Vista Detention Facility

Vista Detention Facility

The Vista Detention Facility has been in business since its date of inception in 1978. The facility is a Type II Facility, which means it handles the intake of criminals who are booked and arrested in San Diego County on a daily basis.  If a loved one has been arrested, you could probably use the help of a good Vista bail bonds company. The unit also houses those accused of crimes with high-profile trials taking place in the area as well as other inmates still waiting to see their day in court. There are special facilities in which those with mental disorders are held and treated, and there is a place for inmates with special medical needs and challenges to reside.

It was 1989 when the building was expanded to house an additional 576 inmates. With nearly 23,000 inmates entering the facility on an annual basis, the additional beds are always useful to this location. The Vista Detention Facility is repeatedly referred to as VDF, and it’s where approximately 825 inmates at a time reside. The area is 170,000-square feet in size, and it’s comprised of a law library, a Sheriff’s Station, and the North County Superior Courts.

Jail Services and Contact

The VDF offers several different services to inmates, and many of them are common. The first is the service of keeping the inmate’s personal items intact and accounted for. Each incoming inmate gives up their right to their personal possessions during booking, but all possessions are kept in a labeled bag where protection is offered so inmates can have their items back upon their release.

All personal hygiene items are provided free of charge to any inmate housed at VDF, but additional items and even special food items are available for purchase by any inmate with money in their account at the commissary. The basics are always free, but additional items must be paid for with the inmate’s personal funds.

To add money to an inmate’s account, anyone can enter the lobby of the building and use the TouchPay kiosk to do so anytime between 8 and 10 a.m. as well as 5 and 7 p.m. each day. Calls are available at specified time to inmates in the holding areas, and even long-distance calls are possible provided they are made using a Collect option.

Another service offered is a mail service. Inmates may send and receive mail while in jail. There is no limit to how much mail an inmate can receive, but they will need to purchase additional pre-paid postage envelopes from the commissary to send main in return. Those inmates who cannot afford to buy their own postage are issued a limited supply of stamps and envelopes with which to correspond.

Jail Visitation

When loved ones visit their incarcerated family and friends, they may do so by making an online reservation through the VDF website. It’s available every day, all day long, except on Tuesdays. This allows people to schedule a time to come see their loved ones, and they may vary based on the facility t VDF in which an inmate is housed.

If a couple would like to wed but one party is in jail, there is an option to file a Confidential Marriage License request to wed in jail. There is no witness present, the couple must be able to prove they lived together prior to the arrest of the incarcerated party, and the free party must arrange for a notary and all the other details to be ironed out.

Other services included for inmates at VDF include medical and mental health services. Both are provided to those who need it when it becomes necessary. All medical staff are highly-trained and certified, and they are required to follow strict rules regarding inmate care while visiting with incarcerated patients.

If an inmate is taking any prescription medication, it must be noted with the facility and a doctor must sign off on it so that the medication is continuously provided to the inmate while in custody. Additionally, all inmates go through a professional medical screening upon being booked at the facility.

VDF is not a jail system, and it operates just like one. It’s not the place where prison inmates are found, but it is where everyone arrested in this area is taken when an arrest is made. Release is dependent on bail as well as the condition issued by a judge.