The Benton County Inmate Population
Benton County has one local detention facility identified for inmate-population purposes: the Benton County Jail / Benton County Justice Complex in Ashland. The Mississippi Sheriffs' Association directory lists the Benton County sheriff's office at 368 Ripley Ave. and gives the sheriff's department phone number as 662-224-8941. The county elected-officials page identifies Robby Goolsby as sheriff, and Tiger Commissary separately lists Benton County Justice Complex as an Ashland facility. No official county page located during research published a live roster, booking dashboard, or daily count.
The Benton County inmate population includes people arrested locally while they wait for first appearance or trial, people serving short local sentences, and people held on warrants or agency holds until transfer or release. A person sentenced to state prison is no longer best searched through a county jail path. The record trail then shifts to the Mississippi Department of Corrections inmate search. Federal sentenced prisoners use the BOP locator, and immigration custody uses ICE ODLS.
Benton County Inmate Population Statistics
The strongest county trend source located was the Vera Institute Incarceration Trends dataset. That dataset is not a current sheriff dashboard, but it gives a sourced baseline for Benton County jail population, capacity fields, admissions, and incarceration rates through 2019. The research also found U.S. Census population context and statewide Mississippi corrections figures. Because Benton County has not published a current official jail population page in the located sources, current custody should still be confirmed with the sheriff.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Total jail population | 12 | Vera county dataset, 2019 |
| Rated capacity field | 11 | Vera county dataset, 2019 |
| Annual jail admissions field | 70.5 | Vera county dataset, 2019 |
| Total jail population rate | 246.86 per 100,000 age 15-64 residents | Vera county dataset, 2019 |
| Total incarceration | 41 | Vera county dataset, 2019 |
| Census population | 7,646 | U.S. Census, April 1, 2020 |
The Benton County official homepage gives the county courthouse contact block, while the statewide and national sources give context for comparing small-county jail figures. The statewide Vera dataset reports 7,405 people in Mississippi jails in 2023 and a statewide total incarceration rate of 1,089.38 per 100,000 age 15-64 residents in 2024. Those state numbers do not replace a Benton County jail count.
Benton County Inmate Population Trends
The Vera rows show a small but variable Benton County jail population from 2015 through 2019. The count rose to 20 in 2017, then dropped to 11 in 2018 and 12 in 2019. Rated-capacity fields declined over the same period in the dataset, which is why the 2019 total appears slightly above the reported capacity field. Those figures are research-dataset values, not a fresh jail inspection or a current sheriff-published bed count.
| Year | Total Jail Population | Rated Capacity Field | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 10 | 22.33 | Vera county dataset |
| 2016 | 12 | 19.5 | Vera county dataset |
| 2017 | 20 | 16.67 | Highest count in the inspected period |
| 2018 | 11 | 13.83 | Decline from 2017 |
| 2019 | 12 | 11 | Population slightly above the capacity field |
Who Makes Up the Benton County Inmate Population
Vera's 2019 demographic fields show a mostly pretrial local jail population. The dataset reports 11 people in pretrial custody and 1 sentenced jail inmate, with 11 male jail inmates and no female jail population field for that year. The same 2019 row reports 6 Black jail inmates and 5 White jail inmates. Benton County's prison-linked population was listed separately at 29, which matters because prison custody is searched through MDOC rather than the county jail.
- Pretrial custody: Vera reports 11 pretrial jail inmates in 2019.
- Sentenced local custody: Vera reports 1 sentenced jail inmate in 2019.
- State prison link: Vera reports 29 prison inmates linked to Benton County in 2019.
- Current online roster: no official Benton County live roster was located.
The Mississippi Jail Records project adds an important caution for county jail lists across the state. Sheriff-provided lists can vary by format and timing, and a person shown on a list may have been released after the list was made. That caveat fits Benton County because the located official county sources do not publish a live roster that can be checked against the sheriff's current intake system.
Benton County Jail Capacity
Benton County does not publish a current capacity notice, jail-construction update, or detention dashboard in the official sources reviewed. The research file notes that some unofficial jail-directory pages claim an 80-bed jail, but that figure is not used here because it was not confirmed by official or high-authority Benton County material. The Vera rated-capacity fields are safer to present as historic dataset fields, not as a current building rating.
No official Benton County jail consent decree, DOJ jail investigation, or county jail reform press release was located. Statewide prison conditions reporting should not be treated as a Benton County Jail finding. DOJ's February 28, 2024 Mississippi prison announcement concerned state prison facilities outside Benton County, so it is useful only when a Benton case moves into MDOC custody.
Laws Governing Benton County Inmate Records
Mississippi's Public Records Act is the main access law for Benton County jail records that are not online. The Mississippi Ethics Commission Public Records Act page states that public records must be available for inspection unless a specific exemption applies. It also defines incident reports and investigative reports differently. That split matters for Benton County inmate records because basic incident-report and arrest information may be public, while investigative material, victim-identifying details, and protected law-enforcement data can be withheld or redacted.
Key Statutes:
Miss. Code sections 25-61-1 and 25-61-2 state Mississippi's public-records policy and general inspection right.
Miss. Code section 25-61-3 defines public records, incident reports, investigative reports, and law-enforcement agency records.
Miss. Code section 25-61-7 allows reasonable actual-cost fees for search, review, copying, redaction, and mailing.
Miss. Code section 47-5-151 governs death notification and medical-examiner procedures when a prisoner dies in custody.
Benton County and State Prison
No MDOC state prison is physically located in Benton County. The MDOC facilities list does show a Benton Probation and Parole Office at 16 South Main Street in Ashland, phone 662-224-3140, but that office is for community supervision, not detention. A person sentenced out of a Benton County case may move from the county jail into an MDOC facility elsewhere in Mississippi. At that point, the local jail phone line may no longer be the best search channel.
MDOC public records have their own process. The MDOC general public records page says inmate and public records requests must be in writing and are not accepted by telephone. That rule applies to MDOC records, not sheriff booking records. Benton County jail booking records should be requested through the sheriff or county channel under the state Public Records Act.
Search the Benton County Inmate Population
No official Benton County online jail roster was located on the county website, county sitemap, or official search results reviewed in the research file. That makes the phone and written-request path the primary local route. Start with the Benton County Sheriff's Department at 662-224-8941 for current custody, bond status, first-appearance court, and outside holds. Use a full legal name, date of birth if known, arrest date, and arresting agency.
- Call the Benton County Sheriff's Department and ask whether the person is held at the Benton County Jail / Benton County Justice Complex.
- Ask whether the person is still in intake, whether bond has been set, and which court is handling the first appearance.
- Check Mississippi VINELink when custody notification is the goal or the person may have moved between participating facilities.
- Search MDOC inmate search if the person has been sentenced to state custody or is on state supervision.
- Use BOP inmate locator for sentenced federal custody and ICE ODLS for immigration custody.
Current Benton County Jail Lookup
The county jail roster field table is short because the research did not locate an official Benton County current-inmate form. That absence is useful to know before spending time on unofficial sites. The county jail path is still direct: call, verify the exact identity, and ask what public information can be released by phone or through a written request. For formal court records after charges are filed, use the Circuit Clerk and the Delta Computer Systems portal instead of the jail.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not applicable | Not located | Not located | Benton County does not publish an official current-inmate search form in located sources. |
The Benton County elected-officials page is still relevant because it names the sheriff. The Mississippi Sheriffs' Association directory is the stronger contact source for the sheriff's department address and phone. Keep both sources separate from commercial roster pages that may describe other Benton counties or rely on stale jail-directory text.
Past Benton County Inmate Records
Past jail records are handled differently from current custody checks. If a person has been released, transferred, or never appeared on a public roster, request the booking sheet, incident-report information, release status, or booking photo in writing. A useful request names the person, gives the arrest or booking date if known, identifies the records sought, asks for electronic copies when possible, and includes the requester's contact information. Mississippi law allows reasonable actual-cost fees, so ask for a cost estimate if a large file or redaction review is needed.
For filed criminal charges, the Benton County Circuit Clerk / Delta Computer Systems portal is the online court-index path. The portal is subscription based and says the courthouse record controls if online data lags. For local custody history, however, the sheriff and county records route remains the direct source. The Benton County inmate records page covers that custody workflow in more detail.
Benton County Inmate Record Fields
Because no official public Benton County roster profile was found, no page should claim that Benton County publishes mugshots, bond, housing, or charge fields online. Those fields may exist in a jail booking record, and they may be available by phone confirmation or public-records request when not exempt. The practical question is whether the information is a basic incident or booking detail, a court record, or an investigative record that can be withheld.
| Requested Field | What It May Show |
|---|---|
| Name and identifiers | The person's legal name and enough identifying detail to avoid a wrong match. |
| Booking date and time | When the jail intake record was created after arrest. |
| Arresting agency | The agency that made the arrest or lodged the charge. |
| Charge or incident information | The alleged offense at booking, subject to later prosecutor or court changes. |
| Bond and release status | Whether bond was set, posted, denied, or blocked by another hold. |
| Booking photograph | A mugshot may exist, but Benton County does not publish an official online mugshot gallery in located sources. |
Benton County Jail vs MDOC
The most common search mistake is using the wrong custody system. Benton County jail custody is local, short term, and sheriff operated. MDOC custody is statewide and usually follows sentencing or transfer. Federal and immigration custody are separate from both. A Benton County arrest may start in the county jail, move into court records, and later move into MDOC if a sentence is imposed.
| Custody Type | Who It Covers | Where to Look |
|---|---|---|
| County jail | Pretrial detainees, local sentences, warrants, local holds | Benton County Sheriff's Department |
| State prison | Sentenced Mississippi offenders and state supervision records | Mississippi Department of Corrections inmate search |
| Federal custody | Federal sentenced inmates and some federal detainee routing | BOP locator, federal court, or U.S. Marshals path |
| Immigration custody | People held for immigration enforcement | ICE Online Detainee Locator System |
Benton County Detention Facilities
Benton County's detention map is simple. No separate work-release annex, city jail, state prison, BOP prison, or ICE detention center was found in official sources. The county has an MDOC Probation and Parole Office, but it is not a detention facility and does not get a jail roster page. For inmate-population purposes, the local facility list has one entry.
- Benton County Jail / Benton County Justice Complex - the local sheriff-operated jail for arrests, short local sentences, warrants, and holds in Benton County.
Court Records After Benton County Arrests
Booking charges are not the same thing as filed court charges. The Benton County Circuit Clerk page says the clerk keeps the court docket, enters proceedings, issues subpoenas, files trial documents, receives verdicts, and records judgments. The Third Circuit District Attorney's Office serves Benton County and can amend, reduce, dismiss, or present charges to a grand jury. Once charges are filed, the court record is the better source for case status than a jail booking entry.
The Third Circuit District Attorney serves Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Lafayette, Marshall, Tippah, and Union counties. The DA profiles page lists District Attorney Ben Creekmore and Assistant District Attorney Erika "Regan" Pritchard for Marshall and Benton County. For the arrest-to-case path, use the Benton County court records after jail arrest page.
Benton County Mugshots
No official Benton County jail mugshot gallery, recent-booking photo feed, or daily booking-photo PDF was located. Booking photos may exist as part of the jail record, but Mississippi law does not mean Benton County must publish every mugshot online. A request for a booking photo should be made through the sheriff or county records path and should identify the person, date, and record sought. Do not rely on commercial mugshot pages for official custody status.
Benton County Inmate Population FAQ
Does Benton County have an online inmate roster?
No official Benton County online jail roster was located in the county sources reviewed. Current custody should be checked through the Benton County Sheriff's Department at 662-224-8941, then through MDOC, VINELink, BOP, or ICE if the person may be outside county jail custody.
How large is the Benton County inmate population?
The best sourced county trend row in the research file is Vera's 2019 figure of 12 total jail inmates and a rated-capacity field of 11. Benton County does not publish a current daily online jail count in the located official material.
Where are sentenced Benton County inmates searched?
Sentenced state prisoners are searched through MDOC, not the county jail path. The MDOC inmate search accepts first name, last name, or MDOC ID number.
Can released Benton County inmates be looked up?
Released booking records may require a written public-records request to the sheriff or county. Court charges, if filed, may be searched through the Circuit Clerk courthouse route or the Delta subscription portal.