The Phillips County Jail stands at 201 Perry Street, Helena, AR 72342, near the river levee and the courthouse.

Phillips County Inmate Search shows who has been booked. The jail desk can explain charges and any bond that's been set.

In Arkansas a judge must find probable cause within 48 hours when no warrant was issued. Helena-West Helena then holds the first appearance.

District court in Helena-West Helena hears misdemeanors. The circuit court, which covers Phillips and nearby Delta counties, hears felonies at the Helena courthouse. Details: court process.

Full cash bonds paid in Helena come back once the case closes, as long as every hearing was attended. A licensed bondsman may keep a fee up to ten percent instead. Phone the jail for the amount. More: bail.

Helena defendants who can't pay a lawyer should say so in court; the judge decides on appointing the public defender.

With the river bridge so close, out-of-state holds do come up. Phone the sheriff's office at 870-338-5555 and ask whether the booking lists any warrants or detainers. For Arkansas cases, a quick query on Search ARCourts, the state judiciary's online lookup, is quick and free. An attorney can contact each issuing court about bond or extradition so you know what to expect. Over at the courthouse, the Circuit Clerk in Helena handles felony case inquiries at 870-338-5515. Have the date of birth ready.

Visits in Helena run about 30 minutes. Bring ID, and confirm the day by phone or online, since times change. More: visits, remote visits.

Inmates on Perry Street phone out using funds relatives put on an account. More: phones, messages, tablets.

On Perry Street, the account covers phone minutes too. A Helena account balance pays for snacks and hygiene goods. More: deposits, commissary.

Send letters with the full name to 201 Perry Street, Helena, AR 72342. More: mail.

Minors from Helena-West Helena, Marvell, Elaine or Lake View go before the juvenile judge, who decides whether they're held.

Phillips County jail staff can send someone to the Helena hospital in an emergency, but daily medicines depend on family telling them. Tell the Helena jail about medicines or health risks by phone.

Phillips County visits are only 30 minutes, so check the time slot before driving. Phone 870-338-5555 to check custody, bond and the visiting day.

It normally starts when officers from postal inspectors, the DEA, and the FBI make an arrest. Federal hearings in these cases happen at the courthouse in Helena, 617 Walnut Street, Helena, AR 72342, for the Eastern District's Delta Division. Nobody staffs the clerk's desk in Helena, so reach Little Rock at 501-604-5351 with questions. An initial hearing happens quickly with a magistrate judge. Expect an interview with a pretrial officer before court. Release is not based on a schedule in federal court. Using federal bail law, a judge holds a release hearing and decides whether they can leave.

Check the county inmate list, where U.S. Marshals custody may show. Some federal prisoners sit in the Helena jail rented by the Marshals before trial. This district's Marshals staff can say where the person is: 501-324-6256, 600 West Capitol Avenue, Suite A328, Little Rock, AR 72201. After a federal sentence, they transfer into a BOP prison. Find the person with the federal inmate locator.

• Jail prints are run with national databases that ICE uses. Then ICE might send a detainer with the sheriff.
• Posting bail will not lift the detainer; the 48 hours just start then.
• Under the I-247A, ICE asks the Helena jail to push back the person's release for no more than 48 hours. Saturday won't stop the 48 hours.
• Within that window, ICE can come to pick them up. Time up and no ICE? Then the hold ends and the sheriff should release them.
• For help, call ICE's New Orleans field office for Arkansas: 181 James Drive W, St. Rose, LA 70087, 504-318-2360.
• Families can follow them online through the Online Detainee Locator System; it needs an A-number plus birth country. Without the A-number? Enter both first and last names together with birth country and DOB instead.
• The next stop is up to ICE.

Felony prison terms are handled under the ADC. The person often waits in the local jail until the state has a bed. State reception is the first step — paperwork, photos and tests happen there. Classification staff sort each person by medical and mental health needs, gang links, and custody level. Their final stop is a unit that fits those results.

Check the ADC online search for their unit. Our Arkansas prison page lists each unit.

Local papers and TV stations after a booking picture can ring the sheriff's office at 870-338-5555 and ask what the office will release. U.S. mugshots stay private. U.S. officials holds booking pictures back; the U.S. Marshals make an exception only to find a wanted fugitive, when it is needed right away to keep people safe or if posting it could help make an arrest or alert neighbors. Photos from an ICE booking must be requested with an ICE FOIA request and approved by ICE.

• Helena-West Helena Police: 870-572-3441
• Lake View Police: 870-827-6497
• Phillips County Sheriff's Office: 870-338-5555

Marvell, Elaine, Elaine-area farms and other rural places use the sheriff.