View from Townsend St.

Front Entrance

View from S. State St.

The Onondaga County Justice Center, located in Syracuse, New York, is a "New Generation", direct-supervision, maximum-security facility designed with state-of-the-art technology. The basic mission of this facility is to safely and securely house arrested, pre-trial, and Federal, State, and County inmates awaiting transfer to correctional facilities with an intention to positively impact those who are incarcerated and, consequently, our community.

The Justice Center was designed after research and field visits to a number of facilities throughout the country. Beginning in 1990, a team of local and national architects and engineers worked closely with members of the Sheriff's Office and other county agencies to develop construction documents. The groundbreaking began on April 6, 1992 and, subsequently, the Justice Center was opened on April 3, 1995.

Many features of the Justice Center are modeled after other similar facilities around the country. For example, the Booking section is based on Boulder County Sheriff's Jail (Boulder, Colorado) and the Housing units are similar to the ones in the Sonoma County Jail (Sonoma, California) and the Arlington County Jail (Arlington, Virginia), to name a few.

While you won't see any bars in this facility, all of the perimeter walls, as well as each security envelope wall, have reinforcement rods in each of the fully-grouted grout holes and all of the doors are 12-gauge steel and have industry standard security locks.

In addition, there are many innovative technical features in use within the Justice Center to include:

• Complete "touchscreen" controls for doors, intercoms, cameras, and personal duress alarms
• Approximately 90 security cameras located throughout the inside and outside of the facility
• Internal encoded and unencoded radio communications, M.R.D. and Syracuse Fire radio capabilities
• Personal duress alarm on internal radio system
• Portable telephones for deputies assigned to housing units
• Electronic fire and smoke detection
• Proximity card-reader for "non-perimeter" door control
• Use of a Magnetometer for any visitor to the facility
• Use of a High Scan X-ray Unit for any visitor's personal belongings

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Visitor Registration:
Registration for visits by phone will no longer be accepted.
All visitors must register at the Justice Center Front Desk before any visit. Visits will be given as space becomes available in the Contact Visit Room. Inmates will be allowed ONE visit per day and TWO per week. Visitors will be first come, first served by taking a number. The visitor must be present when his/her number is called or they will be assigned another number as time allows.Visitor Registration is as follows:

Contact Visit Registration:

    ¤ Monday – Friday_____2:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Secure Visit Registration:

    ¤ 7 days a week________7:00 am – 9:30 am & 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
    ¤ Saturday & Sunday____6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Contact Visitation Times:
No one will be allowed in the Contact Visit Room past 10:15 pm.

Contact Visits:
From 3:30 pm to 10:30 pm on the following schedule:

    ¤ Monday _________ 2nd & 3rd Floors ONLY
    ¤ Tuesday_________ 4th & 5th Floors ONLY *
    ¤ Wednesday______ 2nd & 3rd Floors ONLY
    ¤ Thursday ________ 4th & 5th Floors ONLY *
    ¤ Friday___________ ALL FLOORS

* Detainees who are on Administrative or Punitive Segregation housed in any special housing units, 5th floor, and Pod 3C, can ONLY receive visits on Tuesday and Thursday between 9:30 pm and 10:30 pm.

Secure Visits:

    ¤ 7 days a week _____ 7:30 am – 10:30 am & 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
    ¤ Saturday & Sunday__7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Contact Visitation Rules:

BEFORE Visitation:

• Only 2 persons are allowed to visit at one time. (this includes children)
• No split visits.
• All personal property will be stored in the locker provided.
• No hooded sweatshirts.
• No jewelry allowed except wedding rings.
• No bobby pins, hairpins, or other item affixed to your hair will be allowed.
• No candy, food, or gum allowed.
• Persons suspected to be under the influence of alcohol/drugs will not be allowed to visit.

DURING Visitation:

• Passes must be worn by visitors at all times.
• You may have a short kiss and embrace only at the beginning and end of a visit. No kissing or embracing during the visit. (Your visit may be ended if you disobey this rule.)
• You must remain seated.
• Inmates may not hold children at any time during a visit.
• Children must remain seated with the adult visitor. (Highchairs are available upon request.)
• Your hands must remain in sight on the table.
• Locker keys are not to be placed on the table.
• You must speak quietly. No obscene language allowed.
• No cross-visiting. (talking with an inmate other than the one you are visiting)
• Nothing may be given to an inmate without the permission of a deputy.
• Your visit may be ended at any time for unacceptable behavior.
• Passing of any contraband (any unauthorized item) is a violation of the New York State Penal Law 205.20, you will be arrested.

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Drop-Off Times:

     ¤ Monday – Friday ___________10:00 am – 12:00 pm   &   5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
     ¤ Saturday, Sunday & Holidays_10:00 am – 11:00 am   &   5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Items Allowed for Drop-Off:
Please note the following:

     ¤ Any exact amount of cash can be dropped off for an inmate.
     ¤ Books and magazines will no longer be accepted at the front desk.

All packages will be searched. Any item that is not listed on the property receipt is considered contraband. All violators will be prosecuted.

The following is a list of items that can be dropped off:

Item & Description	Qty Allowed
Socks (white only)	4 pair
T-shirts (white only, no tanks)	4
Thermal underpants (white, beige or gray)	1
Thermal undershirts (white, beige or gray)	1
Underwear (white only)	4

 

To Post Bail:
Acceptable forms of payment:
• Cash
• Credit Card (must be done in person only and for a fee)
• Western Union
• Money Orders are not accepted to post bail

Requirements:
• Valid photo ID
Examples accepted: State Drivers’ License, DMV issued ID card, Sheriff’s Office ID card, Benefit Card (must have photo), Passport.
You will receive a receipt with information pertaining to inmate’s return court date, time, & court where case is being held. When the bail is paid, the money is forwarded to the court handling the case.

To Retrieve Bail Money:
Bail money may be retrieved once the case has been completed, as follows:

• Syracuse City Court and all Town and Village Courts: the bail must be retrieved from the court itself.

• County Court and Family Court: the bail must be retrieved from the Justice Center*.

*Justice Center bail returns are processed from 9am to 2pm Monday through Friday only.

Bring the following items:
• Valid photo ID. (see examples above)
• Original Receipt. If you don’t have the receipt, a valid photo ID is required to obtain a copy of your receipt at the bail cashier’s window.
• Exoneration letter from the court.