Salt Lake County Inmate Search
In Salt Lake County, Utah, an arrest usually occurs when an individual called the defendant has allegedly broken stipulated laws, rules, and regulations in the presence or hearing of an official authorized to carry out the arrest. The indictment and level of offense a defendant is charged with determines if he may receive an incarceration sentence from the trial court and serve time in a local jail or state prison for a brief or elongated period.
The Salt Lake County Jail is operated by the county sheriff’s department, and the prison is handled by the Utah Department of Corrections. Jail is for inmates awaiting time or sentenced to less than a year, while the Prison is only open for persons who have been sentenced to more than a year. The overseeing departments provide options to aid the public in Salt Lake inmate search. Individuals willing to look up county inmate records can contact the appropriate department. Per Utah’s public records laws, inmate information is deemed part of Salt Lake County’s Public Records and is accessible to the public unless restricted by judicial order.
Inmate records are considered public in the United States and therefore are made available by both traditional governmental agencies as well as third-party websites and organizations. Third-party websites may offer an easier means to search, as these services do not face geographical limitations. However, because third-party sites are not government-sponsored, the information obtained through them may vary from official channels. To find inmate records using third-party aggregate sites, requesting parties must provide:
- The location of the sought-after record, including state, county, and city where the inmate resides.
- The name of the person listed in the record, unless it is a juvenile.
Salt Lake County Arrest Procedure
After the arrest of the defendant in Salt Lake City, the individual then goes through a booking process where an official arrest report will be completed. Upon booking, one of the following will occur:
- The person will be discharged if the prosecutor files no charges.
- The individual may be asked to post bail or be set free upon a promise to turn up in court for arraignment when necessary.
- The defendant will be incarcerated in jail and later moved to the trial court by the police for a hearing.
The booking process begins when the suspect is conveyed into the Booking Room, where he or she can normally spend about half an hour to an hour. In the Booking Room, the handcuffed suspect waits as the arresting officer finalizes all of the paperwork. Once the arresting officer finishes up their paperwork, the defendant is then moved from the booking room to the “first pit,” which is a small room containing a toilet, a phone, and a bench. At this phase of the process, booking officers take a photograph of the detainee (called a “mugshot”), collect fingerprints, and do more paperwork.
Subsequently, the individual is then made to appear before Pretrial Services, a division of Salt Lake County’s Criminal Justice Services that supervises both misdemeanour and felony defendants. It is at this point that the bail will be determined.
Most arrested persons are granted bail unless they pose a safety threat to themselves or the community. The bail fee ranges from hundreds of dollars to thousands of dollars and more, depending on the gravity of the offence and the suspect’s criminal record. Posting bail usually takes a few hours or more, depending on how occupied the jail is. If bail is required, the suspect is taken from Pretrial Services to the “second pit,” where the inmate is allowed to contact their families so they can be bailed out.
Alternatively, Pretrial Services may resolve the defendant is eligible for Release on Recognizance (ROR) or free bail. ROR is given mainly to suspects who:
- Maintain healthy relationships with the community,
- Are not deemed to be “flight risks,” i.e., those with the potential to evade bail or run from law enforcement
- Are not a menace to public safety.
For inmates given ROR, Pretrial Services is the last phase before their release while inmates required to post bail before being released, have additional processes before securing their release.
Salt Lake County Crime and Incarceration Statistics
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and Federal Bureau of Investigations, in the last 45 years, the incarceration rate in Salt Lake County has increased by 695% going from 251 inmates to 1,996 inmates in 2015. Although Salt Lake County has the highest jail incarceration rate across Utah, from a total of 1,996 inmates only 623 are currently incarcerated, the remainder 1,373 are pretrial inmates awaiting trial, being tried, or awaiting a verdict.
In Salt Lake County, males are incarcerated in jail at a rate of 480 per 100,000 male U.S. residents while the female incarceration rate is 93 per 100,000 female U.S. residents. Between 2010 to 2015, the male incarceration rate grew by 15%, while the female incarceration rate thrived to 44%.
Salt Lake County Prison System
The Salt Lake County jail supervised by the county sheriff’s department serves as the major correctional facilities centre in the Utah county jail system and works with the Metro Jail Security Division to provide safety and security for correctional officers, staff members, and the prison population at large. The facility houses Male and female
culprits convicted for crimes under Utah state and federal laws. The County Jail has a maximum capacity of 2,000 inmates.
- The Jail consists of four cell blocks or housing pods with each block further divided into eight housing units that hold up to sixty-four prisoners. The pods or cell blocks are assigned a letter such as "Cell Block A".
- The A pod is a medium to minimum-security housing unit consisting of five sergeants and 43 officers while the B pod has 4 sergeants and 68 officers.
- The B pod being the most diverse unit within the Salt Lake county jail has different units. Three units within the pod maintain maximum-security inmates, while other units house female prisoners of various security levels.
- The C pod also referred to as the Quarantine unit consists of 4 sergeants and 43 officers and holds prisoners that cannot meet bail or are held for classification purposes are kept.
How to Find an Inmate in Salt Lake County
The Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office supervises the two county jails (Metro and Oxbrow) and keeps their records. The Sheriff's Office uploads recent inmate records on its website to help inquirers look up inmates in the county’s jails and those lately released. Alternatively, one can locate an inmate in these correctional facilities via the online Inmate Lookup Tool provided by the Sheriff’s Office. Requesters are simply required to provide the inmate’s first and last names or a booking number to probe the database.
How Does Salt Lake Inmate Search Work?
Salt Lake County inmate records are public records accessible by the public unless otherwise stated by the law. The Utah Government Records Access and Management Act, §63-2-101 et seq. contains the rules concerning Salt Lake county inmate records and how to access them. The inmate records contain useful information obtainable by anyone who conducts an inmate search via the options provided. The data comprises:
- An inmate's full name
- Sex, ethnicity, and age
- Photograph
- Date of birth
- Booking number
- A physical description such as hair colour, eye colour, height, and weight
- Bail payment
- Housing location
- Upcoming arraignment date
- Information regarding inmate's release
- Arrest information including
- Date and time of the arrest
- Arresting agency and agency description
- Booking date, time, and location
- Case information such as
- The case number
- The deciding court’s name, address and city
- Bail or fine amount
- Court date
- Convicting date
- Behavioural code and description
Where to Find a Salt Lake County Inmate Locator
An inmate locator is an online search tool that communicates details about inmates lodged within a specific area or jail/prison facility. Most local, state and federal correctional agencies usually provide inmate locators as public assistance to support community safety and permit interested persons to identify an inmate's location while getting particular information regarding them.
The Salt Lake City Inmate Locator can be accessed using the county sheriff's website. To use this locator, the inquirer must be searching for an inmate incarcerated within the county jail system and must have the inmate's last and first name. Other search keywords that can help include an inmate's date of birth or middle name. Interested individuals should note that there may be charges attached to the use of the Inmate Locator as determined by the sheriff's office.
Apart from the correctional agencies, third-party public records websites also provide search tools that aid interested members of the public to obtain inmate records. The search parameters for these sites are generally the inmate's first or last name and booking number. Nonetheless, the inquirer should note that there may be a small fee that varies depending on the site needed to retrieve the record.
How to Send Money to a Salt Lake County Inmate
Inmates confined in Salt Lake City are allowed to receive money orders and certified checks via the mail and will have those funds credited to their accounts and received. All money orders (s) above the $200.00 limit or that would increase an inmate's trust account above the $300.00 limit are not accepted.
The inmate receiving the money order or check must endorse it else it will be returned to the sender. Individuals who wish to send money to inmates in the jail must use the correct mailing address and format designated by the jail administration and should contain the Inmate’s name and booking number. The mailing address for Salt Lake Metro jail is:
Salt Lake County UT Metro Jail
3415 South 900 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84119
Phone: (385) 468-8400
How to Visit a Salt Lake County Inmate
Details about the Salt Lake City jail visitation procedures are available on the county sheriff's website. Generally, to visit inmates in any correctional facility in Salt Lake City, an individual can call the jail administrator on (385) 468-8400 to schedule an appointment at least six days ahead.
Inmates are authorized to receive two or three adult visitors in two thirty-minute visits every week and one clergy visit weekly. Adult visitors must submit a valid ID and underaged visitors must be accompanied by adults. Visitors are expected to dress decently in clothes that conceal private body parts without wild prints.
- Salt Lake County UT Metro Jail County Jail has visiting hours from Monday to Friday between 9 A.M. – 9 P.M., except for 11:00 A.M. – 12:30 P.M., and 4:00 P.M. – 5:30 P.M., which are meal times.
- All visitors should be present and checked in at least thirty (30) minutes but not more than forty-five(45) minutes before the visit start time. Visitors that show up after the visiting time will not be allowed to enter.
- If an inmate is unavailable or refuses a visit, scheduled visits would be cancelled. Visits can also be postponed or cancelled due to incidents that happen in the Jail or visiting capacity limits.
- Persons with ongoing warrants or sentences and individuals presently on parole or probation are restricted from visiting inmates in Salt Lake City jails even if they meet all the visiting requirements.
How to Send Jail Mail in Salt Lake County
The Salt Lake jail administration permits inmates to send to and receive letters and packages from loved ones with prior written approval from the inmate's unit team or an authorized staff member of the jail. All mails are picked up and delivered Monday through Friday, except for holidays. The following rules apply:
- All incoming and outgoing mail should be properly marked with the envelope showing an appropriate letterhead with the sender’s name.
- Mails must pass through the U.S. Postal System and will be screened by the authorities before being disseminated.
- Letters or memos from public officials, attorneys or courts are deemed privileged but will be opened and inspected for contraband in the presence of the inmate to whom it is addressed.
- All mails and correspondence containing contraband items such as escape plans, plans for criminal activity, obscene or sexually explicit materials, encoded messages, or nudity will be rejected and confiscated as evidence.
- Mails sent to the jail after an inmate has been released will be returned to the sender or the U.S. Postal Service if there isn't a return address for proper disposition.
- To ensure the mail and package an individual wishes to send falls under the approved item list and for more clarification, contact the County Jail administration at (385) 468-8400 or via email at sheriffcontactform@slsheriffwebservices.net.
- Senders must include the inmate’s full name and booking number on all mails and correspondence.
Salt Lake County Jails and Prisons
A Salt Lake County Jail or Prison is a secure building located in Salt Lake County, Utah inmates, and convicts are imprisoned against their will with their liberties and activity restricted as a result of criminal behaviour. Salt Lake County Jails are short-term facilities for inmates awaiting trial or sentencing for a crime or serving relatively short sentences while Prisons are longer-term facilities where inmates serve out a prison sentence, usually of a year or more. The list of Jails and Prisons found in Salt Lake are listed below:
Salt Lake City RRM
324 South State Street, Suite 228
Salt lake city, UT 84111
Phone: (801) 524-4212
Utah State Prison (USP)
14425 Bitterbrush Lane
Draper, UT 84020
Phone: (801) 576-7000
Salt Lake County UT Metro Jail
3415 South 900 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84119
Phone: (385) 468-8400
Salt Lake County UT Oxbow Jail
3148 South 1100 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84119
Phone: (385) 468-8400
Copper Hills Youth Center
5899 Rivendell Drive
West Jordan, UT
Decker Lake Youth Center
2310 Decker Lane
West Valley, UT
Salt Lake Valley Detention Center / Genesis Youth Center
3450 South 900 West
South Salt Lake, UT
Wasatch Youth Center
3534 South 700 West
South Salt Lake, UT
