St. Clair County Inmate Population
The St. Clair County inmate population is centered on the St. Clair County Intervention and Detention Center, also called the St. Clair County Jail. The facility is run by the St. Clair County Sheriff's Office and serves the local jail function for arrests, pretrial custody, short county sentences, classification, bond issues, and jail services. It is not a state prison. It is also not the courthouse, even though many jail arrests later become district or circuit court cases in Port Huron.
The local jail population changes whenever police book a new person, a judge sets or changes bond, a person is released, a sentence begins, or an inmate is transferred to another agency. Sentenced Michigan prisoners from St. Clair County move into MDOC OTIS after state prison custody begins. Federal prisoners use the BOP Inmate Locator. Immigration detainees may require ICE ODLS, even when the physical jail location is the St. Clair County Jail.
St. Clair County Inmate Population Statistics
The most reliable local number in the research is capacity, not a live count. The St. Clair County 2023 Master Plan identifies the Intervention Center campus on Michigan Road and states that the jail has 448 adult beds. That same planning source describes 70 juvenile beds on the campus, but those juvenile beds are campus context, not the adult jail population. The public inmate lookup page displayed a data-refresh timestamp during research, but it did not publish a total current count on the search form.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Adult jail bed capacity | 448 adult beds | St. Clair County 2023 Master Plan |
| Juvenile beds on campus | 70 beds | St. Clair County 2023 Master Plan, not adult jail count |
| County population | 160,308 | U.S. Census QuickFacts, July 1, 2024 estimate |
| Jail ADP reference | 560 | Prison Policy Initiative phone-rate appendix, methodology date not confirmed in research |
| Current live jail count | Not published on form page | St. Clair County inmate lookup inspection |
St. Clair County Jail Population Trends
Trend data for St. Clair County is limited because the county pages checked during research did not publish an annual bookings report, average length of stay, or live jail census. The useful trend references are a 2013 local correctional population entry, the 2023 adult-bed capacity, and the PPI average-daily-population reference. Those figures do not all use the same date or method, so they should be read as context rather than a single official trend line.
| Year or Date | Population / Capacity | How to Read It |
|---|---|---|
| 12/31/2013 | 498 local | Prisoners of the Census table entry for St. Clair County Jail |
| 2023 planning source | 448 adult beds | County Master Plan capacity, not a head count |
| PPI appendix reference | 560 ADP | High-authority jail context, but research did not confirm the table method date |
| 2026 lookup inspection | No total shown | Roster showed refresh language, not a published total population |
Using the 2024 Census estimate and the 448 adult beds gives about 279.5 jail beds per 100,000 residents. Using the PPI ADP reference gives about 349.3 jail ADP per 100,000 residents. Those rates are calculations from cited figures, not county-published rates.
Who Is in St. Clair County Jail
The St. Clair County inmate population includes people booked after local arrests, defendants waiting for district or circuit court proceedings, and people serving county jail sentences. The jail page also describes sentenced-inmate trustees, program requests by tablet, sentence-reduction petitions, and classification after a person has been confined for more than 72 hours. Those details show that the jail handles both new bookings and longer county-jail stays.
- Pretrial detainees: people held after arrest while bond, arraignment, preliminary steps, or court dates are pending.
- Sentenced county inmates: people serving local jail time, including some who may qualify for trustee work or sentence-reduction review.
- Other-agency holds: warrants, probation or parole holds, federal issues, and ICE matters can affect release.
- State prisoners: people sentenced to MDOC prison leave the county roster and move to OTIS after transfer.
Note: The research did not locate a local public breakdown by sex, race, age, charge level, or pretrial status, so those demographics should not be inferred.
St. Clair County Jail Capacity
The adult-bed capacity in the county planning source is 448. Research also found a PPI average daily population reference of 560 and a 2013 local correctional population entry of 498. Either population reference is higher than 448, but the sources do not line up as a same-year official capacity analysis. The careful conclusion is that capacity pressure is plausible from outside data, while the county source itself confirms only the bed count and campus layout.
Capacity context: The jail is part of a larger Intervention Center campus that also includes Central Dispatch, offices, classrooms, and juvenile beds. Visitor and records trips should use the Michigan Road public-safety campus, not the downtown courthouse.
Laws for St. Clair County Jail Records
Michigan public-record and corrections laws define how jail information can be requested and how arrest data is handled. MCL 15.231 states Michigan's FOIA policy of public access to government affairs, subject to exemptions. MCL 15.233 is the practical inspection and copying rule for nonexempt public records. That is why a written sheriff FOIA request is the fallback when the online roster does not show the booking record, jail document, or booking photo needed.
Key Statutes:
MCL 28.241a defines arrest and booking digital images as biometric data, including face images and marks.
MCL 28.243 covers arrest biometric collection and final disposition reporting duties.
MCL 791.262 requires MDOC jail and lockup standards for proper, efficient, and humane administration.
MCL 780.621 is Michigan's set-aside statute for eligible convictions.
Search St. Clair County Inmates
The official jail roster is the St. Clair County Sheriff's Office Inmate Lookup. It is free and public. The form accepts last name, first name, and booking number, but the validation message found during research says a search must include either a last name or a booking number. First name works as a narrowing field after the required search key is present. The roster says the sheriff updates information periodically throughout the day, and it does not warrant accuracy, timeliness, or completeness.
- Open the official St. Clair County inmate lookup.
- Enter a last name, or use the booking number if known.
- Add the first name only to narrow a common surname.
- Select SEARCH and review the result carefully.
- If the person is not found, check phone, FOIA, court, MDOC, BOP, ICE, and VINELink channels before assuming release.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Name | Text | Required unless booking number is used | No wildcard instructions shown on the public form. |
| First Name | Text | No | Narrows a last-name search, but is not enough by itself. |
| Booking Number | Text | Required alternative | Best key when names are duplicated or misspelled. |
| SEARCH | Submit | n/a | Blank search triggers the last-name-or-booking-number validation message. |
St. Clair County Inmate Record Fields
The research confirmed the search fields and the public refresh disclaimer, but a live roster profile was not available through static fetch. For that reason, St. Clair County inmate records should be described with care. The official source confirms current custody lookup by name or booking number. It does not prove that every result page shows charges, mugshots, housing unit, bond type, or court dates.
| Field or Detail | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Last Name / First Name | Name search keys used by the official county roster. |
| Booking Number | Local booking identifier and the strongest roster search key when available. |
| Data last refreshed | Timestamp showing the roster data was updated, not a guarantee of real-time accuracy. |
| Classification | Jail process for people held more than 72 hours before standard general-population assignment. |
| Housing or pod detail | Operationally used by the jail for commissary scheduling, but not confirmed as a public roster field. |
For historical booking records, incident records, or documents that do not appear online, use the sheriff FOIA form. The St. Clair County Sheriff's Office form asks for a specific record description, complaint number if known, date and time, incident type, location, and other identifying details such as name, date of birth, and booking date.
St. Clair County Custody Channels
A complete St. Clair County inmate search uses more than one system. The county roster covers current county-jail custody. The jail information and bond line at (810) 987-1720 is the phone fallback for custody, bond, and verified emergency notification questions. General sheriff inquiries go to (810) 987-1700, and non-emergency dispatch is (810) 985-8115. In-person jail questions use the Michigan Road sheriff and jail campus during public business hours.
The sheriff FOIA channel is the records fallback for jail records and booking photos. The form can be sent to the Sheriff's Office at 1170 Michigan Road, Port Huron, MI 48060, faxed to (810) 966-4302, or emailed to sherifffoia@stclaircounty.org. County FOIA guidance says written requests must describe the record well enough for staff to locate it, and the county may grant, deny, grant in part, extend, or point to online records.
Michigan VINELink is useful for custody and release notices. The St. Clair County Sheriff MI app is another mobile access channel. The Google Play listing and Apple App Store listing describe reporting crimes, submitting tips, interactive features, and public-safety news. Reviews refer to inmate lookup, but app-only warrant search was not confirmed.
County Jail vs State Prison
County jail and state prison are different custody systems. A person arrested in Port Huron or elsewhere in St. Clair County may first appear in the county jail roster. If that person is later sentenced to Michigan prison, the public lookup changes to MDOC OTIS. OTIS covers prisoners, parolees, probationers, and discharged offenders within the limits MDOC publishes. It does not list county-jail-only inmates or people arrested and convicted but not yet sentenced to MDOC.
| Question | County Jail | MDOC OTIS |
|---|---|---|
| Run by | St. Clair County Sheriff's Office | Michigan Department of Corrections |
| Who appears | Current local jail custody and county bookings | State prisoners, parolees, probationers, and recent discharges |
| Main search key | Last name or booking number | Last name or offender number |
| What it is not | Not a statewide prison locator | Not a county jail roster |
The St. Clair County jail inmate records page focuses on the county roster and the fallback chain when a current booking does not appear.
State Federal and ICE Lookup
The MDOC search form accepts last name or offender number, and it can narrow by first name, sex, race, age, status, and scars, marks, or tattoos. MDOC warns that OTIS is not proof of identity and should not be used for employment verification or criminal history screening. Corrections to court-sourced OTIS data usually require the sentencing court.
The federal BOP locator covers federal inmates from 1982 to present and allows number or name searching. It shows fields such as name, register number, age, race, sex, release date, and location. ICE ODLS is the immigration custody search path. ICE lists St. Clair County Jail as a detention-facility location under the Detroit Field Office, so an immigration hold may require ICE lookup in addition to the county jail roster.
The MDOC OTIS landing page explains state custody coverage.
Use OTIS only after the custody question has moved beyond county jail booking or when the person is under MDOC supervision.
St. Clair County Detention Facilities
Only one St. Clair County detention facility page is required by the facility map. No separate MDOC prison, BOP prison, or stand-alone ICE detention building was found inside St. Clair County. The county jail is still important for immigration and other-agency holds because ICE identifies St. Clair County Jail as a detention location, while the jail itself remains operated by the sheriff.
- St. Clair County Intervention and Detention Center / St. Clair County Jail - county jail for local adult detainees, pretrial custody, sentenced county-jail inmates, trustee assignments, and accepted other-agency or immigration custody.
St. Clair County Inmate Population FAQ
How big is the St. Clair County inmate population?
The county research found a confirmed adult jail capacity of 448 beds from the 2023 Master Plan. It also found a PPI ADP reference of 560 and a 2013 local correctional population entry of 498. The official roster form did not publish a current live count.
How do I search the St. Clair County inmate population?
Start with the sheriff's inmate lookup and search by last name or booking number. If the person is not listed, call the jail information line, check court records, use sheriff FOIA, and try OTIS, BOP, ICE, or VINELink when the custody type points outside county jail.
Are St. Clair County booking photos guaranteed online?
No. The public search page does not show a booking-photo gallery on the form page, and live profile display was not verified in the research. Booking images can be requested through sheriff FOIA when they are not visible online and no exemption applies.