Why You Can't Find Someone on San Diego County's Who's In Jail (and what release dates mean)

Search coming back blank? Check the name fields first. San Diego County's Who's In Jail requires at least two characters for the last name and two for the first name. Not sure about spelling? Start simple - enter just the first two letters of each name, then narrow down from there.

Sometimes the problem isn't your search - it's the site itself. The Who's In Jail website goes offline for maintenance every Wednesday at noon and usually comes back within 30 minutes. If nothing loads or results seem off around that time, wait it out and try again.

1. Confirm you’re meeting the two-character rule - Enter at least two letters for both first and last name.
2. Check the time and retry if it’s Wednesday at noon - The site goes offline for maintenance and is usually back shortly.
3. Call the jail information line for the facility you believe they’re housed in - The Sheriff’s guidance is to call that facility so a staff member can verify whether the person is in custody.

Release dates on Who's In Jail can be misleading. The site itself warns against relying on its information for legal action and notes that listed release dates may not be accurate. If you're planning pickup, childcare, work leave, or travel around someone's release, treat the online date as a rough estimate - not a guarantee.

When timing matters, get confirmation from a reliable source. Call the facility directly, and if you're making legal decisions based on custody status or release timing, talk to an attorney first.