Search Wayne County Inmates

The Wayne County Sheriff's Office keeps a public record of who is held in the county jail. Anyone can search the Wayne County jail roster online, free of charge, to confirm that a person is in custody. The same tool tracks people on electronic monitoring and those in residential treatment. A Wayne County inmate search returns booking details, bond figures, and court dates once a name is matched. County custody is only one layer of the system, though. State prison and federal cases live in other databases. Knowing which tool holds which record saves time and points you to the right office fast.

Public Record Search

Sponsored Results

Wayne County Jail Roster Overview

The Wayne County Sheriff's Office runs the Wayne County jail. It posts a public list of who is inside. Sheriff Raphael "Ray" Washington leads that office. The list lives on a free online tool, the Inmate Inquiry. It runs on the Tyler New World system. The search shows people held in Wayne County custody right now. It also covers people on electronic monitoring and those in residential mental health treatment. It reaches the jail's other housing groups too. No login is needed. No payment is needed either.

The main hub for these tools is Wayne County Sheriff Connect, the office's public website.

Wayne County Sheriff Connect home page with links to the jail inmate roster and custody tools

From that home page, the inmate search is one click away. So are the bond page, visitation rules, and commissary links. Each Wayne County jail service has its own page. The layout keeps the busiest custody tools near the top.

The Wayne County jail roster has clear limits. It does not list state prison inmates. Those people go to the Michigan Department of Corrections. They show up in a separate state database. Federal detainees fall outside the Wayne County tool too. The search reflects current custody only. It skips sealed history and closed cases. For a full charge, case, or bond picture, the Wayne County Sheriff points record seekers to the court of jurisdiction, because the roster is a booking tool rather than a complete case file.


How to Search the Wayne County Roster

A search of the Wayne County jail roster takes about a minute. The Inmate Inquiry sits on its own web address. You can look by name. A booking number or subject number works too. Results stay brief on purpose. One more click opens the full record.

  1. Open the Wayne County Sheriff Inmate Inquiry in any browser.
  2. Type a name, or enter a booking number or subject number for an exact match.
  3. Leave the "In Custody" box checked to see only people held now, or set a booking date range and choose a housing facility to narrow the list.
  4. Click Search. The grid lists each Name, an In Custody flag, and whether the person has Multiple Bookings.
  5. Select a name to open the Inmate Detail page, which fills in booking, bond, court, and charge fields.

Note: The result list itself does not show charges, bond, or booking dates, so you must open a person's detail page to see those fields.


Wayne County Inmate Search Fields

The Inmate Inquiry form accepts several inputs. None is strictly required on its own. A name or a number gives the cleanest result. A blank search returns the full current population. That count can run past 2,000 people. The housing menu filters to one part of the system.

Field LabelTypeRequiredNotes
NameTextOptionalFull or partial name search.
Subject NumberTextOptionalTyler New World subject ID.
Booking NumberTextOptionalNumber tied to one booking.
In CustodyCheckboxOptionalLimits results to people held now.
Booking From DateDateOptionalStart of a booking date range.
Booking To DateDateOptionalEnd of a booking date range.
Housing FacilityDropdownOptionalAdult Detention Facility, Electronic Monitoring Unit, Residential MH Treatment Programs, or Wayne County Jail.
SearchButtonYesRuns the query.
ClearButtonNoResets the form.

The Wayne County Adult Detention Facility

Wayne County inmates are held at the Adult Detention Facility. It sits inside the Wayne County Criminal Justice Center. The CJC stands at 5301 Russell Street in Detroit. It is a large complex of four connected buildings. The site spans more than one million square feet. It holds 26 criminal courtrooms. The Sheriff's Office, the Prosecutor's Office, and a Clerk's office share the campus. So do the adult and juvenile detention units. County records put its resident capacity near 2,500. Parking is free.

The Sheriff's Criminal Justice Center page lays out the facility's visitation, mail, property, and proof-of-incarceration rules.

Wayne County Sheriff Criminal Justice Center and Adult Detention Facility jail information page

Use the contacts below to confirm custody by phone. The inmate information line is the fastest option. It helps when the online tool is down.

Adult Detention Facility

Wayne County Criminal Justice Center

5301 Russell Street

Detroit, MI 48211

Inmate information: 313-224-0797

Public Video Visitation Suite: Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Wayne County Sheriff's Office

Central Administration

5301 Russell Street

Detroit, MI 48211

Main: 313-833-0864

Mon-Fri 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.


What a Wayne County Inmate Profile Shows

Each name on the Wayne County roster links to an Inmate Detail page. That page carries far more than the result grid. It groups the data into demographic details, booking history, bond amounts, court information, and the charges behind the booking, so one page pulls together what several screens would otherwise hold. The table below maps the main fields a Wayne County inmate profile returns.

FieldWhat It Shows
Name and Subject NumberThe person's name and their Tyler New World subject ID.
AgeThe inmate's age; no full date of birth is shown.
Booking NumberThe unique number for that jail booking.
Booking DateWhen the person was booked into county custody.
Booking OriginThe agency or event that brought the person in.
Total Bond AmountThe combined bond set across all charges.
Bond Number and AmountEach separate bond and its dollar figure.
Charge DescriptionThe offense listed for each charge.
Offense and Sentence DatesWhen the offense occurred and, if set, the sentence date.
Docket NumberThe case number tied to the charge.
Court DateThe next scheduled court appearance.
Disposition and Crime ClassThe charge outcome, if entered, and its severity class.
Arresting AgencyThe department that made the arrest.

Some details never appear. The public profile carries no mugshot. It shows no date of birth and no exact housing pod. It also skips medical flags, protective flags, and the judge's name. For those pieces, the Wayne County office points to the court of jurisdiction. A written FOIA request may be required. The deeper record behind a booking lives in the Wayne County criminal court records, not the jail roster.

Note: Because charge and bond fields can lag behind the court, the Sheriff treats the portal as booking information rather than a certified case record.


Booking and Bond in Wayne County

Booking starts at the Wayne County jail's Registry Unit. Staff record the person and run checks. Each person gets a booking number. New inmates from other agencies cannot be released until that step is done. A LEIN inquiry checks for other wants and warrants. Any added charges must clear before release.

The Sheriff's contact page lists the inmate information line and the office's main numbers.

Wayne County Sheriff contact page with inmate information line and jail phone numbers

Bonds are accepted at the Wayne County jail every day, around the clock. There is one gap. On weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., cash bonds and fines go to the court that holds the case. That means the Third Circuit or the 36th District. Only people 18 or older may post a bond. The Wayne County jail takes cash in $20 bills or larger. It also takes cashier or certified checks made out to the Sheriff of Wayne County. Major credit cards work too. An 8% processing fee applies to them. Money orders, personal checks, and loose coins are not accepted.

Important: A LEIN check at booking can surface holds from other courts, so review any open matters through Wayne County warrant records before posting a bond.


Wayne County Jail Visitation Rules

All social visits at the Wayne County Adult Detention Facility are done by video. There are no in-person contact visits. A visitor must be at least 17. Acceptable identification is required. Each inmate gets one video visit a week, up to 30 minutes. Visits can run from a portal in the CJC Visitation Center. A visitor's own phone, computer, or tablet works too.

The Sheriff's inmate visitation page spells out the video hours, the accepted ID list, and the prohibited items.

Wayne County jail inmate visitation page with video visit hours and ID rules

The schedule below shows the main visit windows. Hours can shift with the facility's daily needs. The public suite closes on weekends and holidays.

Visit TypeHoursLocation / MethodNotes
ADF Social Visitation8:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.Video through ADF portals or personal deviceOne non-contact video visit per week, up to 30 minutes; visitor at least 17 with acceptable ID.
Remote Video Visit8:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m.-2:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.Housing unit kiosks / secure web technologyNo display of body parts, photos, or prohibited items; lewd conduct can cancel the visit.
Public Video Visitation Suite8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Mon-Fri1st floor CJC Administration BuildingClosed holidays and weekends; valid government photo ID required at the window.
ADF Professional Visitation8:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.Professional video portals or personal deviceAttorneys need a bar card with P-number plus ID; professional rooms are not recorded.

Note: Electronic devices, smoking products, weapons, and any item deemed a security risk are all barred from the visitation area.


Sending Mail to a Wayne County Inmate

Mail rules at the Wayne County jail changed with the move to tablets. Personal letters are now scanned by an outside vendor first, then delivered to inmate tablets through a "Facility Messages" app on the free profile, so nothing arrives on paper. The Wayne County jail no longer accepts physical personal mail. Letters sent to the jail address are returned to the sender. Books, packages, checks, and money orders are turned away too.

Personal mail must go to the processing vendor first, with the inmate's full name and booking number on it:

Wayne County Adult Detention Facility, Detroit, MI Inmate First and Last Name (Booking Number)
P.O. Box 247
Phoenix, MD 21131

Privileged mail from an attorney or a government agency goes straight to the jail at 5301 Russell Street, Detroit, MI 48211, and is opened only in the inmate's presence. A few rules keep mail moving:

  • Write the sender's full name and physical address on every item.
  • Add the inmate's booking number after their name.
  • Do not send books, packages, checks, or money orders.
  • Report delivery problems to TextBehind support at info@TextBehind.com.

Commissary and Inmate Funds in Wayne County

Inmates buy snacks, hygiene items, clothing, and phone time through the Wayne County jail commissary. The Sheriff contracts with Canteen Correctional Services to stock it. Commissary serves inmates four days a week. Profits fund inmate programs. Friends and family can add money from home.

The Sheriff's commissary page explains the TouchPay deposit steps and the care-pack option.

Wayne County jail commissary page with TouchPay and JailATM inmate fund deposit details

Deposits run through TouchPay online or by phone at 866-204-1603. A lobby kiosk in the CJC Administration Building works too. You need the Wayne County facility number, 248211. You also need the inmate's 10-digit booking number. Care packs can be ordered through JailATM. Each channel posts funds to the same inmate account.


Finding State Prisoners and Custody Alerts

The Wayne County roster stops at the jail door. State prison, parole, and probation are different. The Michigan Department of Corrections tracks those people. Its Offender Tracking Information System, known as OTIS, is the tool. OTIS does not cover county-jail-only inmates. It skips people not yet sentenced, and it drops offenders discharged more than three years ago, so recent county bookings will not appear there at all.

Custody alerts fill a different need. Michigan's VINE service sends free, confidential notices. They go out when a person's custody status changes. The service runs 24 hours a day. Here is where each search points:

  • County jail - the Wayne County Inmate Inquiry for people in local custody.
  • State prison, parole, probation - MDOC OTIS.
  • Custody change alerts - Michigan VINELink or the VINE line at 800-770-7657.

The Wayne County Jail Dashboard

The Wayne County Sheriff also publishes a data view of the whole jail population. The Wayne County Jail Dashboard is updated daily. It draws from the jail management system. It answers common public questions with numbers, not names. Grant support built the tool. That funding came from the Hudson-Webber Foundation and the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network.

The public Wayne County Jail Dashboard charts daily population, bookings, housing, releases, and demographics.

Wayne County jail dashboard showing daily inmate population, booking, and release metrics

The dashboard tracks jail and tether counts and monthly averages. It breaks down gender, age at booking, and race and ethnicity. It adds mental-health measures and length of stay. It does not name individuals. A name search still runs through the Inmate Inquiry. A separate Wayne County Sheriff's Office app rounds out the tools. Residents can report crimes, send tips, and read public-safety news through it, though the app is not for emergencies and does not replace the inmate roster.

Note: The dashboard reports population trends only, so anyone confirming one person's custody should use the Inmate Inquiry or call the inmate information line.