The Jersey County Inmate Population
Jersey County holds people in one place: the Jersey County Jail in Jerseyville, run by the Jersey County Sheriff's Office. The county has no state prison, no federal prison, and no immigration center inside its lines. That keeps the local picture simple. The jail holds adults arrested in the county who are not released after booking, and it counts both pretrial detainees and people serving short local sentences. Sentenced felons do not stay here. Once a Jersey County case ends in a prison term, the person is transferred to the Illinois Department of Corrections and the count shifts to the state system.
Two agencies report the numbers. The Jersey County Sheriff's Office submits a monthly jail population report to the state, and the Illinois Department of Corrections inspects the jail and publishes capacity and population figures. The size of the population rises and falls with arrests, with how judges handle pretrial release, and with how quickly sentenced people are moved to prison. Because the county does not post a live count online, the jail's own phone line is the way to confirm how many people are held on any given day.
Jersey County Inmate Population Statistics
The clearest recent count comes from the Illinois Department of Corrections inspection of the jail on October 31, 2022. On that day the jail held 18 people, 12 men and 6 women, against a rated capacity of 43 beds. The Illinois Sheriffs' Association profile lists 44 jail beds. Older county-level data from the Vera Institute fills in the trend, though its most recent populated year for Jersey County is 2019.
The figures below carry their source and year so readers can weigh them. The county sheriff page states a capacity of around 58 inmates, which does not match the inspection or the sheriffs' association count, so the state inspection number is used here as the technical figure.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Inspection-date population | 18 (12 male, 6 female) | IDOC inspection, Oct. 31, 2022 |
| Rated bed capacity | 43 (31 male, 12 female) | IDOC inspection, Oct. 31, 2022 |
| Jail beds listed | 44 | Illinois Sheriffs' Association, 2026 |
| Total jail population | 26.76 | Vera incarceration trends, 2019 |
| Annual jail admissions | 268.85 | Vera incarceration trends, 2019 |
| Jail population rate | 193.51 per 100,000 (age 15-64) | Vera incarceration trends, 2019 |
A capture of the Illinois Sheriffs' Association profile for Jersey County shows the sheriff, the jail administrator, and the 44-bed count in one block.
That profile is the source for the 44-bed figure and for the current command staff, and it sits next to the state inspection as a second public reference for the size of the Jersey County inmate population.
Jersey County Inmate Population Trends
Year-to-year data for Jersey County is thin, but the Vera Institute county file tracks the jail through 2019. Across those years the average jail population sat in the mid-20s to low-30s, well under the rated capacity in that dataset. The Prison Policy Initiative separately recorded 29 people in the jail on December 31, 2013, which lines up with the Vera range. Fields for 2020 through 2024 are blank in the county row, so no current average daily population can be drawn from that source.
| Year | Total Jail Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 26.76 | Most recent populated Vera year |
| 2018 | 28.33 | Below rated capacity |
| 2017 | 30.83 | Highest of the range |
| 2016 | 29.11 | Similar to 2017 |
| 2015 | 26.69 | Close to the 2019 total |
| 2014 | 24.15 | Lower end of the range |
| 2013 | 24.08 | 29 counted on Dec. 31 by PPI |
These Vera values are decimal estimates, not one-day headcounts, so they read as averages. The statewide end of cash bail for new cases, which took effect on September 18, 2023, may have shifted the count, but no Jersey County figure from after that date has been published, so a current number has to come from the jail itself.
Who Makes Up the Jersey County Inmate Population
The population is mostly people waiting for their cases to resolve. The Vera file for 2019 put pretrial custody at 25.92 against a total of 26.76, which means the great majority were held before any conviction. Sentenced local custody was a small share. The jail houses adults of both sexes and has no juvenile beds, so anyone under the juvenile age limit is handled elsewhere.
- Pretrial vs sentenced - In 2019 nearly all of the count, 25.92 of 26.76, was pretrial; sentenced local custody was 0.84 (Vera).
- Male vs female - The 2022 inspection day held 12 men and 6 women, in a jail rated for 31 male and 12 female beds.
- Juveniles - The jail lists zero juvenile beds, male or female; juveniles are not held in the adult population.
- State and federal holds - Sentenced felons move to state prison, and no federal or immigration detainees appeared in the county data, so the local count is overwhelmingly county criminal custody.
Jersey County Jail Capacity and Overcrowding
Overcrowding has not been a documented problem here. On the 2022 inspection day the jail held 18 people in a 43-bed facility, which works out to about 42 percent of capacity. The Vera figures for 2015 through 2019 show utilization in the 73 to 85 percent range against a rated capacity near 36 in that dataset. None of the reviewed sources describe a consent decree, a population cap order, or a new-jail construction plan. The jail was built on January 1, 1985, and the 2022 inspection reported it clean and orderly, with recent upgrades to cameras, radios, and the door control system.
The bed count itself is reported three different ways across public sources: 43 in the state inspection, 44 on the sheriffs' association page, and around 58 on the county sheriff page. The state inspection is treated as the technical figure because it breaks the beds out by sex and pairs them with an inspection-day count.
Laws Governing the Jersey County Inmate Population
State law decides what jail data is public and how the jail must be run. The Illinois Freedom of Information Act presumes that government records are open, and a specific section governs arrest information. The state also sets binding jail standards and inspects the Jersey County Jail every year. Reading these together explains why monthly population data exists even when the county posts no live roster.
Key Statutes:
Illinois FOIA, 5 ILCS 140 - Declares public records open unless an exemption applies and sets the request process and deadlines.
5 ILCS 140/2.15 - Requires criminal justice agencies to release arrest information within 72 hours, including a booking photograph when and if available.
20 Ill. Admin. Code Part 701 - Sets the county jail standards for records, admission, classification, housing, medical care, and population reporting.
730 ILCS 5/3-15-2 and 3-15-3 - Directs the IDOC Jail and Detention Standards Unit to inspect each county jail yearly and collect monthly population data.
The IDOC Jail and Detention Standards Unit page explains the annual inspections and monthly population collection behind the county numbers.
This is the state office that turns each Jersey County monthly report into the public record behind the population figures above.
Jersey County and the State Prison Population
A Jersey County criminal case can end in a state prison term, and at that point the person leaves the county count. The Illinois Department of Corrections runs every state prison, and none of them sit in Jersey County. After sentencing, a person is moved to an IDOC reception center and then to a prison, and the right place to find them becomes the state Individual in Custody Search, not the county jail. The court case, though, stays in Jersey County even after the transfer.
How to Search the Jersey County Inmate Population
Jersey County does not publish a public web roster you can search by name. The sheriff page describes an offender locator and says the jail census is updated daily, but the only custody search it links is the statewide IDOC system. For a person who may be in the local jail right now, the phone line is the reliable channel. Have the full legal name ready, and a date of birth if you have one, because common names can produce more than one match.
Use the steps below as the practical lookup path. They move from the local channels to the state and federal ones, since each system answers a different question about custody.
- Call the Jersey County Sheriff's Office at 618-498-6881 for current custody, booking, or release status; the office is staffed 24 hours.
- Check the official Jersey County Sheriff IL mobile app, which the county links and which reviewers describe as having an inmate area.
- Sign up with Illinois VINE for automatic alerts about a custody or release change.
- Search the IDOC Individual in Custody Search only if the person has been sentenced to state prison.
- Look up the court case in Judici through the Circuit Clerk to see charges and court dates filed after the arrest.
Current Inmate Lookup in Jersey County
Because there is no online form, a current-inmate lookup runs on the details you can give over the phone or at the front desk. The fields below are the ones that narrow a search fastest. The jail and sheriff share the same address at 114 North Washington Street, so a single call covers custody questions for the whole county.
| Field | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full legal name | Phone / in person | Yes | The basic identifier for any custody question. |
| Date of birth | Phone / in person | Helpful | Narrows common names to one person. |
| Arrest or booking date | Phone / in person | Optional | Useful for recent bookings or releases. |
| Arresting agency | Phone / in person | Optional | Sheriff, Jerseyville PD, or state police. |
The sheriff app is worth a look as an extra channel, but the app store pages do not confirm what its inmate section currently shows, so the jail phone line stays the fallback when the app comes up empty. For booking detail and what a record contains, the Jersey County jail inmate records page goes deeper.
Past and Released Inmate Records
Someone who has been released drops off any current-custody channel, so a past record takes a different route. The court case stays public in Judici even after release, which is often the easiest way to confirm that a person was in the system. For the booking record itself, a written request under the Freedom of Information Act is the path. Jersey County routes those requests to the State's Attorney's Office rather than a sheriff records counter.
Ask for the specific record by name, approximate arrest date, and arresting agency. The statute lets you request the dates and times a person was received into and discharged from custody, the charges listed at booking, and a booking photograph when one is available.
What a Jersey County Inmate Record Shows
State jail standards require the jail to keep a detailed booking and personal record for every detainee, even though Jersey County does not publish those fields online. The inspection checklist confirms the categories below are maintained internally, which is what you can ask for through a records request. Treat them as requestable fields, not as a public roster screen.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Booking record | Identity, charges at booking, and arresting agency. |
| Received / discharged times | Dates and times in and out of custody, named in 5 ILCS 140/2.15. |
| Booking photograph | Taken at intake; releasable when available, with exemptions. |
| Property record | Itemized cash and valuables held during custody. |
| Housing assignment | Kept on a master population record at the control center. |
| Court and disposition | Judge, court, and case outcome tied to the booking. |
County Jail vs. State Prison: Where to Look
The single most common mix-up is treating the county jail and the state prison system as one search. They are not. Pretrial detainees and short-sentence inmates sit in the Jersey County Jail and are confirmed by the sheriff. Sentenced felons live in the Illinois prison system and are found through the state locator. The table sorts which system holds which part of the population.
| County Jail | State Prison (IDOC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who Is Held | Pretrial and short sentences | Sentenced felons |
| Run By | Jersey County Sheriff's Office | Illinois Department of Corrections |
| Where to Look | Call the jail at 618-498-6881 | IDOC Individual in Custody Search |
| When Listed | While physically in county custody | After sentencing and transfer |
State and Federal Inmate Search
Three outside systems cover the rest of the population. The state IDOC Individual in Custody Search handles sentenced state prisoners. The federal Bureau of Prisons locator covers federal inmates from 1982 forward. The ICE Online Detainee Locator covers immigration custody, searchable by A-number or by name with country and date of birth. None of these will show a fresh Jersey County booking, and a county arrest will not show in any of them, which is exactly why the local phone line stays first.
The IDOC Individual in Custody Search is the state locator for people sentenced out of Jersey County.
It searches by last name, birthdate, or IDOC number, and it is the right tool only after a Jersey County defendant has been sentenced to prison.
Jersey County Detention Facilities
The county's detention map has a single entry. Everything below the county level for adult custody runs through one building, which keeps the search simple once you know the phone number.
- Jersey County Jail - The county jail in Jerseyville, holding pretrial detainees and short-sentence adults in sheriff custody.
If a person is not in the Jersey County Jail, the next likely explanations are release, a court-only case, a transfer to state prison, a hold from another county, or federal or immigration custody.
Jersey County Inmate Population FAQ
How big is the Jersey County inmate population?
On the most recent published count, the October 31, 2022 state inspection, the jail held 18 people against a 43-bed capacity. Older Vera data put the average in the mid-20s to low-30s through 2019. No current daily count is posted online, so the jail at 618-498-6881 is the way to confirm today's number.
How do I search the Jersey County inmate population?
There is no public web roster. Call the Jersey County Sheriff's Office at 618-498-6881 for a current inmate, check the sheriff's mobile app, and use Illinois VINE for release alerts. For someone sentenced to prison, use the IDOC locator instead, and for a court case use Judici.
Can I look up a released or past inmate?
A released person leaves the current-custody channels, but the court case stays public in Judici. For the booking record or a booking photo, file a Freedom of Information Act request, which Jersey County directs to the State's Attorney's Office.
Does the Jersey County Jail post mugshots online?
No public roster with booking photos was found. State law makes a booking photograph releasable when available, and the Jersey County jail mugshots page explains how to request one and what the law limits.