Perry County Inmate Population Lookup

Perry County inmate population data covers people held in the county jail and those sent to state prison from this southern Illinois county. The Perry County Sheriff's Office in Pinckneyville manages the local jail and handles booking records. If you need to find an inmate in Perry County, verify charges, or check the status of someone in state custody, this page lays out the steps. You can call the sheriff, file a records request, or search the IDOC online database for state-level inmates from Perry County.

Perry County Inmate Population Search

The Perry County Sheriff's Office is your first stop for jail inmate information. The office sits in Pinckneyville and oversees the county jail. Staff can confirm if someone is in custody, share their charges, and tell you the bond amount. Perry County does not have an online inmate roster, so phone calls and in-person visits are the main options for getting current jail data.

Perry County is notable in the state prison system because Pinckneyville Correctional Center is located right in the county seat. This medium-security IDOC facility holds adult male inmates and is one of the larger state prisons in southern Illinois. That means the broader inmate population numbers for Perry County include both the county jail detainees and the state prison inmates housed at Pinckneyville CC. The two systems are separate though. The county sheriff has no control over the state prison, and IDOC manages its own records for that facility.

Note: The county jail and the state prison are different facilities with different contacts and different records systems.

State Prison Inmates from Perry County

People convicted and sentenced to prison from Perry County courts enter the IDOC system. The IDOC inmate search lets you look up anyone in state custody by last name, IDOC number, or date of birth. Results show where the person is housed, their sentence length, and projected release date. This free tool is available to everyone.

Because Pinckneyville CC is in Perry County, you might run across inmates from all over Illinois who are housed there. The IDOC search shows the committing county for each inmate, so you can filter results to see only people sentenced from Perry County if that is what you need. The IDOC main site also has data reports that break down prison admissions and exits by county. Illinois held roughly 28,991 adults in state prisons as of 2024, spread across more than two dozen facilities.

Perry County Inmate Records and FOIA

Under the Freedom of Information Act at 5 ILCS 140, you can request records from the Perry County Sheriff's Office in writing. The law says the office must respond within five business days. Be as specific as you can. Include the person's full name and approximate dates of custody. The first 50 pages come at no cost. If the office needs more time, they can extend the deadline by five more days with written notice.

Confidential records are off limits without a court order. Under 730 ILCS 5/3-5-1, master record files that include medical data, mental health evaluations, and disciplinary files are protected. Standard booking records, charge lists, and bond amounts are public. If you want to request records from the state prison in Pinckneyville, that goes through IDOC's FOIA office at idoc.illinois.gov/freedomofinformationact.html.

Illinois Inmate Population Database

The IDOC runs the main statewide database for anyone in state custody across Illinois. You can access the full site at idoc.illinois.gov for search tools, facility details, and public data reports.

The database covers every state prison in Illinois, including Pinckneyville CC in Perry County. Search results give you the inmate's current facility, offense, and release projection. This tool does not cover county jail inmates, though. For that, you still need to contact the Perry County Sheriff's Office directly.

Perry County Inmate Population Legal Framework

Several Illinois statutes govern how inmate records work. The Uniform Conviction Information Act at 20 ILCS 2635 says only conviction data can be released to the general public. Arrest records that did not lead to a conviction may have restrictions on access. The Criminal Identification Act at 20 ILCS 2630 covers how criminal history records are maintained and allows individuals to challenge errors in their files.

The Illinois Prisoner Review Board manages parole hearings, revocation hearings, and clemency cases. If someone from Perry County is up for parole or early release, the PRB handles that process. Victims and concerned parties can call the toll-free number at 1-800-801-9110 for hearing updates. The VINE notification system also lets you register to receive alerts when an inmate's custody status changes, whether that means a release, a transfer, or something else.

These laws apply equally to county jail detainees and state prison inmates. The difference is which office you contact. For the county jail, reach out to the Perry County Sheriff. For state prison records, go through IDOC. Both must follow the same FOIA rules and the same confidentiality protections.

Nearby Counties

Perry County sits in southern Illinois and borders several other counties. Each one has its own sheriff and jail. Make sure you check the right county for the arrest location.