Clinton County Released Inmates
Clinton County released inmates records are maintained by the Clinton County Sheriff's Office in Carlyle. The county does not have an online inmate search tool, so you will need to contact the sheriff's office directly to check on bookings and releases. Clinton County has a population of about 36,954 and is located in southwestern Illinois. Sheriff Dan Travous leads the department. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. For information about who has been booked or released from the county jail, calling the office is the primary method.
Clinton County Quick Facts
Clinton County Sheriff's Office
The Clinton County Sheriff's Office handles all law enforcement and jail operations for the county. The office is at 810 Franklin Street in Carlyle, IL 62231. You can reach them at (618) 594-4555. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Sheriff Dan Travous runs the department.
Clinton County does not offer an online portal for searching inmates. This is the case for quite a few smaller counties in Illinois. To find out if someone is in custody or has been released, call the sheriff's office during business hours. Give them the person's full name and any other details you have. Staff will check the records and let you know what they find. If you call outside of office hours, the jail staff may still be able to help with basic questions about current custody status.
The sheriff's office maintains a Facebook page where they post updates about arrests, community events, and department news. While it is not a formal inmate search tool, the page sometimes includes information about recent bookings and other law enforcement activity in Clinton County. It can be a useful secondary source of information.
Note: Call during business hours (Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4:30 PM) for the best chance of getting inmate information from the Clinton County Sheriff's Office.
Clinton County Sheriff Resources
The screenshot below shows the Clinton County Sheriff's Office page on the county government website.
This page has the sheriff's contact information, office hours, and a basic overview of the department's services. While it does not include an inmate lookup tool, it confirms where to direct your calls and requests about released inmates in Clinton County.
The county offices page provides links to all Clinton County government departments.
The sheriff's Facebook page is another place to find updates about the department.
Facebook posts from the sheriff's office can include arrest announcements and other activity that relates to released inmates records in the county.
FOIA Requests in Clinton County
Under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act at 5 ILCS 140, anyone can request public records from government bodies in Illinois. This includes the Clinton County Sheriff's Office. If a phone call does not give you the detail you need about released inmates, filing a FOIA request is the formal route to getting records.
Write your request and send it to the sheriff's office at 810 Franklin Street, Carlyle, IL 62231. Include the person's full name, any dates you know, and what specific records you are after. Clinton County has five business days to respond under the law. They can extend that by another five days if the request takes extra time to process. Most basic requests are free of charge. If the records involve a lot of pages, the county may charge a small copying fee. Being specific in your request helps the office find what you need faster and reduces the chance of delays.
State-Level Inmate Records
When someone from Clinton County is sentenced to state prison, their records go to the Illinois Department of Corrections. The IDOC Offender Search lets you look up anyone in or released from a state prison. The database is free and open to the public. It covers current inmates, people on mandatory supervised release, and those who have been fully discharged. Search by name to find anyone with a Clinton County conviction who ended up in the state system.
The Illinois Unified Code of Corrections at 730 ILCS 5 sets the rules for how the state handles inmates at every stage. Sentencing, good time credit, mandatory supervised release, and parole revocation all fall under this code. If someone from Clinton County was sentenced to state prison, the terms of 730 ILCS 5 controlled their time inside and the conditions of their release. The IDOC database tracks this information and shares parts of it publicly.
Illinois VINELink is a free service that sends you alerts when an offender's custody status changes. This covers both county jail and state prison inmates throughout Illinois. Register the name of the person you want to track and choose how you want to be notified. You can get alerts by phone, email, or text. In a county like Clinton where there is no online jail roster, VINELink fills an important gap for people who need to know when someone gets out.
Note: County jail records and state prison records are maintained in separate databases, so always search both if you do not know where the person was held.
Background Checks for Clinton County
The Illinois State Police run a name-based background check through the ISP Bureau of Identification. This is a paid service that searches criminal history records across the entire state. Results can include convictions, sentences, and incarceration records. For someone who was arrested in Clinton County, this tool can pull up records from there and anywhere else in Illinois.
The service is available to anyone. Employers and landlords use it regularly, but individuals can submit requests too. Name-based checks are the fastest option and cost less than fingerprint-based searches. If you want a broader view than what the Clinton County sheriff can provide over the phone, the ISP background check is a solid next step.
How to Get Clinton County Inmate Info
Without an online search tool, getting released inmates records in Clinton County starts with a phone call. Dial (618) 594-4555 during office hours and ask about the person by name. The staff can check their system and give you basic info on bookings and releases. For after-hours questions about someone currently in custody, the jail staff may still be reachable.
For formal documentation, submit a FOIA request under 5 ILCS 140. For state prison records, the IDOC Offender Search covers Clinton County cases that went to the state level. VINELink provides free alerts for custody changes. And the ISP background check gives you statewide criminal history. These tools together cover every level of the system for released inmates tied to Clinton County.
- Call the sheriff's office at (618) 594-4555 during business hours
- Check the sheriff's Facebook page for recent updates
- File a written FOIA request for official records
- Search IDOC Offender Search for state prison records
- Register with VINELink for custody change notifications
- Use the ISP background check for statewide criminal history
Nearby Counties
These counties sit next to Clinton County. Each one has its own sheriff and jail. If someone was arrested in a neighboring county, their records are held there instead.