The Lauderdale County Inmate Population
The Lauderdale County inmate population is counted in more than one place because the county has both a local jail and a state prison within its borders. The local custody count centers on the Lauderdale County Detention Facility, operated by the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office. That jail holds pre-trial suspects, short-term convicted offenders, and state prisoners awaiting transfer. The state-prison side centers on East Mississippi Correctional Facility, which the Mississippi Department of Corrections lists as a private facility in Meridian.
A roster count is a point-in-time count, not an annual average. Arrests, bond decisions, court hearings, releases, and transfers can change the Lauderdale County inmate population from one day to the next. A person booked by the Sheriff's Office, Meridian Police Department, or another local agency may appear first in the county roster. If that person is later sentenced to state custody, the proper search channel becomes the MDOC inmate search, not the county jail roster.
Lauderdale County Inmate Population Statistics
The official sheriff roster title showed 207 current inmates when inspected June 18-19, 2026. The sheriff's detention page states the Lauderdale County Detention Facility is authorized to house 290 inmates, so that roster snapshot equals about 71.4 percent of authorized capacity. That calculation should not be read as an average daily population because the research did not locate a county ADP dashboard. It is still useful because it ties a live jail count to a public capacity figure.
The same research found a 48-hour release list with 6 people and historical correctional population figures from Prison Policy Initiative and BJS tables. Those older rows show why Lauderdale County custody searches can cross agency lines. The local jail and honor farm row counted 333 prisoners on December 31, 2013, while East Mississippi Correctional Facility had 1,360 prisoners on June 30, 2012.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Date |
|---|---|---|
| Lauderdale County Detention Facility authorized capacity | 290 inmates | Sheriff detention facility page, inspected June 2026 |
| Current county jail roster count | 207 inmates | Official sheriff roster title, inspected June 18-19, 2026 |
| Current roster occupancy vs. capacity | About 71.4% | Derived from 207 roster count and 290 authorized capacity |
| 48-hour release list | 6 released people | Official released roster title, inspected June 18-19, 2026 |
| Lauderdale County population | 70,317 | U.S. Census QuickFacts, July 1, 2025 estimate |
Lauderdale County Jail Population Trends
The available trend record is not a neat annual series. It is a set of sourced snapshots from different systems. The county jail snapshot in June 2026 was lower than the historical 2013 local jail and honor farm row, while East Mississippi Correctional Facility has its own state-prison count and capacity history. These figures should be compared with care because one row is local jail custody, another is a state prison, and the current roster is a live public roster rather than an audited annual average.
Local news also shows pressure around the jail building itself. WTOK reported on June 26, 2024, that a Lauderdale County Grand Jury again recommended more police training and a new county jail. That news item is not a population count, but it is relevant local context for capacity and facility discussions. No official county jail construction adoption or consent decree was located in the research file.
| Year / Date | Measure | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 6/30/2012 | 1,360 at East Mississippi Correctional Facility | Prisoners of the Census / PPI correctional population table |
| 12/31/2013 | 333 at Lauderdale County Jail and Honor Farm | Historical local jail row in PPI/BJS table |
| 2017 MDOC release | EMCF capacity 1,500; population 1,144 | MDOC shakedown release referenced in research |
| 6/18-19/2026 | 207 current LCDF roster inmates | Official sheriff roster snapshot |
| 6/18-19/2026 | 6 on 48-hour release list | Official released roster snapshot |
Lauderdale County Jail Capacity
The sheriff's detention page gives unusually specific building detail for the local jail. It describes 12 pods, 144 holding cells, four special-needs cells, one medical area cell, and one suicide-prevention cell. All processing, booking, and testing occur inside the secure facility. The county detention-center page also says a fully staffed Medical Department provides care around the clock.
Those facts help explain what the Lauderdale County inmate population can include at one time. People may be in holding, medical, special-needs, or general jail housing. Classification is the jail process that sorts people by risk, medical need, legal status, and housing fit. A roster count does not show each person's housing unit, so custody status must be verified through jail staff before a bond, visit, or records decision.
Note: The June 2026 roster count is a public snapshot, not a published average daily population for the year.
Laws for Lauderdale County Jail Records
Mississippi law shapes how jail and booking information can be requested. The public roster is the fastest route for current custody, but older booking records, report copies, and booking-photo questions may require a records request. The research did not locate a dedicated booking-record request form for Lauderdale County, so the request path runs through the sheriff's records/contact channels and the Mississippi Public Records Act.
Key Statutes:
Miss. Code Section 25-61-1 states Mississippi's policy that public records are available for inspection unless another law says otherwise.
Miss. Code Section 25-61-5 limits procedures that delay a public body's production or denial beyond seven working days.
Miss. Code Section 25-61-7 allows actual costs for search, review, duplication, and mailing.
Miss. Code Section 19-25-63 requires the sheriff to keep a jail docket for people placed in jail.
Miss. Code Section 19-25-69 places charge of the county jail and prisoners with the sheriff.
Lauderdale County State Prison Population
East Mississippi Correctional Facility is the state-prison part of the Lauderdale County custody map. It is in Meridian, but it is not a county jail and should not be searched through the sheriff roster. MDOC lists the facility as private, and research sources describe it as a state prison serving sentenced Mississippi prisoners, including special-needs and mental-health custody. A county booking number is not the same thing as an MDOC ID number.
State custody also affects people who were first booked at the local jail. After conviction and sentence execution, a person can leave the Lauderdale County jail roster and later appear in the MDOC locator. The MDOC SAVIN/VINE page and Mississippi VINE add notification options for custody and release events.
Search Lauderdale County Inmates
The official local search channel begins at the Lauderdale County roster chooser. It separates current inmates from people released in the last 48 hours. The current roster lists people at the Lauderdale County Detention Center and can be sorted by name or date. The released roster is useful when someone has bonded out, been released, or transferred very recently.
- Open the roster chooser and select Current Inmates for someone believed to be in custody now.
- Use Search By Name or scan the booking-date order if the name spelling is uncertain.
- Open the profile link to review the booking number, booking date, charge text, bond, mugshot, and arresting agency.
- Call 601-482-9801 before relying on bail, charge, or case-number details.
- If the person has been sentenced or transferred to prison, search MDOC by name or MDOC ID number.
The sheriff mobile app, Lauderdale County Sheriff MS, was documented in Apple and Google app stores as an alerts, tips, and public-safety communication tool. The research did not confirm an app-only inmate roster or warrant database, so custody lookup should still begin with the official web roster and jail phone line.
Lauderdale County Roster Search Fields
The roster search controls are simple. The public page does not offer date-of-birth, housing unit, or court-date filters. Common names can produce several matches, so booking date, booking number, city/state address, age, and charge text help separate one person from another. The roster disclaimer warns that the detention center cannot certify accuracy or authenticity from the public page alone.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Options: Name | Link / sort control | No | Sort or search by name. |
| Options: Date | Link / sort control | No | Sort by booking date. |
| Current | Tab / link | No | Shows people currently held at the detention center. |
| Released | Tab / link | No | Shows people released within 48 hours. |
| Search By Name | Text input | Optional | No posted wildcard or minimum-length rule was found. |
| Show All | Button / link | No | Clears a search back to the full roster. |
Lauderdale County Inmate Record Details
A Lauderdale County roster profile is more detailed than the summary card, but it still has limits. The inspected sample profile showed a mugshot, VINELink icon, booking number, age, gender, race, city and state address, arresting agency, booking date, charges, bond, and a warning to call detention staff for current bail, charges, and case numbers. It did not show date of birth, height, weight, housing pod, court date, warrant number, magistrate, projected release date, or a per-charge bond breakdown.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Booking Number | A numeric identifier for that jail booking event. |
| Mugshot | A single booking photo on roster cards and the full profile. |
| Arresting Agency | The agency abbreviation, such as MPD in the inspected sample. |
| Charges | Charge text at booking, which may change in court. |
| Bond | A listed amount, without a verified bond type or full court status. |
| Warning Note | A reminder to call detention staff for current bail, charges, and case numbers. |
County Jail vs State Prison Search
Most lookup mistakes happen when a reader searches the wrong custody system. The county roster is for people booked into the Lauderdale County Detention Facility. MDOC is for sentenced Mississippi state prisoners, including people at East Mississippi Correctional Facility. Federal and immigration custody have separate locator systems and do not use the county roster as the master record.
| County Jail | State Prison | Federal / ICE | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who is held | Pre-trial suspects, short-term offenders, state prisoners awaiting transfer | Sentenced Mississippi prisoners | Federal inmates, USMS detainees, or immigration detainees |
| Run by | Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office | Mississippi Department of Corrections | BOP, USMS, or ICE depending on status |
| Where to search | Sheriff roster and 48-hour release list | MDOC inmate search and VINE | BOP locator or ICE locator |
| Key ID | Booking number | MDOC ID number | Register number or A-number when available |
Lauderdale County Detention Facilities
The county facility map has two major detention entries. The first is the local jail where new arrests and short local custody are searched. The second is the state prison where sentenced MDOC prisoners are searched. The facilities use different phone numbers, rules, and locator systems.
- Lauderdale County Detention Facility holds pre-trial suspects, short-term convicted offenders, and state prisoners awaiting transfer.
- East Mississippi Correctional Facility holds sentenced Mississippi state prisoners and is searched through MDOC, not the county roster.
The county site's detention-center page is a useful source for the jail's address, administrator, medical coverage, phone line, and visitation call-in note. The county detention center page image below shows the public detention-center contact context used for the local jail.
The screenshot supports the distinction between the county jail contact channel and the separate MDOC prison channel for sentenced custody.
Lauderdale County Inmate Population FAQ
How large is the Lauderdale County inmate population?
The current public roster showed 207 people when inspected June 18-19, 2026, and the sheriff's detention page lists 290 authorized inmates for the county facility. East Mississippi Correctional Facility is a separate state-prison count.
How do I search the Lauderdale County inmate population?
Use the sheriff roster chooser for current county jail custody and the 48-hour release list for very recent releases. Use MDOC for sentenced state prisoners, including people at East Mississippi Correctional Facility.
Can I find a past Lauderdale County jail inmate?
The public release roster covers a 48-hour window. Older booking records may require the jail phone line, sheriff records channels, the Circuit Clerk for court filings, or a Mississippi Public Records Act request.
Does the roster prove the final criminal charge?
No. The roster is a jail custody record. Formal court charges can change after the prosecutor, court, or grand jury acts, so case status should be checked through the clerk or court system.