San Benito County Released Inmates

Released inmate records for San Benito County come from the sheriff's office in Hollister. The county uses the statewide VINE system to let the public track custody changes for jail inmates. San Benito County is a small county along the central California coast with a single jail facility. If you need to search for someone who was booked and released from the San Benito County Jail, VINE and the CDCR CIRIS tool are the main resources. This page walks through how to find released inmate records, what data you can get, and the rules that govern public access to booking information in San Benito County.

San Benito County Inmate Search

The San Benito County Sheriff does not run its own online inmate lookup tool. Instead, the county relies on VINELink for public searches on jail inmates. VINE lets you look up a person by name and see their current custody status. The system also shows when someone has been released from the San Benito County Jail in Hollister. It is free. No account is needed just to search. If you want alerts when a custody status changes, you can register for phone calls, emails, or text messages through the same site.

San Benito County is one of the smaller counties in California. The jail has limited capacity compared to large urban facilities. People arrested in Hollister, San Juan Bautista, and unincorporated parts of San Benito County are booked at the county jail. The sheriff's office handles all jail operations. There is no city jail in the county. If you need copies of booking records, arrest reports, or other documents tied to released inmates in San Benito County, contact the sheriff's office directly. They can help you with public records requests and point you to the right forms.

Note: VINE tracks current custody status and recent releases, not records from many years ago.

How to Find San Benito County Released Inmates

Start at the VINELink website. Select California as the state and San Benito as the county. Type the person's last name. You can add a first name if you want. Hit search. The system pulls up matching records from the San Benito County Jail. Each result shows the person's name, custody status, and facility. If the person has been released, the record notes the change. You do not need an account to run a basic search for released inmates in San Benito County.

For state prison records, go to the CIRIS database run by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. CIRIS covers inmates who served time in state prison, not county jail. It shows names, CDCR numbers, admission dates, and commitment counties. If a person was sentenced out of San Benito County and sent to state prison, CIRIS will have their record. You can search by name or CDCR number. The tool is free and runs all day.

Here is what you can typically find in San Benito County released inmate records:

• Full name and date of birth
• Booking date and time
• Charges at time of booking
• Bail amount if set
• Release date and method

California Law on San Benito County Releases

California requires law enforcement to share arrest and booking data with the public. Government Code 7923.610 lists what must be made available. The San Benito County Sheriff must share the full name of any person arrested, along with their physical description, date of birth, time of arrest, time of booking, charges, bail amount, and the way they were released. The only reason an agency can hold back a detail is if sharing it would put someone at risk or hurt an open investigation. This rule covers all released inmate records in San Benito County.

Parolees returning to San Benito County after state prison fall under Penal Code 3003. CDCR must give the local sheriff detailed data about each person on parole. That includes names, physical features, tattoos, offenses, and a home address. Released inmates must go back to the county where they lived before prison. CDCR can grant transfers, but the default rule sends parolees home. Each released inmate receives $200 in gate money and transport to the nearest bus station if no one comes to pick them up.

The California Public Records Act gives you the right to request records from both state and local agencies. If the San Benito County Sheriff has records you need about a released inmate, you can file a formal request. Agencies must respond within 10 calendar days. A 14-day extension may apply in some cases.

VINE Alerts for San Benito County

VINE is the fastest way to track released inmates in San Benito County. The system sends you an alert the moment a custody status changes. You pick how you want to be told. Options include phone calls, emails, and text messages. VINE runs around the clock in more than 200 languages. It covers roughly 2,900 facilities across 48 states, including the San Benito County Jail in Hollister.

Call 1-877-411-5588 to register by phone. TTY users can call (866) 847-1298. Many families and crime victims in San Benito County use VINE to stay informed about released inmates. The service is free. Registration takes only a few minutes. Once you sign up, the system checks for changes and sends your alert with no further action from you.

The screenshot below shows the VINELink search portal at vinelink.com, which San Benito County uses for public inmate searches and release alerts.

From this page you can search for inmates currently held or recently released from the San Benito County Jail, and set up alerts for status changes.

State Resources for San Benito County

Beyond VINELink, several state agencies hold records that relate to released inmates from San Benito County. The CDCR Public Records Portal handles requests about state prison inmates. CDCR must respond within 10 days. You can also check the DOJ record review page if you need your own criminal history. That process requires Live Scan fingerprints and a $25 fee. The DOJ keeps criminal history data until a person turns 100 years old. For San Benito County jail records specifically, the sheriff's office is the right place to start.

People who need background checks or verification of a released inmate's record should know that third parties cannot request someone else's criminal history from the DOJ. That restriction comes from Penal Code 11142. If you need official records about another person who was released from custody in San Benito County, a public records request to the sheriff or a court records search are the paths to take.

Nearby Counties

Inmates in the San Benito County area are sometimes booked in a neighboring county. If your search comes up empty, try one of these nearby county jail systems for released inmate records.

San Benito County Cities

San Benito County does not have any cities with a population over 100,000. Hollister is the county seat and largest city. People arrested in Hollister or San Juan Bautista are booked at the San Benito County Jail. For released inmate records from these areas, use the VINE search tool or contact the sheriff's office directly.