San Francisco County Jail System Facility Descriptions

San Francisco Sheriff Department building image

County Jail #1
425 7th Street
San Francisco 94103
Captain D. Murphy

San Francisco County Jail #1 is our Intake and Release Center and is the facility where all persons are booked into and released from the San Francisco County Jail. The booking and release processes of arrested persons are quite involved and include:

  • Searching
  • Medical triage
  • Photographing
  • Fingerprinting to include warrant checks
  • Classification to include a criminal history review
  • Review by the O.R. Project for eligibility to be released on one’s own recognizance
  • Review for eligibility to be cited and released
  • DNA collection from persons arrested for felony charges
  • Inventory and storage of property

Inmates are not housed at County Jail #1. They e only at County Jail #1 for the period of time required to complete the booking and release processes. There is no visiting at County Jail #1.


County Jail #2
425 7th Street
San Francisco 94103
Captain S. Colmenero

San Francisco County Jail #2 is a “New Generation” direct supervision facility which utilizes pod architecture for inmate housing areas. This design plan offers deputized staff better visual and audio monitoring of the inmate population. The rated capacity for this jail is 392 inmates. Although County Jail #2 holds both men and women, it is the only jail where women are housed. This jail is used to confine both sentenced and pre-sentenced inmates.

This jail has its own infirmary in addition to a dental office and medical observation pod that provides specialized medical and psychiatric care to those with special needs. Medical care is provided 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

A variety of in-custody programs are offered to the inmate population. These include:

  • SISTERS
  • SFSD FIVE KEYS CHARTER SCHOOL
  • KEYS TO FREEDOM
  • ONE FAMILY


County Jail #4
850 Bryant Street
San Francisco 94103
Captain J. Jackson

San Francisco County Jail #4 is a traditional linear jail facility located on the 7th floor of the Hall of Justice. This jail is the maximum security facility of the San Francisco County Jail system. The rated capacity for this jail is 402 inmates and it houses both sentenced and pre-sentenced inmates. Deputy Sheriffs monitor inmate conduct and patrol in cells located on each side of a central corridor or “mainline”. This jail offers inmate programs such as parenting, independent study, alcoholics anonymous, and narcotics anonymous. Parenting skills classes and inmate-child visitation is also offered to mend and heal broken family relationships.

County Jail #4 has an industrial size kitchen that feeds about 850 inmates three meals a day. This jail also has a full scale laundry operation that is responsible for providing clean clothing and linens to about 850 inmates. This jail has its own infirmary and provides medical care to the inmate population 24 hours a day, seven days a week.


County Jail #5
#1 Moreland Drive
San Bruno 94066
Captain S. Tilton

San Francisco County Jail #5 is the newest and largest of the San Francisco County Jail facilities. Although, located in San Mateo County within the City of San Bruno, this jail is the jurisdiction of the City and County of San Francisco. This unique geographic arrangement dates back to the 1930’s when San Francisco owned acres of land in San Mateo County. This jail is a “New Generation” direct supervision facility and has sixteen pods which hold 48 inmates each. The rated capacity for this jail is 768 inmates. This jail holds both sentenced and pre-sentenced inmates and is home for some of our most innovative in-custody programs. These include:

  • R.S.V.P.
  • ROADS TO RECOVERY
  • C.O.V.E.R.
  • SFSD FIVE KEYS CHARTER SCHOOL
  • PARENTING SKILLS/INCARCERATED PARENT–CHILD VISITATION

County Jail #5 also has a Sheltered Living Unit, a pod identified to provide programming for those inmates with psychiatric needs. This jail has an industrial kitchen and laundry that operates 365 days a year. The infirmary and dental office are state-of-the-art and medical care is provided 24 hours a day, seven days a week.


Jail Wards 7D/7L
1001 Potrero Ave.
San Francisco 94110
Sergeant Del Rosario

The San Francisco Sheriff’s Department maintains a locked ward at San Francisco General Hospital. Ward 7D is a locked ward for inmates that are in need of medical care requiring hospitalization. Ward 7L is a locked ward for those inmates in need of psychological care requiring hospitalization. Deputy Sheriffs work closely with clinicians to ensure the safety and security of the ward while maintaining an environment for the effective delivery of medical care.


Classification Unit
425 7th Street
San Francisco CA 94103
Lieutenant J. Gomez

The deputy sheriffs assigned to the classification unit within the department have integral roles and responsibilities. At the time of booking these deputies must determine the safest and most appropriate housing for each inmate that will be remaining in the custody of the sheriff. They do this by utilizing an “Objective” Classification system. Deputies ask each inmate a set series of questions that each have a numerical value assigned to them. Once the questionnaire is complete the value of each question is totaled and a classification for the particular inmate is assigned. Inmates in the San Francisco County Jail system are classified as minimum, medium or maximum security risks. Other factors that are taken into consideration when determining an inmate’s classification include:

  • Criminal History
  • Prior State Prison Sentence
  • Prior County Jail Sentence
  • Prior Institutional Disciplinary History
  • Information Gathered During Interview with a Deputy Sheriff
  • Sentencing Status