Mendocino County Inmate Population Snapshot
The main local jail count comes from the Mendocino County Jail, also listed in BSCC material as the Mendocino Adult Detention Facility. The jail is a Type II local adult detention facility operated by the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office. It holds recent arrestees, people awaiting court, sentenced county jail inmates, and people waiting on release, bond, transfer, or alternative-custody screening. The county also has Parlin Fork Conservation Camp #6, but that is CDCR sentenced custody rather than a county jail roster facility.
Official data give several ways to read the Mendocino County inmate population. The BSCC rated-capacity workbook listed 295 rated beds for the local adult detention facility in the April 24, 2026 update. The BSCC Jail Profile Survey data showed a 2025 annual average daily population of 244.2 and 3,631 annual bookings for the Mendocino Sheriff's Department. A public roster query inspected on May 31, 2026 returned 210 in-custody records for the Mendocino County Jail. That roster count is a point-in-time search result, not an annual average.
Mendocino County Inmate Population Statistics
The most useful Mendocino County jail population figures come from the BSCC Jail Profile Survey and the BSCC rated-capacity workbook. The county's 2025 average daily population was below rated capacity, but the jail still processed more than three thousand bookings. The Census Bureau's July 1, 2024 county population estimate was 89,175, which makes the 2025 jail ADP rate about 274 per 100,000 residents.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Date |
|---|---|---|
| Rated capacity | 295 beds | BSCC rated-capacity workbook, updated Apr. 24, 2026 |
| Current public roster count | 210 | Mendocino Sheriff Booking Log, inspected May 31, 2026 |
| 2025 average daily population | 244.2 | BSCC Jail Profile Survey Query, Jan-Dec 2025 |
| 2025 annual bookings | 3,631 | BSCC Jail Profile Survey data, Jan-Dec 2025 |
| County population | 89,175 | U.S. Census QuickFacts, July 1, 2024 estimate |
The average-use figure was 82.8 percent of rated capacity in 2025. The May 31, 2026 public roster count was lower, at about 71.2 percent of rated capacity. Both numbers should be read with their source dates because jail counts shift each day as arrests, releases, court orders, and transfers move people in and out of custody.
Mendocino County Jail Population Trends
The five-year BSCC trend shows a high annual average in 2022, a drop in 2024, and a rebound in 2025. That pattern is important because a single roster search can make the jail look lighter or heavier than its usual yearly load. The Mendocino County inmate population also depends heavily on court timing, bail decisions, and the number of people who are still nonsentenced.
| Year | Average Daily Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 245.2 | Monthly ADP ranged from 238 to 252. |
| 2022 | 280.1 | Peak annual average in the five-year pull. |
| 2023 | 251.0 | Annual bookings reported as 3,792. |
| 2024 | 220.1 | Lowest annual ADP in the five-year pull. |
| 2025 | 244.2 | Annual bookings reported as 3,631. |
September 2025 had the highest one-day population reported in the 2025 monthly table, at 274, still below the 295-bed rated capacity. The annual figures support a careful reading: Mendocino County was not above rated capacity on the official 2025 averages, yet population management still mattered because most of the jail population had not been sentenced.
Who Is in Mendocino County Custody
BSCC monthly data show that the 2025 Mendocino County inmate population was mostly nonsentenced. The averaged nonsentenced total was 172.7, compared with 71.5 sentenced inmates in local jail custody. Male ADP averaged 211.7, while female ADP averaged 32.5. Felony ADP averaged 104.0, and misdemeanor ADP averaged 140.2 in the BSCC fields pulled for the research file.
| Category | 2025 Average ADP | Plain meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Nonsentenced | 172.7 | People awaiting adjudication or not serving a final jail sentence. |
| Sentenced | 71.5 | People serving a local jail sentence. |
| Male total | 211.7 | Sentenced and nonsentenced male ADP combined. |
| Female total | 32.5 | Sentenced and nonsentenced female ADP combined. |
Race and ethnicity ADP were not located in the official data pulled for this build, so they are not listed as jail population facts. Average length of stay was also not located in the official sources reviewed.
Mendocino County Inmate Population Laws
California law affects both jail population data and access to records. The California Public Records Act is the baseline route for non-exempt county records. Penal Code section 6030 requires BSCC minimum standards for local detention facilities. Government Code section 12525 and Penal Code section 10008 govern death-in-custody reporting and public posting duties.
Key population rules: CPRA supports requests for non-exempt sheriff records; BSCC standards govern jail operation; death-in-custody laws require reporting and public information when a person dies in custody or in the process of arrest.
Mendocino Sheriff maintains a public in-custody death reporting page under Penal Code section 10008. The research file also noted jail expansion documents for a proposed Special Needs Housing Unit and visitor center, but no later official source was located proving that project changed the BSCC rated capacity. For that reason, the 295-bed BSCC figure remains the capacity number used here.
Search the Mendocino County Inmate Population
The official county jail lookup is the Mendocino Sheriff Booking Log, a New World Systems inmate inquiry page. It is free and did not require a login during research. The page says booking information is available for 30 days before the current date, but the current-custody filter can still return the present jail list when the person is in custody.
- Open the booking log directly rather than starting from a general web search.
- For new bookings, leave the date fields on the default date or enter a recent date range.
- For current custody, check In Custody and choose MENDOCINO COUNTY JAIL if needed.
- Use Name, Subject Number, or Booking Number to narrow the search.
- Open the linked person name to see the detail page.
- If the person is sentenced to state prison, search CDCR CIRIS instead.
The booking log is not the only access channel. The jail phone line, sheriff records, in-person sheriff counter, NextRequest, CDCR CIRIS, VINELink, BOP, and ICE ODLS all cover different custody situations.
Mendocino County Roster Search Fields
The roster is built for flexible searching. A full form is not required, which helps when a spelling is uncertain or only a booking number is known. The Housing Facility dropdown is also useful because the visible options included blank, ELSEWHERE, and MENDOCINO COUNTY JAIL.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Text | No | Use the person's name; all fields are not required. |
| Subject Number | Text | No | Person identifier used by the county system. |
| Booking Number | Text | No | Observed format: 2026-00001560. |
| In Custody | Checkbox | No | Filters to people currently jailed. |
| Booking From / To Date | Date fields | No | Observed format was MM/DD/YYYY. |
| Housing Facility | Dropdown | No | Options included ELSEWHERE and MENDOCINO COUNTY JAIL. |
The booking log search page is shown in the screenshot below, including the date fields, current-custody filter, and public notice that photos are not posted.
The screenshot connects the public roster to the broader Mendocino County inmate population because it is the live access point for current and recent local jail custody.
Mendocino County Inmate Record Details
A Mendocino County booking profile can show the person's name, subject number, date of birth, age, gender, race, height, weight, booking number, booking date, prisoner type, booking origin, bond totals, bail totals, bonds table, and charge table. The sample profile did not show a mugshot, and the search page states that photographs are not posted because of Houston v. Maricopa.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Subject Number | Person-level identifier for distinguishing people. |
| Booking Number | Event identifier for one booking. |
| Prisoner Type | Custody category, such as NON SENTENCED. |
| Booking Origin | Agency or origin of the booking, such as CHP. |
| Total Bond / Bail | Aggregate financial release fields. |
| Charge Table | Charge descriptions, class, agency, disposition fields, and bond. |
| Mugshot | Not posted on the booking log. |
Mendocino County Jail vs State Prison
The county jail roster covers local custody. It does not replace the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation locator, federal BOP locator, or ICE detainee locator. A person arrested in Mendocino County can start in the county jail, appear in Superior Court, and later move to CDCR custody if sentenced to state prison.
| Custody system | Who it covers | Where to search |
|---|---|---|
| County jail | Recent arrestees, pretrial detainees, local sentenced inmates | Mendocino Sheriff Booking Log |
| State prison | Sentenced CDCR prisoners and conservation-camp assignments | CDCR CIRIS |
| Federal custody | BOP custody or released federal prisoners from 1982 onward | BOP Inmate Locator |
| Immigration custody | People in ICE custody when searchable under ODLS rules | ICE ODLS |
VINELink is another useful channel for custody notification, but it depends on participating agency feeds. Use VINELink California or 1-877-411-5588 when notification matters more than a single roster result.
Mendocino County Detention Facilities
The facility map has one primary county jail, one CDCR conservation camp, and one short-term sheriff holding location on the coast. They serve different roles, so the same search tool does not apply to every facility.
- Mendocino County Jail holds local arrestees, pretrial detainees, county sentenced inmates, and people awaiting release or transfer.
- Parlin Fork Conservation Camp #6 is a CDCR/CAL FIRE minimum-security camp for sentenced CDCR incarcerated people assigned to fire crews and camp work.
- Mendocino County Sheriff's Office Coast Sector Substation Holding Cells are short-term law-enforcement holding cells, not a long-term jail roster facility.
Mendocino County Records Request Channels
When the booking log does not answer the question, the sheriff's public-records route is the county NextRequest portal. Older booking records, incident reports, and booking-photo requests should identify the person, date of birth if known, booking number or subject number, booking date, arresting agency, and the type of record requested. Release is still subject to CPRA exemptions, Penal Code section 13300, juvenile rules, victim and witness limits, medical privacy, and active-investigation concerns.
Mendocino County NextRequest is the public portal shown below. It is the fallback for records not available through the live booking log.
The portal does not turn every requested item into a public record. It gives the requester a formal route for asking the sheriff or county to review and respond under California public-records rules.
Mendocino County Inmate Population FAQ
How large is the Mendocino County inmate population? The 2025 BSCC annual average daily population was 244.2, and the jail's rated capacity was 295 beds. A May 31, 2026 public roster query returned 210 current-custody records for the Mendocino County Jail.
How do I search for a current Mendocino County inmate? Use the official booking log, check In Custody, choose MENDOCINO COUNTY JAIL if needed, and search by name, subject number, or booking number.
Why are Mendocino County jail mugshots missing? The booking log states that the sheriff is not posting arrestee photographs due to Houston v. Maricopa. A booking-photo request must go through the sheriff's records process, with no guarantee of release.
Where do sentenced state prisoners appear? Sentenced CDCR prisoners are searched through CDCR CIRIS, not the county booking log. Parlin Fork Conservation Camp is a CDCR/CAL FIRE facility in the county.