriff withholds them under California Rule of Court 2.550 and Government Code section 7922.000 standards.
Contra Costa County Jail Facilities
Custody Services runs three adult detention facilities plus the Custody Alternative Facility in Martinez. Each holds a different mix of pretrial, sentenced, and program-supervised people. Each one has its own phone, address, and visiting rules.
Martinez Detention Facility
901 Court Street
Martinez, CA 94553
(925) 335-4600
Rated capacity 695; ADP 688. Pretrial intake hub for Contra Costa County.
West County Detention Facility
5555 Giant Highway
Richmond, CA 94806
(510) 262-4200
Rated capacity 1,096; ADP 764. Sentenced and program housing for West County.
Marsh Creek Detention Facility
12000 Marsh Creek Road
Clayton, CA 94517
(925) 646-5700
Rated capacity 188; ADP 68. Lower-custody sentenced housing in East County.
Custody Alternative Facility
1011 Las Juntas Street
Martinez, CA 94553
(925) 313-4260
About 425 clients on electronic home detention, work alternative, county parole, alcohol monitoring, or pretrial release.
The Sheriff capacity and ADP page reports 26,612 inmates booked in 2016, a monthly intake average of 2,218, and a daily intake average of 73. Most bookings come from local police across the county. The same page describes a proposed integrated housing, psychiatric, treatment, and reentry facility that would move about 400 people out of the aging Martinez Detention Facility.
Booking Process in Contra Costa County
An adult arrest in Contra Costa County usually moves from the arresting agency to the Martinez Detention Facility booking floor. Intake covers identity verification, property inventory, booking photo, fingerprints, medical and mental health screening, classification, and housing assignment. The Sheriff page describes the same arc for West County and Marsh Creek intakes when those facilities accept a transfer.
California arrestees must be brought before a magistrate without unnecessary delay. In practice, the first Contra Costa Superior Court appearance depends on weekends, holidays, and charge level. Felony arraignments typically land within two court days. Misdemeanor cite-and-release events may skip a custodial appearance and set a future court date instead.
Bail can be cash, a surety bond, release on own recognizance, supervised pretrial release through the Custody Alternative Facility, or a no-bail hold. The Contra Costa County Public Defender, led by Ellen McDonnell, represents indigent defendants at the first appearance and through case resolution. The Alternate Defender Office covers conflict cases.
Visitation Hours and Rules
The Sheriff visiting page sets the schedule. Visitors under 18 must come with a parent or legal guardian. Contraband such as weapons, alcohol, escape paraphernalia, and drug paraphernalia is prohibited. The Office of the Sheriff may use video recording in visiting areas, except where confidential attorney consultations occur.
| Facility | Days | Time Blocks | Check-in Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martinez Detention Facility | Mon, Tue, Wed, Sat, Sun | 8:30-11:00 a.m.; 1:00-5:00 p.m.; 7:30-9:00 p.m. | Up to four visitors; arrive no later than 30 minutes before end of block. |
| Martinez Detention Facility | Thursday | 8:30-11:00 a.m.; 1:00-5:00 p.m. | Same check-in rules. |
| Martinez Detention Facility | Friday | 7:30-9:00 p.m. | Same check-in rules. |
| West County Detention Facility | Mon-Thu | 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 a.m.; 1, 2 p.m. | Up to three visitors; report 15 minutes before visit. |
| West County Detention Facility | Sat-Sun | 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 a.m.; 1, 2, 3, 4 p.m. | Same rules. |
| Marsh Creek Detention Facility | Sat-Sun | 1:00 p.m.; 2:00 p.m. | Confirm visitor count and check-in on current Sheriff page. |
Attorney visits are treated apart from regular visits. Attorneys should contact facility staff for professional visit hours and credentials. The Sheriff page warns that pages are for reference and may not include a complete policy.
How to Contact a Contra Costa County Inmate
Mail is the cheapest way to reach a Contra Costa County inmate. The Sheriff mail page describes facility-specific handling and legal-mail label scanning that verifies authenticity without breaking attorney-client privilege. Letters need the inmate name and booking number on the envelope. Publications get a case-by-case review by the Custody Services Bureau Assistant Sheriff or designee.
Phone calls are outbound from the inmate. Family and friends do not call in. Set up a prepaid phone account with the jail vendor to take collect calls cheaply. Video visit options are available at some facilities; confirm the active vendor on the Sheriff site because vendors change over time. Do not assume any one vendor name; the research file did not confirm a current vendor as of the build date.
Commissary and Inmate Funds
Contra Costa County inmates can buy commissary items from canteen with funds deposited by family or friends. Deposit options include online deposit through the Sheriff vendor, lobby kiosk deposits at the holding facility, and mailed money orders following Sheriff mail rules. Personal property is returned at release except for contraband, evidence, or items held by another agency.
A research gap exists on the current commissary vendor and deposit fee schedule. Confirm fee details on the Sheriff site before sending money. Do not rely on stale third party pages; vendor changes can break payment workflows overnight.