Contacts: Jackson County Records

Jackson County Sheriff and Jail

The Sheriff is the first official contact when a person may be in Jackson County Jail custody or when the requested booking record belongs to the county. The county’s Sheriff’s Office page and FOIA page control if the details below change.

Civil Process / Records and Administration are listed as open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with noon to 1 p.m. closed. Jail visitation is listed Wednesday from 6 to 9 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. Video visitation information appears on the county’s Contact a Detainee page, which gives daily video hours from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Those hours are visitation information, not a promise that a record or photo will be released at the door.

Booking Record and Photo Requests

The county FOIA page says requests must be in writing and may be emailed. Name the arresting agency, date range, location, case or report number if known, and exact record type. Ask separately for the arrest report, booking or admission record, booking photograph, and release or transfer record. Ask for the photo “when and if available” and request non-exempt portions if a record is withheld.

The county points to Section 6 of the Illinois FOIA for fees but does not publish a Jackson County booking-photo price or a guaranteed delivery date. The 72-hour rule in 5 ILCS 140/2.15 concerns qualifying arrest reports and does not guarantee a separate releasable image.

City Police Records

Contact the arresting city department for the incident report when it made the arrest. A city agency may not hold the county jail’s booking photo, so use parallel requests when custody moved to Jackson County Jail.

De Soto’s records page lists viewing and request hours of 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and links its FOIA form. The reviewed Murphysboro page does not state a dedicated records email, fee, or photo turnaround. Do not invent one.

Jackson County Court Records

The Jackson County Courts page points to Judici and the Circuit Clerk. The Circuit Clerk is at 1001 Walnut Street, P.O. Drawer 730, Murphysboro, Illinois 62966, telephone 618-687-7300, fax 618-684-6378, and public hours Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The published email is webforms@jacksonco.net.

Use the court route for a first appearance, bond, amended charge, dismissal, supervision, plea, conviction, acquittal, or other disposition. Judici is not a jail roster and cannot replace a current-custody call.

State, Federal, and Notification Sources

Use the custody system that matches the person’s status:

• IDOC Offender Search covers the public state-prison or parole slice, not a recent county booking.
• Illinois VINE provides supported custody and case notifications, not a public photo archive.
• BOP Inmate Locator covers federal prisoners and status/location information.
• ICE Online Detainee Locator covers immigration custody under its exact search rules.

These systems do not merge into a universal mugshot lookup. The originating office controls its records and answers.

What to Include in a Request

A short, specific request is easier for an agency to route. Include:

1. the person’s name and another reliable identifier;
2. the arresting agency, location, and date range;
3. the case, report, or booking number when known;
4. the precise record category, including whether a photo is requested;
5. an electronic-delivery preference and a request for any withholding explanation.

Keep proof of delivery, the response, redactions, and court documents. If a response is denied or incomplete, ask for the written exemption and segregation of non-exempt material. The Illinois Attorney General Public Access Counselor lists FOIA assistance at 877-299-3642 and public.access@ilag.gov.