Randolph County Jail Roster Lookup
The Randolph County jail roster lists every person held at the county jail in Chester, Illinois. The sheriff's office keeps this list and posts a current inmate listing on their website. Randolph County has a population of about 30,163 and sits in southwestern Illinois along the Mississippi River. If you need to find someone who was arrested in Randolph County, the jail roster is the place to start. This page explains how to search for inmates, what the records show, and who to call for help with the Randolph County jail roster.
Randolph County Jail Roster Quick Facts
Randolph County Sheriff's Office
The Randolph County Sheriff's Office is at 200 W. Buena Vista Street in Chester, IL 62233. The phone number is 618-826-5484. This office runs the county jail and updates the Randolph County jail roster. The sheriff handles law enforcement for the unincorporated parts of the county, serves court papers, and manages the jail.
Chester is the county seat and where the jail sits. Anyone arrested by local police in Randolph County or picked up on a warrant ends up at this jail. The sheriff's staff processes the booking, takes prints and photos, and adds the person to the Randolph County jail roster. From there, the record stays until the person is released, transferred, or sentenced.
Randolph County Inmate Listing
The Randolph County Sheriff's Office posts a current inmate listing on their website. You can view it at randolphcountyil.gov/sheriff/current-inmate-listing/. This is the main place to check the Randolph County jail roster online. The page shows who is in custody right now along with basic booking details.
The inmate listing page gives you a snapshot of the Randolph County jail population at that moment. It updates as people are booked in or released. This is a straightforward list rather than a search tool, so you scroll through it to find the person you are looking for. For a county of this size, the list is usually manageable.
If the person you need is not on the current list, they may have already been released or moved. Call the Randolph County Sheriff's Office at 618-826-5484 to ask about past inmates. They can check records that no longer show on the live jail roster.
Randolph County Sheriff Website
The Randolph County Sheriff's website is the hub for all sheriff services in the county. Beyond the jail roster, you can find contact info for various county offices, department news, and links to other Randolph County resources.
The screenshot above shows the Randolph County Sheriff's main page. From here you can reach the current inmate listing, find phone numbers, and learn about other services the sheriff provides. The site also has contact info for other Randolph County offices if you need court or clerk records related to a jail case.
Note: Randolph County is home to several state prison facilities run by IDOC, which are separate from the county jail roster managed by the sheriff.
Jail Roster Records in Randolph County
The Freedom of Information Act in Illinois covers jail roster records in Randolph County. Under 5 ILCS 140, Section 2.15, arrest reports must show the person's name, age, address, charges, time and place of arrest, and the arresting agency. When someone sits in the Randolph County jail, the report must also include when they were received, discharged, or transferred. Reports come out within 72 hours of the arrest.
Anyone can ask for these records. You do not need a reason. The Randolph County Sheriff's Office must respond in a timely way. Most of the basics show up on the inmate listing page, but if you need the full arrest report or more detail than what the jail roster shows, you can file a written FOIA request with the sheriff's office in Chester.
State Inmate Search and Randolph County
Randolph County has a unique position in the Illinois corrections system. Chester is home to the Menard Correctional Center, one of the oldest and largest state prisons in Illinois. That facility is run by IDOC, not the county. Inmates there do not appear on the Randolph County jail roster. They show up on the IDOC inmate search instead.
If someone from Randolph County gets a felony sentence of more than one year, they leave the county jail and go to an IDOC facility. The state search shows their name, IDOC number, date of birth, current facility, and projected discharge date. You can also call IDOC at 217-558-2200. Keep in mind that the county jail roster and the state prison system are two different things. The Randolph County jail roster covers local holds and short sentences. IDOC covers the state side.
Under 730 ILCS 5, the Unified Code of Corrections governs how state inmate records are kept. This applies to facilities like Menard in Randolph County but not to the county jail itself.
Contact the Randolph County Jail
Call 618-826-5484 to reach the Randolph County Sheriff's Office and jail. The address is 200 W. Buena Vista Street, Chester, IL 62233. Staff can help you with jail roster questions, bond info, and visitation details for Randolph County.
The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority tracks criminal justice data across the state, including counties like Randolph. For state prison questions, the IDOC contact page handles media and public records requests. The Illinois Prisoner Review Board manages parole decisions at 217-782-7273.
Note: Since Chester hosts the Menard Correctional Center, there is often confusion between state prison inmates and Randolph County jail roster inmates; they are handled by completely different systems.
What the Randolph County Roster Shows
The Randolph County jail roster lists people held at the county facility. Common fields include the inmate's full name, booking date, charges, and bond amount. The level of detail depends on what the sheriff's office chooses to post on the listing page. Some updates may include the arresting agency or the next court date.
This roster is a live document. It changes as people enter and leave the Randolph County jail. If you check in the morning, the list may look different by evening. For records of past bookings that no longer appear on the current listing, contact the sheriff's office in Chester directly. They keep historical data that goes beyond what the online Randolph County jail roster displays.
Cities in Randolph County
Randolph County includes Chester, Sparta, Red Bud, and other small towns. None of the cities in Randolph County meet the 50,000 population threshold for a dedicated city page. All arrests in this area go through the Randolph County jail and appear on the jail roster kept by the sheriff's office in Chester.
Nearby Counties
Randolph County is in southwestern Illinois near the Mississippi River. These nearby counties each run their own jail and jail roster.