Get Free Fresno County Arrest Records (California)

Check out free Fresno County arrest records and uncover relevant data about individuals who are currently incarcerated in local jails.

The California Public Records Act (CPRA) establishes that arrest information should be made available to the public. There are many reasons why someone might pursue this information; a concerned individual may be looking for a loved one, a victim may wish to ensure their offender is kept behind bars, or a citizen could merely be curious.

Whatever the motive someone may have for accessing public records, this article covers all you need to know for looking up arrests made in Fresno County, California.

How To Find Recent Fresno County Arrest Records & Mugshots at No Cost

Citizens who are concerned about an inmate or an incident in Fresno County can readily access information using an array of tools that are available to them.

They can do so because the California Public Records Act (CPRA) determines what kind of information should always remain available and how smoothly people should be able to retrieve it.¹

The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office allows people to access plenty of data surrounding the individuals who are currently incarcerated at the county jail. One of the resources that can be used to accomplish that goal is the Inmate Search, a search engine that allows users to run inquiries by name – even in cases when only a partial name is known.²

Users can search with a last name if that’s all they have. The Inmate Search will also work with initials, although this would likely lead to a huge list of results (which may not be connected to the offender or the incident of interest).

This convenient tool shows results in the form of a table that includes the inmate’s full name, gender, race, birth date, and age. It also includes their identification numbers within the system in case the searcher needs to contact or visit them or follow up with law enforcement for more information.

By clicking on the inmate’s booking number, concerned users can uncover the charges filed against that person as well as see if they have been authorized to post bail. The results will also show more details about the individual’s appearance (some physical characteristics), but not a mugshot.

If a decision is made in terms of contacting the inmate or reaching out to the jail for more information, it’s important to know that the Fresno Corrections Department has 3 different addresses.³ Those are the locations where inmates can be incarcerated in Fresco County:

Main Jail
1225 M Street
Fresco, CA 93721

Main number: 559.600.8440
Inmate information: 559.600.8600 or 559.475.9491

North Annex Jail
1265 M Street
Fresno, CA 93721

South Annex Jail
2280 Fresno Street
Fresco, CA 93721

People can also contact the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office for more information and support. Interested people can do it online by completing a contact form or by visiting their headquarters at the following address:⁴

Fresno County Sheriff’s Department
2200 Fresno Street
Fresno, CA 93721

Phone: 559.600.8400

If the reader is a victim (and not merely an interested citizen), it’s important to keep in mind that there are resources available to them. Unlike a regular person who’s just seeking out information, victims are entitled to certain rights and benefits. In Fresno County, the Victim Services is provided by the James Rowland Crime Victim Assistance Center (CVAC).

This department operates under the Fresno County Probation Department and can assist victims with an array of useful tools and programs. Likewise, they’re able to properly refer victims to the correct department if, for whatever reason, the CVAC can’t help.

The CVAC has three offices to help victims in Fresno County: the main one, one focused on senior citizens and another that specializes in victims of juvenile offenders (who may be affected by a different set of laws).

Those are the addresses and telephone numbers for the CVAC:

CVAC Main Office
2220 Tulare St. – Suite 1111
Fresno, CA 93721

Phone: 559.600.2822

CVAC Seniors
250 W. Pontiac Way
Clovis, CA 93612

Phone: 559.600.1651

CVAC for Victims of Juvenile Offenders
3333 E. American Ave – Suite B119
Fresno, CA 93725

Phone: 559.600.4749

Another valuable resource for victims – and particularly for cases that require victims to be compensated or allow them to have some sort of restitution – is the California Victim and Compensation Board. They provide support in those difficult situations, and victims who need assistance shouldn’t hesitate to contact them.

The California Victim and Compensation Board can be contacted by phone at (800)777.9229 or by email at [email protected]. Also, victims who wish to be informed every time something changes on their offender’s status can register with VINELink.⁵

Sometimes, when a concerned citizen starts a search, it may become apparent that a deeper inquiry is needed. For example, it’s important to know if the offender has committed crimes before or dig a little deeper to ensure someone doesn’t have a criminal past. Let’s go over tools that will help conveniently uncover those facts.

How To Reveal Prior Crimes & Arrest Details in Fresno County California

When taking a look at someone’s past becomes necessary, or when a full copy of the report of an incident is relevant, people can get in touch with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.

The Records Unit is available to people from Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. This is their contact information:

Fresno County Sheriff’s Department
Records Unit
2200 Fresno Street
Fresno, CA 93721

Phone: 559.600.8400

The Superior Court of California also allows individuals to search for Fresno County records through the Smart Search Portal. However, it’s important to be aware that this tool will show information regarding all sorts of court cases – and not only criminal information.

The Smart Search portal allows searches by case number (which may be known if the searcher has already looked up the case with the Sheriff’s Office or some other tool) or by name.⁶ Utilizing only a last name to get started may not suffice to yield results, and users must use a last name followed by a first name to get started.

If certified copies of records are needed, citizens must contact the Fresno County Courthouse for support and assistance.⁷ Criminal cases are handled at the downtown location, and consequently, records are kept there, too. This is their contact information:

Fresno County Courthouse
Downtown Location
1100 Van Ness Ave
Fresno, CA 93724

Phone: 559.457.2000

For incidents that happened in the city of Fresno, the Police Department may be helpful. They keep local records, which are all digitized to make searches more convenient to the public. Interested citizens can use the Request Portal to place their orders.⁸

If they prefer to visit the Records Department in person, this is how they can do that:

Fresno Police Department – Records & Reports
2323 Mariposa St – Lobby
Fresno, CA 93721

Phone: 559.621.2534

It’s important to know that anyone can request a copy of their own background check to review (and, if necessary, dispute) the information contained in it. The California Attorney General offers instructions for residents and non-residents on how they can obtain those records and fix any errors they may contain.

Generally speaking, interested people must work with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and follow the instructions, which include sending them their fingerprints and paying $25 for the records request. If contacting the Attorney General becomes necessary, it can be done by mail or phone, as follows:

Attorney General’s Office
California Department of Justice
P.O. Box 944255
Sacramento, CA 34244

Phone: 916.210.6276

If the inmate is found in the system, it may be the reader’s wish to help them be released as quickly as possible. Let’s take a look at how it can be done in Fresno County.

How To Pay Bail After an Arrest in Fresno County

Concerned citizens who want to help an inmate be released on bail can do so by self-bailing that individual or by working with a bondsman agency.

First, before taking any steps, it’s important to make sure the inmate is currently incarcerated and that they’re allowed to post bail. A quick Inmate Search should provide them with the necessary information to move forward. The California Superior Court has a bail schedule that must be followed by the courts – that helps the court be more transparent and avoid arbitrary amounts being set by the judges.¹⁰

Those who choose to self-bail have to pay the full amount determined by the court. They must do it in person, by cash or cashier’s check, at the main jail location:

Fresno County Main Jail
1225 M Street
Fresco, CA 93721

Main number: 559.600.8440

Those who self-bail may be able to get a refund after their case comes to a final disposition. For that to happen, they must abide by every order and restriction determined by the judge.

Another option is to use a bondsman agency to help them post bail. The agency will charge between 10 and 15% of the bail amount and make all the necessary arrangements to make sure the inmate is released as quickly as possible. However, the amount paid to the bondsman will never return to the person who made the payment.

The main thing is to be proactive and seek professional counsel. Having an experienced attorney can make a big difference in the outcome of any court proceeding, and they can provide good advice on how to manage each step of that journey.

The ability to seek out and obtain information, retrieving valuable data about any criminal case, is a privilege that citizens everywhere should never take for granted. Access to public records creates a more transparent society and makes citizens feel safer and better informed. Accessing public records is a right for the people of California and, consequently, for the residents of Fresno County.

Everyone should feel comfortable seeking out Fresno County arrest records and retrieving information about any criminal case in the area they live; that information should be used wisely and respectfully to educate citizen’s decisions, especially when they’re connected to the individual who’s been arrested.