Sacramento Main Jail

Sacramento Main Jail allows each inmate two 45-minute social visits per week (counted Sunday through Saturday), so plan your trips around that limit. Visiting hours include morning/afternoon and evening slots. The last visit must be registered by 9:30 p.m., and everyone needs to leave the visit area by 10:15 p.m. Bring a valid, current government-issued photo ID—you won't get in without it. Visitors must be at least 18. Minors can only visit with supervision and proof of relationship; emancipated minors need court documentation. Dress conservatively: no revealing clothing, nothing promoting violence, drugs, profanity, or gangs. Leave your phone, smart watch, tablet, pens, purse, and smoking items in the car. Check the Main Jail visitation page or portal for the current schedule before you travel.

Address mail to Sacramento Main Jail exactly as required: include your complete return name and address, use the facility's specified formats, and list the inmate's X‑Reference number and housing location to prevent delays. Mail routed through the Digital Mail Center gets sorted, scanned in full color, and uploaded to the eMessaging app on the inmate's tablet—usually within 48 hours (excluding weekends). If your digital mail violates facility rules, the entire letter and all photos get rejected, and the incarcerated person is notified. Mail privileges can be suspended for up to 72 hours for correspondence violations. The Digital Mail Center keeps physical mail for 30 days, then destroys it unless you include a self-addressed stamped envelope for return. After release or transfer, digital mail must be downloaded within 60 days or it's permanently deleted.

Sacramento Main Jail uses TouchPay for inmate deposits. You can use the TouchPay kiosk in the Main Jail lobby, call TouchPay Direct, pay online, or visit a TouchPay retail location. TouchPay accepts Visa/Mastercard and posts payments 24/7. Want the money available for commissary that week? Deposits must hit the inmate's trust account before 7:00am Sunday morning—though deadlines and processing times can change. Money orders for people incarcerated at county facilities go through the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center IWF Office. Include the person's full name and x-reference number. No money releases happen on weekends or holidays. Released individuals with remaining funds get a NUMI MasterCard Debit Card—not cash or checks.

SIRENS is the Sacramento Sheriff's inmate release notification system. Register for phone, text, or email alerts when a designated inmate is released. It only covers inmates at Sacramento County Main Jail and the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center—it won't report releases from other counties or state/federal systems. Registration is free through the county site, though your phone or email provider may charge for messages. Notifications can arrive 24/7 after a release. To sign up, go to www.sacsheriff.com and search by the person's full name or XREF number. Click the inmate's name, then select the custody-status change notification option. If you update your contact info or search details, you'll need to re-register. The inmate won't be told you signed up.