Felony and misdemeanor arrests in St. Clair County are booked at the St. Clair County Jail, found at:
700 North 5th Street
Belleville, IL 62220
The county sheriff operates the jail. Sheriff’s deputies book the people they arrest, and municipal police departments in the county bring arrestees here when they will be held for court rather than released from the police station. Correctional officers photograph and fingerprint each new detainee, inventory their property, look for warrants and complete a medical screening before placing them in housing.
The Illinois State Police also book arrests here. The U.S. Marshals may house federal defendants in some Illinois county jails under contract.
Illinois ended cash bail on September 18, 2023, when the Pretrial Fairness Act, part of the SAFE-T Act, took effect, and the state has long banned commercial bail bond businesses. Instead of setting money bail, a judge either releases the person, usually with conditions, or, if prosecutors file a petition for certain charges, holds a detention hearing. Anyone held in custody must generally appear before a judge within 48 hours. Our Bail page explains how pretrial release works.
Under the Illinois TRUST Act and the 2019 Way Forward Act, local jails may not hold someone on an ICE detainer alone or keep a person in custody for ICE without a judicial warrant, and Illinois law bars 287(g) agreements and local immigration detention contracts. If ICE takes custody after release, family members can use the ICE detainee locator.
Current inmates appear on the sheriff’s official booking list (opens in a new tab), usually with the charges and arresting agency. Booking photos may be shown where the county posts them, although a 2021 Illinois law limits police from posting mugshots on social media. For anything else, call the St. Clair County Jail at 618- 207-4374.
Getting through booking and into a housing unit, or out the door, takes anywhere from a couple of hours to a full day based on the backlog in intake.
Calling the jail at 618- 207-4374 is the most direct way to confirm whether someone is in custody.
The person answering may need the detainee’s full name and birth date before sharing information.
Many people arrested on lower-level charges in Illinois are released from the police station with a citation and never reach the jail, so not every arrest shows up here. New bookings can also take a few hours to appear.
You can check the St. Clair County Jail Booking Roster online as well.
After the arrest and Miranda warnings, the person is processed at a police station or brought to the sheriff’s jail in St. Clair County. Illinois law gives arrestees the right to make three phone calls within three hours of arriving at the first place of custody.
Booking takes several steps. Attorneys advise people not to talk about the accusation, since anything said to police, other detainees or over a jail phone can be recorded and used as evidence.
The detainee is photographed and fingerprinted and answers questions about their background and mental health. Checks are run for warrants in St. Clair County, statewide and across the U.S. A DNA sample may be taken for serious felonies.
Drivers arrested for DUI who refuse chemical testing face a statutory summary suspension of their license. A blood draw generally requires consent or a warrant.
Illinois law prohibits strip searching someone arrested only for a traffic, regulatory or misdemeanor offense unless officers reasonably believe the person is hiding a weapon or drugs. Others may be strip searched, and everyone may pass through a metal detector or body scanner.
Officers ask about medical problems and medications, drug and alcohol use, allergies, any risk of self-harm, tattoos, gang affiliation and anyone the person should be kept apart from. That information guides classification and care while they are held.
The jail inventories and holds all personal property until release. A detainee can usually sign a form allowing a family member or friend to pick up certain items.
Held property commonly includes street clothes, money, wallets, purses, phones, jewelry, body piercings and watches. Eyeglasses may be held if they pose a security issue, and laces are taken out of shoes.
The detainee waits for a first appearance before a judge, who decides on pretrial release and any conditions. Because Illinois has no cash bail, there is no bond amount for family to post in the meantime.
While held, the person receives a jail uniform, shoes, a blanket and sheets, soap, a toothbrush, toothpaste and a towel.
A shower and treatment for lice or scabies may be required before they move to a housing unit.
Booking may take an hour or run past 24 hours, depending on how many arrivals are waiting, how many officers are working and how the detainee behaves.
A person who is badly intoxicated or combative can be held in a separate cell until they can safely finish booking.