Cook County Jail Inmate Search & Roster

How to Search the Cook County Jail Roster

1. Open the official Cook County Individual in Custody Locator.
2. Read and accept the locator’s terms and conditions if prompted.
3. Enter the person’s identifying information. Use the full legal name whenever possible.
4. If you already know the booking identification number, use it because it can distinguish people with similar names.
5. Open the matching record and confirm the person’s identity before using the information for visitation, mail or deposits.
6. Review the available custody, booking and housing information.

What You Can Learn From the Search

The exact fields available can change, but the Sheriff’s custody system may help you identify the person’s current jail record and obtain information needed for other Cook County correctional services.

Cook County Jail Location and Contact Information

Corrections customer service is listed by the Sheriff’s Office as available seven days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. for general questions involving discharge, property, court information, trust funds and similar corrections matters.

Understanding the Cook County Jail System

The Cook County Department of Corrections is operated by the Cook County Sheriff’s Office and occupies a large correctional complex on Chicago’s Southwest Side. The Sheriff describes it as one of the largest single-site jail operations in the United States.

People may be assigned to different divisions depending on classification, security level, medical needs, programming and available housing. Active housing can include facilities such as Divisions II, VI, IX, X, XI, XVI and specialized or annex areas. The housing assignment shown in the locator is therefore important if you plan to visit someone.

How to Find a Person’s Housing Division

You can check housing through the online locator or call the automated line at 773-674-5245.

A Cook County housing designation generally identifies both a division and a tier or living unit. For example, the first portion may identify the jail division, while the remaining characters indicate the person’s specific housing unit.

Cook County Jail Visitation

Visitors should not simply arrive at the jail without checking the current process. Cook County requires adult visitors to complete a visitor application before visiting an individual in custody.

1. Search for the person in the official custody locator.
2. Confirm the person’s current housing assignment.
3. Complete the visitor application required by the Cook County Department of Corrections.
4. Check the current visitation instructions for the person’s division.
5. Bring the identification required under the current visitor rules.

Check official Cook County visitation information.

Minors age 17 or younger do not complete their own visitor application, but they must be accompanied by an approved parent or guardian. High-school-age minors may also be required to present a current state or school photo ID.

Sending Mail to Someone in Cook County Jail

For regular correspondence, the Sheriff’s Office instructs senders to include the person’s name and booking number.

If you do not know the booking number, obtain it through the inmate locator or automated help line before mailing the letter. Mail containing prohibited or restricted material can be rejected.

Read the official jail mail rules.

Adding Money to a Cook County Jail Trust Account

You will normally need the person’s exact jail name and booking identification number before sending funds. The Sheriff’s Office currently lists several deposit methods, including approved online or telephone services, participating currency exchanges, mail and jail lobby kiosks.

• Western Union: Cook County uses the city code CCDOC or COOK COUNTY DEPT CORRECTION.
• MoneyGram: the Sheriff’s published receive code is 1750.
• JailATM: another listed electronic deposit option.
• Lobby kiosks: available at several locations within the jail complex.

Electronic deposits may take 1–2 business days to post. The Sheriff’s current rules say money orders sent by mail are limited to $100 each and cashier’s checks to $1,000 each. Cash must not be mailed.

Check current trust-account rules.

Bond and Release Information

Custody records can help establish whether someone is still being held, but release and bond questions may require additional confirmation because court decisions, processing and discharge can occur after the online record was viewed.

The Sheriff’s Corrections Customer Service line at 773-674-1945 handles general questions including bonding and discharge.

According to the Sheriff’s corrections FAQ, money orders are not accepted for bond. Published accepted methods include cash, certified checks and credit cards under applicable jail procedures. Credit-card bond payments require an in-person visit to the designated Division 5 lobby at 2700 S. California Ave.

If You Cannot Find Someone

A failed search does not always mean the person was never arrested. Try these checks before assuming the person is not in custody:

• Confirm the exact spelling of the first and last name.
• Allow several hours after a recent arrest for booking and processing.
• Search using the booking ID if you have it.
• Call 773-674-5245 for the automated custody and housing service.
• Remember that a person released quickly after bond court may never appear as a long-term jail occupant.
• If the person has been transferred to the Illinois Department of Corrections, search the state prison system instead of the Cook County jail locator.

Jail Roster vs. Court Records

A Cook County jail search answers a custody question: Is this person currently or recently held in the Cook County jail system? It should not be treated as a complete criminal-history report.

Charges, case filings, court dates, case outcomes and later dispositions may be maintained by the Cook County court system rather than the jail locator. An arrest or jail booking also does not establish guilt.

Booking Photos

The Sheriff’s Office states that a booking photo may appear in the Individual in Custody Locator after a person has been booked and processed. If no photo is available, the arresting agency may be the appropriate source.

The Sheriff’s communications office also notes that archived digital booking photographs from 2009 forward are the records most readily available through its system.

Official Cook County Resources

• Cook County Individual in Custody Locator
• Cook County Locate an Inmate service
• Cook County Department of Corrections
• Corrections phone numbers
• Cook County Jail divisions

Information basis: Cook County Sheriff’s Office, Cook County Department of Corrections and Cook County Government public resources. Jail procedures, visitation and custody information can change, so time-sensitive actions should be checked against the linked official resource.