Santa Barbara County - Northern Branch Jail (NBJ)

County Jail

Last Updated: March 06, 2023
Address
2301 Black Rd, Santa Maria, CA 93454
Beds
376
County
Santa Barbara
Phone
805-681-4398
Email
jail@sbsheriff.org

Santa Barbara Co NBJ is for County Jail offenders sentenced up to twenty four months.

All prisons and jails have Security or Custody levels depending on the inmate’s classification, sentence, and criminal history. Please review the rules and regulations for County - medium facility.

If you are unsure of your inmate's location, you can search and locate your inmate by typing in their last name, first name or first initial, and/or the offender ID number to get their accurate information immediately Registered Offenders

Satellite View of Santa Barbara County - Northern Branch Jail (NBJ)

You can support your loved ones at Santa Barbara Co NBJ on InmateAid, if you have any immediate questions contact the facility directly at 805-681-4398.

The Santa Barbara Co NBJ is a low/medium-security detention center located at 2301 Black Rd Santa Maria, CA which is operated locally by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office and holds inmates awaiting trial or sentencing or both. Most of the sentenced inmates are here for less than two years. Santa Barbara County accepts inmates from surrounding towns, Santa Maria Police Department, and the US Marshal's Service.

New detainees arrive at the jail regularly, with some being released on bail, placed under pretrial services caseloads, supervised by probation agencies, or released on recognizance with a court appearance agreement. Those who are not released await their court appearances at the jail, receiving accommodations including bedding and meals. You can see all the arrest records for California here.

The Northern Branch Jail facility (NBJ) is sited for the north county, which is the source of more than 57% of the county jail population, and will be located on approximately 6 acres of a larger 50-acre County-owned parcel at the corner of Betteravia Road and Black Road in near proximity to the County’s largest city, Santa Maria. The NBJ will cover approximately 136,000 ft. Construction began on September 6, 2016 and was completed in 2019.

The NBJ will be a 376-bed, Type-II jail facility, with the necessary supporting infrastructure to operate independently of the Santa Barbara Main Jail in the southern part of the county. The facility will house both male and female inmates, in a mix of medium security, high security and isolation cells, and will include 32 special use beds for mental health and medical purposes, along with an outpatient medical clinic.

The NBJ design is intended to be expandable to meet the projected future needs of the county justice system. The number of beds address: (1) immediate bed needs, (2) court orders to reduce overcrowding, (3) the need to mitigate existing stipulations for early release of sentenced inmates, (4) increased need for medical and mental health services for current and future population, (5) housing of inmates in housing units not suited for their classification, and (6) the anticipated increase of parole violators and sentenced prisoners under AB 109. Use of alternatives to incarceration will continue, as well as plans for expanded programs to mitigate some of the forces driving the need for future expansion

Programs spaces are provided in all housing units to limit inmate movement. Larger program spaces will also be provided along the central corridor. The Sheriff’s Treatment Program, a substance abuse prevention program, will be expanded into the NBJ soon after opening. The NBJ will have centralized classroom space and a computer laboratory. Santa Barbara County has just concluded participation with the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) in the Transition from Jail to Community (TJC) program to provide direction to defining the best available programs, selecting the most appropriate inmates, and verifying outcome measures.

A wide range of services will be considered for implementation based upon available providers, inmate welfare funding, and the needs of the inmate population, including but not limited to:

  • Cognitive response recognition therapy
  • Individual, group and family counseling
  • Substance abuse prevention counseling
  • Vocational training, placement, and counseling
  • Housing placement
  • Pre-release assistance
  • Legal assistance
  • Referrals to community resources and programs
  • Faith-based services

Inmate Locator

Santa Barbara County - Northern Branch Jail (NBJ) publishes the names of the inmates currently in their facility in California. Your search should start with this locator first to see if your loved one is there.

The second box is the InmateAid Inmate Search. This database of inmates is user-generated content to access and utilize any or all of the InmateAid services. If you need our assistance creating your inmate profile to keep in touch, email us at aid@inmateaid.com and we will assist you in locating your inmate.

As a last resort, you might have to pay for that information if we do not have it. The Arrest Record Search will cost you a small amount, but their data is the freshest available and for that reason, they charge to access it.

Visitation Information

Santa Barbara Co NBJ - Visitation

Times and days are subject to change without notice

  • Monday 8:30 am - 4 pm
  • Wednesday 9 am - 6 pm
  • Thursday 9 am - 4 pm
  • Friday 8:30 am - 5:00 pm
  • Saturday 10 am - 4:30 pm

This facility may also have a video visitation option, please call 805-681-4398, and ask for the "visiting room CO on duty" for more information, alerts, or rule changes.

Ask The Inmate

Ask a former inmate questions at no charge. The inmate answering has spent considerable time in the federal prison system, state and county jails, and in a prison that was run by the private prison entity CCA. Ask your question or browse previous questions in response to comments or further questions of members of the InmateAid community.