Peninsula arrests usually make the half-hour trip to the Monterey County Jail, 1410 Natividad Road, Salinas, CA 93906, where the jail line is 831-755-3782. Monterey runs just this one adult jail, so King City and Soledad arrests end up here too.

Monterey County Inmate Search lists name, booking number, charges and bail. Jail information is at 831-755-3700, and staff often speak Spanish.

California's limit is two court days after the arrest. Criminal cases go to the Salinas courthouse at 240 Church Street and its annex at 116 West Gabilan Street (831-775-5400). Peninsula misdemeanors may be heard in Marina, 3180 Del Monte Boulevard. Read Monterey court steps.

Salinas inmates are brought to hearings in person or by video at the court's direction, and only the parties to a case reserve CourtCall time. Parties to an associated family, civil or probate case may enroll on CourtCall if that judge allows.

Before court, the Salinas jail accepts scheduled bail, either the whole sum at the jail or through a bail agent. The judge looks at release again at arraignment and must consider whether the person can pay. See the Monterey bail guide.

The Monterey County Public Defender is at 168 West Alisal Street, second floor, in Salinas (831-755-5058). For a private lawyer, the county bar's referral line is 831-663-6955.

Visits are scheduled in advance, and visitors must show photo ID and follow the dress code. See Monterey visiting and video visiting.

Write to 1414 Natividad Road, Salinas, CA 93906, using the booking number. Monterey pages: mail, deposits, commissary, phone calls, messages, tablets.

Detained youths go to juvenile hall next door at 1420 Natividad Road (831-755-3981). Probation also runs a youth center for longer programs.

Callers asking for gift cards or wires to free someone from the Salinas jail are scammers. Jail information at 831-755-3700 can tell you the truth in English or Spanish.

Federal cases are made by the IRS, the Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Marshals, or the FBI, often alongside state officers. Any federal charge is filed in the Northern District of California in the courthouse in San Jose: 280 South 1st Street, San Jose, CA 95113. The clerk's office there answers at 408-535-5363. A pretrial services officer meets the accused and gives advice to the court. An initial hearing happens fast with a magistrate judge. Cash isn't the starting point on federal charges. The magistrate looks at danger and flight risk at a short hearing per federal bail law.

Check the local roster first, where a Marshals hold may show. Meanwhile, U.S. Marshals may place the person in a nearby jail. This district's Marshals office in San Jose knows where a federal prisoner is held: 408-535-5496, 280 South 1st Street, Room 2100, San Jose, CA 95113. Any prison sentence leads to a move into federal prison. The federal inmate locator lists their location after that.

• Booking fingerprints are checked through federal records that ICE can see. If ICE believes your loved one could be removable, it may send a detainer.
• A posted bond won't lift the detainer.
• Under the I-247A, jailers are asked to hold the person for federal agents up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)). At the Salinas jail, the Values Act (SB 54) keeps the usual release timetable, and staff notify ICE or transfer someone only for a court warrant or a serious or violent conviction the law lists.
• Immigration officers sometimes take custody inside that window. If ICE never collects them, that should mean release.
• The agency decides the next facility.
• Cases here are run from ICE's San Francisco enforcement office: 630 Sansome Street, Room 590, San Francisco, CA 94111, tel. 415-365-8800.
• Transfers between centers happen, so recheck the online locator every few days using the person's A-number and country of birth. Without the person's A-number? Enter the person's legal name, home country, and birth date instead.

Felony prison terms are served under the CDCR. The person often waits in the Salinas jail for a state transfer. First comes reception: forms, photos and medical checks. Prison staff classify each person by health care needs, gang links and their risk level. Their final move is a facility that matches their rating.

For their unit, open the CDCR inmate locator. Our state prison guide explains each unit.

No. The Monterey custody lookup gives Monterey booking details without mugshots.

California's rule is Section 13665. It deals with social media. Most nonviolent arrests fall under it. Agencies may not post those photos there. Photos posted there expire after 14 days. Exceptions exist for fugitives and public threats. The rule skips the sheriff's own site. Even so, many sheriffs leave photos off.

ICE photos become available only through ICE's online records request, and only if ICE agrees. If a jail photo is not on the website, newsroom questions go through sheriff's staff by calling 831-755-5111. Families and the media cannot obtain federal booking photos as a rule. Once in a while, the Marshals Service releases one: for a fugitive or escaped inmate, when the public must be kept safe now, or when posting it may help make an arrest or warn neighbors.

• Salinas Police non-emergency: 831-758-7321
• Monterey Police non-emergency: 831-646-3914
• Seaside Police non-emergency: 831-899-6748
• Monterey County Sheriff's Office non-emergency (Salinas): 831-755-5111

Carmel, Pacific Grove, Marina, Gonzales, Soledad, Greenfield and King City run their own police departments too.

Deputies and police from Seaside to the valley towns bring warrant arrests to Natividad Road, so ask the Sheriff's Office; its records team looks names up by phone and includes statewide hits. A quick case search on the Superior Court's site shows whether a case is open. Arraignment typically comes a court day or two after booking. If you're the one wanted, a defense lawyer can arrange surrender, and the Church Street clerk in Salinas (831-775-5400) can help with a new hearing.