Find Tazewell County Inmate Population

Tazewell County inmate population records are managed by the Tazewell County Sheriff's Office in Pekin. Sheriff Jeffrey Lower oversees the department and the Tazewell County Justice Center, which houses detainees from across the county. You can look up inmates through the sheriff's online lookup tool or call the jail directly. This page covers how to search Tazewell County inmate population data, visit someone in custody, and request records through FOIA.

Tazewell County Inmate Lookup

The Tazewell County Sheriff provides an online inmate lookup tool at sheriff.tazewell-il.gov. You can search by name to see who is in custody at the Tazewell County Justice Center. The tool shows basic booking information and charges. It is free and open to anyone.

If the online tool is down or you need more details, call the sheriff's main line at (309) 477-2250. The dispatch number is (309) 346-4141 for after-hours calls. Jail Superintendent Mike Harper can be reached at (309) 478-5613 for questions about jail operations or specific inmates. Staff can confirm custody status and provide basic booking data from the Tazewell County inmate population records.

The Tazewell County Sheriff's website is the main hub for jail info, department news, and public safety resources.

For inmates who have moved on to state prison, search the IDOC database at idoc.illinois.gov. The county and state systems do not share data, so you need to check both if you are not sure where someone is.

Tazewell County Justice Center

The Tazewell County Justice Center is located at 101 S. Capitol St., Pekin, IL 61554. This facility houses pretrial detainees and people serving county sentences. Jail Superintendent Mike Harper manages day-to-day operations. The justice center processes all bookings for arrests made in Tazewell County, including those by the Pekin Police, East Peoria Police, Morton Police, and the sheriff's patrol division.

Once booked, an inmate appears in the Tazewell County inmate population records. Pretrial detainees make up a large portion of the daily count. People sentenced to more than a year go to the Illinois Department of Corrections. The Northern Reception and Classification Center or another IDOC facility will take over at that point. Short sentences of under one year are served at the Tazewell County Justice Center.

Visiting Tazewell County Inmates

Tazewell County offers both onsite and remote visits through Securus. You need to give at least 24 hours of advance notice before a visit. Walk-in visits are not accepted. Register through the Securus platform to set up your visit. Remote video visits let you connect from home without driving to Pekin.

Bring a valid photo ID for in-person visits. If you have an active warrant, do not go to the justice center. Staff will check your records before letting you in. Each visit has a set time limit, so plan what you want to discuss before you go. For questions about visiting rules or hours, call the jail at (309) 478-5613.

Starting June 23, 2025, Tazewell County switched to the TextBehind system for digital mail. Physical mail to inmates is now processed through TextBehind. This means letters and photos get scanned and delivered digitally to the inmate. The original mail is not kept at the facility. If you want to send mail to someone in the Tazewell County inmate population, check the sheriff's site for the most current mailing rules under the TextBehind system.

Note: Digital mail through TextBehind replaced traditional paper delivery at the Tazewell County Justice Center in June 2025.

Tazewell County Inmate Population Records

You can request inmate records from Tazewell County under the Freedom of Information Act. 5 ILCS 140 says all records held by a public body are presumed open. Write to the Tazewell County Sheriff's Office at 101 S. Capitol St., Pekin, IL 61554. The office must respond within five business days. The first 50 pages are free.

Common requests include daily inmate population counts, booking records, and release dates. Be specific. A narrow request is faster to process than a broad one. Under 730 ILCS 5/3-5-1, medical and psychological files are confidential. You need a court order for those. Basic booking data and custody status for the Tazewell County inmate population are public records that anyone can request.

The Tazewell County Circuit Clerk is at 342 Court Street, Pekin, IL. Call (309) 477-2214 for court records. The State's Attorney is in Courthouse Room 110 at 342 Court St. and can be reached at (309) 477-2205. These are separate from the sheriff's office and handle different types of records.

Illinois Laws on Inmate Records

Illinois FOIA at 5 ILCS 140 creates a presumption that all government records are open to the public. Under 5 ILCS 140/2.15, arrest reports must list the person's name, age, and charges. This applies to the Tazewell County inmate population records and every other county in the state. If an agency denies a FOIA request, they have to explain the specific exemption in writing.

The Uniform Conviction Information Act at 20 ILCS 2635 limits public disclosure to conviction information only. Arrest records that did not result in a conviction may have additional protections. The Criminal Identification Act at 20 ILCS 2630 governs how criminal history records get stored and who can view them. Current custody data from the Tazewell County inmate population is public, but full criminal history searches go through the Illinois State Police.

Cities in Tazewell County

Tazewell County includes the cities of Pekin, East Peoria, Morton, and Washington along with several smaller towns. None of the cities in Tazewell County meet the population threshold for their own page on this site. All arrests in these communities go through the Tazewell County Justice Center. The sheriff handles all inmate population records for the entire county.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Tazewell County. Each one has its own jail and keeps separate inmate records. Check where the arrest happened to find the right county.