Arkansas Jail Roster Search
Arkansas jail roster records track people held in county jails, city lockups, and state prisons. Each of the 75 counties runs its own jail under the elected Sheriff, and most post a current roster online. The state also keeps a central inmate search through the Arkansas Department of Corrections. Use the tools below to look up an inmate, check recent bookings, or find the facility where someone is held. Most rosters list name, booking date, charges, and bond. A few smaller counties still ask you to call the jail to get a name.
Arkansas Jail Roster Overview
Arkansas Jail Roster Statewide Search
The state Department of Corrections runs the main portal for Arkansas inmate lookups. The system at apps.ark.org/inmate_info covers people in ADC custody across all state units. You can search by ADC number, first and last name, gender, age, race, county, facility, or offense type. The portal lets you add photos to the results so you can spot the right person faster. You can also pull down the full inmate file for deeper research.
The Arkansas Department of Corrections notes that out-of-state inmates housed here under the Interstate Compact Agreement do not show up on the site. People on the ADC waiting list also do not appear until they move from county jail to state custody. If you cannot find an inmate on the state search, the person may be with the Division of Community Correction. Call (501) 682-9510 to ask about location. ADC is not in charge of city or county jail bookings, so for local jail inmates you need to go to the county page.
The main Department of Corrections site at adc.arkansas.gov has a Family and Friends Guide that walks you through the search, visitation, and mail rules. The guide is also online as a PDF at media.ark.org/doc/Family-and-Friends-Guide-2023-Final.pdf.
The screenshot below shows the ADC inmate search page. Open the link to run a live query for any state inmate.
Use the ADC search when the person you need is in state prison. The live page lets you filter by facility and by the county that sent the inmate in.
Note: The state Jail Roster search only shows inmates in ADC custody. For people held in a local jail, go to the Sheriff's page for that county.
VINE Arkansas Jail Roster Alerts
VINE stands for Victim Information and Notification Everyday. It is a free tool that lets you track an inmate and get a call, text, or email when their custody status changes. VINE covers most Arkansas jails and all state units. It runs 24 hours a day at vinelink.com or by phone at 1-800-510-0415. VINE is free. It is not just for victims. Anyone can sign up.
People use VINE to check when a loved one is booked in, to get a heads up about release, or to track a case. The system covers 48 states and more than 2,900 jails and prisons. Arkansas VINE data comes in from local Sheriff's records, so it tends to be up to date within hours of a booking. You can run a search with just a first and last name. You can then add the county or facility to narrow it down.
The VINE Link page above lets you set up free alerts for any Arkansas inmate. Pick your language, pick your state, and type in the name or ID.
County Jail Roster Records in Arkansas
Each of the 75 counties in Arkansas has its own jail, run by the elected Sheriff. The Sheriff is the chief peace officer in the county under Arkansas Sheriff's Association rules and state law. Arkansas Constitution Article 7, Section 46 gives the Sheriff charge of the jail and all prisoners held there. This role is backed up by Arkansas Code § 12-41-502. Jails hold people waiting for trial, people on short sentences, and some transfers headed to state prison.
Most counties post their jail roster online. Bigger counties like Pulaski, Benton, Washington, and Sebastian run full dashboards with mugshots, charges, bond, and booking date. Smaller counties may only let you call in for a name, or they post a PDF list once a day. Jail sizes range from about 20 beds in rural counties up to more than 1,600 beds at the Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility in Little Rock. Visitation rules, mail rules, and money deposit options are set by each Sheriff. Call the jail first if you plan to visit.
To find a local jail roster, open the counties page on this site and pick the county where the arrest took place. Each county page has the Sheriff's phone, the jail address, the online roster link when it exists, and the FOIA contact for records. The Arkansas Sheriff's Association also keeps a central directory at arkansassheriffsassociation.com with visitation hours, roster access, and money deposit steps for each facility.
Common details posted on a county Jail Roster include:
- Full name and booking photo
- Booking date and time
- Charges filed or holds from other agencies
- Bond amount, if set
- Housing unit or pod
- Arresting agency
- Court date, when available
The most recent bookings are usually at the top of the list. Some counties break out a "48 hour" or "recent bookings" view. Greene County, for example, posts a 48 hour roster so you can see people booked in the last two days. Others show the full in-custody list only.
Court Records Tied to Arkansas Jail Roster Cases
A jail booking is only the first step in a case. The charges then move to the local District Court or Circuit Court. The Arkansas Judiciary runs a free case search at caseinfo.arcourts.gov. This system, called ACIS, lets you pull up court dates, charges, and dispositions by name or case number. It covers most District Courts and Circuit Courts in the state.
Open the case search page above to look up hearing dates and charge status for any person in the state courts. Link your search to the booking date from the county Jail Roster to match cases to arrests.
The main site for the state court system is at arcourts.gov. You can find rules, forms, oral arguments, opinions, and the full list of District Courts and Circuit Courts. The Supreme Court of Arkansas and the Court of Appeals pages are also there.
The Arkansas Judiciary site shown above links to every state and circuit court. Use it to find the court that handles cases out of the jail where an inmate is held.
If you owe court fines or need to pay a ticket, the state takes online payments at pay.arcourts.gov. This can be key for people trying to clear a warrant before it triggers a booking on the county Jail Roster.
The court payment page above works with the ACIS case search. Pull your case number off ACIS, then pay online to clear court debt.
Background Checks and Arkansas Jail Roster Data
The Arkansas State Police runs the state background check system at ark.org/criminal. This system gives certain groups access to state criminal history with the signed consent of the subject. It is a source for looking up past arrests that flowed through the Jail Roster in any county. The system also offers FBI fingerprint checks for some approved uses.
The ASP background check tool above uses INA accounts. Mail-in requests cost $25 per person and work for people who do not use the online system.
The Arkansas State Police Identification Bureau keeps the state's criminal history repository. They are at 1 State Police Plaza Drive, Little Rock, AR 72209. Phone: (501) 618-8500. Their main site is asp.arkansas.gov.
The Arkansas Crime Information Center runs the statewide criminal database behind the scenes. ACIC also posts the Sex Offender Registry, which is public and searchable by name and area. The ACIC hotline for victim services is (501) 682-2222. ACIC also houses the Arkansas Statistical Analysis Center, which tracks crime data and jail population trends across the state.
Police reports on past incidents can come from city or county sources, or through third-party services. Lexis Nexis hosts police report access at policereports.lexisnexis.com for some Arkansas departments. The Little Rock Police Department offers online report filing at secure.coplogic.com for minor cases that do not need a response on scene.
The Lexis Nexis police reports page above supports a number of Arkansas agencies. Check it when the agency you need does not post reports on their own site.
FOIA and Arkansas Jail Roster Records
The Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, at Arkansas Code § 25-19-101 et seq., opens most public records to any citizen. Jail records fall under FOIA. The law says a public record is any writing, tape, or data compilation that shows how a public body is doing its job. Any Arkansas resident can ask to see or copy records during business hours.
Under FOIA, a Sheriff's Office has three business days to reply to a records ask. The reply must either hand over the records or state the legal reason for a denial. Fees may apply for copies. If the cost is over $25, the agency can ask you to pay up front. Fee waivers are not allowed under Arkansas law. A negligent FOIA violation is a Class C misdemeanor. This gives the FOIA law real teeth.
Some items are kept back from public release. State tax returns, medical records, school records, and adoption records are exempt. Undisclosed active police investigations are also exempt so they do not tip off suspects. Juvenile records are exempt under Arkansas Code § 9-27-309. Inmate medical info is exempt under Arkansas Code § 12-12-1707, in line with HIPAA. Arkansas Code § 12-27-113(2)(A) sets the main rules for inmate record release from the Department of Correction.
To file a FOIA ask for jail records, send a written note to the Sheriff's Office in the county where the inmate was booked. Be clear about names, dates, and report numbers. Most Sheriffs post a FOIA form on their site. Baxter County at baxtercountysheriff.com is one example. You can mail, email, or hand deliver the form. Response comes back within three business days.
Note: Arkansas does not allow FOIA fee waivers. Even low income filers have to pay the copy fee, so call the jail first to ask how much the records will cost.
Crash Reports and Driving Records
A lot of Arkansas Jail Roster cases start with a traffic stop. If a crash led to the arrest, you may need the crash report. The Arkansas State Police runs a crash report portal at crashreports.ark.org. Reports cost a small fee. The state moved the service online to cut down on in-person visits to ASP troop offices.
The ASP crash page above lets you pull up a state trooper report by date and location. Some reports are also on the LexisNexis buy-crash site.
Lexis Nexis also hosts crash reports at buycrash.lexisnexisrisk.com. Both services charge a per-report fee. Most Arkansas cities and counties route their crash reports to one of these two systems. Check both if you cannot find the report you need on the first try.
The Lexis Nexis BuyCrash page pulls reports from city and county crash files across Arkansas. Use it when the report you need is not on the ASP portal.
For minor police reports in Little Rock, the city runs an online filing tool at secure.coplogic.com. This is for things like lost property or minor theft that do not need an officer on scene. Filed reports can be pulled later if they tie to a booking on the Jail Roster.
The Little Rock online reports page above is open 24/7 for minor, non-emergency cases. Use it when you need a paper trail for an item or event tied to a later arrest.
Historical Arkansas Jail Roster Records
For inmate records from older periods, the Arkansas State Archives keeps microfilm and paper files. Their collection has prisoner records with ADC numbers 55723 to 63199, along with other historical materials. The State Archives are at One Capitol Mall, Little Rock, AR 72201. Phone: (501) 682-6900. Email: state.archives@arkansas.gov. Their site is at arkansasheritage.com/archives.
The Archives serve genealogy researchers, legal researchers, and people tracing family history. Access is by appointment in the Research Room. Some records can be copied for a fee. Staff can point you to the right index if you have an approximate date or an old ADC number.
Note: Historical inmate records are not on the main Jail Roster site. You have to visit or call the State Archives in Little Rock to see them.
Browse Arkansas Jail Roster by County
Every one of Arkansas's 75 counties has its own Sheriff and its own jail. Pick a county below for the local roster link, phone, FOIA contact, and visitation rules.
Arkansas Jail Roster in Major Cities
Most city police departments drop arrested people into the county jail nearby. Pick a city below to see which jail handles the Jail Roster for that area.