Berkeley Police Jail Facility

Type his name into Alameda County Inmate Search. A new booking at Santa Rita may be hours behind; look again in a while. Missing from the list? Oakland, Fremont or Hayward police may still be holding him. Berkeley, Hayward, and Fremont police each hold people for a short time after an arrest. Their numbers are in the box at the bottom of this page.

For anything the search cannot answer, call Santa Rita at 925-551-6500. Keep his legal name and birthday nearby when you call.

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Look at the court's 2024 bail schedule. It lists these amounts: simple battery, $5,000; drunk driving, $10,000; petty theft, $2,500; first-degree burglary, $50,000; second-degree robbery, $50,000; driving a car without the owner's consent, $25,000. Grand theft is $5,000 as a misdemeanor and $20,000 as a felony.

These are starting numbers for an arrest without a warrant. Once a judge sees the case, the judge can go higher or lower. Check Alameda County Inmate Search for the figure on her booking.

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The schedule can be overridden by a judge or by a warrant's own figure. It serves only a guide for people arrested without a warrant. Some charges also require a hearing in open court before release at any amount, including serious felonies and some domestic violence cases. The schedule marks those with an asterisk, and Penal Code 1270.1 explains why.

Spousal or partner battery is listed at $20,000 to $50,000 and is one of those marked charges, so release may wait for a court date.

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Bail is posted at Santa Rita Jail, 5325 Broder Boulevard, Dublin. Staff at the jail can tell you the lobby hours by phone. Call 925-551-6500 before you drive out.

The sheriff's own bail policy says the Intake, Transfer and Release bail desk handles regular bail, and a separate station handles cash. Bring photo ID. Expect to wait while staff check the paperwork.

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Under the sheriff's written policy, the jail accepts U.S. cash, bail bonds from a surety company, U.S. Treasury bonds, and certified bank cashier's or official checks made out to the Alameda County Sheriff's Office. A court order for a property bond also counts. A personal check does not count as bail.

Change is not given, so a check that is too large is a problem. If you are short, the gap must be covered in cash. Cash of $10,000 or more is reported to the IRS.

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One choice is paying the whole sum at the jail. If every hearing is attended, the county returns it after the case, minus fines or fees. The other is hiring a state-licensed bondsman, who charges a fee to post a bond. The state insurance department says that fee is most commonly 10 percent of the bond, plus reasonable costs, and the fee is not refunded. Agents must charge the rate their company filed with the state.

Agents may not chase you for business, so you have to be the one to call. The state has a license lookup on its bail agent page.

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Sometimes, yes. If the family cannot pay the fee in full, the agent may ask for a lien on property or a co-signer. The state says liens and collateral must be released once the bail is paid and the bond is cleared. Ask for every promise on paper before you sign.

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It can be done, but it takes time and the judge must approve it. State law, Penal Code 1279, requires owners to be California residents and to own enough property. The equity, meaning home value minus all loans, has to reach double the bond amount. The sheriff's policy says the jail takes a property bond only as a signed and stamped order sent straight from the Superior Court.

Before you collect deeds, call the criminal clerk at the courthouse hearing the case: Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse, 661 Washington Street, Oakland, CA 94607 (510-627-4700); East County Hall of Justice, 5151 Gleason Drive, Dublin, CA 94568 (925-227-6700); or Fremont Hall of Justice, 39439 Paseo Padre Parkway, Fremont, CA 94538 (510-818-7500).

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Penal Code 825 gives the county 48 hours to put him in front of a judge, with Sundays and holidays skipped. That first court date is called the arraignment. Bail can be argued there. His attorney, private or public, may ask for a lower figure.

The California Supreme Court has said judges must weigh what a person can pay, and its 2026 ruling in In re Kowalczyk repeats it. It helps to show pay stubs, a lease or deed, and local relatives.

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Alameda County has four courthouses for criminal cases. The Oakland courthouse is at 661 Washington Street in Oakland, 510-627-4700. The René C. Davidson Courthouse is at 1225 Fallon Street in Oakland, 510-891-6000. The East County Hall of Justice is at 5151 Gleason Drive in Dublin, 925-227-6700. The Fremont Hall of Justice is at 39439 Paseo Padre Parkway, 510-818-7500.

To learn which one takes new arrests from Santa Rita, ask the clerk at one of these numbers.

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Berkeley's city jail is at 2100 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, 510-981-5766. The city says it holds people between arrest and arraignment. Hayward's jail is at 300 West Winton Avenue, 510-293-7043, and it handles all Hayward arrests. Fremont's jail is behind the police station at 1990 Stevenson Boulevard; the police records line is 510-790-6800.

To learn how to pay bail at a city jail, call the desk at the number above. Many people are moved to Santa Rita after a short time.

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Under the California Constitution, article I, section 12, a judge can deny bail for a capital crime when the proof is strong, and for violent or sexual felonies when the judge finds a real chance of great bodily harm to others. A person who threatened someone with great bodily harm can also be held. Release can also stall on a probation or parole hold, a warrant out of another county, or a new arrest made while already out on bail.

The Supreme Court says judges must first look at conditions other than money. Ask a lawyer to request a hearing.

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Tell the judge at arraignment, and the court will assign the Alameda County Public Defender. The main office is 1401 Lakeside Drive, Suite 400, Oakland, 510-272-6600. Cases at the Manuel Courthouse go through the Oakland branch, 510-268-7400. Fremont cases go through 510-795-2600, and Dublin cases through 925-551-6863.

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The judge can declare the bond forfeited, so the money could be lost. Under Penal Code 1305, the forfeiture can be set aside if she returns within 180 days, and adds five days when the clerk mails the notice. Call her lawyer or the courthouse clerk the same day, and warn the bail agent, who stands to lose money.

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California's Supreme Court said in April 2026, in a case called In re Kowalczyk, that money bail generally has to be within reach. A judge in Oakland, Dublin or Fremont who wants a person held must use the narrow rules for denying bail, not a sky-high number. Ask the public defender to raise your family's real budget at arraignment.

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The county's court has buildings from Berkeley down to Fremont and out to Dublin. In-custody cases from Santa Rita usually go to Dublin or to the Washington Street building in Oakland, and others are heard closer to where the arrest happened. All of them are below:

• Shoreline hall of justice in Alameda: 2233 Shore Line Drive, Alameda, CA 94501 · 510-891-6005
• Berkeley courthouse: 2120 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley, CA 94704 · 510-647-4439
• East County hall of justice: 5151 Gleason Drive, Dublin, CA 94568 · 925-227-6700
• Fremont hall of justice: 39439 Paseo Padre Parkway, Fremont, CA 94538 · 510-818-7500
• Hayward hall of justice: 24405 Amador Street, Hayward, CA 94544 · 510-690-2700
• Fallon Street courthouse (main civil and family): 1225 Fallon Street, Oakland, CA 94612 · 510-891-6000
• Washington Street criminal courthouse: 661 Washington Street, Oakland, CA 94607 · 510-627-4700
• Fairmont mental health court: 2060 Fairmont Drive, San Leandro, CA 94578 · 510-891-6332
• Juvenile justice center courts: 2500 Fairmont Drive, Suite C3013, San Leandro, CA 94578 · 510-618-1106

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A bondsman can't help here. Federal charges skip Santa Rita's bail schedule and the county court. The case goes to the Oakland branch of the Northern District of California, and federal judges decide on release with their own rules. This is roughly how it goes:

• Agents from the FBI, DEA, ATF, HSI or a similar U.S. agency arrest and book him.
• He is taken to Oakland federal courthouse, 1301 Clay Street, Oakland, CA 94612 to see a magistrate judge, usually the next weekday.
• A Pretrial Services officer talks with him first about work, family and past cases, and the judge reads that report.
• The judge may hold a detention hearing. Prosecutors may ask for three days to prepare; his lawyer may ask for as many as five.
• Release, if granted, comes with federal conditions like a bond signed by family, check-ins or travel limits.

Until the case wraps up, the Marshals keep federal prisoners in jails that hold them under contract, sometimes outside the Bay Area. The local office is U.S. Marshals Service, 1301 Clay Street, Oakland, 510-637-3666.

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In most cases it does not. Under 8 CFR 287.7, ICE can send Santa Rita a detainer asking for a call before release plus as many as 48 more hours in custody, counting weekends and holidays. Under SB 54, Alameda deputies cannot do that extra holding. The jail may tell ICE a release date just for people whose records hold serious or violent convictions.

The TRUTH Act also requires a written consent form before ICE can interview anyone inside the jail. If ICE does take someone after release, the bail still covers the county case, so his court dates must be kept.

The San Francisco ICE field office, 630 Sansome Street, Room 590, San Francisco, CA 94111, 415-365-8800 covers Alameda County. People it detains are often sent to:

• Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center: 425 Golden State Avenue, Bakersfield, CA 93301
• Golden State Annex: 611 Frontage Road, McFarland, CA 93250
• California City detention site: 22844 Virginia Boulevard, California City, CA 93505

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Try each of these. A person may move from a city jail to Santa Rita, then to a federal or state site:

• Sheriff's search: Alameda County Inmate Search. Put in his last and first names; Alameda's listing gives booking number, housing, charges, bail and court date. Not showing? Oakland, Berkeley and Fremont police hold people briefly before transfer, so try again in a few hours.
• VINE: VINELink (https://vinelink.vineapps.com/). Pick California and type a name. It shows who is locked up and in which jail, not only alerts for victims. No hit means try a shorter name spelling.
• Federal: Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator (https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/). Search a register number, or a first and last name with age and race. It lists the federal site and release date. Pretrial people may be missing, so call 510-637-3666.
• State prison: CDCR Inmate Locator (https://inmatelocator.cdcr.ca.gov/). Use a CDCR number or the full name. It gives the prison and arrival date once he leaves Santa Rita.
• ICE: ICE Online Detainee Locator System (https://locator.ice.gov/odls/). Enter the A-number and birth country, or his name and birth country. It shows the center and its phone. If he is not there after two days, call 415-365-8800.

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Juveniles are held at Alameda County Juvenile Hall, 2500 Fairmont Drive, San Leandro, 510-667-4970. The probation department runs it. Visits are listed for Saturday and Sunday, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Ask when the detention hearing is. The Juvenile Justice Center court line is 510-618-3381, and the public defender's juvenile office is 510-667-4496. Teens stay off the adult search because youth records are sealed from the public.

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Every adult criminal case that starts with an arrest in Alameda County, whether it happens in Oakland, Berkeley, Hayward, Fremont, Livermore or an unincorporated area, is heard by one court: the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda. Back around 2000, municipal courts statewide were folded into each county's superior court, which is why Oakland or Berkeley has no city criminal court of its own. The court’s historic headquarters is the René C. Davidson Courthouse, 1225 Fallon Street, Oakland, CA 94612, beside Lake Merritt, and its main directory line is (510) 891-6000. Criminal cases are spread across four buildings:

• Oakland courthouse, 661 Washington Street, Oakland, CA 94607: most misdemeanor arraignments and trials, and early felony hearings. Criminal clerk: (510) 627-4702
• René C. Davidson Courthouse, 1225 Fallon Street, Oakland: felony motions and trials. Criminal clerk: (510) 891-6009
• East County Hall of Justice, 5151 Gleason Drive, Dublin, CA 94568, next door to Santa Rita Jail: felony arraignments and preliminary hearings, plus East County misdemeanors. Criminal clerk: (925) 227-6792
• Fremont Hall of Justice, 39439 Paseo Padre Parkway, Fremont, CA 94538: South County misdemeanors and criminal trials. Criminal clerk: (510) 818-7501

The courthouse is picked by where police made the arrest and by the charge level. Check the citation or the court’s online case lookup before you drive. Below, open the charge level that fits for the usual steps in Alameda.

Most misdemeanor arrests in Alameda County never involve a night in jail. Police often write a ticket instead, and the person signs a promise to appear, most likely in Oakland, at the Fremont hall of justice, or at the east county hall of justice in Dublin. Not released after booking? A judge must see the person inside 48 hours, minus Sundays and holidays. The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office files the charges, including for arrests made inside Oakland and Berkeley.

The first hearing is the arraignment. That day the charges are read aloud, a plea goes in (nearly always not guilty early on), and the judge decides release terms. A lawyer is there from day one. The Alameda County Public Defender’s Office, set up under the county charter in 1927, represents anyone facing possible jail time who lacks money for counsel. The state no longer charges defendants for it. For many misdemeanors, a defense lawyer can appear on the defendant’s behalf without the defendant being present.

After arraignment come one or more pretrial conferences, where the large majority of cases are resolved through a plea agreement, a reduction or a dismissal. Many charges qualify for diversion, where finishing classes, counseling or similar terms leads the judge to dismiss the case; DUI, domestic violence and crimes that put a person on the sex-offender registry are excluded. A case that doesn’t settle goes to a 12-person jury. The law gives a defendant the right to a trial within 30 days of arraignment if held in jail, or 45 days if out of custody, although defense attorneys commonly waive that time to prepare.

The usual ceiling is half a year at Santa Rita and $1,000, though a handful allow 12 months. Probation, fines, community service or classes are far more common outcomes. Expect an Alameda misdemeanor to close in a matter of weeks or a few months.

Felonies are prosecuted by the Alameda County District Attorney and follow a longer path. Someone held at Santa Rita Jail is usually taken next door to the East County Hall of Justice in Dublin or to the Oakland courthouse in Oakland for arraignment on the complaint within 48 hours of arrest. At that first appearance the judge addresses release or bail. Since the California Supreme Court’s 2021 In re Humphrey decision, a judge setting bail must consider whether the person can actually pay it. In April 2026 the same court added, in In re Kowalczyk, that an Alameda judge may not use an out-of-reach amount to keep someone jailed; bail must generally be attainable.

Counsel is assigned at the start of the case for anyone without the means to hire a lawyer. The public defender handles most felonies. If it has a conflict, like two co-defendants needing separate counsel, the court picks a private lawyer from its approved panel.

The next big stage is the preliminary hearing, where a judge hears evidence and decides whether there is enough to hold the person for trial. It must take place within 10 court days of the arraignment unless the defense agrees to delay it. Prosecutors occasionally go to the county grand jury for an indictment instead, which skips the preliminary hearing. If the case moves forward, the District Attorney files a document called an “information,” the defendant is arraigned a second time, and trial must begin within 60 days unless time is waived. In practice, time is waived in most felony cases, and most end in a plea agreement worked out in one of the felony departments at the René C. Davidson Courthouse or in Dublin.

After a conviction, the county probation department prepares a report, and sentencing generally takes place within 20 court days of a verdict. Since 2011 realignment, lower-level felonies that are not serious or violent are often served at Santa Rita, not in state prison. Certain “wobbler” crimes may start as, or be cut down to, misdemeanors. A felony case in Alameda County commonly takes several months to more than a year from arrest to resolution.

In Oakland, Hayward or Dublin, the gravest charges walk the usual felony road: first an arraignment, then a preliminary hearing (or an indictment), and last a trial. The difference lies in the penalties and the longer timeline. An Alameda judge can hold someone with no bail on a violent or sexual-assault felony if clear and convincing evidence shows release would likely lead to serious injury to someone. As a result, many people charged with these crimes in Alameda County remain at Santa Rita Jail for the life of the case.

These offenses count as “serious” or “violent” strikes under California’s Three Strikes law. With one earlier strike the term is doubled; with two, it can reach 25 to life. After a violent felony conviction, at least 85% of the prison term has to be served.

• Murder: second-degree murder carries 15 years to life, and first-degree murder carries 25 years to life. Add “special circumstances,” like a murder committed in a robbery or rape, and the sentence becomes death or life with no parole. Seeking death is the District Attorney’s call alone, and the state has paused executions since 2019.
• Armed robbery: robbery itself carries up to nine years. A gun adds 10 years when used, 20 when fired, or 25 to life when it causes great bodily injury. Judges gained power in 2018 to drop those add-ons.
• Rape: up to eight years, and longer with aggravating factors, plus registration as a sex offender at the highest tier.

Defense representation in these cases often comes from specialized units. Homicides go to the public defender’s senior trial lawyers, and a death-penalty case gets two qualified attorneys by court order. Marsy’s Law gives victims a right to hear about hearings, to speak at sentencing and to get restitution; the District Attorney’s Victim-Witness Assistance Division can be reached at (510) 272-6180. Investigation, expert witnesses and defense prep push these to one to three years, and a murder can top five.

Courtrooms are spread across Oakland, the bay shore and the valley towns. Jail cases from Santa Rita often appear in Dublin or at Washington Street in Oakland.

• Shoreline hall of justice in Alameda: 2233 Shore Line Drive, Alameda, CA 94501 · 510-891-6005
• Berkeley courthouse: 2120 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley, CA 94704 · 510-647-4439
• East County hall of justice: 5151 Gleason Drive, Dublin, CA 94568 · 925-227-6700
• Fremont hall of justice: 39439 Paseo Padre Parkway, Fremont, CA 94538 · 510-818-7500
• Hayward hall of justice: 24405 Amador Street, Hayward, CA 94544 · 510-690-2700
• Fallon Street courthouse (main civil and family): 1225 Fallon Street, Oakland, CA 94612 · 510-891-6000
• Washington Street criminal courthouse: 661 Washington Street, Oakland, CA 94607 · 510-627-4700
• Fairmont mental health court: 2060 Fairmont Drive, San Leandro, CA 94578 · 510-891-6332
• Juvenile justice center courts: 2500 Fairmont Drive, Suite C3013, San Leandro, CA 94578 · 510-618-1106

Federal crimes from Alameda County are filed in the Oakland division of the Northern District of California. The Superior Court and county bail rules are left out entirely. The case usually moves like this:

• The first hearing is in front of a magistrate judge at Oakland federal courthouse, 1301 Clay Street, Oakland, CA 94612.
• Pretrial Services interviews the defendant and recommends release or detention.
• At the detention hearing, the judge looks at the charge, history and ties to the area. The government may ask for a three-day delay and the defense a five-day delay.
• If held, the person stays in a Marshals contract jail until trial or plea.

Families with questions about housing for a federal prisoner can reach U.S. Marshals Service, 1301 Clay Street, Oakland, 510-637-3666.

An ICE detainer is paperwork, not a warrant signed by a judge, and it asks for up to two extra days of holding after release, with weekends or holidays left out. California's SB 54 stops Alameda's jail from honoring that hold, and only certain serious or violent convictions allow a release-date notice. A detainer does not change the Superior Court case or its dates, though a guilty plea can have immigration effects, so share status with the defense lawyer early.

The TRUTH Act gives the person a written choice before any ICE interview in the jail. Cases are run by San Francisco ICE field office, 630 Sansome Street, Room 590, San Francisco, CA 94111, 415-365-8800, and detention sites used for this area include:

• Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center: 425 Golden State Avenue, Bakersfield, CA 93301
• Golden State Annex: 611 Frontage Road, McFarland, CA 93250
• California City detention site: 22844 Virginia Boulevard, California City, CA 93505

• Alameda County Inmate Search: put in last and first name. You get housing, charges, bail and court date. Blank result early on can mean booking is still underway at a city jail.
• VINELink (https://vinelink.vineapps.com/): pick California, then a name or booking number. It lists where people are held in many counties. Retry with a short spelling if nothing comes back.
• Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator (https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/): type a register number or full name. Pretrial federal people may not show, so phone 510-637-3666.
• CDCR Inmate Locator (https://inmatelocator.cdcr.ca.gov/): name or CDCR number gives the prison, after transfer.
• ICE Online Detainee Locator System (https://locator.ice.gov/odls/): A-number with birth country, or name with birth country. Minors are left out. Call 415-365-8800 if nothing appears.

Most warrants signed in these courtrooms are carried by Sheriff's deputies, who confirm status by phone at (510) 667-7721 once you give a legal name and birth date. That same call picks up statewide hits. You can read the case yourself in the Superior Court's criminal case portal, and any bench warrant appears on its docket. The criminal clerk's office on Washington Street, downtown, gives out fresh court dates. Many people then walk into Santa Rita Jail on Broder Boulevard in Dublin with a defense lawyer and settle the matter there, while others have counsel file a motion to recall it first.