Santa Barbara County Main Jail COVID-19 Coronavirus Visitation Policy

Santa Barbara County Main Jail

Address:
4436 Calle Real
Santa Barbara, CA 93110

Phone:

805-681-4260

New Visitation Policies in Santa Barbara County Main Jail Due to COVID-19 Coronavirus

Because of concerns for the safety and wellness of both staff and inmates at the Santa Barbara County Main Jail in Santa Barbara, California, contact visits of any type may be suspended. Even if they have visits, from time to time, face masks may be required.

Approved Non-contact visits with family, friends and the inmate’s lawyers may still be allowed when at-home or onsite video visitation is not available, however given that new guidelines are changing daily please check the visitation page or call 805-681-4260 for updates.

Video Visitation at Santa Barbara County Main Jail

At-home and onsite video visitation guidelines for Santa Barbara County Main Jail, when this service is available, can be found by going to the visitation information page.

We highly recommend that you call 805-681-4260 first for any changes due to staff shortages or other unforeseen circumstances, including whether your inmate has become ill and is unable to be in the general population where video kiosks are available.

How Long Will These Changes Last?

Experts in the study of the COVID-19 are anticipating that spread of the virus will be a ongoing concern for Santa Barbara County, the state of California and the entire United States until well into 2024 and maybe even beyond. We are witnessing the virus becoming more contagious, but less deadly over time. Many people think that the 'more contagious, but less deadly' variants will infect so many people that a higher level of natural immunity for the majority of Americans will be the end result.

Will the Inmates in Santa Barbara County Main Jail Be Safe from Getting Sick With COVID-19 Coronavirus?

Whether the inmates are safe from contracting the coronavirus depends entirely on two things:

  1. The Virus being introduced into the facility by a staff member or inmate who is unaware that they have it.
  2. How easily it spreads.

At this stage most people who get the coronavirus show very few symptoms beyond what you might experience with a bad cold or a mild case of the common flu. Newer variants are turning out to be less deadly than the common flu we experience every year.

Studies that have been done are showing that the hardest hit are those 60 years of age and older, those with pre-existing medical issues like diabetes, leukemia or obese individuals. Young men and women rarely become very ill, and when they do, seem to recover quickly.

Given the close proximity of inmates and staff to each other in this lockup, it is going to be very difficult to prevent the spread of COVID-19 once it is introduced into the facility as the virus can spread via the microscopic vapor that we release every time we speak, cough or sneeze.

We will continuously update this page as the virus changes and new policies are instituted.

Santa Barbara County Bail Bond Information

Because Santa Barbara County and California can change their bail bond procedures, it is always best to call either the Santa Barbara County Main Jail at 805-681-4260, or the court in the jurisdiction (i.e. Municipal Court, District Court, etc.) where the offender was charged, and do this right after an arrestee has been booked. 

Ask the staff at the Santa Barbara County Main Jail or the Santa Barbara County Court Clerk these specific questions:

  1. Is the defendant eligible for bail or a bond?
  2. How much will the bail or bond be, and what are the additional fees?
  3. Where do I go to pay it?
  4. Are there any days or times of the day or night when I cannot post bail?
  5. What types of payment are allowed? Cash? Money order? Credit card? What types of credit cards? Property or other collateral? Surety bonds?
  6. Do I have to use a bail or bond agent?

If you feel the bail is too high and you wish to get it reduced, contact a lawyer or the defendant's public defender and get them to look into what they can do to get a bail reduction. The sooner you get working on this the quicker you will get your loved one released. 

This entire process will go smoother and faster with a criminal attorney or bail agent handling it for you.


 

How Do Inmates in Santa Barbara County Main Jail Make or Receive Phone Calls?

To receive phone calls from inmates in Santa Barbara County, or to assist them in making phone calls to other people, follow these steps:

1.  Start by confirming that Santa Barbara County Main Jail has the phone service you need to communicate with your inmate by the facility lookup here.
2. In the meantime, you can create an account here for GettingOut.
3. Then add funds to your account. This account can be controlled by just you, or by both you and your inmate.
4. Last, select Santa Barbara County Main Jail, and then the inmate you wish to communicate with.

Santa Barbara County Services that are provided by GettingOut, a GTL company:
 - Phone Calls & Voicemail 
 - Video Visits (from home or jail lobby)
 - Email & Photo Sharing
 - Tablet Rental
 - Deposits


Phone & Voicemail Fees

1.  GettingOut charges $0.25 per minute for all phone calls, prepaid or collect, within California.
2. Prepaid calls between California and other states costs $0.21 per minute. International calls are $0.95 per minute.
3. There is a fee of $3.00 every time you add money to your account online, and it costs $5.95 if you add funds over the phone with a live agent.
4. You can also leave an inmate a short voice message for a flat fee of $1.25.

Note: Rates are subject to change.

Types of Phone Calls
Collect Calls
Collect calls allow you to accept and pay for calls to your land line (only) phone account. This means that if you accept your call from your inmate, all the charges for that call will then be billed to your land line phone account and will show up and be listed on your next local phone bill. Additional fees, costs, restrictions may apply.

Prepaid calls (Direct Calls)
With Prepaid Calls you can set up your account so that the inmate can only call you and/or you can just deposit money in their account and they can purchase prepaid phone cards through their commissary and call whoever they choose, provided the Santa Barbara County Main Jail approves of the phone number.

Quick Connect
Quick connect is an alternative to collect calls. It allows you to quickly pay for a phone call with your credit card.  When your inmate calls you, follow the instructions from the automated voice system to pay for that one phone call, directly billed to your card.

Customer Service
If you have any questions about the Santa Barbara County Main Jail GettingOut phone services, you can call them at 866-516-0115.

* All the information you need to understand making and receiving phone calls with inmates in Santa Barbara County, can be found on our Inmate Phone Page.


 

Santa Barbara County Main Jail Inmate Mail Policies and Address - What Can You Send, and Where?

For inmates receiving mail in the Santa Barbara County Main Jail there are different addresses and policies depending on the inmate's status, as well as what type of mail they are receiving; personal mail, legal mail, subscriptions or books sent from a third-party such as Amazon.

All mail is to be shipped to the Santa Barbara County Main Jail:
Inmate's Full Name & CID Number
Santa Barbara County Jail
4436 Calle Real
Santa Barbara, CA 93110


For complete information on mail policies, what you can send an inmate and what address to send them, check out our Inmate Mail page.


 

How to Send a Carepack Commissary Package Directly to an Inmate in Santa Barbara County

To send a commissary carepack (food, snacks and goods) directly to an inmate in Santa Barbara County Main Jail follow these steps:

  • Select California, then select Santa Barbara County Main Jail, and then select the 'Send a Package Order' option.
  • Register and create an account with Access Securepak, for Santa Barbara County.
  • Choose the inmate and the products you want shipped to them, and input your payment method. 
  • NOTE: There may be a limit on how much product you can send your inmate in Santa Barbara County at any one time.

For all information, tips and available items for shipping Commissary packages to an inmate in Santa Barbara County Main Jail check out our Commissary Instructions Page for Santa Barbara County.


 

How to Send Money to an Inmate in Santa Barbara County

To send commissary money to an inmate in Santa Barbara County Main Jail follow these steps:

  • Register with Access Corrections by creating an account.
  • Select California, then select Santa Barbara County Main Jail, and then the inmate you want to send money to.
  • Choose the amount of money you want to send, and input your payment method.

For all information on how to Send Money to an inmate's account check out our full money and commissary guide for Santa Barbara County Main Jail.


 

How to Send a Secure Email Message to an Inmate in Santa Barbara County

To send a secure email message to an inmate in Santa Barbara County Main Jail follow these steps:

  • Register with Access Corrections by creating an account.
  • Select California, then select Santa Barbara County Main Jail, and then the inmate you want to send your message to.
  • Choose the amount of money you want to spend, and input your payment method. The funds can also be used by the inmate to send a message back to you.
  • NOTE: All messages between you and your inmate will be permanently recorded and seen by the staff and could be used against your inmate in court.

For all information on how to Text/Email an Inmate in Santa Barbara County Main Jail check out our Secure Messaging Guide for Santa Barbara County.


 

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