The roster has several boxes, and you do not need to fill them all. Here is a simple order:

1. Load the Sheriff's jail roster from a phone, tablet or laptop.
2. Enter the last and first name. If you already hold a booking number, enter only that.
3. Tick "In Custody" so the list shows people who are still locked up.
4. Not sure of a spelling? Try the booking date boxes, or pick a housing unit.
5. Copy down the booking number. Deposits, mail and calls to the jail all ask for it.

The Sheriff says the charge, case number and bond type belong to the court that has the case. If a result confuses you, call 313-224-0797.

No match on the roster is not proof the person is gone. Common reasons:

• Still being booked. A fresh arrest can take hours to show up.
• A city lockup. The Detroit Police keep felony arrests, and misdemeanor arrests with no quick bond, at the Detroit Detention Center.
• Already out. A bond may be posted already, or a judge ordered release.
• Transfers. People brought from other agencies or courts wait in the jail's Registry Unit until staff finish processing them.
• Another county, or a youth home. Anyone under 18 stays off the adult roster.
• Spelling. Swap a nickname for the full first name, or drop a hyphen.

Phone 313-224-0797 and ask which agency made the arrest.

The roster lists these housing units. All belong to the Sheriff's system:

• The Wayne County Criminal Justice Center, 5301 Russell Street, Detroit, MI 48211. This is the main adult jail, called the Adult Detention Facility on mail. The Sheriff's administration answers at 313-833-0864.
• The Electronic Monitoring Unit, for people who wear an ankle monitor in place of a cell.
• Residential mental health treatment programs.
• A unit the roster names "Wayne County Jail." Ask the jail which building that is.

Ask the jail which unit holds men, women or sentenced people.

A city lockup may hold someone for a short stretch first:

• Detroit Detention Center, run by the Detroit Police. Ask the jail for its address.
• Taylor Police Jail, 23515 Goddard Road, Taylor, MI 48180, 734-287-6611
• Westland Jail, 36701 Ford Road, Westland, MI 48185, 734-722-9600

The old Clinton Street buildings are shut. Pay no attention to older addresses you find online.

Was the arrest near a border? Try the Oakland County Jail, 1201 N. Telegraph Road, Pontiac, MI 48341, 248-858-5000. The Macomb Sheriff's Office, 43565 Elizabeth Road, Mount Clemens, MI 48043, 586-469-5151, runs the Macomb jail.

The Wayne roster search form has no spot for a booking photo, so plan on getting mugshots another way. Call the jail to ask, or take these steps.

• An opinion of the state's Attorney General (OAG 1979-1980 No 5593) calls the photos that police take of suspects public records. Still, an agency may refuse when sharing one would invade privacy in a way the law labels clearly unwarranted.
• Make a written FOIA request to the arresting agency (Michigan's public records law begins at MCL 15.231). The jail at 313-224-0797 can name that agency.
• For a case the Sheriff handled, use the Sheriff's FOIA request page. The office is at 5301 Russell Street, Detroit, MI 48211, 313-833-0864.
• For an ICE photo, use the request form on ICE's records site.
• Booking photos from federal agencies are usually kept private, since they rarely release them. Only the U.S. Marshals Service may let one out, for instance when it seeks a fugitive.

Michigan's VINE service is free. It watches for custody changes, including a release, a transfer to a different site, or an escape. It covers county jails and the state prisons, and it also reports court events.

• Dial 800-770-7657 any hour and give the person's name.
• Or register on VINELink to get a call, text or email.
• Nothing signs you up for you, so do it yourself.

An alert may come late. When a release matters today, also check the roster and ask the jail.

The state requires a quick first appearance, so a judge or magistrate sees an arrested person without unnecessary delay (MCL 764.13, MCL 764.26). Many of these hearings are two-way video links with the jail. For Detroit arrests, the first stop is the 36th District Court, 421 Madison Avenue, Detroit, MI 48226, 313-965-2200.

• Interim bond. Some misdemeanor arrests allow a quick bond. If no magistrate is free, the supervising deputy at the jail can take it (MCL 780.581). One exception: domestic violence arrests. Those people wait for a judge or court magistrate to set bond (MCL 780.582a).
• The hearing. The judge normally lets people go on their word or an unsecured bond, often with rules like no contact. Judges turn to money bail last, only when they find no gentler condition will protect people or guarantee the person comes back (MCR 6.106).
• Paying at the jail. The Sheriff accepts bonds at the jail around the clock, every day, except weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. In those hours, pay at the court that has the case.
• Ten percent. Some judges let you pay 10 percent of the bail to the court clerk instead of the full amount, under MCL 780.66. A revised court rule, effective May 1, 2026, lets the clerk's office retain the 10 percent only after the person is found guilty of a listed offense. With no conviction, you get it all back, though fines or costs may be subtracted.
• Bond agents. A court-approved agent can post a surety bond. Agents need a Michigan insurance producer license. The state consumer line is 877-999-6442.

Skipping court costs the bond, and fleeing on a felony bond is its own felony (MCL 750.199a). Our bail page lists the payment types, and our short Michigan bail laws guide covers the rules.

The Sheriff's roster does not print charges. The Sheriff says the charge, the case and the bond type come from the court of jurisdiction.

1. Ask the jail at 313-224-0797 which court has the case.
2. Search the state's MiCOURT Case Search by name. A new case may not be loaded yet, so call the court clerk when nothing shows.
3. For a Detroit case, call the 36th District Court's criminal side at 313-965-5029.

The Prosecuting Attorney makes the final charging call, from an office at 5301 Russell Street, Suite 200, Detroit, MI 48211, 313-224-5777. Early charges can change before the first hearing.

At arraignment the court asks if the person would like counsel, and decides on a free lawyer for those who cannot afford one (MCR 6.005). The right to ask stays even if the family can post bond.

• At the hearing, say clearly, "I cannot afford a lawyer."
• The county's Indigent Defense Services Division is at 333 W. Fort Street, Detroit, MI 48226. It lists an email, IDSDWayne@waynecountymi.gov, and no phone, so start with the court clerk at 313-965-5029.
• Relatives may instead hire a private lawyer, who then books visits with the jail.

Keep the details of the charge between you and the lawyer. Jail calls may be recorded.

Social visits are by video, and no one touches the person. Check these rules before you sign up:

• Each person gets one video visit per week, up to 30 minutes.
• Visitors must be at least 17 and show a city of Detroit ID, military ID, passport, state ID or driver's license.
• Join from your own phone, computer or tablet, or use the Visitation Center on the first floor of the Administration Building at the Criminal Justice Center. It is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and shut on weekends and holidays.
• The jail lists unit video hours of 8:00 to 10:30 a.m., 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Its visits page also lists other hours, so confirm yours at 313-833-0864.
• Electronic devices, smoking items and weapons may not come into the Visitation Center. Nudity and lewd acts on screen are not allowed.

The commissary page says families may use GettingOut for video visits, messages and photos, and fees apply. Visit tips are in our visiting guide.

Whatever you add to the account pays for calls and for store items. Keep the full name and the booking number handy.

• TouchPay takes phone and store deposits online, over the phone, or at a kiosk in the lobby. The facility number is 248211, and the help line is 866-204-1603.
• Its booking number format is unusual. A number such as 2026-00009999 is typed as 2026-009999, dropping two zeros after the year.
• JailATM sells care packs. It is a separate company with no tie to the jail. Type all 12 digits of the booking number there. Its line is 877-810-0914.

The store vendor serves the jail four days a week. See what the funds can buy in our commissary guide, and read the money guide for deposit basics. Bail goes through a separate path.

ViaPath provides the jail's phone, message and video service. Reach it at 866-516-0115, or look up the Michigan facility on its website.

• Call minutes are paid from the account. Add money through TouchPay, as the money answer explains.
• Inmate tablets carry a "Facility Messages" app. Families make a free profile to write to the person.
• Unused phone money can be refunded through the ViaPath help site.

Calls may be recorded, so keep case talk for the lawyer. Read more in our phone guide and email guide for jails.

Personal mail is not handed out on paper. The Sheriff says it reaches the person on a tablet. Address it with the first and last name and the booking number:

Wayne County Adult Detention Facility, Inmate First and Last Name (Booking Number), P.O. Box 247, Phoenix, MD 21131

• Personal mail sent straight to the Russell Street building is returned.
• Do not send books, packages, checks or money orders.
• Write your own name and street address inside.
• Sexual or threatening content is turned down.
• For a delivery problem, email the mail service, TextBehind, at info@TextBehind.com.

Lawyers may send privileged mail to 5301 Russell Street, Detroit, MI 48211. More rules are in our mail guide.

The jail's Property Office is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and shut on weekends and holidays. It is in the Criminal Justice Center, 5301 Russell Street, Detroit, MI 48211. Phone 313-224-0797 before you go.

• A person who is let out shows the jail ID armband to claim things, even after hours.
• A friend can collect the items if the person signs a Property Release Form naming them. The friend shows a driver's license, state ID or passport.
• Items nobody claims are destroyed or turned over to the state 90 days after release.

Phone 313-224-0797 and ask to speak with the jail's health staff. Provide the name, the booking number, the problem and every medicine taken. A doctor's name and number help too.

Staff can tell you how a person on the unit asks for care. Anything that could kill, like chest pain or heavy bleeding, needs 911. If you fear self-injury, say so to jail staff at once.

The Sheriff's Office is at 5301 Russell Street, Detroit, MI 48211, 313-833-0864. Call and ask if staff can tell you whether a warrant is out. The state's MiCOURT Case Search is a case lookup and not a warrant list, and Court clerks may be able to look. Before you turn in, hire or consult a lawyer. After that, the lawyer or you can ask the issuing court to schedule the surrender. For a Detroit case, the 36th District Court is at 421 Madison Avenue, Detroit, MI 48226, 313-965-2200. Bring a photo ID if you go in person, and write down the case number you are given.

The court holding the case sets each date. A felony starts in District Court. A probable cause conference is set a week or two after arraignment (7 to 14 days). The preliminary exam is held 5 to 7 days after the conference, under MCL 766.4. A case that moves forward goes to Circuit Court. Our court guide explains each stage.

• 36th District Court (Detroit), 421 Madison Avenue, Detroit, MI 48226, 313-965-2200, open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• 3rd Circuit Court criminal cases are heard in the Criminal Justice Center, 5301 Russell Street, Detroit, MI 48211. For its phone line, ask the District Court clerk at 313-965-5029.
• Suburban cases may go to a city court. Ask the arresting agency which one. Choices include:
  • 24th District, 6515 Roosevelt Road, Allen Park, MI 48101, 313-928-0535
  • 19th District, 16077 Michigan Avenue, Dearborn, MI 48126, 313-943-2060
  • 21st District, 6000 Middleton Road, Garden City, MI 48135, 734-793-1680
  • 31st District, 3401 Evaline Street, Hamtramck, MI 48212, 313-800-5248
  • 32A District, 19617 Harper Avenue, Harper Woods, MI 48225, 313-343-2590
  • 30th District, 12505 Woodward Avenue, Highland Park, MI 48203, 313-252-0300
  • 22nd District, 26279 Michigan Avenue, Inkster, MI 48141, 313-277-8200
  • 16th District, 32765 Five Mile Road, Livonia, MI 48154, 734-466-2500

A name search also works in MiCOURT.

Federal charges for this area go to the Detroit federal court, the Eastern District's Southern Division. Its home is the Theodore Levin United States Courthouse, 231 W. Lafayette Blvd., Detroit, MI 48226, 313-234-5000.

1. The 18 U.S.C. 3142 detention hearing is the point at which a federal judge chooses between holding and freeing the person until trial.
2. The U.S. Marshals arrange where the person stays meanwhile. Find them in Room 300 of that courthouse, 313-202-0135. Ask where the person is held.
3. Free defense can come from the Federal Community Defender, 613 Abbott Street, Suite 500, Detroit, MI 48226, 313-967-5542.
4. After a sentence is handed down, you can find the person with the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

Here is how a hold for immigration officers tends to unfold:

1. The jail receives a detainer, which is ICE Form I-247A.
2. Under 8 CFR 287.7(d), the jail may hold the person for up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released. That window lets ICE arrive.
3. ICE moves the person to a detention site. The ICE Online Detainee Locator takes an A-number. No number? Use the spelled-out name, then pick the nation of birth.
4. Still no result? Phone the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations office for Michigan and Ohio, 985 Michigan Avenue, Suite 207, Detroit, MI 48226, 313-771-6601.

Paying bail may not end an ICE hold. An immigration lawyer can explain the choices.

A judge's prison sentence sends the person, by sheriff's van, to a state intake center. Men are received at the Jackson intake site, the Reception and Guidance Center, while women are received at the reception center in Ypsilanti.

• Reception takes roughly 30 to 45 days. Visits are not allowed during it, yet letters and deposits are.
• Use the Department of Corrections' OTIS lookup (Offender Tracking Information System). Search by name or number to see prisoners, parolees and probationers.
• JE's Michigan state prisons guide has the rules for each prison.

Michigan now calls everyone under 18 a juvenile, 17-year-olds included. A youth cannot be kept with adult prisoners, and must stay out of their sight and sound. The Wayne County Juvenile Detention Facility is part of the Criminal Justice Center, 5301 Russell Street, Detroit, MI 48211. Phone 313-224-0797 to ask which building holds the youth, and what day the judge will first see them.

• Juvenile court work falls to the Family Division of Circuit Court.
• The Prosecuting Attorney's Juvenile Office is at 1025 E. Forest, Room 234, Detroit, MI 48207, 313-833-3300.
• A judge can waive a teen who has turned 14 into adult court (MCL 712A.4). The most serious acts by ages 14 through 17 begin in the adult Circuit Court, per MCL 600.606.

Ask the jail at 313-224-0797 which agency made the arrest. These agencies are tied to this area:

• Sheriff's Office, 5301 Russell Street, Detroit, MI 48211, 313-833-0864. Deputies run the jail.
• Detroit Police Department. It books people at the Detroit Detention Center. Ask the jail for the desk number.
• Taylor Police. Ask the jail or the city for the desk number.
• Westland Police. Ask the jail or the city for the desk number.
• Michigan State Police, Metro South Post (22), 12111 Telegraph Road, Taylor, MI 48180, 734-287-5000

Cities with their own district courts, such as Dearborn, Livonia, Garden City and Inkster, may have their own police too. The Sheriff's line above can tell you who to call.