The Jo Daviess County Inmate Population
The Jo Daviess County inmate population lives in one place. That place is the Jo Daviess County Jail in Galena, run by the Jo Daviess County Sheriff's Office. No state prison and no federal lockup sits inside the county. So the local jail count is the local inmate population. The sheriff page lists the jail's capacity at 27 inmates. That is a small jail for a county of roughly 21,594 people, as the Census estimated for 2025.
Who is counted matters. The jail holds people before trial and people serving short local terms. Once a person is sentenced to state prison, the count moves to the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC). That person no longer shows in the county figure. Several things push the count up or down. Arrests, bond decisions, court delays, and transfers to state prison all shift the daily number. Because the jail is so small, even a few bookings change the picture fast.
The clearest local source for the population is the Illinois Department of Corrections jail inspection. The state inspects county jails each year and records a count for the day it visits. The sheriff page, captured below, is the anchor for the jail's role and capacity.
The official sheriff page shows the capacity figure and the Public Safety Building contact block.
That page confirms the sheriff runs the jail and gives the 27 inmate capacity used throughout this page.
Jo Daviess County Inmate Population Statistics
The strongest numbers come from the state jail inspections. On July 31, 2025, the inspection counted 8 people in the Jo Daviess County Jail. That was 6 men and 2 women, with no juveniles. The 2025 rated capacity was 27, split into 23 male beds and 4 female beds. A June 11, 2026 county Law Enforcement and Courts packet was indexed as noting a higher operating range of 15 to 20 inmates. The county does not post a daily average population, so these are point-in-time figures.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Rated capacity | 27 inmates | Sheriff's Office page, 2026 |
| 2025 bed split | 23 male, 4 female | IDOC inspection, July 31, 2025 |
| Inspection-day count | 8 (6 male, 2 female) | IDOC inspection, July 31, 2025 |
| Reported operating range | 15 to 20 inmates | County packet, June 11, 2026 |
| Monthly population reports | Required by rule | 20 Ill. Admin. Code 701.30(b) |
Public data on the jail is wider than the county website shows. The Jail Data Initiative tracks county jail rosters across the country, and high-level state trends appear through national research groups. Those tools give context, not a live Jo Daviess count, so the inspection figures stay the best local anchor.
The dashboard shown here treats jail rosters as research data, which helps frame how a small county like Jo Daviess fits a national pattern.
Jo Daviess County Inmate Population Trends
The trend is best read across several years. State inspection-day counts were 11 in 2022, 7 in 2023, 9 in 2024, and 8 in 2025. Older research data runs lower and longer. A historical correctional table listed 15 people at the jail at the end of 2013. The Vera Institute county dataset shows yearly jail figures of 16 in 2016, 15 in 2017, 14 in 2018, and 9 in 2019. The 2026 county packet range of 15 to 20 points to a busier recent stretch.
| Year / Date | Jail Population Figure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dec. 31, 2013 | 15 | Historical correctional-population table |
| 2017 | 15 | Vera county dataset, annual figure |
| 2019 | 9 | Vera county dataset, annual figure |
| June 8, 2022 | 11 | IDOC inspection-day count |
| June 13, 2023 | 7 | IDOC inspection-day count |
| May 29, 2024 | 9 | IDOC inspection-day count |
| July 31, 2025 | 8 | IDOC inspection-day count |
| June 11, 2026 | 15 to 20 | County packet, reported range |
Read these as snapshots, not a daily average series. The inspection counts come from a single day each year. The Vera figures are long-run research estimates and should frame the past, not the present. The Vera Illinois profile, captured below, sets that wider state context.
The Vera page tracks statewide jail and prison trends, which helps explain why a small rural jail count can swing so much year to year.
Who Makes Up the Jo Daviess County Inmate Population
The published breakdown is thin, so only sourced splits appear here. The state inspections give a male and female count for the day of the visit. In 2025 that was 6 men and 2 women, with no juveniles. In 2024 it was 5 men and 4 women. The county does not publish a current pretrial versus sentenced split, a race or age breakdown, or annual booking totals.
- Sex split - 6 men and 2 women on the 2025 inspection day; 5 and 4 in 2024.
- Juveniles - none counted on the 2025 inspection day.
- Held for other agencies - the 2025 inspection states the jail does not house people for other jurisdictions.
- Pretrial versus sentenced - a current public split was not located in official sources.
More detail does exist behind the scenes. State rules require monthly population reports that count adult males, adult females, juveniles, new bookings, and sentence categories. Those reports go to the state, but a current Jo Daviess monthly table was not posted publicly. County population figures from the Census describe the community, not the jail, and should not be read as the jail's makeup.
Jo Daviess County Jail Capacity and Overcrowding
The jail was below its rated capacity on every located inspection day. Using the inspection capacity and count, the jail sat at about 39 percent full in 2022, 25 percent in 2023, and roughly 30 percent in 2025. Those are simple percentages drawn from the inspection figures, not official utilization rates. No overcrowding order, consent decree, or new-jail construction plan was found for Jo Daviess County.
One caution belongs here. The 2025 inspection found noncompliance for inadequate staffing and inadequate detainee supervision. That is a staffing finding, not a crowding finding. The 2026 county packet noted continued staffing shortages and a goal to fill two correctional officer posts. The located inspection-day counts still ran under capacity, so the pressure shows up in staffing rather than bed space.
Laws Governing the Jo Daviess County Inmate Population
Several Illinois laws make this data public and govern how it is kept. The Freedom of Information Act opens most public records. The County Jail Standards set how jails report population and run head counts. A separate act covers deaths in custody. Together these rules explain why monthly population numbers exist even when the county posts no public roster. Each statute below links to its official text with a one-line summary.
Key Statutes:
Illinois FOIA, 5 ILCS 140 - Makes most jail and arrest records public and sets a general five-business-day response window.
County Jail Standards, 20 Ill. Admin. Code Part 701 - Requires monthly population reports, 24-hour supervision, and head counts at least three times a day.
Arrest information rule, 5 ILCS 140/2.15 - Requires arrest information, including a photograph when available, within 72 hours of arrest.
Reporting of Deaths in Custody Act, 730 ILCS 210 - Requires any custodial death to be investigated and reported to the state.
These rules cut both ways. They guarantee access to most jail data, but they also list reasons to withhold parts of a record. Privacy, an active case, juvenile rules, and jail security can each limit what is released.
Jo Daviess County and the State Prison Population
Sentenced felons leave the county count. When a Jo Daviess County case ends in a prison term, the person enters the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC). The state holds far more people than any county jail. The IDOC reported a statewide custody figure near 29,430 in its FY2025 annual report. No IDOC prison sits in Jo Daviess County, so a sentenced person from here is housed elsewhere in the state.
This split is why one county figure cannot answer every question. The county jail covers the pretrial and short-sentence group. The state IDOC locator covers the sentenced prison group. A person can move from one to the other after sentencing, which changes which system to search.
How to Search the Jo Daviess County Inmate Population
There is one thing to know first. Research did not locate an official public online roster for the Jo Daviess County Jail. The county jail page lists inmate services, but no searchable current-inmate list was found. So a Jo Daviess County inmate search runs through the phone, in person, notifications, and records requests. The steps below follow that official fallback chain.
Before you start, gather a full name and, if you have it, a date of birth or an inmate ID number. The more you know, the faster the right office can help.
- Open the official Jo Daviess County jail and inmate information page for service details.
- For a recent arrest, call the Sheriff's Office at 815-777-2141 and ask the on-duty correctional officer what can be released.
- For a booking or arrest record not posted online, file a written FOIA request with the Sheriff's Office.
- For a sentenced person, search the IDOC locator instead of the county jail.
- To get alerts rather than browse, register the person with Illinois VINE.
The jail phone line is the fastest local channel for a current custody question. Staff still release only what the law and policy allow.
Current Inmate Lookup in Jo Daviess County
Because no public county roster was found, a current lookup leans on the jail phone line and on Illinois VINE. VINE is a notification system, not a full booking archive. It can confirm custody and send alerts when status changes. The county deposit vendor, JailATM, also asks for inmate details, but it is a deposit and bond tool rather than a search portal. Its required fields are listed below so families know what to have ready.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jail's state | Selection | Yes | Choose Illinois. |
| Facility name | Selection | Yes | Use Jo Daviess County Jail. |
| Inmate first name | Text | Yes | Required to match the account. |
| Inmate last name | Text | Yes | Required to match the account. |
| Inmate ID number | Text | Yes | A name alone may not be enough. |
If you have only a name, the deposit tool may not find the person. The practical fix is a phone call to the jail. For full detail on these channels, see the Jo Daviess County jail inmate records page.
Past and Released Inmate Records
Finding a past inmate takes a different route. The county does not publish a release list or a roster retention window, so there is no archive page to browse. For a historical booking or arrest record, file a written FOIA request with the Sheriff's Office FOIA officer, Jenny Daum, at jdaum@jodaviesscountyil.gov. Illinois law supports access to arrest information, though exemptions can limit some fields. If the person was sentenced to prison, the IDOC locator carries admission and sentence detail that the county jail does not.
What a Jo Daviess County Inmate Record Shows
No public county inmate profile was viewable during research, so these fields are described in conditional terms. Some come from the deposit tool, and some come from the Illinois arrest-information rule rather than an online profile. The list below sets out what each field would show and where it comes from.
- Name - the inmate's full name, needed for mail and for the deposit tool.
- Inmate ID number - required for JailATM deposits and care packages.
- Booking date - may be released under the Illinois arrest-information rule, not posted online.
- Charges - covered by the arrest-information rule and by court records.
- Photograph - part of arrest information when available, subject to limits.
- Bond and release - a $25 bond fee applies, and credit-card bail runs through JailATM.
Booking number and housing unit were not located in any public source for this jail, so this page does not claim them. For booking photos, see the Jo Daviess County jail mugshots page.
County Jail vs. State Prison: Where to Look
The two systems hold different groups, and they use different search tools. A pretrial detainee or a short-term inmate sits in the county jail. A sentenced felon moves to a state prison run by IDOC. Knowing which group a person falls into tells you which system to search.
| County Jail | State Prison (IDOC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who Is Held | Pretrial and short local sentences | Sentenced felons |
| Run By | Jo Daviess County Sheriff | Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) |
| Where to Look | Jail phone line, VINE, FOIA | IDOC online locator |
| What You See | Limited public detail | Photos, sentence, and status |
State and Federal Inmate Search
Three online systems cover the groups the county jail does not. The IDOC locator finds sentenced state prisoners. The federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) locator finds sentenced federal inmates. The ICE detainee locator finds people in immigration custody. The IDOC form, captured below, lets you search by last name, IDOC number, or birthdate.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| How do you want to search? | Radio | Yes | Last Name, IDOC Number, or Birthdate. |
| Search value | Text | Yes | Examples: Smith, K01234, or 04-01-1965. |
| Find | Submit | Yes | Runs the search and returns a list. |
Use the IDOC search form for state prisoners, the BOP locator for federal inmates, and the ICE detainee locator for immigration holds.
The form returns a list of matches, and a broad name search can pull many records, so an IDOC number or birthdate narrows it fast.
Jo Daviess County Detention Facilities
Only one detention facility sits in the county, and it holds the entire local inmate population. Sentenced prisoners and federal detainees are housed in separate systems outside the county.
- Jo Daviess County Jail - the county lockup in Galena for local arrestees, pretrial detainees, and people serving short local sentences.
Jo Daviess County Inmate Population FAQ
How big is the Jo Daviess County inmate population?
The jail is rated for 27 inmates. State inspections counted 8 people on July 31, 2025, and counts ran between 7 and 11 from 2022 through 2025. A 2026 county packet noted a higher operating range of 15 to 20. These are point-in-time figures, not a daily average.
Is there an official online Jo Daviess County jail roster?
No public online roster was located on the sheriff or county pages during research. The county posts inmate-service details but not a searchable current-inmate list. To find someone, call the jail at 815-777-2141, use Illinois VINE, or file a records request with the Sheriff's Office.
Who runs the jail and where is it?
The Jo Daviess County Sheriff's Office runs the jail. It sits in the Public Safety Building at 330 North Bench Street in Galena, the county seat. The courthouse and other justice offices share the same Bench Street complex.
How do I look up a sentenced inmate from the county?
Use the Illinois Department of Corrections locator, not the county jail. The IDOC profile shows the parent institution, status, photos, physical details, and sentence information. A federal case uses the BOP locator instead.
Does Illinois still use cash bail?
Illinois ended monetary bail for ordinary pretrial release on September 18, 2023. Courts now set release conditions under state law. The county still posts a $25 bond fee and JailATM bond instructions, which can apply to certain fees or legacy cases.