West County Detention Facility Overview
The West County Detention Facility is operated by the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff at 5555 Giant Highway in Richmond. The sheriff describes it as a campus-style, direct-supervision jail built for co-educational and program-oriented custody. It opened in 1991 and includes five housing units with dedicated outdoor courtyards. The campus also now includes West County Reentry Treatment and Housing, a separate facility page because the sheriff gives WRTH its own role, capacity, and program description.
West County is not a state prison and not an ICE facility in the current facility map. It is a county jail facility for adults in Contra Costa custody. People can be booked first through Martinez and later housed at West County after classification. Inmates may leave housing units for education, vocational programs, religious services, medical or dental appointments, and social visits. Kitchen and laundry work are tied to culinary arts, safe food handling, and commercial laundering skills.
West County Detention Facility Population
The current sheriff source describes West County as housing up to 1,096 incarcerated people in five housing units. Earlier snippets referenced up to 900 on the Main Campus, so the current page's 1,096 figure is the stronger build figure. Sheriff oversight reporting lists average daily population at West County as 460 in 2024 and 490 in 2025. That average is not the same as a real-time roster count, and the county locator should still be used for a specific person.
The West County population is shaped by classification, program needs, medical or dental appointments, security level, and sentence status. Some people are held while cases are pending. Others may be serving local terms or moving through program housing. Once a person receives a state-prison sentence and is transferred to CDCR, West County is no longer the proper search source.
West County Detention Facility Roster Search
Use the Contra Costa In-Custody Locator for West County Detention Facility roster search. The search form accepts both first and last name in name mode, or a booking number in booking-number mode. Public detail results may show facility name, arresting agency, arrest date and time, total bail, court date, court location, case number, charges, and bail amount. If the name does not appear, call the Martinez inmate information line or use Records & ID for records that are no longer current.
- Search the countywide In-Custody Locator by name or booking number.
- Open the Detail result, not just the result list.
- Check whether the Facility Name field says West County Detention Facility.
- Use In-Custody Reports for recent arrest-log data if the person was released.
- Use CDCR CIRIS, BOP, or ICE ODLS only if the case has left county jail custody.
West County Detention Facility Contact
Call the facility for West County operational questions. For current custody information, the sheriff Records & ID page routes inmate information to Martinez Detention Facility at (925) 646-4493 because the locator and jail information function are countywide. Formal charges, warrant checks, court records, and dispositions are court or DA issues rather than facility desk issues.
West County Detention Facility
5555 Giant Highway
Richmond, CA 94806
(510) 262-4200
County inmate information: (925) 646-4493
West County Detention Facility Visiting
West County social visits are scheduled only by inmates. Visitors should arrive with valid photo identification, expect search and contraband screening, and be at the facility no later than 30 minutes before the end of the visiting block. Up to three visitors may visit at one time. The general Contra Costa rules bar phones, cameras, laptops, purses, bags, food, drink, tobacco, gifts, and physical contact in visiting areas.
| Day | Hours | Visitor Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Monday-Thursday | 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 a.m.; 1, 2 p.m. | Up to 3 visitors; arrive before the cutoff. |
| Saturday-Sunday | 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 a.m.; 1, 2, 3, 4 p.m. | Same West County rule. |
West County Mail and Money
Non-privileged mail for West County goes through Pigeonly Corrections using the inmate's name, booking number, facility name, and West County facility code 1118. The mail is opened, scanned, screened, printed, and delivered as a copy. Attorneys use Pigeonly's privileged-mail verification and secure label process. Money orders, cashier's checks, and traveler's checks must be payable to the Office of the Sheriff and include the inmate name and booking number. The sheriff also documents kiosk, telephone-card, and Smart Deposit options, but the captured telephone number appears incomplete and should be verified before use.
| Service | Provider / Detail |
|---|---|
| Mail code | West County Detention Facility code 1118 through Pigeonly. |
| Deposits | Office of the Sheriff money order or cashier's check; Smart Deposit and lobby options documented. |
| Commissary | MyCarePack packages for people housed in Contra Costa County jails. |
West County Detention Programs
West County is the county's program campus. The sheriff page says inmates may attend educational and vocational programs, religious services, medical and dental appointments, and social visits. Education and vocational programming are provided through a sheriff contract with the Contra Costa County Office of Education. Adult School staff on site include a principal, teachers, and administrative professionals. The campus layout is important because it supports movement from housing units to services in a way that Martinez cannot always provide.
The Richmond campus also helps explain why West County and WRTH should be read together but not merged. West County is the main direct-supervision jail campus. WRTH is the newer treatment and reentry building on the same site, built for vulnerable medical, mental-health, security, and reentry needs. A roster result may use a facility field to show where the person is housed, while the public phone and visit check-in can still point to the West County campus. Confirm the exact housing assignment before mailing, visiting, or making a deposit.
Note: Confirm custody and visiting status before driving to Richmond because classification and court movement can change facility assignment.
West County Record Limits
A West County jail record is not the same as a complete criminal-history record. The public locator is best for current Contra Costa County custody, facility assignment, booking number, bail, court date, court location, and listed charges when those fields are present. It does not prove that a charge led to conviction, dismissal, or prison commitment. The Superior Court handles court records, formal case searches, dispositions, and criminal-copy requests. The District Attorney handles formal charging decisions. Sheriff Records & ID handles official police reports and out-of-custody inmate inquiries for sheriff jurisdictions.
Use the right record source for the question. If the person is physically held at West County, the jail locator and facility phone are practical first steps. If the person has been released, the arrest report may age off after about 30 days, so records or court channels become more useful. If a state-prison sentence has started, CDCR CIRIS replaces the county roster as the proper search source. Federal or immigration custody requires BOP or ICE tools, not the Contra Costa jail search.