Search Kankakee County Inmate Population

Kankakee County inmate population records are kept by the Kankakee County Sheriff's Office and can be searched online through their website. The Jerome Combs Detention Center holds people arrested in Kankakee County, and the facility runs well past its original design capacity. You can look up who is in custody right now, check on bond details, or find out how to visit someone at the jail. This page covers the main tools and contact info for searching Kankakee County inmate population data and getting records from the sheriff's office.

Kankakee County Inmate Search

The Kankakee County Sheriff's Office has an online inmate search tool that is free and open to the public. You can find it at kankakeecountysheriff.com/inmate-search. The tool lets you search by name to see who is in custody at the Jerome Combs Detention Center right now. Results will show the person's charges, booking date, and bond info. The system gets updated as inmates are booked in or released from the Kankakee County jail.

If you can't find someone through the online search, call the sheriff's office at (815) 802-7100. People who were just arrested may not show up right away. It can take a few hours for a new booking to appear in the search system. You can also call the non-emergency line at (815) 802-7200 for help with an inmate lookup in Kankakee County.

The state also runs a separate search. The Illinois Department of Corrections at idoc.illinois.gov tracks people who have been sentenced to state prison. Someone held at the county level will show up in the Kankakee County search, while those transferred to IDOC will appear in the state system instead.

Jerome Combs Detention Center

The Jerome Combs Detention Center sits at 3050 Justice Way in Kankakee, IL 60901. It is the main jail for all of Kankakee County. The facility was built in two phases. Phase 1 added 312 beds and Phase 2 brought that total up to 456 beds. The old jail held just 244 inmates. Even with the expansion, the Kankakee County inmate population runs high. The average daily census is around 696 inmates, which means the jail operates well above its rated capacity on most days.

Sheriff Michael Downey runs the Kankakee County Sheriff's Office from 3000 S Justice Way, Kankakee, IL 60901. The sheriff's office handles all jail operations, inmate intake, and release processing for the county. Under 5 ILCS 140, you can request records about the jail population through a FOIA request. The sheriff must respond within five business days.

You can visit the sheriff's main site at kankakeecountysheriff.com for the latest updates on operations and jail policies.

The Circuit Clerk's office at 450 East Court Street in Kankakee handles court records and case filings. Call them at (815) 936-5700 for criminal case information. The State's Attorney is on the 3rd floor of the same building at (815) 936-5800.

Kankakee County Jail Visitation

Visiting someone in the Kankakee County jail requires an appointment. You must call at least 24 hours ahead. The inmate has to fill out a visitation list first, and your name needs to be on it before you can book a visit. Call the visitation line at (815) 802-7272 to set up a time.

On-site visits are available Tuesday through Saturday but not on Sunday or Monday. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday hours are 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. Thursday visits run from 12:30 PM to 8:00 PM. Each inmate gets one on-site visit per week. Remote visits are unlimited. This means you can see someone at the Kankakee County jail through video more than once a week if you prefer that option. The on-site cap is strictly one per week though.

Note: All visitors must have valid photo ID and cannot have any active warrants when visiting the Kankakee County facility.

Kankakee County Inmate Population Records

Public records about the Kankakee County inmate population can be requested under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. Under 5 ILCS 140, all records held by a public body are presumed open unless a specific exemption applies. The Kankakee County Sheriff's Office must respond to written FOIA requests within five working days. The first 50 pages of records come at no cost. After that, you pay the actual cost of copies.

Common requests include daily inmate count reports, booking logs, and release records. Be as specific as you can. Give names, dates, or booking numbers if you have them. Broad requests take longer to process. Under 730 ILCS 5/3-5-1, certain records like medical files and psychological reports are confidential. Those need a court order. The sheriff's office will deny access to anything that falls under that exemption.

Arrest reports in Kankakee County must include the person's name, age, and charges per 5 ILCS 140/2.15. These are public and can be requested through the same FOIA process. For criminal history beyond what the county holds, contact the Illinois State Police. The Uniform Conviction Information Act at 20 ILCS 2635 limits public release to conviction data only.

State Resources for Kankakee County

If someone from Kankakee County gets sentenced to state prison, they leave the county jail system. The Illinois Department of Corrections takes over at that point. You can search IDOC records at idoc.illinois.gov using a last name, IDOC number, or date of birth. The IDOC system covers about 28,991 adults in state custody across Illinois.

The Illinois Prisoner Review Board at prb.illinois.gov handles parole hearings and early release decisions. If a Kankakee County inmate is transferred to IDOC, any parole matters go through the PRB in Springfield. Their phone is 217-782-7273. Victims can call the toll-free line at 1-800-801-9110 to get updates on hearings.

For victim notification services, VINELink at vinelink.com lets you track an offender's custody status and get alerts when something changes. This works for both county and state facilities in Illinois.

Note: IDOC records are separate from the Kankakee County jail search and cover only state prison inmates.

Nearby Counties

Several counties border Kankakee County. If you are not sure where an arrest happened, check which county has jurisdiction over that address. Each county runs its own jail and inmate search system.