South County Custody Operations Division

The South County Custody Operations Division staff serves the Court, other law enforcement agencies, inmates, inmate’s families and crime victims by working collaboratively within the judicial system and the community to supervise and manage offenders housed in county correctional facilities.

The South County Custody Operations Division is under the leadership of Custody Commander Kenneth Callahan and provides security and supervision for the inmate population at the Main Jail located in Santa Barbara. This division also oversees the Sheriff’s Office’s Transportation Unit and Custody Records and Booking. This facility offers a wide array of quality services including medical, mental health, food, counseling, recreation, religious, and education.

Santa Barbara Jail Campus

The Santa Barbara Jail Campus has a Board of State and Community Corrections rated capacity of 819.  This campus is separated into the Main Jail, which consists of several linear style jail cells (completed in 1970) as well as two indirect supervision pod style housing units: the Northwest Module (completed in 1987) and the Inmate Reception Center (completed in 1992) and the Medium Security Facility, a spoke style barracks designed facility originally referred to as the Honor Farm.

Transportation Unit

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office Transportation Unit, part of the Custody Division, provides the safe, secure, and professional transportation of incarcerated individuals throughout Santa Barbara County and across California. The unit coordinates transportation to and from the Santa Barbara County Main Jail in Santa Barbara and the Northern Branch Jail in Santa Maria, while supporting the daily operations of both facilities.

Transportation personnel facilitate the movement of incarcerated individuals to and from court proceedings, medical appointments, hospitals, state prisons, state hospitals, and other local, state, and federal correctional facilities. The unit also manages transfers between correctional facilities and transports individuals requiring specialized medical, mental health, or housing accommodations.

Each year, the Transportation Unit conducts more than 50,000 transports, ensuring the safe and timely movement of incarcerated individuals while maintaining the highest standards of security for staff, the public, and those in our custody. Every transport is carefully planned to meet individual classification, medical, and safety requirements, including the separation of protective custody and other special management populations.

Staffed by highly trained Sheriff’s Custody Deputies and supported by a specialized fleet of secure transport vehicles, the Transportation Unit plays a vital role in the Sheriff’s Office mission of protecting our communities, supporting the justice system, and providing safe, professional, and respectful service to everyone we encounter.

Custody Records and Booking

When individuals are arrested, they are usually taken to a local police station where they may be interviewed, and where necessary reports and forms are prepared. If the individual is arrested for driving under the influence, a breath, urine, or chemical blood test will be conducted. This process can take as long as four hours before the person is brought to a county jail to be booked. Since a good deal of time may pass before the jail system has any notification of a person’s arrest, if you call shortly after your friend or loved one is arrested you may find that they are not yet in the jail system. Do not be concerned by this delay, because the pre-booking period is routine and necessary.

When arrested individuals arrive at the jail facility, they go through the intake process before being housed in the inmate population. Intake is comprised of several steps which include medical screening, the booking process and the classification interview.

Immediately upon arrival at the jail the inmate is examined for any medical conditions that need immediate treatment. A nurse conducts a private screening to make sure the inmate is not injured or in need of immediate medical treatment. A second medical examination is conducted later in the booking process to ensure all conditions that an inmate may have are properly noted and that the facility is capable of meeting the inmate’s medical needs.

During the booking process all inmates are searched to make sure that no contraband is being brought into the facility. They are photographed and fingerprinted. Their personal information and charges are entered into the computer system, their bail is calculated, and a court date is set.

Some inmates may be eligible for release on their own recognizance very soon after booking. Intoxicated inmates will be held for up to 12 hours, and sometimes longer, to ensure they are sober enough to be safely released. Most inmates are eligible for bail, and they have access to telephones to arrange bail through friends, family, or bail agents. A list of bail agents is available in each facility. When it is determined that inmates will not be released on their own recognizance or make bail, they are given a classification interview and their housing criteria are determined.

The Booking and Custody Records professionals assigned to this unit process thousands of new bookings and releases every year.  This complex process involves ensuring that the bail amounts and charges are correct, citation and court dates are assigned correctly and that all legal paperwork is accurate and legal.  The staff assigned to this unit communicate regularly with the courts, arresting agencies, bail bond agents, attorneys, family and friends of the incarcerated.

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