Shelby County jail inmate search

You can find someone in custody through the Inmate Lookup Tool, run by the Shelby County Sheriff's Office Jail Division. That search portal gives you three ways to pull up a file:

• Type the person's first and last name.
• Select an identifier like a Booking Number, Permanent Number, or State ID and enter the number.
• Check the box to include released inmates if the person may have already walked out.

If you only have a name, enter as much of it as you know. Using a Booking Number or Permanent Number helps narrow the list when a name is common.

After an arrest, officers bring the person inside to record fingerprints, personal details, and charges. Staff call this intake step booking, and a detainee won't show online until clerks finish entering the file.

If the arrest happened tonight, call Jail Information at (901) 222-4700 or Records and Identification at (901) 222-4944. Clerks can check the desk log for someone who hasn't reached the public computer list yet. Read about the jail booking process to see what happens during intake.

Calling the right desk saves you from being transferred when you need answers quickly. The Sheriff's Office Staff Directory lists three main telephone lines for the facilities:

• Jail Information: (901) 222-4700 for general custody questions.
• Records and Identification: (901) 222-4944 for booking records and identification checks.
• Jail Administration: (901) 222-4830 for administrative offices rather than routine custody checks.

Start with the Jail Information line if you're trying to confirm whether someone is currently in custody.

Adult men are held in downtown Memphis at 201 Poplar Avenue. According to the Shelby County Sheriff's Office Jail and Inmate Information page, adult women stay at the women's facility in east Memphis.

At 3420 Old Getwell Road sits The Youth Justice and Education Center, a separate juvenile building. Shelby County Corrections runs that youth center rather than the Sheriff's Office. Confirm which building holds the person before you drive across town.

Adult detention in the county is managed by the Shelby County Sheriff's Office Jail Division, which maintains the online custody search. For a young person held at The Youth Justice and Education Center on Old Getwell Road, Shelby County Corrections is in charge of that building. You can also visit the county's SCDC Inmate Records page for county division links.

Visiting rules depend on whether the person is housed at the downtown men's building or the east Memphis women's facility. Check the Inmate Communication and Visitation page or the Sheriff's Office Jail Information page for current visiting links. You can also call (901) 222-4700 to ask staff when someone can have a visit.

The jail store, called the commissary, lets people in custody buy extra food, hygiene items, and writing supplies. Deposit instructions are posted on the Jail and Inmate Information page, which links to the Inmate Deposit page. Call Jail Information at (901) 222-4700 before sending money or mail so you have the right booking number and housing location.

Telephone service links for people in custody are posted on the Inmate Communication and Visitation page. If you need to ask about phone access or pass along an urgent family message, call Jail Information at (901) 222-4700.

Names, photos, or arrest records never appear on County Jail Lookup. To see what the county publishes for a current or released detainee, open the Inmate Lookup Tool directly. You can look up a file there by name, Booking Number, Permanent Number, or State ID.

Posting bond means giving money or a written guarantee to the court so a person can go home until court. In Tennessee, professional bondsmen and insurance company agents write criminal appearance bonds. State law sets the fee and requires the bondsman to give you a standard written notice.

Read the Shelby County Courts guide on getting someone out of jail or call (901) 222-4700 to ask about bond status. For state rules, see the Tennessee inmate search page.

Leaving custody depends on paperwork, fingerprint checks, and current workload at the facility. You can check the box for released inmates on the Inmate Lookup Tool to see if someone has already walked out. For questions about a pending release or property pickup, call Jail Information at (901) 222-4700 or Records and Identification at (901) 222-4944.