Releases from Central Detention
Central Detention Center is a county Type II jail at 630 East Rialto Avenue in San Bernardino, but the Sheriff's facility page gives it a federal overlay. It reopened in 1994 after a U.S. Marshals Service contract and has housed federal inmates as part of transportation and housing arrangements. The same page says CDC currently houses county and federal inmates. That means a release "from Central" can mean a county jail release, a transfer to U.S. Marshals custody, a federal transportation movement, or a later BOP path.
For a county detainee, use the JIMS Inmate Locator, then the Out of Custody Search date link when the release date is known. For a federal detainee, JIMS may show the local housing event, but federal authority controls the custody outcome. A sentenced federal person should be checked in the BOP inmate locator. A pretrial or transport person may require U.S. Marshals or federal court context. If the record shows released to a federal agency, it is not proof that the person walked out into the community.
Confirm a Central Release
The first confirmation step is the same county JIMS record, but CDC users should give special attention to fields that are less central on a standard local jail page: released-to and U.S. Marshal information. Those fields tell you whether the San Bernardino County booking ended with community release, court/bail/own-recognizance processing, or a receiving federal agency.
- Search JIMS by booking number when available, or by name, DOB or approximate age, and gender.
- Open the individual record and confirm housing facility as Central Detention Center.
- Read release date, released-to field, and any U.S. Marshal information together.
- Use the San Bernardino Superior Court Access Portal for local criminal case status.
- If the person was a federal detainee, check BOP for sentenced custody or federal/USMS channels for pretrial and transport status.
- Use San Bernardino County NextRequest only for county records; use federal FOIA or agency channels for federal records.
Central's federal context is not a minor detail. A county release field can close the local booking while another agency still has custody authority.
Central Records and Contact
Central Detention Center is located at 630 East Rialto Avenue, San Bernardino, CA 92415. The Sheriff's page lists phone 909-386-0969. For release records, use the facility phone for facility-specific direction only after checking JIMS. Official copies of county booking and release records should be requested through the Sheriff's records route or the county public-records portal.
| Question | Best source |
|---|---|
| Was a county detainee released from CDC? | JIMS booking search and Out of Custody Search. |
| What did the local criminal case do next? | San Bernardino Superior Court Access Portal. |
| Is the record a federal custody movement? | JIMS released-to/U.S. Marshal fields, BOP locator, USMS or federal court source. |
| Need a county release record copy? | San Bernardino County NextRequest or Sheriff's Records Division at 909-888-5916. |
| Need a custody-status alert? | Record-level VINELink link or California VINELink. |
A narrow request should ask for the booking and release record for a named person, including booking number if known, release date/time, released-to field, housing facility, arrest agency, charges listed at booking, and U.S. Marshal information if it appears in the county record.
About Central Detention Center
The Central Detention Center opened in 1971 and served as the main county jail for more than 20 years. Research from the Sheriff's page says it closed for a period and reopened in 1994 after the Sheriff negotiated a U.S. Marshals Service contract. The page says CDC has been used as a west coast hub for federal transportation and housing, has housed up to 850 federal inmates daily during part of its history, currently houses over 200 federal inmates and over 600 county inmates, and processes more than 20,000 inmates annually.
Those facts change the release-search advice. A county detainee released after bail, cite release, own-recognizance order, sentence completion, or court order follows the same local JIMS and court trail as other San Bernardino jail releases. A federal detainee housed at CDC may have a local housing record without the county controlling final release. BOP's locator can show "Released" or "Not in BOP Custody" for federal sentenced inmates, but BOP also warns that another correctional or law-enforcement system may still apply.
Federal Overlay at Central
The U.S. Marshals Service is responsible for housing and transportation of many people in federal custody before acquittal or federal incarceration. San Bernardino County's research includes an intergovernmental agreement context stating that federal prisoners remanded to U.S. Marshals custody may be released only to a U.S. Marshal or specified agent. For a CDC record, that means "released" can close the county housing event while a federal agency receives the person.
The practical check is to separate three records: the county jail booking record, the court record, and the federal custody record. JIMS can answer whether the San Bernardino County booking ended. The Superior Court can answer local state-court case status. BOP, USMS, and federal court sources answer federal custody and federal case status. Do not merge those systems into one release date unless the records support it.
Central Release Boundaries
Central records are public-records questions, but not every detail is public. California law supports access to specified arrest and booking information, while sealed, juvenile, medical, safety, victim, witness, investigative, and federal limits may restrict release. Federal records have their own rules and request channels. If a release record is needed for custody verification or family notification, keep the request purpose-neutral and verify directly with the originating agency.