South Carolina inmate search

County detention facilities in South Carolina operate apart from state prisons. The local jail is run by a county department or the county sheriff, depending on where the arrest happens.

• Both the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center and the Centralized Bond Hearing office at 3870 Leeds Avenue, Suite 106 are run by the Charleston County Sheriff's Office.
• Lexington County Sheriff's Department runs the Lexington County Detention Center, and its bond court is at 521 Gibson Road inside the Law Enforcement Complex.
• Bond court is held inside the building at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, which Richland County runs as a county department.

Bond hearing and property release schedules are set by each jail on its own.

In South Carolina, each county jail has its own online roster, and the search tools and update speeds differ. While booking someone into jail, staff take a photo and fingerprints, inventory property, classify the person, and keep them for bond court.

The Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center roster in Charleston County lets you search by name, arrest date, or booking date, and past bookings can be included by checking a box. Current detainees and bond codes appear on the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center roster in Richland County, and photos are available if you ask. The Lexington County online roster lists inmates and booking photos, though entries appear 1 day late. For an arrest that happened today, call the jail rather than relying on the website.

The online locator from SCDC, the South Carolina Department of Corrections, is for state prisons only. For people currently sentenced to and held in an SCDC prison, it shows photographs and public information.

This database won't show you someone who was arrested last night. The SCDC search disclaimer says the state database leaves out released offenders, people sentenced to county detention facilities, and anyone on parole, probation, or community supervision. For parole hearing notices, call Probation, Parole and Pardon Services at 1-888-551-4118.

With South Carolina VINE, a free service, you can check custody status anywhere in the state and register for release alerts. If you prefer to call, toll-free phone support is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year at 1-866-727-2846. Callers can get help from operators to find an offender, sign up for notifications, or reach local victim services.

Crime victims can also sign up for custody alerts through the SCDC Division of Victim Services at 1-800-835-0304. Registering means you'll get an automatic alert when someone moves or gets released.

Unless a judge finds a risk, South Carolina Code Title 17, Chapter 15 makes release on own recognizance the default: a written promise to come back to court with no money paid. If payment is required, a judge can order:

• Up to 10% of the bond as a cash deposit paid directly to the clerk of court.
• An appearance bond of the surety or premium-secured kind, where your fee, called a premium, goes to a commercial bondsman backing the full bond.
• A full cash bond, a bond secured by a mortgage, or an appearance bond that's unsecured.

2023 Act No. 83 says anyone already on bond who faces a firearm felony or violent offense has to post the full bond in cash. Commercial bondsmen are regulated by South Carolina Code Title 38, Chapter 53. Licensing sits with the director at the South Carolina Department of Insurance, together with clerks of court and SLED.