Has a friend or family member recently been arrested? Here’s all the information you need to help you locate a prisoner in San Jose and the Greater San Jose area and figure out how to visit, call, or message them.
How to find an inmate in Santa Clara County
The easiest way to locate someone in the Santa Clara County Department of Correction is to use their Inmate Information website.
If possible, obtain the inmate’s Personal File Number (PFN). A PFN not only makes it much easier to locate a person in jail, it may also be needed for a variety of other legal documents in the coming days. If you can’t obtain a PFN, try to obtain the inmate’s full name and date of birth as well as the correct spelling of that name.
Here’s a link to the Inmate Locator website. You can also call the inmate information hotline at (408) 299-2305. This number is available seven days a week between the hours of 5:00 AM and 1:00 AM.
Please note that inmate information generally isn’t available for at least 4-6 hours after the time of arrest.
How to visit or contact an inmate in Santa Clara County
Elmwood Correctional Facility
The Elmwood Correctional Facility is located at 701 S. Abel Street, Milpitas, CA 95035 (map). Their phone number is (408) 299-2306.
The Elmwood Correctional Facility has both a men’s and a women’s’ side. The Correctional Center for Women can house about 600 inmates of all security levels. The Elmwood Men’s Facility can hold approximately 2,500 inmates in minimum to medium security sections.
Like the Main Jail, inmates at Elmwood are not allowed to receive incoming telephone calls. As with the Main Jail, you can choose to set up a calling card account online through Global Tel* Link or by calling (800) 483-8314. These cards are available in increments of $25 and $50. In order to make sure that the correct inmate receives the card, be sure to specify the inmate’s booking number and full and complete name.
You may want to call your local telephone provider to make sure that you can receive these types of calls (as well as collect calls) and that they are not blocked on your phone. If you currently have this type of restriction, it may take up to 72 hours for the collect or calling card calls to come through once you remove it.
Santa Clara County Main Jail
The Santa Clara County Main Jail Complex is located in Downtown San Jose at 150 W. Hedding Street, San Jose, CA 95110 (map). Their phone number is (408) 808-2800.
The Santa Clara County Main Jail complex consists of two jail facilities: the Main Jail South and the Main Jail North.
All males who are arrested in Santa Clara County are initially taken to the Santa Clara County Main Jail. Some males are then transferred to the Elmwood Correctional Facility depending on a variety of factors, such as:
- the charges for which the inmate was arrested (the Main Jail typically houses medium to maximum security inmates)
- the availability of bed space
- medical needs, etc.
All female arrestees are taken to the Correctional Center for Women which is part of the Elmwood Correctional Facility.
When inmates are booked into the Santa Clara Jail, they are entitled to make free outgoing local phone calls to arrange for bail, inform family members as to their whereabouts and contact an attorney. Thereafter, calls must be made on a collect basis or placed with a calling card. Inmates are not allowed to receive incoming calls.
If you wish to set up a prepaid calling card account for an inmate, you may do so online via Global Tel∗ Link, or you can call Global Tel at (800) 483-8314. Prepaid cards are available in increments of $25 and $50. In order to make sure that the correct inmate receives the card, be sure to specify the inmate’s booking number and full name.
If you know that a friend/family member is being held in the Santa Clara County Main Jail Complex, you may want to contact your local telephone carrier to make sure that collect and calling card calls are not blocked on your telephone plan.
As an alternative, you can hire one of the attorneys at VIB Law to make immediate contact with the inmate.