Located in the City of Vista, the Vista Detention Facility (VDF) is classified as a Type II Facility by the Board of State and Community Corrections (BCC). VDF serves as the primary point of intake for male and female arrestees in northern San Diego County.

Opened in 1978, VDF sits on several acres of developed land which is owned and operated by the County of San Diego. The facility has been remodeled twice. In 1989, VDF expanded an additional 576 beds, bringing its total to 886. VDF is just one building in the massive North County Regional Center complex (NCRC). Other buildings include the North County Superior Courts, Vista Sheriff’s Station, and the North County Law Library. All buildings with the exception of the Law Library are physically connected.

The population at VDF consists primarily of inmates awaiting court proceedings for North County cases. In addition, VDF houses a special handling inmate population, consisting of those with medical challenges, those under psychiatric care, an administrative segregation unit, as well as defendants facing high-publicity trials.

VDF provides a wide range of medical and psychiatric services, including infectious disease control, X-ray and dental care. Services are provided by physicians, psychiatrists, dentists, nurses, and clinical social workers.

In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Vista Detention Facility opened the first ever Veteran’s Module in the San Diego jail system on November 1, 2013. Please visit the Veterans Moving Forward program page on the Sheriff’s Department website for more information.