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San Francisco Superior Court
Civic Center Courthouse
400 McAllister Street Room 205
San Francisco,CA 94102-4514

San Francisco District Attorneys Office
San Francisco District Attorney
Hall of Justice
880 Bryant Street, Room 325
San Francisco, CA 94103
General Information
(415) 553-1752
Public Information Officer
(415) 553-1596

Posting Bail
At the time of arrest and booking, the bail is set according to a published bail schedule established by a panel of judges. Bail may be posted at any time, 24 hours a day.

Inmate Mail
No cash is allowed through the mail. Mail is delivered daily except Sundays and holidays. All mail is searched for contraband prior to being delivered. Legal mail is searched in the inmate's presence. It is not read by staff. Inmates can send and receive unlimited mail. Packages, except books sent directly from a publisher, are not accepted at jail facilities. Mail is forwarded from the facility if an inmate moves, and returned to sender once the inmate leaves custody. No cash is allowed through the mail. Mail may contain Postal Money Orders or Bank Money Orders, at a maximum amount of $100. The jails do not accept personal checks, second party checks, business checks, or money orders from foreign banks. Postal Money Orders or Bank Money Orders are placed on an inmate's account and a receipt issued. He/She can use this money to order commissary.


Booking
The Sheriff's Department is responsible for booking the charges filed against persons arrested by the Police. County Jail #9, located at 425 7th St., is the intake and release center for the Sheriff's Department. Anyone arrested in the City is brought to this facility for booking. Prisoners who are being released, do so through this facility. CJ #9 has 19 holding tanks with a capacity of approximately 301. This facility is the stop-off point for those arrested, although not everyone stays and is housed in other parts of the jail system.

The booking process proceeds as follows:
All arrestees are evaluated by Department of Public Health personnel to determine if there are any medical problems requiring immediate care. Those who do not require immediate medical care remain in holding cells while the booking process is started.


Free phone call(s)
Each holding cell has a telephone. This phone is available for arrestees to make calls to arrange bail, inform family of their circumstances, or to reach the Public Defender. Calls are free within the local dialing area.


Fingerprinting
All arrestees are photographed and have a set of fingerprints taken to establish their identity.
Own Recognizance/Supervised Citation
If appropriate, an arrestee may be interviewed by Project OR or Supervised Citation to determine his/her eligibility for release on his own recognizance. A more thorough medical screening takes place at this point.

Property
After booking, those arrestees not eligible for immediate release are searched by Sheriff's staff and dressed in jail clothing. Inmates must also wear a colored plastic wristband which contains name and jail number. Clothing and property are stored at the Property Room at the Intake and Release Center. Property items are returned upon release.

Inmate Money
The arrestee's money is placed in an account, and he/she is given a receipt. That money can be used to purchase commissary items at the arrestee's permanent jail housing assignment. Unspent money is returned upon release.

After the booking process is completed at County Jail #9, arrestees are moved to County Jail #1 for further processing. County Jail #8 is located at 425 7th Street. While there, arrestees are classified for housing in the jail system.

The arrestee's classification (minimum, medium, or maximum security), determines where the arrestee will be housed in the jail system. The classification is based on running the subject's rap sheet, and on the answers to a number of interview questions.


Housing
When the arrestee is moved to a more permanent housing site, he/she is given bedding, basic personal hygiene items, and assigned a bed.

You may be housed at

•  County Jail #1 or County Jail #2, which are located at 850 Bryant St, 7th floor,

•  County Jail #8, which is located at 425 7th St., or

•  County Jail #3 or County Jail #7, which are located at #1 Moreland Dr., San Bruno. These two jails are located in San Mateo County, 15 miles south of San Francisco.

Visiting
Public visiting is held at each housing jail on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Visiting times should be posted in your housing area.
Visitors may bring money to leave in your account, but they cannot bring you any personal items.

If you are housed in a facility with contact visiting, you are not allowed to touch or pass anything to your visitor. These rules are for your safety and the safety of others in your housing unit.

At all jails, visits are on a first come, first served basis. Visitors must comply with any direction given by Sheriff's personnel. Visitors under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Children cannot be left unattended at any time in a jail facility or waiting area. Visitors must be prepared to show valid ID with a current photograph, showing name, address, and date of birth. All visitors are subject to search.

Visitors who are inappropriately dressed with gang related clothing, hairstyles, or graffiti will be denied visits. Visiting is a privilege. Persons not complying with direction or refusing a search will not be allowed to visit. Visitors who appear to be under the influence or cause a disturbance will not be allowed to visit. Future visits may also be denied.

Attorneys are allowed to visit their clients in a confidential setting at any time except during meals and counts.


Legal Assistance
Inmates are allowed unlimited legal correspondence. The Sheriff's Department has a Prisoner Legal Services section which is available to assist you in questions regarding the law, through bars except for the current case you were arrested on. They are available Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. by calling 558-2480.


Custody Staff
Custody staff will be in your area 24 hours a day. If you have problems, safety issues, or medical emergencies, they are there to help. Feel free to approach staff with questions regarding issues around your confinement. They are not attorneys, however, and cannot give you legal advice or help you with your case. Custody staff is there to insure that your stay is safe, and that you move on to the next step in the system (including release) with a minimum of confusion.


Medical Services
Medical staff is on duty twenty-four hours a day for medical issues. If you have a medical problem, fill out a "Request for Medical Service" and give it to medical staff at pill call or place it in the mailbox in your area designated for that purpose. In case of emergency, contact any custody or medical staff member immediately. Jail Psychiatric Services has assistance available if you need psychiatric help. You may be referred to them by medical or custody staff, or use the medical services request form.

When you are housed in the jail system, you will be living with other people charged with criminal offenses. As in any place where numbers of people live in small spaces, it is very important that you treat people with respect. Mind your own business and do not stay on the telephone more than the allotted time. Please respect jail property. Damage to any property, such as telephones or televisions, is a major rule violation as well as a new criminal offense.

You must keep yourself clean, your bed and housing area clean, and use the hygiene items provided for that purpose. There are showers available in each housing unit of the jails.

Failure to keep yourself or your area clean is a violation of a jail rule.