Start with the automated line, 870-933-4556, which reads out custody status and bond at any hour. If you need a person, booking answers 870-933-7719. Questions about the jail itself go to 870-933-4526, the administration line shared with the juvenile center. Know the exact legal name and birthday before you call, then ask for the booking number, the amount on each charge, and whether any hold is listed.

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Faster than in most Arkansas counties. Craighead County District Court's two judges hold bond hearings, Rule 8.1 first appearances, and probable cause hearings every weekday at 1:00 p.m. by video from the detention center, and both judges are on call for temporary bonds at other hours. Someone booked overnight is usually seen the next afternoon. Many misdemeanors already carry a scheduled figure at booking. Call the district clerk at 870-933-4508 to find out if the person made that afternoon's docket.

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A payment kiosk sits in the sheriff's office lobby at 901 Willett Road. It takes only $100, $20, $10, and $5 bills and gives no change, so bring the exact amount in those denominations. Feed the bills, enter the inmate's information, and keep the printed receipt; that paper is your proof of payment and names the refund recipient. The sheriff's office is open weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., so ask booking whether the kiosk can be used after those hours. The sheriff's page on posting bail describes the same machine.

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Debit and credit cards are accepted at a terminal for a 7 percent service fee, so a $2,000 bond costs $2,140 by card. Personal checks are refused. Make any money order or cashier's check out to Craighead County. The sheriff's jail page also lists online bond posting at craigheadjail.com; ask booking at 870-933-7719 whether the online option is open for this particular case before you rely on it, and bring a photo ID when you come in.

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One-tenth of the bond, bumped to the next $5, as Arkansas Code 17-19-301 requires, plus a $10 state board fee and a $15 processing fee. A $10,000 bond means $1,025 out of pocket, never refunded. Compare that with the 7 percent card fee at the jail: on a bond you can cover yourself, paying directly is cheaper and the principal comes back. Check an agent's license with the Professional Bail Bond Company and Professional Bail Bondsman Licensing Board before paying.

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It is legal under Arkansas Code 16-84-103 when an Arkansas resident pledges visible property whose value, net of debts and exempt items, reaches the bond, with a sworn property statement signed by the sheriff. Whether a particular judge will accept land in place of cash is up to that judge. With a 1:00 p.m. hearing every day, most families find cash or a bondsman faster. If property is the only option, ask the circuit clerk's office at 870-933-4530 what documents the judge wants.

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Craighead County has a Western District seated in Jonesboro and an Eastern District seated in Lake City. The circuit clerk's main office is at 511 South Main Street, Suite 200, Jonesboro, 870-933-4530. The Lake City courthouse at 107 Cobean Boulevard houses the sheriff's eastern office, 870-237-4511, and a district court department. Arrests near Lake City, Caraway, or Monette may be filed there. The clerk can tell you which district holds the file.

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To Craighead County District Court. The court and its clerk's window are at 410 West Washington Avenue, Jonesboro. The clerk's lines are 870-933-4508 and 870-933-4509. The Lake City department's clerk answers 870-237-4142. Felonies move to circuit court in the Second Judicial Circuit after the probable cause finding.

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Jonesboro officers book adults at the county detention center rather than holding them at the station, so the Willett Road numbers above are the right ones. For the arrest report, the Jonesboro Police Department is at 410 West Washington Avenue, 870-935-5562. Lake City Police are at 406 Court Street, 870-237-4431. Smaller departments such as Brookland, Bay, and Bono also deliver arrestees to the county. If an officer tells you the person is somewhere else, ask for that building's name.

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Only the judge who has the case, usually after a lawyer files a motion. Sheriff Boyd's staff cannot touch the figure. The daily video court means a motion can often be heard quickly. Under Rule 9.2 the judge weighs the charge, criminal history, job, family in Jonesboro, and any record of missing court, so bring the lawyer paycheck stubs plus a lease or a utility bill.

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Arkansas guarantees bail for every offense except a capital charge when the proof is evident. A judge may also keep in jail anyone charged anew with a felony during a pending felony case. More often, the "no bond" line on a record means a hold: a parole or probation violation, a warrant issued by some other county or state, or a federal detainer. The automated line at 870-933-4556 reports any hold, and just the agency behind it can lift it.

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Jonesboro hosts the Second District defender office, reachable at 870-932-6226 and covers Craighead, Clay, Greene, and Poinsett counties. The judge appoints the office at the first appearance after the person signs a financial affidavit, which can happen at the 1:00 p.m. video hearing. Counsel can push for a cut in bond or supervised release within days.

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The Craighead County Juvenile Detention Center, also at 901 Willett Road, holds youths ages 10 to 17 in 62 beds, with Craighead County children given first priority and other counties using the rest. Its administration line is 870-933-4526. Youths do not get a posted bond amount. A circuit judge in the juvenile division holds a detention hearing and decides whether the child goes home. Juvenile Court is at 511 Union Street, Suite 310, 870-933-4545. Ask the center about its visiting rules before you go. Ask the center directly whether a youth is there; do not rely on the adult roster.

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It doesn't. Separate accounts cover video visits, messages and tablet funds, commissary (ordered Mondays and Thursdays) and phone time. Money sent to any of them stays in the inmate's account and is never applied to a bond. Bond money goes only through the kiosk, the card terminal, a money order, or the online bond site, and each route gives you a bond receipt.

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Expect an arrest warrant, a new failure-to-appear charge, and a forfeiture case against the bond. State law lets the surety bring the person in before forfeiture is final, so phone the district clerk at 870-933-4508 right away about a new date and then contact a lawyer. A bondsman is likely to look for the person and may charge you for the cost.

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After the case ends with all appearances made, the court applies the bond to any fines, costs, and restitution and pays out what remains to whoever is named on the receipt. The 7 percent card fee and any bondsman premium are not refunded. Hold on to the kiosk slip or clerk receipt, because the refund goes to whoever is named on it. Ask the district clerk how long the check takes after the last hearing.

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Callers posing as deputies who say a relative needs bond paid by gift card, cash app, or wire. The real jail takes money at the Willett Road kiosk and terminal, by money order to Craighead County, or through the online bond site, and it never calls to collect. Hang up and dial 870-933-4551 yourself.

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The county has two court seats, Jonesboro and Lake City. Felonies go to circuit court, and the district court handles the rest at first:

• Craighead County Circuit Court (felonies, appeals): Craighead County Courthouse, 511 S. Main Street, Suite 200, Jonesboro, AR 72401 · 870-933-4530
• District Court, Jonesboro Department (misdemeanors, traffic, first felony appearances): clerk 870-933-4508 or 870-933-4509
• District Court, Lake City Department: Lake City courthouse, 107 Cobean Boulevard, Lake City · 870-237-4142
• Juvenile Court and Juvenile Office: Suite 310, Jonesboro · 870-933-4545

Arrests on the east side of the Cache River often land in the Lake City department. Felony cases move up to the Second Judicial Circuit, which takes in Clay, Crittenden, Greene, Mississippi and Poinsett counties along with Craighead.

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Federal court sits right in Jonesboro, yet the Willett Road kiosk can't pay a federal bond and county bail agents have no role. Arrests here are federal matters for the Jonesboro-based Northern Division of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, at the federal courthouse in Jonesboro, 615 South Main Street, Jonesboro, AR 72401, 870-972-4610. Here is the usual path:

• The FBI, DEA, ATF, Secret Service or another agency files a complaint, or a grand jury indicts.
• A U.S. magistrate judge at the South Main Street federal building holds the first appearance.
• Pretrial Services meets with the defendant about employment, family and past arrests.
• If prosecutors move to detain, a judge hears it a few days later.
• People released must keep to court-set terms, such as reporting and staying within the district.

The U.S. Marshals decide where federal defendants are jailed while they wait, which can be outside Craighead County. Reach the Marshals at U.S. Marshals Service, 600 West Capitol Avenue, Little Rock, AR 72201, 501-324-6256.

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Yes, that's possible. Using 8 CFR 287.7, ICE can lodge a detainer asking the Willett Road jail to give notice ahead of release and keep the person up to 48 more hours, counting weekends and holidays. Nothing in state law bars Craighead County from complying.

Jonesboro and Lake City charges remain alive during ICE custody, and missed court dates still produce warrants. ICE in Arkansas answers to the ICE New Orleans Field Office, 181 James Drive W, St. Rose, LA 70087, 504-318-2360. People detained in northeast Arkansas are often transferred to Louisiana, to places such as:

• LaSalle ICE Processing Center: 830 Pinehill Road, Jena, LA 71342 · 318-992-1600
• Pine Prairie ICE Processing Center: 1133 Hampton Dupre Road, Pine Prairie, LA 70576 · 337-599-2400

Find a detainee in the ICE Online Detainee Locator System (https://locator.ice.gov/odls/) by A-number plus birth country, or full name plus birth country.

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Someone booked at 901 Willett Road might be moved to another county, a state prison unit or federal custody. Use these:

• Craighead County jail: Craighead County Inmate Search. Enter the surname and first name, and select the record for charges, booking date and bond. The automated line at 870-933-4556 also reads out custody status any time.
• VINE: VINELink (https://vinelink.vineapps.com/). Choose Arkansas and look up the name. VINE says whether the person is held and at which facility, and offers free text or phone notice of release.
• Federal Bureau of Prisons: Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator (https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/). Type a register number, or try the name with race, sex and age filled in. Federal pretrial detainees can be absent from it, so call the Marshals at 501-324-6256.
• Arkansas Division of Correction: Arkansas Division of Correction Inmate Search (https://apps.ark.org/inmate_info/). An ADC number or last name returns the unit, photo and parole eligibility.

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Fees and payment options at the jail can change without notice. Call booking at 870-933-7719, or the automated line at 870-933-4556, to confirm custody and the total. The circuit clerk at 870-933-4530 handles felony dates. For misdemeanor dates, call the Jonesboro district clerk at 870-933-4508 or the Lake City clerk at 870-237-4142.

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