Search Stephenson County Jail Inmates

Stephenson County Jail Overview

Stephenson County Jail is operated by the Stephenson County Sheriff's Office Corrections Division. It is a county jail, not a state prison, and its population is made up of adult pretrial detainees, people serving local jail sentences, people waiting for transport, and other detainees accepted by the sheriff. The jail address is 1680 E. Singer Dr., Freeport, IL 61032, and the jail phone number is (815) 235-8254. Sheriff's administration and records functions are listed separately at 15 N. Galena Ave. in Freeport.

The sheriff describes the jail as a 216-bed corrections facility that opened in 2000 and is divided into fifteen cell blocks. Official inspection material from the Illinois Department of Corrections Jail and Detention Standards Unit uses the same facility identity and shows the jail as the only documented local detention facility in Stephenson County. No official state, federal, or ICE source identified a state prison, BOP prison, ICE detention center, or separate regional jail inside the county.

Stephenson County Jail Population

The jail's capacity and inspection figures come from the sheriff's corrections page and IDOC county-jail inspection records. The sheriff reports 216 beds and a 2022 average daily population of 61 inmates. The 2022 IDOC inspection, conducted on October 19, 2022, listed 216 total beds, with 180 male beds and 36 female beds. On the inspection date, the jail population was 75 people, including 70 males and 5 females.

IDOC's 2022 inspection also described the jail's housing layout: three eight-bed dorms, one twenty-four-bed dorm, two sixteen-bed dorms, twenty-four single detention rooms, and fifty-six double detention rooms. Those numbers are useful for capacity context, but they do not show who is in custody today. For current custody, the sheriff's app-only inmate search is the starting point.

Look Up Jail Inmates

The sheriff's inmate search information page says the only way to search for inmates at Stephenson County Jail is through the free custom smartphone app. The app is named Stephenson County Sheriff IL and is listed for Apple devices and Google Play. Official web research did not expose the in-app field labels, so searches should be treated as app-based rather than a public web roster.

The sheriff's corrections page also links an Archonix/XJail housing and bail resource, but the county jail information page described inmate housing and bail information as under construction or temporarily unavailable. That link was not inspectable during research. When the app does not resolve the question, use the jail phone, sheriff FOIA, Judici court records, or the correct state or federal locator based on custody type.

1. Install the official Stephenson County Sheriff IL app from the sheriff's app links or the device app store.
2. Use the app's inmate-search feature for current Stephenson County Jail custody.
3. If the person is not listed, allow for booking and system-update delay, then call the jail at (815) 235-8254 for routing limits.
4. For a sentenced Illinois prisoner, search the IDOC Individual in Custody Search instead of the county jail app.
5. For federal or immigration custody, use the BOP inmate locator or ICE ODLS.

Stephenson County Jail Records

Current app search and official records requests serve different needs. The app is for current jail custody. A written records request is the better path for booking records, incident reports, jail records, or a booking photograph that is not available through the app. The sheriff's FOIA page says the office can respond only for records prepared, possessed, used, received, or controlled by the Stephenson County Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff FOIA requests may be submitted through the online form, by mail, in person, by email, by fax, courier, or other written means. The records contact is Alyssa Wales, Operations Support Manager and FOIA Officer, at 15 N. Galena Ave., 3rd Floor, Freeport, IL 61032. The listed email is StephensonCountySheriffFOIA@stephensoncountyil.gov. Response time is generally 5 business days, with a possible 5-business-day extension allowed by Illinois FOIA. The first 50 black-and-white pages are free, and additional pages may cost up to $0.15 each.

Stephenson Jail Visits

Stephenson County publishes in-person visit rules and the sheriff publishes video visitation instructions through InmateSales. Standard inmates are allowed one visit per week. Trustees may receive two visits per week. Wednesday and Thursday are listed as the first visiting days of the week. Visitors must have photo identification with date of birth and must register 15 minutes before the scheduled visit.

Children under 17 must be with a parent or guardian. Disruptive children can cause a visit to end. The county limits a visit to three visitors, with no more than two adults plus one child. For video visits, the sheriff directs users to InmateSales, where visitors create an account, choose the facility and product, purchase minutes, schedule the visit, and upload a picture and ID for first-time access.

Mail, Phone, and Money

Non-legal mail for Stephenson County Jail is routed through an offsite PO Box and must include the inmate's name and inmate ID. Legal mail is sent to the jail's physical address. Mail must include a return address, meet the jail's size and material rules, and may be opened, read, or inspected for contraband or rule violations. Noncompliant mail can be destroyed rather than returned.

For money, the sheriff describes an inmate trust fund used for bail, commissary, phone calls, hygiene items, food items, unpaid fines, costs, and restitution. Deposits can be made at the jail lobby cashier with cash, debit, or credit, or by debit or credit through JailATM. Convenience fees apply. The sheriff states that money orders are not accepted for commissary deposits. Phone service is handled through CPC/InmateSales, with prepaid accounts available through InmateSales, CPC customer service, or the jail lobby kiosk.

Stephenson Jail Bond

Stephenson County's jail information pages direct people to JailATM for card bail payments when a payment is required or accepted. The published instructions say MasterCard and Visa are accepted, and JailATM assistance is available at 870-627-5476 from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The payment process asks for the inmate name, facility name, state, and total amount being paid.

The county lists a $65 bond fee that must accompany bails posted for an inmate. Release is not immediate after payment. The sheriff's page says release may take several hours once bail is posted. Court conditions, holds, warrants, transfers, or other legal authority may still affect release, so payment information should be matched against the court record, attorney guidance, or official jail confirmation.

Booking at Stephenson Jail

Booking is the jail intake event after arrest or transfer. The sheriff lists booking and release, fingerprinting, prisoner and cell searches, medical-emergency response, meal distribution, court preparation, visit supervision, and prisoner discipline among Corrections Division duties. IDOC jail standards also address booking records, identity checks, searches, personal property receipts, medical and mental-health access, rights notices, and grievance routes.

Roster timing is not published. Newly arrested people may not appear in the app immediately because identity checks, searches, fingerprints, photographs, property steps, medical screening, housing, and records entry can take time. Court information is separate from the jail record. Once a case is filed, Stephenson County court records are searched through Judici or handled through the Circuit Clerk, not the jail information line.

Booking

Jail intake after arrest or transport, including record creation and identity steps.

Inmate ID

The jail identifier required for non-legal mail and some vendor services.

Trustee

A jail status mentioned in county visit rules; trustees may have two visits per week.

FOIA

Illinois Freedom of Information Act process for non-exempt public records held by the sheriff.

About Stephenson County Jail

The jail opened in 2000 and is monitored under Illinois county-jail standards. The sheriff's corrections page describes nearly one hundred surveillance cameras and staff body-worn cameras. It also lists regular guard tours, suicide checks, prisoner searches, court preparation, and transport duties. IDOC's Jail and Detention Standards Unit conducts annual county jail inspections under Illinois law, and those inspection reports give public context for capacity, staffing, physical plant, and compliance review.

Stephenson County Jail should be used as the local custody point for people held by the sheriff after arrest or local sentence. It should not be confused with the Illinois Department of Corrections for sentenced prison custody, the Federal Bureau of Prisons for sentenced federal custody, or ICE ODLS for immigration detention. Those systems may become relevant after court action, transfer, or a non-county detainer.