Wisconsin inmate search

In Wisconsin, cities and counties operate the local jails. Those jails stay separate from the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. The local jail is usually managed by the county Sheriff's Office under the state corrections administrative code and state statutes. As an example, the county Sheriff's Office operates the Rock County Jail under those state rules.

The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office operates 2 facilities in the state's largest county. Downtown's primary jail is the Milwaukee County Jail, which also goes by the Criminal Justice Facility. In Franklin, the county also runs the Community Reintegration Center. Medical care inside comes from WellPathCare. Staff open a commissary account for the person during booking. Money in a commissary account lets someone in custody buy stamps, snacks, or soap.

Custody records are managed by each county or city itself. Try the lookup tool the county runs, or call the jail directly. After a Milwaukee area arrest, use the Milwaukee County lookup on the web.

If the county holding the person is unknown, use Wisconsin VINE to search county jails statewide. For an arrest from only a few hours ago, call the jail instead. A roster may lag before new bookings appear. For release, family can bring weather appropriate clothing to the Milwaukee jail. The person's property can be picked up by whoever is 18 or older and named on the Property Release form.

People sentenced to state prison and now housed in a DOC facility are covered by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections inmate search. A new arrest won't appear here, since state prisons stay separate from local city and county jails.

People stay in a local jail for short county sentences, before trial, or after an arrest. After conviction and sentencing to state time, people are held in state prison. The agency also operates Wisconsin DOC Notis for victim alerts about adult offenders in state custody. You can reach that notification service by phone at 1-800-947-5777.

You can use Wisconsin VINE to look up county jail inmates statewide at no cost. After locating the person, you can register for alerts about a transfer or release.

Toll-free phone support is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year at 1-888-944-8463. Callers can get help finding local victim services, registering for custody notifications, or locating an offender. If you're not sure which police department handled the arrest, this is the easiest place to start.

In Wisconsin, courts handle release directly, so commercial bail agents aren't used and you won't hire a bail bondsman. Wis. Stat. ch. 969 defines bail as release conditions that are monetary. Several bail and release options can be ordered by a court:

• With personal recognizance bonds, the person signs a promise in writing to come back to court at no cost.
• Cash deposits of 10 percent, or cash bail in full.
• Release after conviction, conditional release, or surety bonds.

The county receives bail payments directly from you. Cash and credit cards are accepted in Rock County. Online payment isn't available in Milwaukee County. Bring a valid photo ID; the G level at the Criminal Justice Facility is where payment must be made in person, 24 hours a day. Visa, MasterCard, cash, cashier's checks, and money orders are accepted by the jail. If the payment is under $10,000, a kiosk handles it, taking cash or credit card.