Indiana Inmate Population by City
Indiana cities do not operate their own long-term detention facilities. When someone is arrested in a city, they are booked by local police and then transferred to the county jail within 24 to 48 hours. To search the inmate population for a city in Indiana, you need to check the county jail serving that area. Select a city below to find the right jail, the inmate search portal, and contact information for the local sheriff's office.
Indiana City Inmate Population Facts
How Cities Handle Indiana Inmate Population
Indiana city police departments make arrests, process initial bookings, and document charges. But the long-term housing of those people falls to the county jail. This means the inmate population for any Indiana city is held at the county level. For example, arrests made by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department result in inmates housed at the Marion County Adult Detention Center. Arrests in Fort Wayne go to the Allen County Jail. Arrests in Evansville go to the Vanderburgh County Jail. In all cases, the county sheriff manages the facility and the inmate records.
City police records and county jail records are separate systems. A city police report documents the arrest. The county jail records document the booking, custody status, charges, and bond. When you want to know if someone is currently in custody, the county jail system is the place to check. Most county jails offer online inmate lookups, use the Indiana VINE system, or participate in the Indiana County Jail Public Portal at public.indianajail.gov. For recent arrests, within the past few hours, the city police department may have records before transfer.
The IDOC Offender Locator covers people who have been sentenced and transferred to a state prison. Once a person leaves county custody, they appear in the IDOC system. The VINE system at indianasavin.in.gov covers both county jails and state prisons, making it a useful tool regardless of which facility a person was sent to.
Indiana Inmate Population Search by City
Each city page on this site lists the county jail that serves that city, the inmate search tools for that county, the sheriff's contact information, and the city police department contact. Use these pages to find the right place to search for an inmate held in connection with an arrest in that city.
Several large Indiana cities have their own inmate lookup resources. Indianapolis uses the Marion County inmate search at inmateinfo.indy.gov/IML, which lets you search by name, booking number, or ID number. Fort Wayne arrests are searchable through the Allen County Sheriff at allencountysheriff.org/jail. Evansville arrests go to Vanderburgh County, searchable at vanderburghsheriff.org. For South Bend and Mishawaka, use the St. Joseph County portal through public.indianajail.gov.
Note: Granger is a Census Designated Place, not an incorporated city. Law enforcement in Granger is handled by the St. Joseph County Police Department.
All Qualifying Indiana Cities
These Indiana cities have populations over 25,000. Select any city below to find its county jail, inmate search options, and local police contacts.