Guide to the 5 Jails in Maricopa County, Arizona

Maricopa County Jail Information

In Maricopa County, Arizona, there is not one single Maricopa County Jail. Instead, the Maricopa County Jail consists of five different jails at various locations throughout the county. Each of the jails that make up the Maricopa County Jail system is operated by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. People who are arrested in the county are sent to one of the jail locations below and booked in. If your loved one has been arrested, you need to understand how to locate him or her and where to go if you want to post bond. Our firm has put together a comprehensive guide of what you need to know about the Maricopa County Jail system.

This article discusses the following topics. Read each one carefully and feel free to reach out to our criminal defense lawyers for help.

What are the different Jails in Maricopa County?
Information about each of the Jails.
Types of crimes people are sent to these Jails for.
Searching for an Inmate at Maricopa County Jails
What if arrested over the weekend?
Requesting a lawyer if arrested and in Jail.
How to Post Bail / Bond in Jail

What are the Different Jails in Maricopa County?

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office operates the following jails in Maricopa County . If you are arrested, you will be transported to one of the county’s jails, depending on your gender, whether you have been sentenced, and classification level if you have already been sentenced. The jail addresses include the following:

4th Avenue Jail – 201 S. 4th Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85003
Durango Jail – 3225 West Gibson Lane, Phoenix, Arizona 85009
Estrella Jail – 2939 W. Durango Road, Phoenix, Arizona 85009
Lower Buckeye Jail – 3250 W. Lower Buckeye Road, Phoenix, Arizona 85009
Towers Jail – 3127 West Gibson Road, Phoenix, Arizona 85009

To reach any of these jails by phone, call (602) 876-0322 for their automated system.

Types of Crimes People are Typically Sent to the Maricopa County Jails

The Maricopa County Jails hold inmates who have been detained for both misdemeanor and felony offenses who are unable to post bond. They also are used to hold inmates who have been sentenced for crimes that carry jail sentences instead of prison sentences. Many different offenses can cause people to be arrested and sent to one of the Maricopa County Jails, including the following types:

DUI and Vehicular Crimes
Assault and Violent Crimes
Burglary, Criminal Damage and Trespess
Theft, Fraud and White Collar Crimes
Drug Crimes (Narcotics, Opioids and Marijuana)
Sex Crimes / Crimes Against Children
Probation Violations
Other Miscellaneous Crimes

People who have been charged with serious offenses such as homicides will be sent to one of the Maricopa County Jails to be held until they go to trial and are sentenced. When people are convicted of serious felonies, they will be sent to prison instead of one of the jails. The Maricopa County Jails also house people who are serving jail time for parole and probation violations. People who are sentenced to serve time in jail are those who have been convicted of misdemeanors carrying sentences of up to six months in jail.

Details about the Different Maricopa County Jails

The Fourth Avenue Jail contains 1,152 cells 2,064 beds and 288 cells that are designated specifically for high-security inmates. It is the highest security facility in Maricopa county and includes a maximum-security general population, a medium-security general population, a special management unit, and an area for sentenced medium- or maximum-security inmates who are working. The Fourth Avenue Jail has a central intake section on the first floor with initial appearance courts, a visitation area, a classification section, pretrial services, and an area to post bonds and to pay fines. The Fourth Avenue Jail is one of two jail locations that offer video visitation for all of the inmates in the various Maricopa County Jails. The phone number for the Fourth Avenue Jail is (602) 876-0322.

The Durango Jail has an inmate capacity of 2,195. It houses minimum and medium security inmates as well as sentenced inmates who are attending the ALPHA substance abuse treatment program. Built in 1976, the Durango jail was originally designed as a re-entry center. In 1996, two dormitory-style units were added to the jail, and it is now a fully-functioning jail in the Maricopa County Jail system.

The Estrella Jail is an all-female facility with an inmate capacity of 1,380. All classification levels of females are housed in this jail, including the following:

Minimum security female inmates
Medium security female inmates
Maximum security female inmates
Closed-custody female inmates
Administrative segregation female inmates
Nature of charges female inmates
Disciplinary segregation female inmates
No-work sentenced female inmates
Working sentenced female inmates in the MOSAIC program

The Estrella Jail also contains a special program for mentally ill inmates that is overseen by Correctional Health Services, which is a separate company that works together with the Maricopa Sheriff’s Office.

The Lower Buckeye Jail has a jail inmate capacity of 2,382 and is an all-male facility. It houses minimum- and medium-security inmates as well as maximum-security inmates in an administrative segregation unit. It also houses minimum- and medium-security general population inmates along with all three levels of nature of charge inmates. The Lower Buckeye Jail also houses all juveniles that have been remanded.

The Towers Jail has an inmate capacity of 1,080. It is an all-male facility that houses minimum- and medium-security inmates. The jail holds both non-sentenced and sentenced inmates. The jail houses inmates with the following classification levels:

Minimum security general population
Medium security general population
Minimum- and medium-security disciplinary units
No-work sentenced inmates
Medical no-work inmates
Medical working inmates

Separate housing is provided for inmates who are veterans.

Searching for Inmate Information in any of the Jails in Maricopa County

When people are first arrested in Maricopa County, they will be sent to the Fourth Avenue Jail for processing and the determination of their classification. Some people who have committed low-level offenses will be released on their own recognizance while others may have a bond set by the court. Once the inmates have been classified, they will either remain housed at the Fourth Avenue Jail or sent to a jail that houses their classification levels. If an inmate can post bond, he or she will be released and provided with information about their charges and their initial court appearance.

If you are searching for an inmate to find out where he or she is housed, you can look on the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Maricopa County inmate search page and run a data search. If you have the person’s booking number, you can enter it to find him or her. If you don’t, you can also search by entering the inmate’s last name, first name, and date of birth. If a person has been arrested, you will be able to locate him or her by entering this information. However, an inmate will not be listed until he or she has gone through the booking and classification process.

What if a Person is Arrested Over the Weekend?

If you are arrested for a low-level misdemeanor offense in Phoenix or the surrounding area, you may be processed and booked into jail before being released on your own recognizance. If you are facing more serious charges, you will have to see a judge before you can be released. During the week, people who are arrested for felonies and serious misdemeanor offenses will appear before a judge within 24 hours for their initial appearances. These appearances are held by video from the initial appearance courtrooms in the Fourth Avenue Jail. During these appearances, the judge advises people of their charges and sets bail. For some offenses such as murder, the court may choose to not grant a bail amount.

If you are arrested on the weekend and are held to see a judge, you will have to wait to see a judge until the following court date when the court is open. This means that if you are arrested on a Friday evening, you may have to wait for bail to be set until Monday.

Importance of Requesting a Lawyer

When people are arrested, they should assert their rights against self-incrimination and to an attorney. They should not agree to be interrogated or answer any questions that they are asked by the arresting officers other than providing their names and contact information. If they are pulled over for suspicion of DUI , they should provide the officer with their drivers’ licenses, insurance information, and registration. They should not answer questions about whether they have drunk alcohol and should ask for lawyers.

If you are arrested, you can also tell the judge during your initial appearance that you want an attorney to represent you. If you cannot afford to pay an attorney, your case will be assigned to the Public Defender’s Office. If you can afford to hire an attorney, you can make arrangements for the lawyer that you want to hire to visit you in jail. There are attorney rooms at the jails in which attorneys can meet with their clients. You can have a loved one contact the law firm of DM Cantor to make arrangements for you, or you can call the office from the jail to request a jail visit.

Visiting Maricopa County Jail Inmates

All jail visits by the family members and friends of inmates in the Maricopa County Jails are completed by video visitation at either the Fourth Avenue or Lower Buckeye Jails for onsite video visitation. However, the Maricopa County Jails also offer “Anywhere video visitation” through Securus Technologies. Anywhere visits can be scheduled daily using an Android or Apple phone, tablet, computer, or laptop with a webcam. The Anywhere video visits cost $7.99 each. On-site visits can only occur once per week for each inmate. On-site visits are free, but each inmate can only have one per week.

If you visit a loved one either on-site or through an on-site visit or receive a phone call from him or her in jail, you should strongly avoid asking him or her about the details of his or her case or the alleged offense. Jail phone calls and video visits are recorded , and the prosecutors will use anything that is said against the inmates in the cases against them.

If you are an inmate and call a family member or friend or receive a video visit, you should likewise avoid talking about your case. If a friend or family member asks you questions about what happened, simply tell them that you cannot talk about it over the phone to protect your rights. Use your calls and visits to catch up with how your loved ones are doing rather than on explaining anything about your case.

Posting Bond to be Released from Maricopa County Jail

If you want to post bond for an inmate, you can do so at the Fourth Avenue Jail (see How to Post Bail at 4th Ave Jail ). After you have posted a bond, it can take up to 24 hours before it is applied to your loved one’s account for his or her release. If you are unable to post the entire bond amount, you can go through a bail bondsman. Bail bondsmen post the bond for people who are bailed out in exchange for a percentage of the total amount that they keep as their fee. If you do post someone else’s bond, make sure that it is someone whom you trust. You will be required to post something in collateral to ensure that the person will show up for court. If you post bail for someone who subsequently skips court, the bail bonds company will come after you for the payment of the entire bond amount.

Board Certified Criminal Law Specialization

As of the start of 2023, the State Bar of Arizona Board of Legal Specialization listed only 56 Criminal Law Specialists in the entire state. Of these 56, only 39 are located in Maricopa County and are allowed to handle private cases.

DM Cantor has 3 Certified Criminal Law Specialists, the most of any firm in Arizona.

When defending DUI or criminal allegations, it is critical to have as many Board Certified Criminal Law Specialists on your legal team as possible.

The specialization process is so rigorous that only 23 current Criminal Law Specialists have been certified in the last 20 years.

In addition, all specialists must be approved for re-certification every 5 years.

At DM Cantor, our attorneys have conducted Jury Trials on over 1,000 cases.

Every case defended by DM Cantor includes at least 1 Board Certified Criminal Law Specialist on the legal team who is directly handling or supervising the case’s progress.

We wouldn’t have it any other way.

Get Immediate Help from DM Cantor

If you or your loved one has been arrested and charged with a crime in Maricopa County, we understand it can be an overwhelming and frightful time. This is why it is a good idea for you to talk to an experienced criminal defense lawyer to help you out. Call our offices today to schedule a free consultation by calling us at 602-307-0808 .

We also make Jail Visits.

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