Find Hancock County Released Inmates

Hancock County released inmates records are kept by the sheriff's office in Carthage, Illinois. The county jail sits at 98 Buchanan Street and holds up to 54 people at a time. If you want to find out who has been held or let go from this facility, you can call the jail or reach out through email. There is no online inmate search tool for Hancock County, so most lookups start with a phone call or a written request. State databases from IDOC and VINELink can also help you track people who were booked here and later moved to state custody.

Hancock County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff Travis Duffy runs the Hancock County Sheriff's Office and jail. The jail opened in January 1987. It uses a podular indirect supervision design. That means staff can watch inmates from a central area without being in direct contact all the time. On an average day, about 30 inmates are held at the facility. Around 15% of them are women. The jail is at 98 Buchanan Street in Carthage, IL 62321.

To ask about released inmates in Hancock County, call the jail at 217-357-2115. You can also fax your request to 217-357-3035 or send an email to hancockjail1@live.com. Kelly VanFleet is the jail administrator. There is no public web portal for searching inmates in Hancock County, so you have to use one of these direct methods. If you need to check on someone right now, calling is the fastest way to get an answer. Staff can tell you if a person is in custody or has been released.

The screenshot below shows the Hancock County Sheriff's Office website where you can find contact details for the jail.

Use this page to get the phone number and email for inmate lookups.

Records Requests in Hancock County

Illinois has the Freedom of Information Act at 5 ILCS 140. This law says that records held by government offices are public unless a specific rule says otherwise. That covers the Hancock County Sheriff's Office and the jail. You can file a FOIA request to get records about released inmates that go beyond what staff will share over the phone. Put your request in writing. Include the full name of the person you are asking about, along with any dates you have.

The county must respond within five business days. They can ask for five more days if the request is large or hard to fill. The first 50 pages of any records are free. After that, you may pay a small per-page fee. Send your FOIA request to the sheriff's office at 98 Buchanan Street, Carthage, IL 62321. You can also email Sheriff Duffy at tduffy@hancockcounty-il.gov to start the process.

Here is a look at the Hancock County government website homepage.

The county site links to all departments, including the sheriff's office and jail.

Note: FOIA requests sent by email must include all text in the body of the message, not as an attachment, per 5 ILCS 140/3(c).

Hancock County Jail Visiting Rules

Visiting at the Hancock County Jail is by appointment only. Call 217-357-2115 to set up a time. Visits happen on Wednesday and Saturday. Female inmates can have visitors at 12:30 PM. Male inmates get their time slot from 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM. Only immediate family members are allowed. Up to four people can visit at once. Kids under 17 must be with an adult.

The page below shows the jail visiting rules for Hancock County.

Check this page before you plan a visit so you know what to expect.

State Level Inmate Records

Some released inmates from Hancock County end up in state prison. When that happens, the Illinois Department of Corrections takes over their records. You can search the IDOC Offender Search tool to find anyone convicted in Hancock County who served time at a state facility. This covers both people still locked up and those who have been let go or put on parole. The database is free and open to the public.

The Illinois Unified Code of Corrections at 730 ILCS 5 lays out the rules for how the state handles inmates. It covers sentencing, good time credit, and what happens when someone gets released. If a person from Hancock County was sentenced to state prison, their release conditions fall under this code. You can also call IDOC at (217) 558-2200 to ask about a specific person.

The Illinois VINELink system is another good tool. It lets you sign up for alerts when an inmate is moved or released. It works for both county jail and state prison. The service is free. You can also call VINELink at 1-866-277-7477.

Hancock County Background Searches

The Illinois State Police run a name-based background check service through the ISP Bureau of Identification. This is a paid tool. It pulls up criminal history tied to a person's name. Results may show arrests, convictions, and time served. This can help you find out if someone from Hancock County has a record even if they were not in the county jail.

The Illinois Sheriffs' Association links to resources for all 102 counties in the state. You can use it to find contact info for Hancock County or any other sheriff's office in Illinois. It is a good starting point if you need to search more than one county at a time.

Bail at the Hancock County Jail is available around the clock. They accept cash, money orders, and credit cards. Inmates can also use the commissary through a Jail ATM or the lobby machine. If you need to post bail for someone, you can do it any time of day or night.

• Call the jail at 217-357-2115 for inmate status
• Email hancockjail1@live.com with your inquiry
• File a FOIA request for detailed records
• Search IDOC for state prison records
• Use VINELink to track custody changes
• Run an ISP background check for criminal history

Nearby Counties

These counties border Hancock County. Each has its own jail and inmate records. If someone was arrested in a nearby county, you will need to check that county's system.