All arrests across the county, from Arcata and McKinleyville to Garberville, lead to the Humboldt County Correctional Facility. It's a short walk from the courthouse.

The Sheriff posts current inmates on Humboldt County Inmate Search, with charges and bail. The facility answers questions at 707-441-5121.

Eureka's judge sees him by arraignment inside two days (Sundays and holidays don't count), at 825 Fifth Street. The criminal clerk's window at 421 I Street is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (707-445-7256, option 1). See Humboldt court steps.

Most charges have a scheduled amount that can be paid in full or bonded at the facility. A judge reviews it at arraignment and can lower it or allow own-recognizance release. Under current state law, judges must think about a person's ability to pay and use money bail only when needed. See the Humboldt bail guide.

Humboldt's Public Defender (707-445-7634) is appointed for those who can't afford counsel.

Fourth Street visits must be booked in advance, and each adult visitor shows photo ID. Housing unit decides the day and time. See Humboldt visiting and video calls.

Address mail with the person's name and booking number to 826 Fourth Street, Eureka, CA 95501. Our guides: letters and photos, deposits, commissary, phones, messaging, tablets.

Juvenile Probation, 2002 Harrison Avenue (707-445-7401), operates the county's juvenile hall. Its detention division is at 707-445-7644.

The jail never collects bail over the phone with gift cards or wire transfers. If a caller demands this, end the call and phone 707-441-5121.

It normally begins after the FBI, the ATF and Homeland Security Investigations make an arrest. A magistrate judge also sits at the McKinleyville courthouse, 3140 Boeing Avenue, McKinleyville, CA 95519 (707-445-3612). The case is filed in the Northern District of California's San Francisco courthouse in the courthouse: 450 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102. With questions, reach the clerk at 415-522-2000. Often by the next weekday, the inmate goes before a federal magistrate. You won't find a preset bail list in U.S. district court. A bail hearing settles release and its conditions, using federal bail law. A pretrial services officer first meets the accused and reports for the court.

Start with the county roster first. This district's Marshals office in McKinleyville can say where the person is: 707-839-4829, 3140 Boeing Avenue, McKinleyville, CA 95519. Until sentencing, the Marshals Service may house them in local jails by contract. Following sentencing to prison, a prisoner moves to a BOP prison, most often after some weeks. Track them through the federal inmate locator.

• Immigration officers hear about most arrests by way of fingerprints the jail shares. Then ICE might place a detainer.
• That paperwork asks the jail to keep someone pending ICE pickup up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)). In Eureka, the Values Act (SB 54) sets the rule: release happens on the local timeline, and the jail cooperates with ICE on notice or transfer only for a judicial warrant or a serious or violent conviction listed in state law.
• Posting the bond doesn't cancel it.
• ICE agents may pick them up in person before the deadline. If nobody comes, the sheriff is supposed to release them.
• Families can reach ICE in San Francisco: 630 Sansome Street, Room 590, San Francisco, CA 94111; phone 415-365-8800.
• Their next facility is ICE's call.
• To find out which center holds them, go to the online locator site, then give their A-number with their country of birth. Without the A-number? Type in their full name plus DOB and native country instead.

If the court imposes a prison sentence, the inmate becomes a CDCR prisoner under California's corrections department. At first, the inmate stays in the Eureka jail while the CDCR schedules the move. The first CDCR stop is a reception center for processing. During classification, staff look at any gang affiliation, health and mental health needs and custody score. Their end point is the prison that matches their needs.

You can look up a CDCR inmate by name on the CDCR locator. For visits and mail, see California prison pages.

Open the Humboldt County roster to see what a Humboldt record shows; mugshots may not be included.

Section 13665 sets the state rule. It deals with social media. Nonviolent arrests are the main target. Those mugshots can't go on social media. Photos posted there expire after 14 days. Exceptions exist for fugitives and public threats. The sheriff's own website isn't covered. Most sheriffs in California skip photos anyway.

Immigration photos come out just via an ICE records request, though release is not promised. Local papers and TV stations after an arrest photo should ring sheriff's staff on 707-445-7251. Any federal mugshot is not public, even to reporters. Once in a while, the U.S. Marshals Service shares one: for a wanted person, for urgent community safety or to help find someone or warn the public.

• Eureka Police: 707-441-4060
• Arcata Police: 707-822-2428
• Fortuna Police: 707-725-7550
• Ferndale Police: 707-786-4225
• Rio Dell Police: 707-764-5641
• Hoopa Tribal Police: 530-625-4615
• Humboldt County Sheriff's Office: 707-445-7251

The Sheriff patrols McKinleyville, Garberville and other unincorporated areas.

Yes, and it's a sensible first step. The Sheriff's warrants page lists active adult warrants for this county, and deputies at 707-445-7251 handle statewide questions and confirm anything you find. Court tools are linked from the Superior Court's online services. Someone picked up in Arcata, Fortuna or McKinleyville is booked at the Fourth Street facility, and a judge generally hears the case within a couple of court days. If your own name is on that list, a local lawyer can arrange surrender, and the I Street clerk can help you get back on calendar.