The Scott County Inmate Population
The Scott County inmate population is housed locally at one official detention facility: the Scott County Jail, also described in county materials as the Scott County Detention Center. It is operated by the Scott County Sheriff's Office and holds local pretrial detainees, people serving county-level jail time, people waiting for court action, and lower-risk state or county work program trustees when assigned. Research did not locate a separate MDOC prison, BOP institution, ICE detention center, or regional jail inside Scott County. That matters because an inmate lookup can fail when the wrong custody system is searched.
The current daily Scott County inmate population was not published in the official public sources reviewed. The sheriff's jail page gives a stated detention capacity, while historical county jail counts come from the Vera Institute's county jail data. A person arrested by the sheriff's office, Forest Police, Morton Police, Mississippi Highway Patrol, or another local agency may enter the jail first, then move through booking, video court, bond review, and later court proceedings. If the person is sentenced to the Mississippi Department of Corrections, the search path changes from county custody to the statewide MDOC locator.
The official sheriff homepage also frames the jail within a larger local agency led by Sheriff Michael W. "Mike" Lee. The sheriff's office reports patrol coverage across 610 square miles, 32 sworn officers, 8 communication officers, and 28 detention officers. Its divisions include Patrol, Criminal Investigations, Narcotics, Detention Facility, Dispatch, SRO, and Civil Process. Those agency facts help explain why jail records, court transport, civil papers, and public safety tips all sit near each other on the same local site, even though they are different record channels.
The sheriff homepage screenshot from the Scott County Sheriff's Office shows the local agency hub that links jail, contact, and public safety material.
Use the sheriff site for agency context, but do not treat every menu label as a working county inmate roster.
Scott County Inmate Population Statistics
The best current facility number is the jail capacity stated by the sheriff. The official jail page says the Scott County Jail can hold up to 323 detainees, and the same local source notes a work camp office that can house up to 86 low-security prisoners. The count of detention facilities is one because official state, federal, and county source checks did not locate another jail or prison inside Scott County. Historical population counts come from the Vera Institute Incarceration Trends dataset, not from a live county roster dashboard.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Historical jail population | 100 | Vera county data, 2019 |
| Jail incarceration rate | 578.44 per 100,000 age 15-64 | Vera county data, 2019 |
| Scott County Jail capacity | 323 detainees | Sheriff jail page, inspected June 19, 2026 |
| Work camp office capacity | Up to 86 low-security prisoners | Sheriff jail page, inspected June 19, 2026 |
| Current daily jail count | Not located in official public sources | No active county roster or dashboard located |
National jail figures are useful for scale, but they should not be read as Scott County numbers. The Bureau of Justice Statistics Jail Inmates in 2023 report found a national local jail average daily population of 664,800, 7.6 million admissions during July 2022 through June 2023, 915,800 jail beds at midyear, 73 percent national bed occupancy, and 12 percent of jail jurisdictions operating above rated capacity. Scott County has its own jail capacity and historical Vera trend, so those national figures serve only as comparison.
Scott County Inmate Population Trends
Historical Vera data shows the Scott County inmate population falling from 135 in 2016 and 134 in 2018 to 100 in 2019. The available county-level series is not a live count, and it does not replace a jail call for current custody. It does show that the Scott County jail population has moved within a fairly tight range in the recent historical rows located for this research. The highest figure in the 2015 through 2019 set was 135 in 2016, and the 2019 row was the lowest in that set.
| Year | Total Jail Population | Jail Rate per 100k | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 100 | 578.44 | Latest Scott County Vera jail row located. |
| 2018 | 134 | 765.19 | Higher than 2019. |
| 2017 | 125 | 705.30 | Near the 2015 figure. |
| 2016 | 135 | 756.26 | Highest in the 2015-2019 span. |
| 2015 | 125 | 695.84 | Vera row includes sex counts. |
| 2013 | 107 | 587.65 | Vera row includes pretrial and sentenced counts. |
The sheriff administration page gives a local reason why older population and capacity fields may not match the current jail page. It says the new detention center increased the number of inmates from 50 to 200 during the jail construction and expansion period. The current jail page now states 323 detainees plus the 86-prisoner work camp office. Those sources should be kept separate: Vera supports the historical jail population trend, while the sheriff's jail page supports current listed facility capacity.
Note: A daily jail headcount can change after arrests, releases, court orders, and MDOC transfers, so historical trend rows are not a live roster.
Scott County Inmate Population Makeup
Demographic detail for the Scott County inmate population is limited in the public sources. Vera reports male and female jail population counts for several years, and the 2013 row also reports pretrial and sentenced jail counts plus race fields. The later Vera rows located for 2015 through 2019 did not include the same full pretrial, sentenced, and race breakdown. That means the strongest use is a careful historical snapshot, not a claim about the makeup of the current daily jail population.
| Year | Male | Female | Pretrial | Sentenced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 90 | 10 | Not reported in row | Not reported in row |
| 2018 | 110 | 24 | Not reported in row | Not reported in row |
| 2017 | 110 | 15 | Not reported in row | Not reported in row |
| 2016 | 110 | 25 | Not reported in row | Not reported in row |
| 2015 | 100 | 25 | Not reported in row | Not reported in row |
| 2013 | 95 | 12 | 71 | 36 |
The 2013 Vera row listed 71 pretrial people and 36 sentenced people in the Scott County jail population. It also reported Black jail population at 72.04 and White jail population at 23.31 in the dataset fields. Because those values come from a historical research dataset, they should not be used to estimate who is in jail today. For a current custody question, the practical route is still the sheriff or jail contact channel, followed by court or MDOC records when the person has moved out of local custody.
Scott County Jail Capacity
The Scott County Jail capacity figure is 323 detainees according to the sheriff's jail page. The same page adds that the work camp office can house up to 86 low-security prisoners. No current official overcrowding order, consent decree, closure order, or active jail construction ballot measure was located in the reviewed Scott County sources. The lack of a daily population dashboard means a reader cannot calculate current occupancy from public web data alone. A direct call to the jail is the only supported way to ask about a current count or a current custody status.
The Scott County jail page screenshot from the official sheriff jail page shows the local capacity and facility overview source used for the figures.
The screenshot supports the local jail-capacity discussion, while Vera supports older population trend rows.
Scott County Inmate Record Laws
Scott County jail data sits within Mississippi public-records law and sheriff record duties. The Mississippi Public Records Act states the general rule that public records are available for inspection unless an exemption applies. For jail custody, the more specific statute is the sheriff jail docket law. The county sheriff page also says the sheriff serves as county jailor and keeps a jail docket, which aligns with the statute.
Key Statutes:
Mississippi Code Section 19-25-63 requires the sheriff to keep a jail docket with custody authority, prisoner name, dates, cause, duration, release, discharge, and transfer information.
Mississippi Code Section 19-5-1 supplies county jail examination and oversight context, not a live daily roster rule.
Mississippi DPS BJOST standards cover county, municipal, and youth detention officers and include a 96-hour standardized detention officer course.
Mississippi DPS death-in-custody reporting implements covered reporting for deaths during arrest, transport, jail custody, prison custody, and other detention settings.
These laws do not mean every jail record field must be posted online. They do support a records-request path when a booking record, jail docket entry, release date, or custody-transfer fact is not available through a web roster. The sheriff remains the first local custodian for jail custody records, while court charges, indictments, dispositions, and expunction orders belong to the court record system.
Scott County State Prison Search
Sentenced prisoners from Scott County may leave the local jail population and enter the Mississippi Department of Corrections count. The Mississippi Department of Corrections inmate search is the correct starting point after a person has been committed to MDOC custody. MDOC search fields include Search Criteria, First Name, Last Name, and MDOC ID Number. That tool is not a county jail booking docket, and it should not be used as proof that a newly arrested person is not in the Scott County Jail.
No MDOC prison is physically located in Scott County. MDOC does list the Scott Probation and Parole Office at the same Airport Road address, but that is a community supervision office and not a detention facility for the facility list. A person on probation or parole may report to that office without being housed there. If a jail record shows a state hold or a person later appears in MDOC, the custody question has moved from county booking to state correctional custody.
The MDOC inmate search page screenshot shows the statewide sentenced-prisoner locator used when a Scott County inmate has moved into state custody.
Use MDOC for state prison custody, not for a new county jail booking unless the sheriff roster link has redirected there.
Search Scott County Jail Custody
The most important Scott County inmate search finding is negative but useful: the official sheriff site has an "Inmate Roster" menu label, but the researched link redirected to MDOC rather than a local current-inmate roster. The old roster.php path returned a 404 page as of June 19, 2026. Because no working official county online roster was located, a current Scott County jail custody check should start with the sheriff or jail phone line and move through the records-request path if web lookup does not answer the question.
Use a full legal name, approximate date of arrest, date of birth when available, and the arresting agency if known. Do not rely on spelling alone. Nicknames, middle names, hyphenated names, and recent transfers can all keep a search from matching. For a person believed to have been sentenced already, run an MDOC search as a separate step. For federal or immigration custody, use the BOP, USMS, or ICE channels instead of the county jail channel.
- Check whether the person was likely arrested in Scott County or only has a state, federal, or immigration custody issue.
- Call the Scott County Jail or Sheriff's Office at 601-469-1511 for current county custody and release questions.
- For a written jail docket or booking record, contact the sheriff at 531 Airport Road, Forest, MS 39074.
- Search MDOC if the person may have been sentenced to state prison after the county case.
- Use BOP, USMS Southern District of Mississippi, ICE, or VINELink when the person is not in county or state prison custody.
Current Scott County Inmate Lookup
A current Scott County inmate lookup should be handled with care because the official county roster was not found in working form. The sheriff menu link that appears to promise an inmate roster did not produce a local searchable jail roster in the research record. It redirected toward the state corrections system. That means local pretrial detainees may not be visible in the place a reader expects. For urgent custody, bond, intake, release, or transport status, use the jail phone channel first.
| Lookup Channel | Fields or Details | Best Use | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| County jail phone | Name, date of birth if known, arrest date | Current Scott County Jail custody | Staff may limit nonpublic details. |
| County jail docket request | Name, date received, warrant or commitment, release or transfer | Historical jail custody records | Requires a records request when not online. |
| MDOC locator | Search Criteria, First Name, Last Name, MDOC ID Number | Sentenced state prisoners | Not the county booking roster. |
| BOP locator | First, middle, last, race, sex, age, or federal number | Federal sentenced prisoners | Does not cover all federal pretrial custody. |
| ICE locator | A-number and country, or name, country, and date of birth | Immigration detention | Separate from county criminal booking. |
Past Scott County Inmate Records
Past Scott County inmate records are different from current custody checks. A released person may no longer be listed anywhere online, especially when no active county roster is available. The sheriff jail docket statute is the stronger local record anchor because it requires entries for the warrant or commitment authority, prisoner name, dates, cause of imprisonment, authority, duration, release or discharge, and transfer receipt when sent to the penitentiary. Ask for the specific record type needed rather than asking for a broad "background check."
Court records may be needed to learn what happened after the jail entry. A jail booking can reflect the arrest or hold reason, but the prosecutor or grand jury may later file different formal charges. For court outcomes, use the circuit clerk, Justice Court, Mississippi Electronic Courts where available, or the court that handled the case. Booking photos and mugshot access are also separate. The county mugshot page explains that research did not locate a working official Scott County mugshot roster and that booking-photo requests should go through the sheriff when not online.
Scott County Inmate Record Fields
No live Scott County online inmate profile could be inventoried because the county roster link did not resolve to a working local roster. The most reliable field list comes from Mississippi's sheriff jail docket law and from visible local jail source fields. A jail docket is the sheriff-maintained custody record. A mittimus is a court commitment order that authorizes custody. A detainer is a hold request from another agency. These terms may appear in custody and release conversations even when there is no public web profile.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Prisoner name | The person received or committed to jail custody. |
| Date received | When the jail received the person into custody. |
| Arrest or commitment date | The date tied to arrest, court order, or jail commitment. |
| Cause of imprisonment | The charge, warrant, commitment, or other custody reason. |
| Authority for custody | The court, writ, warrant, mittimus, or agency basis for holding the person. |
| Release, discharge, or transfer | How the custody event ended or where the person was moved. |
Scott County Jail vs Prison
County jail and state prison are easy to confuse because the sheriff's roster menu led to MDOC during research. They are still separate custody systems. Scott County Jail is the local facility for booking, pretrial detention, local court holds, short county sentences, and work program custody. MDOC is the statewide prison agency for people committed after sentencing. Federal and immigration custody adds another layer and may involve BOP, the U.S. Marshals Service, or ICE.
| County Jail | State Prison | Federal or ICE Custody | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who is held | Pretrial detainees, local sentences, court holds | Sentenced state prisoners | Federal prisoners, federal pretrial detainees, or immigration detainees |
| Run by | Scott County Sheriff's Office | Mississippi Department of Corrections | BOP, USMS, or ICE depending on custody type |
| Where to look | Call jail or request sheriff jail records | MDOC inmate search | BOP locator, USMS district contact, or ICE locator |
| Record focus | Booking, jail docket, bond, release, transfer | Prison facility, sentence, status, parole details when available | Federal sentence or immigration detention status |
Scott County Federal Inmate Search
No federal prison or ICE detention center was located in Scott County, but federal and immigration custody can still matter after a local arrest. The BOP inmate locator covers federal inmates incarcerated from 1982 forward. The BOP by-name form can use first name, middle name, last name, race, sex, and age, while number searches can use federal identifiers. Federal pretrial custody is different. The U.S. Marshals Service handles many federal pretrial custody and transport issues, and the Southern District of Mississippi is the relevant district contact path for Scott County.
For immigration custody, use the ICE Online Detainee Locator System. ICE searches can use an A-number and country of birth, or name, country of birth, and date of birth. A county jail detainer does not mean the person is already in ICE custody. It may mean another agency has requested notice or transfer after the local case. VINELink is also useful for custody or release notifications where Mississippi data is available, but it is a notification tool, not the sheriff's jail docket.
The BOP inmate locator screenshot shows the separate federal lookup channel used when a Scott County case becomes federal custody.
Use BOP for federal sentenced prisoners, and use USMS or the holding facility for federal pretrial custody questions.
Scott County Detention Facilities
The Scott County facility list has exactly one detention facility. The MDOC Scott Probation and Parole Office shares the Airport Road address, but it is not a jail or prison and should not be counted as a detention facility. No BOP prison, ICE center, MDOC prison, or separate regional jail was located inside the county through the official source sweep. That keeps the local detention map compact, but it makes the custody split more important.
- Scott County Jail - the sheriff-operated county jail in Forest for pretrial detainees, local jail sentences, court holds, and lower-security work program custody when assigned.
The jail has kitchen, laundry, medical or clinical, and dental services. It also has video court equipment for first appearances, arraignments, and bond hearings. Mail must include the inmate's name and ID number on the envelope, and all correspondence is examined by jail staff. The jail information page points families toward Securus and HomeWAV accounts for phone or video communication, and Tiger Commissary for online deposits or commissary orders.
Scott County Custody Terms
Several jail and court terms appear often in Scott County inmate population work. Plain meanings help keep county jail records separate from court records and state prison records.
- Booking
- The jail intake process after arrest, including identity checks, paperwork, screening, and custody entry.
- Jail docket
- The sheriff-maintained custody record required by Mississippi law for people received into jail.
- First appearance
- An early court event where rights, charge information, and release conditions may be addressed.
- Detainer
- A hold request or notice from another agency that may affect release or transfer.
- MDOC
- The Mississippi Department of Corrections, the state prison agency for sentenced prisoners.
Scott County Inmate Population FAQ
How big is the Scott County inmate population? The current daily count was not located in official public sources. The sheriff's jail page states a 323-detainee capacity and an up-to-86-prisoner work camp office. Vera's latest located county jail row reported 100 people in 2019.
Does Scott County have a working online jail roster? Research did not locate a working official county roster. The sheriff menu label redirected to MDOC, and the old roster.php path returned a 404 page as of June 19, 2026. Call 601-469-1511 for current jail custody.
When should MDOC be used? Use MDOC when a person has been sentenced to Mississippi state prison custody. Do not use MDOC as the only check for a new Scott County arrest, because county pretrial detainees are local jail custody.
Are there other detention facilities in Scott County? The only official detention facility identified in the source sweep is Scott County Jail. The MDOC probation and parole office at the same road address is a supervision office, not a jail or prison.
Can VINELink help with Scott County inmate status? VINELink can provide custody or release notifications where Mississippi data is available. It does not replace a sheriff jail docket request, a jail phone call, or MDOC lookup for sentenced state custody.
Is the Scott County Sheriff MS app an inmate roster? The Google Play listing and Apple App Store listing describe the app as a communication, tips, public safety news, and information tool. They do not document an app-only inmate roster, so the app should not be treated as a confirmed custody search channel.