St. Francis County Inmate Population Snapshot
The live county-jail count is the clearest current measure for the St. Francis County inmate population controlled by the sheriff. The official current roster showed 122 inmates when inspected on May 29, 2026, while the official detention page lists a 144-bed design capacity for the St. Francis County Detention Center. That makes the jail roster a dated custody snapshot, not a year-round average. It should be read with its date attached because bookings and releases can change the count the same day.
The county also has a large federal prison presence. BOP public data dated May 21, 2026 listed 1,887 people at FCI Forrest City Low and its camp, and 1,645 people at FCI Forrest City Medium. Those federal prisoners are physically in St. Francis County, but they are not part of the sheriff's jail population and do not appear on the county roster.
St. Francis County Inmate Statistics
Population facts for St. Francis County need labels because several custody systems overlap in Forrest City. The sheriff's detention page supports the county jail capacity figure. The current and released roster titles support the May 29, 2026 roster counts. BOP facility data supports the federal prison figures. Census QuickFacts gives county population context, but it does not measure jail custody.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Date |
|---|---|---|
| St. Francis County Detention Center design capacity | 144 beds | Sheriff detention page, inspected May 29, 2026 |
| Female / adult male bed split | 20 female, 124 adult male | Sheriff detention page, inspected May 29, 2026 |
| Current county roster count | 122 inmates | Current roster, May 29, 2026 |
| 48-hour release list count | 12 releases | Released roster, May 29, 2026 |
| FCI Forrest City Low and camp | 1,887 total | BOP facility data, May 21, 2026 |
| FCI Forrest City Medium | 1,645 inmates | BOP facility data, May 21, 2026 |
St. Francis County Jail Trends
The research does not support a continuous official annual trend line for the St. Francis County inmate population from 2020 through 2026. It does support a limited comparison. A University of Arkansas Extension 2019 voter guide described the old jail as having 78 beds, with 46 beds out of service after inspection issues. The same guide reported average daily population of 65 in 2018 and 50 in 2019, before the current 144-bed Detention Center snapshot was observed.
| Year / Date | Population Measure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | ADP 65 | Old jail context from UAEX voter guide |
| 2019 | ADP 50 | Old jail context from UAEX voter guide |
| May 29, 2026 | 122 current inmates | Live sheriff roster snapshot in current facility |
| May 29, 2026 | 12 recent releases | Official 48-hour release list |
Who Makes Up Jail Custody
The St. Francis County Detention Center holds several groups under one roof. The sheriff describes it as a long-term holding facility for pretrial detainees, people serving local sentences, misdemeanor work-release inmates, Arkansas state inmates waiting on prison bed space, and federal inmates awaiting extradition. That mix matters because a roster result may show a local charge, a court return, a parole hold, a hold for another agency, or a warrant status instead of a simple new arrest.
- Pretrial detainee
- A person held after arrest while court action is still pending.
- Hold
- A custody reason from another agency or case that can block release.
- Work release
- A local program the sheriff ties to misdemeanor fines and county roadway cleanup.
- DOC backup
- A sentenced state prisoner waiting in county jail for state bed space.
St. Francis County Jail Capacity
The current Detention Center capacity is 144 designed beds, with 20 female beds and 124 adult male beds. The May 29, 2026 current roster snapshot of 122 people was about 84.7 percent of that design capacity. That calculation is useful only as a dated snapshot. It should not be treated as proof of the jail's average daily population, and it does not include the federal BOP population at the Forrest City prison complex.
Older capacity details tell a different story. The UAEX 2019 voter guide said the old jail was built in 1942, expanded in 1990 after voters approved a 1989 bond and sales tax, and later had obsolete locks, plumbing, electrical issues, flooding, storage problems, and staff concerns. Those facts explain why older ADP figures should not be merged with the current facility's capacity without clear labels.
Laws Governing Jail Records
Arkansas law and state jail standards explain why booking and population records exist even when a public website does not show every field. Arkansas FOIA generally opens public records to Arkansas citizens during regular business hours, subject to exemptions. The St. Francis County Sheriff FAQ applies that rule locally and says jail booking records and warrant records may be public, while active investigations, sealed or expunged records, personnel records, and juvenile matters may be restricted.
Key authorities:
Arkansas FOIA, Ark. Code Ann. ยง 25-19-105 - public records are generally open, with exemptions.
Arkansas Criminal Detention Facility Standards - jails must keep intake, confinement, release, and population records.
Death in Custody reporting guidance - covered deaths in jail, prison, transport, and arrest custody are reportable.
Search St. Francis County Inmates
The official sheriff roster is the first search channel for St. Francis County jail custody. The roster starts at the roster disclaimer page, then routes users to current inmates or the 48-hour release list. It is free and no login was observed. The sheriff mobile app also advertises an inmates feature, but the research did not confirm that the app has fields beyond the public roster.
- Open the sheriff roster disclaimer page and choose current inmates or recent releases.
- Use Search By Name when the name is known, starting with the last name or a distinctive name part.
- Sort by Date or Newest to Oldest when checking a fresh booking.
- Open View Profile for the booking number, photo, charges, bond, arresting agency, and profile notice.
- Call the Detention Center before posting bond because charges and bail amounts can change after court.
St. Francis County Roster Fields
The roster search controls are simple. A name box, current and released filters, date sorting, and pagination were observed. The public profile is useful but limited. It does not replace the court docket, a certified criminal-history report, or the BOP and DOC locators.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search By Name | Text | Unspecified | No wildcard or minimum-character rule was published. |
| Current | Filter | No | Shows people now in county jail custody. |
| Released | Filter | No | Shows people released within the prior 48 hours. |
| Newest to Oldest | Sort | No | Sorts by booking time descending. |
| Show All | Action | No | Clears a search and returns visible roster entries. |
St. Francis County Inmate Records
A public St. Francis County inmate record can show a mugshot, name, booking number, age, gender, race, address where populated, arresting agency, booking date and time, charge descriptions, bond amount, and a profile link. The inspected profile did not show full date of birth, court date, case number, statute code, housing unit, cell block, warrant number, or bond type. Those gaps are why court and phone checks matter.
| Roster Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Booking Number | Jail identifier for the booking, such as the inspected 24-0959 format. |
| Booking Date | Date and time of intake into the county jail. |
| Charges | Plain-text booking charges, not final court dispositions. |
| Bond | Amount when visible, with a warning to confirm by phone. |
| Mugshot | One booking image on roster cards and profile pages. |
County, State, and Federal Search
St. Francis County inmate population searches often fail when the wrong custody layer is used. The county jail roster covers local jail custody and recent releases. The Arkansas DOC locator covers sentenced state custody and DOC-supervised categories. The BOP inmate locator covers sentenced federal prisoners at FCI Forrest City Low, FCI Forrest City Medium, and other federal facilities. The ICE detainee locator is separate for immigration custody.
| Custody Type | Best Search Channel | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| County jail | Sheriff roster | Current inmates and 48-hour releases |
| State prison | Arkansas DOC locator | Sentenced state prisoners after transfer |
| Federal prison | BOP locator | Federal inmates from 1982 to present |
| Immigration custody | ICE locator | ICE detainee searches by A-number or biographical data |
St. Francis County Detention Facilities
Three facilities belong in the St. Francis County facility map. The county jail is the local arrest and jail-population hub. The two BOP institutions are federal prisons located in Forrest City. No Arkansas DOC prison and no official ICE detention facility page were found inside St. Francis County.
- St. Francis County Detention Center - county jail for pretrial custody, county sentences, work release, state bed-space waits, and some federal extradition custody.
- FCI Forrest City Low - low-security federal prison with an adjacent minimum-security camp for sentenced male federal inmates.
- FCI Forrest City Medium - medium-security federal prison for sentenced male federal inmates.
Court Records and Bond Checks
The jail roster is not the final court record. The profile notice says charges and bail amounts may change after court appearances and directs anyone posting bail to call Detention Center staff at 870-633-2611 for the correct bail amount, charges, and case numbers. Filed court charges are checked through Search ARCourts, St. Francis County District Court, the Circuit Clerk, or the prosecutor.
Bond can also be blocked by a hold. The sheriff FAQ mentions cash and surety bond for some warrants with bond set, but it also describes no-bond warrants that require a judge appearance. Roster examples included hold language such as hold for other agency, parole hold, return for court, and District Court warrant.
Booking Photos and Public Records
St. Francis County publishes booking photos on roster cards and profile pages. Current inmates and the 48-hour release list are the confirmed official online channels for recent booking photos. No separate official historical mugshot archive was located. For records not online, the sheriff FAQ says jail booking records may be public under Arkansas FOIA, but it also lists exceptions for active investigations, sealed or expunged records, some personnel records, and juvenile records.
The official sheriff FAQ also says the Sheriff's Office cannot release ACIC or NCIC criminal-history information. Use ARCH for official Arkansas criminal-history searches, not the jail roster.
Jail Visits, Mail, and Money
The St. Francis County Detention Center page gives video visitation and commissary deposit hours as Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Inmate mail is published as P.O. Box 1817, Forrest City, AR 72335. No county phone vendor, video vendor, online deposit vendor, remote scheduling URL, deposit fee table, dress code, or full mail rule was located in the official county material.
| Service | Published Local Detail |
|---|---|
| Video visitation | Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. |
| Commissary money | Money can be placed on books during the same weekday window. |
| P.O. Box 1817, Forrest City, AR 72335. | |
| Outside items | Not accepted once an inmate is housed; hygiene products are provided. |
| Medication | Must go through jail staffing nurse in current original prescription bottle. |
St. Francis County Inmate FAQ
How big is the St. Francis County inmate population?
The county jail roster showed 122 current inmates on May 29, 2026, and the Detention Center has a 144-bed design capacity. Federal prison counts are much larger but separate: BOP listed 1,887 at FCI Forrest City Low and camp and 1,645 at FCI Forrest City Medium on May 21, 2026.
Can released inmates be searched?
The sheriff roster has a 48-hour release view. It is useful for recent releases, but it is not a historical arrest archive. Older booking records may require a sheriff records request under Arkansas FOIA, subject to the exemptions described in the sheriff FAQ.
Where do state or federal inmates appear?
Sentenced Arkansas prisoners move to the Arkansas DOC locator after transfer. Sentenced federal prisoners at the Forrest City federal facilities use the BOP locator. ICE custody uses the ICE Online Detainee Locator. The county roster is not the right tool for those systems.