| Address/phone | 501 The City Dr S Orange, CA 92868 (map) (714) 935-6940 |
| Find an inmate | Inmate locator |
| Visiting hours | Call (714) 935-6202 for an appointment |
| Capacity | 3,442 inmates |
- getting transferred to the Theo Lacy Jail or the James A. Musick Jail, or
- remaining at IRC, also known as the Orange County Central Jail.
Since its opening in 1960, the Theo Lacy Jail Facility has been transformed from a 424-bed minimum security jail to a 3,442-bed maximum security jail, making it the largest jail facility in Orange County.
In this article, our Orange County criminal defense attorneys will explain the following:
- 1. How do I post bail at the Theo Lacy Jail Facility?
- 2. Is my loved one at Theo Lacy Jail?
- 3. How do phone privileges work?
- 4. When can I visit the Theo Lacy Jail?
- 5. Where do I send mail?
- 6. How do I put money on the books?
- 7. What services does the jail offer inmates?
- 8. How do I pick up my loved one’s keys, wallet, etc?
- 9. What is Theo Lacy’s Community Work Program?
If, after reading this article, you would like more information, we invite you to contact us at Shouse Law Group.
1. How do I post bail at the Theo Lacy Jail Facility?
To post bail at the Theo Lacy Jail, go to the jail at 501 The City Dr S, Orange, CA 92868 on
- Monday through Thursday from 6:30pm to midnight or
- Friday through Sunday from 8am to midnight.
After midnight, you may post bail at the Intake Release Center 24/7, which is located at 550 North Flower Street, Santa Ana, CA 92703.
Theo Lacy accepts the following six forms of bail:
- Cash.
- Cashier’s check. It must be on a California bank-drawn check payable to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
- Personal check (maximum $7,500). It must be a California bank check payable to the Orange County Superior Court, and the check must correspond with the issuer’s driver’s license or California identification card.
- Traveler’s checks. They must be payable to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and will only be accepted if signed in the presence of a cashier at the cashier’s office at the time you are posting bail.
- Money order. It must be payable to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
- Bail bonds. This is where you pay a local bondsman a non-refundable fee (usually 10% of the entire bail amount) so they will post the entire bail amount.
You may not combine checks, money orders and cash to make a bail payment. You must post bail using only one type of payment.
Bail is set according to the Orange County Bail Schedule, and you can check the bail amount online or else call the Sheriff’s records department at (714) 935-6940. A Santa Ana criminal defense attorney may be able to schedule a bail hearing to potentially reduce or even waive the inmate’s bail.
If the defendant attends all court appearances, the bail will be returned at the end of the case. Though if they miss court, the bail money is forfeited to the court.
Theo Lacy Jail has multiple-bunk dorms as well as one- or two-man cells.
2. Is my loved one at Theo Lacy Jail?
To check whether someone is incarcerated at the Theo Lacy Facility, you can
- call the facility directly at (714) 935-6940,
- call the Orange County Sheriff’s inmate information line at (714) 647-4666, or
- look up information via the Internet on the Orange County Sheriff’s Department inmate information website.
Typically, inmates must be arraigned within two (2) days of being arrested. At that point, the judge will either continue the arraignment or will set the case for a pre-trial hearing.
If you wish to look up the case information or upcoming court dates for an inmate at Theo Lacy, visit the Orange County Court Online Access Information website.
3. How do phone privileges work?
You may not call inmates at Theo Lacy; they can only call out to you during designated times during the day.
4. When can I visit the Theo Lacy Jail?
Call the jail at (714) 935-6202 between 7am and 4pm to schedule a visit at least 24 hours in advance. Inmates are restricted to two half-hour visits each week from Friday through Monday.
Each visit is limited to two adults and two minors, and face coverings are required. Visitors may park in the North parking structure located across from the Juvenile Courthouse and next to UCI medical.
Lockers are currently not available due to Covid-19 protocols. The only items you are allowed to bring into the visiting area are identification and keys (with the exception of certain necessities if you are bringing babies into the facility).
5. Where do I send mail?
If you wish to send letters to an inmate at the Theo Lacy Jail Facility, address them to
[Inmate’s name and booking number]
501 The City Drive South
Orange, CA 92868
Mail without a return address will not be delivered. Packages are not accepted, though mail may include:
- up to 10 pages of photocopied/reproduced or printed material and/or
- up to 10 photos that are 8×10″ or smaller (as long as they do not depict any nudity or sexually suggestive matter).
Inmates may receive paperback reading material as long as they are sent directly from the publisher or distributor. Each inmate may have up to five books at any given time.
Note that all mail will be searched.
6. How do I put money on the books?
Theo Lacy inmates may have up to $500 in their accounts. You can deposit money 24/7 at:
Intake and Release Center
550 North Flower Street
Santa Ana, CA 92703
(714) 647-6085
Or you can deposit money at the jail daily from 8am to 2pm at:
Theo Lacy Jail Facility
501 The City Drive South
Orange, CA 92868
(714) 935-6905
Personal checks, cashier’s checks, and traveler’s checks are not accepted. Instead you may deposit:
- cash
- checks payable to the inmate
- money orders made payable to the “County of Orange – Sheriff’s Department”, and the inmate’s name and booking number must be written on a separate line.
Alternatively, you can mail money orders or checks to the inmate at
[Inmate’s name and booking number]
501 The City Drive South
Orange, CA 92868
7. What services does the jail offer inmates?
The Theo Lacy Jail Facility offers its inmates a variety of services, such as:
- television access,
- outdoor recreation,
- access to local newspapers,
- a commissary,
- medical and dental care,
- religious services (conducted by chaplains from a wide variety of religious denominations),
- vocational and educational programs,
- substance abuse treatment, and
- the opportunity to work in the Jail’s kitchen or other facilities to earn “work-time” credits to reduce their sentence.
Theo Lacy inmates get two visits per week.
8. How do I pick up my loved one’s keys, wallet, etc.?
Fill out a property release form in the Theo Lacy Jail lobby between 7am and 9pm. If your loved one signs the release, the jail will receive their property to you.
Clothing will not be released unless you provide an exchange.
Note that inmates can release funds from their account by signing a cash withdrawal form, and you can pick up the funds through the cashier’s office at 550 North Flower Street, Santa Ana, CA 92703.
9. What is Theo Lacy’s Community Work Program?
Eligible inmates may qualify to participate in Orange County’s Community Work Program (“CWP”). Under this program, participants are still considered inmates at Theo Lacy but are allowed to perform work for the county in lieu of serving their jail sentence.
Participants work 10-hour days, each of which is equivalent to a 24-hour period of jail time. Because this program is only offered to low-risk offenders, it allows them to go home at night instead of remaining in the Jail.
Some of the criteria for eligibility include (but are not limited to):
- a county jail sentence of 150 days or less (for a crime that is not violent or sex-related),
- no active warrants or holds,
- physically fit to perform manual labor,
- permanent Orange County resident status,
- being able to provide one’s own transportation, and
- payment of a $90 application fee.
Call us for help…
If you or loved one is charged with a crime and you are looking to hire an attorney for representation, we invite you to contact us at Shouse Law Group. We can provide a consultation in office or by phone.
Our Orange County criminal defense attorneys serve the areas of Newport Beach, Fullerton, Laguna Beach, Irvine, Santa Ana, Anaheim and Westminster. In addition, our Los Angeles criminal defense lawyers have local law offices in Beverly Hills, Burbank, Glendale, Lancaster, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Pomona, Torrance, Van Nuys, West Covina, and Whittier.