Butte County Jail Info – Location, Bail, Visiting, Contact (2024)

Jail Information

The Butte County Detention Center is a 614-bed correctional facility located in the city of Oroville, CA. The largest California facility of its kind north of Sacramento, the Butte County Jail maintains an average daily population of 580+ inmates. Butte County “guests” include men and women awaiting adjudication for misdemeanor and felony crimes, along with those currently serving a post-conviction sentence.

Oroville is located a little over 65 miles north of Sacramento off of CA-70.

Below, friends and family members of individuals currently incarcerated in Butte County can find some important details about the jail. Our team of California criminal defense lawyers provide helpful information addressing the following topics:

• 1. How do I search for an inmate in Butte County?
• 2. How do I post bail at the Butte County Detention Center?
• 3. Can I call an inmate?
• 4. How do I put money on an inmate’s account?
• 5. What are the visiting hours and policies?
• 6. Can inmates send and receive mail?
• 7. What is life like at the Butte County Jail?
• 8. Is there a work release option?
• 9. How can an inmate’s property be collected?

1. How do I search for an inmate in Butte County?

The Butte County Sheriff’s Office provides an online booking log that can help you determine if your friend or loved one has been taken into custody at the jail. The inmate locater log provides an updated list of “public bookings,” identifying arrestees by name and date of birth and including the date of arrest, criminal charges, and booking number. Alternatively, you are free to call the jail at (530) 538-7471 to request inmate information.

2. How do I post bail at the Butte County Detention Center?

For payment of a loved one’s bail, the Butte County Correctional Facility accepts cash, a money order or a cashier’s check, as well as surety bonds posted through a bail bonding agency. Checks and money orders should be made out to the court that has jurisdiction over the case, likely the Butte County Superior Court.

3. Can I call an inmate?

Family members and friends are not permitted to call into the jail and speak with a detainee or inmate, and the staff does not pass along messages. By law, new detainees are allowed free phone calls to inform loved ones of their status and seek legal assistance. Thereafter, incarcerated inmates are allowed to use jail phones between 10:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. to make collect or prepaid calls.

To set up a “prepaid collect” program for your phone number or a debit pay system, go to ICSolutions.com. You can deposit phone money into the inmate’s debit calling account online, by phone, or by mailing a check or money order to:

IC Solutions
Prepaid Account Set up
2200 Danbury Street
San Antonio, TX 78217

The IC Solutions account provides an option that allows you to leave 30-second voicemail messages for inmates. There is a $1.00 fee per message. Fees for phone calls start at 21 cents a minute. You can also send email messages to a Butte County inmate through the IC Solutions Secure Mail option.

4. How do I put money on an inmate’s account?

Butte County Detention Center inmates have the opportunity to purchase commissary items, such as snacks, toiletries, and correspondence materials. There is a posted spending limit of $80 a week. Family and friends can deposit money into the inmate’s cash account in one of a few ways:

• At the Jail – The jail has a 24-hour kiosk in the lobby that accepts cash, credit or debit cards
• Internet – Go to TouchPay to make an online deposit (Site ID #: 795965)
• By Phone – Call (866) 232-1899 to make a payment over the phone (Site ID #: 795965)

All deposits, which should be credited to your inmate’s account within 30 minutes, must be posted by 4:00 p.m. Sunday for the following week’s order. Funding fees range from $2.95 to $9.95 per transaction, depending upon the funding method and deposit amount.

To fund Butte County inmate cash accounts, no personal checks, money orders or cash will be accepted at the jail lobby or via postal mail. Note that the inmate’s cash account is also used to pay costs for onsite medical treatment, medications, and other incidentals. (Inmates without funds are provided with a basic indigent hygiene kit.)

The commissary catalog is here: www.accesscatalog.com/shop/index.html?ProgramID=103

5. What are the visiting hours and policies?

Visiting days at the Butte County Detention Center are Saturday and Sunday. Each inmate is permitted two 45-minute visits each week. Due to ongoing Covid-19 protocols, only one adult visitor is allowed per inmate. Visitors are required to wear masks during their visit.

Visitation is scheduled according to the housing unit, with visiting hours from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The downloadable visiting schedule provides complete details. You do not need to make an appointment ahead of time, but plan to allow 20-30 minutes for pre-registration and for your loved one to be escorted to the visiting area.

There is a list of rules for visitors, as follows:

• Visitors under the age 18 must be in the company of a parent or legal guardian.
• Children must be supervised, and disruptive children may be removed from the visiting area.
• All adult visitors must present a valid government-issued photo ID.
• No food or beverages in the visiting center.
• Do not bring in items for the inmate (other than medication that has been authorized by the jail’s medical staff).
• Video and audio recording devices and all types of deadly weapons are strictly prohibited.
• If you are on parole or were released from jail in the past 30 days, you are not allowed to visit. A convicted felon must have advanced written permission from the jail administrator to visit.
• The jail’s dress code specifies no suggestive or revealing clothing, and you must wear shirts and shoes.

6. Can inmates send and receive mail?

Mail to inmates should be addressed as follows:

(Inmate’s Name)
7 Gillick Way
Oroville, Ca. 95965

You can send unlimited amounts of regular mail to a loved one and they can purchase materials and stamps through commissary to send outgoing mail. Packages are not accepted.

All mail will be pre-opened and inspected (but legal mail must be opened in the presence of the inmate). You may not enclose food, polaroid photos or stationary/postage in your letter. You can send appropriate photographs printed on photo paper. You can also order paperback books, magazines or newspapers to be delivered directly from the publisher.

7. What is life like at the Butte County Jail?

Incoming inmates at the Butte County Correctional Facility are classified as minimum, medium, or maximum security risks, and are housed accordingly. The separate housing is meant to protect nonviolent offenders and allow minimum security inmates a greater degree of freedom and basic privileges.

The corrections facility is charged with providing for inmates’ basic needs, including nutritious food and healthcare. There is a medical unit that treats inmates and will dispense medications, including prescription medication, if needed. (Family members can bring current prescription medicine in for review and potential dispensation.)

There are various types of inmate support services offered at the Butte County Jail. Chaplains, substance abuse counselors and volunteers make regular visits. A new program was established in 2018 to improve handling of inmates with mental health issues.

The Butte County inmate handbook proves more information about daily life at the jail.

8. Is there a work release option?

Butte County offers some custody alternatives, including SWAP (Sheriff’s Work Alternative Program), which allows convicts to provide manual labor for community agencies. Participants are usually expected to work five days a week, eight to ten hours a day. The phone number for the program is: (530) 538-7819.

An Alternative Custody Supervision (ACS) program oversees offenders who may be confined to their homes full or part time. Participants attend instructive class programming and are continuously monitored with global positioning system (GPS) ankle bracelets and radio frequency (RF).

There are nonrefundable fees associated with participation in either of these alternative incarceration programs.

9. How can an inmate’s property be collected?

Incoming inmate property is limited to approved prescription medications and clothing for use during a scheduled jury trial.

Property confiscated from arrestees is stored at the jail until the individual is released from custody. Unclaimed property will be disposed of 120 days after transfer to state prison.

Inmates can sign a property release form allowing a designated person to pick up property from the jail. Money may only be released during the first 15 days of confinement, unless there is an emergency situation. Identification will be required for all property pick-ups.