Booking for the whole county now happens at the Intake, Transfer and Release Facility, often called ITR, at 2670 South 28th Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85009, near 28th Avenue and Durango Street. It took over the intake work that used to be done inside the 4th Avenue Jail (201 South 4th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85003, 602-876-0322) downtown. City officers from Phoenix, Mesa, Glendale and the rest drive their arrestees there. Every release from county custody also goes out through this building.

After booking, the sheriff moves people to one of several housing jails. The roster shows which one. The 4th Avenue Jail, 201 South 4th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85003, sits downtown and also holds the bond and fine room. The Lower Buckeye Jail (3250 West Lower Buckeye Road, Phoenix, AZ 85009) in the west part of the city has the main medical and mental health units. The Towers Jail (3127 West Gibson Lane, Phoenix, AZ 85009) and Estrella Jail (2939 West Durango Street, Phoenix, AZ 85009) share the Durango campus. The Watkins Jail (2680 South 28th Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85009) and the 512 Facility (2670 South 28th Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85009) round out the list; the latter is a short-stay unit attached to intake.

Units open and close as the head count changes, so the roster is the best guide on any given day. Every one of them uses the same information line, 602-876-0322.

Open Maricopa County Inmate Search. The sheriff's tool asks for the last name, first name and the exact date of birth, or a booking number. A wrong birth date gives zero results, so double-check it. Once you find the person, copy the booking number. You'll need it for bonds, deposits, mail and visits.

Getting from the street into the system can take 2 to 15 hours. The officer may first take the person to a city holding cell, such as the ones at Mesa, Chandler, Scottsdale, Glendale or Tempe police (120 East 5th Street, Tempe, AZ 85281, 480-350-8311) stations, for questioning or paperwork. Then comes the drive to 28th Drive, a medical check, fingerprints and photos. Phone 602-876-0322 (3250 West Lower Buckeye Road, Phoenix, AZ 85009) with the legal name and birthday. If the sheriff shows nothing, phone the city police listed above.

Some Valley cities keep a small holding area. Chandler, Mesa, Glendale, Scottsdale and Tempe all have one. People stay there only for hours before they are released or taken to county intake. Mesa's holding facility answers at 480-644-2323, and Glendale's city jail at 623-930-3020. A person in one of these cells usually appears on the county roster only after the transfer.

Arizona law lets an officer skip booking on a misdemeanor or petty offense and hand over a written court notice. Shoplifting, trespass and many traffic crimes are often handled that way in Phoenix and its suburbs. The court date on the ticket is usually in that city's municipal court. Domestic violence arrests are the big exception: state law keeps those cases out of the citation process, so expect a booking.

Arizona's rules give 24 hours from the arrest. If that deadline passes without a hearing, the person must be let go. Maricopa County runs its Initial Appearance court inside the intake building on 28th Drive, with sessions about every three hours. The City of Phoenix holds its own initial appearance sessions there too, at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., for some Phoenix city charges. Some people see a judge in as little as two hours after booking.

The charges are read, the judge checks if counsel is affordable, and bond conditions get set. Then the next court date is set, often in a justice court or Superior Court (175 West Madison Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003, 602-372-5375). Families can sit in on the hearing. The charges at this stage are not final. Prosecutors may later file different ones or none at all. If no complaint is filed within 48 hours of the hearing, the jail has to let the person go.

Arizona starts from the idea that people who are charged should go home on their own promise to return. A judge adds conditions only when needed for court or for safety. Those can include a cash bond, a secured bond posted through a bail agent, pretrial supervision, a GPS bracelet, or a stay-away order. Some charges may be denied release after a hearing, including capital cases and dangerous felonies where no conditions would keep people safe. Read our Maricopa bail guide before you pay anyone.

Bonds and fines are paid at the bond and fine room on the northwest corner of the 4th Avenue Jail (201 South 4th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85003). Bring the exact amount: the sheriff accepts U.S. cash, a cashier's check, a postal or store-bought money order, or a card with a processing fee. Card payments must stay under 10,000 dollars. Payments over that require a Social Security number for tax reporting. Call 602-876-0322 (3250 West Lower Buckeye Road, Phoenix, AZ 85009) before paying. A bond will not free someone who has an immigration hold or a hold from another agency. Paid bonds are not refunded.

Expect as long as 24 hours. All releases go out through the intake building on 28th Drive. Pick-up is at the public lot at Gibson Lane and 28th Drive, not at the front doors. The person can make a collect call when release is near.

Felonies end up in Maricopa County Superior Court (175 West Madison Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003, 602-372-5375), with downtown Phoenix as its main site and other court centers in Mesa and Surprise. Misdemeanors from unincorporated areas go to one of the county's many justice courts. City misdemeanors go to that city's court, such as Phoenix Municipal Court (300 West Washington Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003, 602-262-6421). You can check case dates on the Arizona Judicial Branch's public case lookup. See the Maricopa court steps for the path from charge to trial.

At the Initial Appearance, the judge asks about money. If the person qualifies, the county appoints a lawyer from its Office of Public Defense Services. Make sure your loved one tells the judge plainly when they lack the funds for a lawyer. Jail calls are recorded, so tell them to save case details for the lawyer.

Outside holds are very common here. Start with the sheriff's online warrant lookup, then ask about detainers at 602-876-1000. The DPS warrant search adds a statewide sweep; the Public Access lookup finds other Arizona cases. A defense attorney can have bond set together. For superior court (175 West Madison Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003) cases, the clerk answers at 602-372-5375 (201 West Jefferson Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003). Planned turn-ins go to the sheriff's intake center, 2670 South 28th Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85009 (602-876-0322); once the bond is posted, release follows from that same building.

Ask the information line, 602-876-0322 (3250 West Lower Buckeye Road, Phoenix, AZ 85009), for the charges listed at booking. Later, the case number shows on the state's online case search and on the lookup run by the Superior Court (175 West Madison Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003, 602-372-5375). Police reports are public records under Arizona law, but agencies hold back open investigations. Request them from the arresting city's records unit.

The sheriff mainly uses video visits. They can be done remotely from home on a computer or phone, or on screens in a jail lobby. Visitors must sign up and get approved before the first visit. Schedules shift with jail moves and lockdowns, so check online or call the jail before you plan (all MCSO jails, for example Lower Buckeye Jail at 3250 West Lower Buckeye Road, Phoenix, AZ 85009, answer at 602-876-0322). See Maricopa visitation and video visits from home.

The jail phone system lets people make outgoing calls, and every call starts from inside the jail. A prepaid phone account lets you accept those calls. Money for snacks and hygiene goes into the person's account, through lobby kiosks at the jails or online. Some housing units allow messages and tablets. Our guides: Maricopa jail calls, messages and texts, tablets, putting money on the books, Maricopa commissary.

Use the person's full name and booking number on each envelope, plus your own name and return address. Personal mail must be free of cash, stickers and anything sticky. The jail mail rules change, so confirm the current address at Maricopa inmate mail before you send.

Use the sheriff's online form to report a health condition, or call 602-876-0322 (201 South 4th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85003) and ask for medical. Give the medicine names, the doctor and the pharmacy. Correctional health staff decide care inside. Lower Buckeye Jail (3250 West Lower Buckeye Road, Phoenix, AZ 85009) has the main medical and mental health units. Mention any risk of suicide right away.

Juvenile Court runs its own detention centers, one on Durango Street in Phoenix and one in Mesa. They are separate from the sheriff's jails, and minors stay off the adult roster. A judge reviews detention within 24 hours. Call the juvenile court's detention line or our juvenile detention page (3131 West Durango Street, Phoenix, AZ 85009, 602-506-4280) for help.

The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, the Gila River Indian Community, the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation and the Tohono O'odham Nation's lands near Gila Bend each have their own police and courts. Tribal jails are separate from the county system, and their inmates stay off the sheriff's search. Salt River's detention center answers at 480-362-7200 and Gila River's at 520-562-7061. A non-Native person arrested on tribal land is often turned over to county or federal officers.

MCSO keeps a public warrant search by name, and its main line, 602-876-1000, can say whether a listed warrant is active. For holds issued by other agencies, run the DPS statewide warrant search, then open the Arizona courts case lookup for the case number and issuing court. The superior court clerk, 201 West Jefferson Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003 (602-372-5375), explains what a felony warrant requires. To clear one, surrender at the Intake, Transfer and Release facility, 2670 South 28th Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85009 (602-876-0322), using the door marked Self-Surrender, then post the bond set on the warrant.

Genuine bonds get paid at the 4th Avenue bond room, at a court, or through a licensed bail agent you chose. Calls demanding gift cards, crypto or wires for a release are fraud. Hang up and call 602-876-0322 (3250 West Lower Buckeye Road, Phoenix, AZ 85009) yourself.

Call the sheriff's jail information line at 602-876-0322 (3250 West Lower Buckeye Road, Phoenix, AZ 85009) to confirm which building holds the person, the booking number and the exact bond. For street patrol or general questions, the sheriff's main line is 602-876-1000.

It often starts after officers from the U.S. Marshals or the DEA make the arrest. Cases out of this area are heard in the District of Arizona's Phoenix Division, sitting in Phoenix: 401 West Washington Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003. For case questions, reach the clerk at 602-322-7200. Soon after booking, they appear before a U.S. magistrate judge for a first hearing. There will be an interview with a pretrial officer; the judge sees the answers. In U.S. court, release is decided case by case. Under federal bail law, the magistrate runs a short hearing to decide release or detention.

Search the local inmate list; there a Marshals hold might appear. Many federal detainees stay in a private jail rented by the Marshals. Phoning the Marshals on 602-382-8768 may confirm their location. Its address is 401 West Washington Street, Suite 270, Phoenix, AZ 85003. Once there is a federal sentence, they transfer to BOP (320 First Street NW, Washington, DC 20534, 202-307-3198) custody when a bed opens. Find the person through the federal inmate locator by full name.

• Right after arrest, the person's prints are checked by federal agencies. ICE may then place a detainer.
• Making the bond does not remove the detainer.
• Through a detainer, ICE requests that the sheriff keep the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released.
• Immigration officers may take custody within those 48 hours. Without an ICE pickup, that means the person goes free.
• Look them up at the locator after the move; enter the A-number and birth country. Without the A-number? Enter the person's legal name, date of birth and native country instead.
• The agency decides the next facility, and it can change.
• Status questions can go to the Phoenix ICE office: 2035 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85004, 602-257-5900.

If the court orders prison time, the person is now an ADCRR (701 East Jefferson Street, Phoenix, AZ 85034, 602-542-5497) inmate in the care of the state corrections department. Before that, most people wait in the Phoenix jail until the ADCRR finds a bed. Their first ADCRR stop is an intake or reception unit where staff process them. At intake, the ADCRR checks custody score, health and mental health needs, and gang connections. Finally, the ADCRR sends them to a unit that fits that rating.

The ADCRR inmate search shows the current unit after intake. For visits and mail, read our Arizona prison guide.

Yes. Open a name in the Maricopa County roster and Maricopa mugshots load with it. Some Maricopa entries load the photo slowly.

To get an immigration mugshot, submit ICE's online FOIA request; ICE must sign off. If a jail photo hasn't been posted, media questions go through the sheriff's office at 602-876-1000. A federal mugshot is not released, even to reporters. The U.S. Marshals Service (401 West Washington Street, Suite 270, Phoenix, AZ 85003, 602-382-8768), which takes federal mugshots, releases one only in a few cases: for a fugitive or escaped inmate, to help the search or to alert the public or if there's an urgent safety need.

Each city runs its own police force. These are their non-emergency lines:

Phoenix Police keep their station at 100 West Washington Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003; the desk line is 602-262-6151. Mesa Police work from 130 North Robson, Mesa, AZ 85201 (480-644-2211). Chandler Police sit at 250 East Chicago Street, Chandler, AZ 85225; call 480-782-4130. Glendale Police answer 623-930-3000 at 6835 North 57th Drive, Glendale, AZ 85301. Scottsdale Police operate from 8401 East Indian School Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85251, reachable at 480-312-5000. Gilbert Police work from 75 East Civic Center Drive, Gilbert, AZ 85296 (480-503-6500). Tempe Police sit at 120 East 5th Street, Tempe, AZ 85281; call 480-350-8311. Peoria Police answer 623-773-8311 at 8351 West Cinnabar Avenue, Peoria, AZ 85345. Surprise Police have their headquarters at 14250 West Statler Plaza, Suite 103, Surprise, AZ 85374 and answer 623-222-4000. Goodyear Police work from 11 North 145th Avenue, Goodyear, AZ 85338 (623-932-1220). Avondale Police sit at 11485 West Civic Center Drive, Avondale, AZ 85323; call 623-333-7001. Buckeye Police answer 623-386-4421 at 21699 West Yuma Road, Suite 104, Buckeye, AZ 85326. Queen Creek Police can be found at 20727 East Civic Parkway, Queen Creek, AZ 85142, with a front desk on 480-358-3500. El Mirage Police work from 12401 West Cinnabar Avenue, El Mirage, AZ 85335 (623-500-3000). Tolleson Police sit at 8350 West Van Buren Street, Tolleson, AZ 85353; call 623-936-7186. Paradise Valley Police answer 480-948-7410 at 6433 East Lincoln Drive, Paradise Valley, AZ 85253. Wickenburg Police answer non-emergency calls on 928-684-5411 at 1980 West Wickenburg Way, Wickenburg, AZ 85390. Sheriff's deputies operate out of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office headquarters, 550 West Jackson Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003, main line 602-876-1000.

Towns such as Fountain Hills, Cave Creek, Anthem, Sun City and Gila Bend are patrolled by sheriff's deputies, so start with the sheriff. Arizona state troopers on the freeways and campus police at the state university also bring people to intake.