Martin County Inmate Population

Martin County is a small rural county in southern Indiana, and its inmate population is held at the jail in Shoals under the supervision of the Martin County Sheriff's Office. This page covers how to search for someone in the Martin County jail, the contact details for the sheriff's office, and what statewide Indiana tools are available when local records do not return what you need.

Martin County Sheriff's Office

The Martin County Sheriff's Office is located in Shoals and handles all county jail operations. The facility processes arrests from throughout the county and holds people at various stages of the legal process, from initial booking to short-term sentences. The phone line at (812) 247-3734 is the main contact for both general inquiries and jail-specific questions. Staff can confirm custody status and guide you to the right records contact for formal document requests.

Martin County is one of Indiana's smaller counties by population. The jail here serves the entire county, and the inmate population at any given time reflects local arrests plus any holds for neighboring jurisdictions or state warrants. Shoals sits along the East Fork of the White River in southern Indiana, and the county is bordered by Daviess to the west, Lawrence to the east, Greene to the north, and Dubois to the south. People arrested in those border areas are sometimes processed through Martin County if the circumstances require it.

Search Martin County Inmate Population Online

Indiana VINE is the main free online tool for searching Martin County's inmate population. Use the Indiana SAVIN offender search to look up a person by name. The system covers all 92 Indiana counties and returns any matching records from county jails and state prisons. Results include the holding facility, custody status, and charge category when available.

Martin County is a smaller facility with lower daily volumes than urban county jails, which means staff are often more accessible by phone for quick inquiries. If VINE does not return a result, calling (812) 247-3734 is a reliable backup. Staff can check the booking log directly and give you real-time information that may not yet appear in the online database. This is especially useful for very recent arrests or releases that occurred within the last few hours.

The Indiana County Jail Public Portal at public.indianajail.gov is worth checking as a secondary option. Not all smaller counties participate in this portal, but it pulls from multiple county sources and allows name-based searches across the state. It is a quick check before picking up the phone.

Indiana SAVIN and Statewide Inmate Resources

Indiana SAVIN at indianasavin.in.gov covers all Indiana county jails and state correctional facilities. Beyond searching by name, you can register to receive automatic custody alerts whenever a person's status changes. These alerts go out by phone, text, or email and are completely free. The notification service is useful when you need to track someone's situation over time without checking in every day.

For people sentenced and transferred from Martin County Jail to an Indiana state prison, the IDOC Offender Locator picks up the tracking. IDOC covers all state-managed prisons and shows current facility, projected release date, and other details. The VINELink Indiana national portal is a third option that connects to the same state data and works as an alternative to the SAVIN interface. All three systems work together to give layered coverage across Indiana.

Martin County Inmate Records and Public Access

Indiana's Access to Public Records Act gives the public the right to basic jail booking information from the Martin County Sheriff. Booking records include a person's name, charges, custody status, and booking date. Learn about your rights under APRA at in.gov/idoa. Written records requests must receive a response within seven business days under Indiana law.

Some records are protected. Medical and mental health files, victim identities, and records related to active investigations are not releasable through a public records request. Court case records, including filings, plea agreements, and sentencing orders, are held by the Martin Circuit Court clerk and are maintained separately from the jail's booking data. If you need case outcome information rather than just custody status, start with the court clerk. The sheriff holds the custody record; the court holds the legal record.

Indiana detention facilities follow the standards set in 210 IAC 3-1-6, which governs how county jails maintain and share records. Martin County follows these rules, and the data available through VINE and direct sheriff contact meets state accuracy and access standards.

Cities in Martin County

Martin County includes the towns of Shoals, Loogootee, and Crane, along with the Naval Support Activity Crane facility. None of the communities in Martin County currently meet the population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. Jail records for the entire county are maintained by the county sheriff and accessed through the tools described above.

Nearby Counties

Martin County is bordered by four southern Indiana counties, each with its own jail and inmate population records. Use the links below to navigate to neighboring county pages.