Hampshire County bail and bond: the Rocky Hill Road jail and the Northampton courts
Hampshire County's lockup and jail sit together on Rocky Hill Road in Northampton. The Hampshire County Jail and House of Correction, 205 Rocky Hill Road, holds people awaiting trial and people serving sentences, under Sheriff Patrick J. Cahillane. Check Hampshire County Inmate Search to learn if someone is in custody and what the bail is. The sheriff's own contact page lists 413-584-5911. A judge or clerk-magistrate sets bail in court, and a bail magistrate does it after hours.
Is she inside the Rocky Hill Road jail?
Look her up on Hampshire County Inmate Search. A record means she has been booked and shows her bail. If she was arrested only hours ago, she may still be in the lockup next door, which is a different place. Call 413-584-5911 for anything the search leaves out.
The sheriff has two phone numbers. Which one do I use?
The sheriff's website gives 413-584-5911, with a mailing address of P.O. Box 7000. The Massachusetts Sheriffs' Association lists 413-582-7700. Start with the first number. If nobody picks up, try the second.
What is the regional lockup beside the jail?
It is the Hampshire Regional Police Lockup, a 24-cell unit that opened in 2002 on the jail grounds. A 2026 report says it accepted 561 arrestees from January through July and refused none. Twelve of the county's 20 towns have under 5,000 people, and they use it under agreements. So a person arrested in a small town may spend the first night here before court.
Can someone be released before arraignment?
Yes. Police call a bail magistrate, who may release the person on a promise or set cash bail at the station. A probation officer checks identity and record before arraignment, and asks about a court-appointed lawyer.
Why is a jail also called a house of correction?
In Massachusetts, a county house of correction holds people who could not post bail as well as people sentenced to short terms. Time spent in custody before trial earns credit toward a later sentence. The Hampshire sheriff's state overview says this one building holds both groups. Women held here, if any, are a question for the jail desk at 413-584-5911.
Northampton or Belchertown: which court?
Northampton District Court, 15 Gothic Street, serves Chesterfield, Cummington, Easthampton, Goshen, Hatfield, Huntington, Middlefield, Northampton, Plainfield, Southampton, Westhampton, Williamsburg, and Worthington. Its clerk's phone is 413-584-7400. Eastern Hampshire District Court, 205 State Street, Belchertown, hears other Hampshire County cases; its clerk is at 413-213-7610.
Where do I hand over cash bail?
At the clerk's office of the court holding the case. Hours at the Northampton court are Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The court keeps the money until the case is done. For someone already inside the jail, ask the jail desk who takes the payment.
What can secure bail besides cash?
Section 57 allows bank deposits, certain savings or co-operative bank papers, and government bonds of equal value. Real estate is not on that list. Whether Hampshire courts accept a deed is a question for the clerk. Hampshire Superior Court's clerk of courts is Daniel R. Carey, 413-584-5810.
Are there bondsmen in Hampshire County?
G.L. c. 276, section 61B bans paying a surety for the service. The usual routes are release on a promise, cash, or a friend or relative acting as surety for free. Verify with the clerk before paying a stranger.
Can a charity cover bail for Hampshire inmates?
The Massachusetts Bail Fund names eight sites where it posts, and the Northampton jail is not among them. Ask the public defender about other help. Never wire money to a group that contacts you first.
My relative was refused release. Can that be challenged?
Yes. If a person is denied personal recognizance, the Superior Court hears a petition for review as speedily as practicable, often the same day. If a district judge ordered dangerousness detention under section 58A, the Superior Court must hear the petition within five business days. A lawyer files it.
How are 12- to 17-year-olds treated?
A bail amount cannot be set for a 12- or 13-year-old. For ages 14 to 18, a bail official may be involved if the youth was arrested on a warrant or held at the station's written request. Police must call a parent first after hours. DYS Western Region detention phones: 413-846-5210 or 413-846-5184, from 2014.
Which office handles the free lawyer?
The Public Defender Division's Northampton Trial Office, 109 Main Street, Suite 201 (Gothic Street entrance), serves Hampshire Superior Court, Northampton District Court, and Eastern Hampshire District Court. Call 413-584-2701.
What if she misses court?
Expect a warrant. The judge can also keep the money paid. Phone her lawyer and the clerk the same day.
Does the court give the money back?
Yes, when the case ends and all dates were attended. An unpaid $150 minimum lawyer fee delays it. Hold on to every receipt.
What if someone calls offering to free her for a fee?
Do not pay. No jail or court takes gift cards. Dial the jail at 413-584-5911 yourself.
Hampshire County bail contacts
- Jail
- Hampshire County Jail and House of Correction, 205 Rocky Hill Road, Northampton, MA 01060; 413-584-5911 (association list: 413-582-7700)
- Bail guide
- Hampshire County jail and bail help
- Custody lookup
- Hampshire County Inmate Search
- Sheriff
- Patrick J. Cahillane, Hampshire Sheriff's Department
- Northampton courts
- 15 Gothic Street, Northampton; District Court clerk 413-584-7400; Superior Court clerk 413-584-5810
- Belchertown court
- Eastern Hampshire District Court, 205 State Street, Belchertown; clerk 413-213-7610
- Public defender
- Northampton Trial Office, 109 Main Street, Suite 201; 413-584-2701
- Youth detention
- DYS Western Region, 280 Tinkham Road, Springfield; 413-846-5210 or 413-846-5184
Details come from public court and sheriff pages and may have shifted since. Confirm with the clerk or the jail before you pay anything. Treat this as background reading, not legal counsel.