Herbert Hughes Correctional Center Inmate Bail & Bonds

Search his name with Imperial County Inmate Search first. Newly booked people begin at the Regional Adult Detention Facility, 1328 Sperber Road, El Centro, CA 92243, and staff may move them to the Herbert Hughes Correctional Center at the Sheriff's complex, 328 Applestill Road, El Centro, CA 92243, or to the Oren R. Fox facility, which is medium security; jail and inmate information for all three is 442-265-2266. If the search shows nothing, call the Sheriff's Jail and Inmate Information line at 442-265-2266, or the division line, 442-265-2267.

Back to questions ↑

In Imperial County one elected office serves as Sheriff, Coroner and Marshal. The Sheriff's main office is at 328 Applestill Road in El Centro, 442-265-2000. Dispatch for non-emergencies is 442-265-2021. The toll-free number is 1-800-452-2051. Records and civil staff are open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For custody questions, though, use the jail information line.

Back to questions ↑

The 2026 court schedule sets felony bail by the longest term the crime carries. A 3-year term or less is $10,000. Four years is $25,000, and 5 years is $30,000. Seven years is $50,000, and 10 years is $75,000. A term of 16 years or more, but under life, is $500,000. Life is $1,000,000, and life without parole is no bail. Ask the jail line which term applies to the charge.

Back to questions ↑

The schedule lists $1,500 for a crime with a 90-day maximum, $2,500 for 180 days, $3,500 for 270 days, and $5,000 for 364 days. A misdemeanor probation violation is $5,000. Spousal battery and misdemeanor domestic violence injury are each $5,000. Check Imperial County Inmate Search for the actual amount on the booking.

Back to questions ↑

Yes. The schedule puts a felony drunk-driving charge at $50,000. A felony domestic violence injury charge is $50,000. Murder with special circumstances is no bail. The same rules say a judge can set a different number, so treat these as starting points.

Back to questions ↑

Not always. The court's schedule says an officer can swear out a statement asking for more bail, and a judge must approve it within 8 hours. Another statement about where bail money came from needs approval within 24 hours. Until the judge acts, the person cannot be freed at the lower number. Domestic violence and other serious charges also need a hearing first.

Back to questions ↑

It means no money is needed. The schedule defines $0 bail as release on a signed written citation or promise to appear. He must still show up on the court date printed there. If you see $0, ask the jail line at 442-265-2266 when she will walk out.

Back to questions ↑

Imperial's sheriff site gives no bail counter hours, so phone ahead before making the trip. Call 442-265-2266 to learn which Imperial facility accepts bail, at what times, and in what form. The Superior Court accepts only U.S. funds. Its criminal office, at 760-482-2245, can say if a court counter can take bail for the courthouse involved. Read about bail too.

Back to questions ↑

Deposits through the jail's money service are for calls and store items. They do not release a person. Never send money to someone who phones you offering to "clear" a booking. Keep the receipt that shows whether it was a deposit or a bond.

Back to questions ↑

Only when the family cannot cover the full sum. Otherwise a licensed bondsman will post it for a premium. According to state insurance regulators, about a tenth is the norm, each firm files its rate, and the premium rarely comes back. Agents cannot cold-call you. Look up the license and get terms in writing.

Back to questions ↑

Imperial County's sheriff and court pages do not spell out a property-bond rule. Phone the criminal office, 760-482-2245, before you collect deeds. Learn whether land past the Imperial line qualifies, how much equity El Centro requires, and how many weeks it takes. Every owner named on the title must sign.

Back to questions ↑

Criminal cases are heard at the El Centro Criminal Courthouse, 650 Wake Avenue. The main El Centro Courthouse is at 939 West Main Street. Both use 760-482-2200. The criminal office is open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 760-482-2245. The court also has a small Winterhaven branch at 2124 Winterhaven Drive, 760-336-3500, open Tuesday through Thursday.

Back to questions ↑

Penal Code 825 sets 48 hours from arrest, skipping Sundays and court holidays. At that hearing an El Centro judge can lower or raise bail at that hearing, or order release on a signed promise under Penal Code 1318. Plenty of lesser Imperial arrests stop at a written citation under Penal Code 853.6.

Back to questions ↑

California's constitution, in article I, section 12, allows no-bail holds when the charge is capital. It may also be refused for violent or sexual felonies, or when a person threatened great bodily harm, if the court finds clear and convincing evidence of danger. Under the schedule, special-circumstance murder, and someone with three prior violent convictions, get no bail. Another agency's hold can block release too.

Back to questions ↑

El Centro Police can be reached at 760-352-2111. All adult arrests in Imperial go to county lockups, so verify him through Imperial County Inmate Search. Brawley police (760-344-2111), Calexico police (760-768-2140) and other city agencies each have their own lines; Sheriff's jail and inmate information at 442-265-2266 can say which agency brought him in.

Back to questions ↑

The Imperial County Juvenile Hall is at 324 Applestill Road in El Centro, 442-265-2450, run by the Probation Department. Probation's main line is 442-265-2379. When a petition is filed, a detention hearing comes within 2 to 3 court days. Visits with parents follow state Title 15 rules, so call for times.

Back to questions ↑

He requests one from the bench at his first appearance. The Public Defender is at 895 Broadway in El Centro, 442-265-1705 or 442-265-1706, and the office handles adult and juvenile court. It is closed to walk-ins, so call. Have the booking date and charge ready.

Back to questions ↑

Skipping court in El Centro triggers both a bench warrant and bond forfeiture. Under Penal Code 1305 the bail agent or the person who paid has 180 days from the mailing of the clerk's notice, plus five days, to bring him back. Call the criminal office at 760-482-2245 the same day and talk to your agent.

Back to questions ↑

A 2026 state Supreme Court ruling says bail should usually be within a person's means. If an El Centro judge believes release is unsafe, the right path is a hearing to deny bail under the state constitution, not an amount nobody could raise.

Back to questions ↑

Imperial has two buildings in El Centro and a small court in Winterhaven near the Arizona line:

• El Centro courthouse: 939 West Main Street, El Centro, CA 92243 · 760-482-2200
• El Centro criminal courthouse: 650 Wake Avenue, El Centro, CA 92243 · 760-482-2200
• Winterhaven court: 2124 Winterhaven Drive, Winterhaven, CA 92283 · 760-336-3500

Back to questions ↑

Imperial County sits on the border, so federal arrests are common here, often by Border Patrol or HSI at the Calexico ports or on the highways. These cases skip county bail entirely and go to the Southern District of California, which has a courthouse in El Centro:

• A magistrate judge at El Centro federal courthouse, 2003 West Adams Avenue, El Centro, CA 92243 handles the first appearance, usually the next court day.
• Pretrial Services interviews him and checks his record and ties to the area.
• A detention hearing decides custody. Federal law allows a short wait first: three days if the government asks, five on a defense request.
• Release may come with a bond, a co-signer, travel limits or GPS. If held, he is housed by the Marshals, often in the Imperial Regional facility or in San Diego.

The El Centro Marshals office is U.S. Marshals Service, 2003 West Adams Avenue, El Centro, 760-353-9790.

Back to questions ↑

SB 54 applies in Imperial just like the rest of California. The Sheriff won't keep someone beyond release to suit ICE. ICE may be told about a release only when the person has a conviction from the state's serious-or-violent list. Before ICE talks to anyone in jail, the TRUTH Act requires a written notice.

Immigration enforcement here is run by the San Diego ICE field office, 880 Front Street, Suite 2242, San Diego, CA 92101, 619-436-0410. Detainees are commonly held close by at:

• Otay Mesa Detention Center: 7488 Calzada de la Fuente, San Diego, CA 92154
• Imperial Regional Detention Facility: 1572 Gateway Road, Calexico, CA 92231

Back to questions ↑

• Imperial County Inmate Search: enter the last and first name. Shows booking, bail and next court date.
• VINELink (https://vinelink.vineapps.com/): pick California and type the name; shows custody and the facility.
• Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator (https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/): register number or name. Federal pretrial detainees may not be listed; call 760-353-9790.
• CDCR Inmate Locator (https://inmatelocator.cdcr.ca.gov/): CDCR number or name. Note the two state prisons in the county appear here, not in the county search.
• ICE Online Detainee Locator System (https://locator.ice.gov/odls/): A-number or name plus country of birth. Border cases can take a day or two to post. If nothing, call 619-436-0410.

Back to questions ↑

Call the Imperial court at 760-482-2200. A judge may adjust bail at the first hearing, so check right before you pay.

Back to questions ↑