Every jail in the State of Utah is a little different in how they do their procedures and how they process bonds. The Salt Lake County jail, better known as the Adult Detention Center or ADC, is located at 3415 S 900 W in West Valley Utah the number to the jail is 801-743-5000. The SL County ADC has an inmate lookup tool which is updated daily.
The SL County ADC is the main jail located in the Salt Lake valley and houses the majority of the inmates for the cities located in the county. The ADC is unique in how they handle processing compared to other county detention facilities within the State of Utah; this article is intended to help answer questions and set the expectation for bailing an individual out of the SL County ADC.
Posting Bail: Bailing an individual out of jail can take anywhere between three to eight hours depending upon any number of factors. The following steps are how the bail process typically works for the SL County ADC:
- The bail bondsman is contacted by an individual representing the inmate or possibly the inmate themselves
- The bail bondsman arranges all the necessary paperwork, references, credit checks, etc. Estimated Wait: less than 30 minutes
- The bail bondsman faxes the bond to the Jail, care of the Court Liaison. By this time the inmate has been through the booking process, as well as pre-trial services and is now waiting in the Second Pit for the administrative process to be completed (see below for more info) Estimated Wait: anywhere between two to four hours
- About 10 minutes before you are released you will be allowed a phone call to arrange transportation
These are the four main phases of the SL County ADC booking process. The first three phases outlined below typically happen prior to Step 1. mentioned above.
- Booking Room – estimate 30 minutes
- First Pit – estimate 60 minutes
- Pre-Trial Services – estimate 20 to 30 minutes
- Second Pit – time varies, prepare to wait anywhere from two to four hours
- Note: If you are arrested on a new charge, and it is a felony, you will get an automatic No Bail, for 24-48 hours.
Booking Room: This is where the suspect waits until the arresting officer has finished all the legally required paperwork. The suspect is handcuffed to a rail along the side of cement benches. Typically an individual will spend no more than 30 to 60 minutes in the booking room; some of the issues that can speed up or prolong the process are uncooperative and or intoxicated inmates, the number of inmates being processed, etc.
First Pit: The suspect is then taken into the "first pit", which consists of six feet high cement walls with no ceiling. Above the walls is a catwalk, this is how the guards can view the inmates while they wait. Inside the pit there is a payphone which can be used to notify family and friends, a single toilet, and another cement bench for the inmates to sit on while they wait. The booking officers will continue the process within an hour or so at which time the suspect will be fingerprinted, have their pictures taken, and booking information entered into the system; i.e. identification and contact information, references, etc. One can expect to wait around 60 minutes in the first pit.
Pre-Trial Services: Once the booking process has been completed, the suspect will be taken in front of Pre-trial services (they are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year). Pre-trial conducts an interview at the end of which they decide if bail is required or if an individual can be released on their own recognizance. If bail is required the inmate is taken to the "second pit".
Second Pit: The second pit is the place where the inmate can make calls to family and loved ones to try to make bail, assuming they were not released during the pre-trial phase. On the wall in the pit is a list of all the Utah Bail Bond companies with their phone numbers. The process in the ADC for booking usually takes between 2-4 hours, depending on how busy they are at the time. If the inmate is posting bond, they will allow he or she to stay in the pit area rather than dressing them out and putting them into a cell.
We hope this information has been useful, if we have missed anything or you would like to comment please fill out the form below. Additionally, we are willing to answer any questions you may have, click here for more information on how to get in contact with Bad Boys Bail Bonds Utah regarding anything related to the Salt Lake County Jail.
Hopefully you will never find yourself in this tough spot; but if you do please don't hesitate to call us to help you or your loved one get out of this unfortunate situation.
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