Everything sits in a single file that scrolls on and on. A phone works fine for it, though a bigger screen is easier. Try it this way:

1. Tap the Sheriff's in-custody roster and give the file a few seconds to open.
2. Glance at the "Printed on" stamp. A booking or release later than that stamp won't be reflected.
3. Hunt for the surname with your device's search box. On Windows that is Ctrl+F, on a Mac Command+F, and on phones it hides in the share or menu button.
4. Read each line under the name: arrest time, days in custody, arresting agency, the "Held for" agency and the reason for the hold.
5. Scroll to the charges. Every one carries a Minnesota statute number plus a few words saying what it is.
6. See if a bond or bail figure and a next court date are filled in. Fresh bookings often have these blank.
7. Jot down the visiting windows printed for that person, since they can differ between people.

Can't find them, or the PDF won't load? Phone WCDC staff at 507-457-6368.

Take a breath. Plenty of ordinary things keep a name off the PDF:

• Timing. The list is a snapshot. Somebody brought in after it was printed shows up on the next version.
• A ticket instead of a booking. For lots of low-level charges, police write a ticket listing a hearing day, and nobody gets booked.
• Out after court. The first hearing may already be over, and the judge may have sent them home.
• Arrested across a line. Someone picked up in Wabasha, Olmsted, Fillmore or Houston County sits in that county's lockup. The jails are listed in the answer just below.
• Typos. Try other spellings, a hyphenated surname, or the name on their ID.
• Age. A teen is handled through juvenile channels and may not show on the adult list.

One quick call to 507-457-6368 usually clears it up.

Inside the county, yes. WCDC is the lone adult jail, and it houses both men and women. Bookings arrive from deputies, troopers, and the Winona and Goodview departments. The roster also shows people kept for outside agencies, including a hold for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.

The county once said the new building would bring back court-approved Huber work release and Sentence to Serve. Ask the Sheriff's Department, 507-457-6368, whether either program is running today.

An arrest in a bordering Minnesota county means a different jail. Here are the four neighbors:

• Wabasha County Jail, upriver in the Criminal Justice Center at 848 17th Street East, Suite 2, Wabasha, MN 55981, 651-560-1004
• Olmsted County Adult Detention Center, 101 4th Street SE, Rochester, MN 55904, 507-328-6790
• Fillmore County Jail, 901 Houston Street NW, Preston, MN 55965, 507-765-3874
• Houston County Jail, 306 S. Marshall Street, Suite 1100, Caledonia, MN 55921, 507-725-3379

The PDF is words and numbers. Next to each name it prints a "Date of Mugshot" with a time stamp, yet the pictures themselves stay out of the file.

Minnesota's data practices law treats a booking photo as public (Minn. Stat. 13.82, subd. 26). A short delay is allowed while detectives are still working the case and the photo could get in their way. Core arrest facts, such as charges and custody status, are public too (Minn. Stat. 13.82, subd. 2). So request mugshots from whoever made the arrest:

• Deputies or WCDC: 507-457-6368
• Winona Police Department, 201 W 3rd Street, Winona, MN 55987: 507-457-6302
• Immigration arrests: ICE answers photo requests made on its FOIA request site.
• Federal agencies generally don't release booking photos. Still, the U.S. Marshals Service may hand one out, for example a picture of somebody who ran.

Yes. Sign up with Minnesota VINE, which Minnesota's public safety department runs. VINE watches custody changes at county jails and, once you register, sends word when a person walks out or is moved.

To register, visit Minnesota VINELink or dial 877-664-8463. Nothing arrives until you do. VINE covers jails, not state prisons. Prison updates come from a DOC tool named Minnesota Haven instead.

Release is a District Court decision, made at the first appearance. Ask the jail whether your person will be taken to the courtroom or seen on video. The courthouse sits at 171 West 3rd Street, Winona, MN 55987. With no warrant, the hearing has to happen inside 36 hours for anyone still locked up. Arrest day, Sundays and holidays don't count toward that clock (Minn. R. Crim. P. 4.02, subd. 5).

• Release without money comes first. Rule 6.02 points the judge toward a signed promise to come back. Limits, such as staying sober or away from someone, get added only where needed.
• A pair of amounts. The court also names a money bail with zero conditions. That is why paperwork often lists a smaller figure with conditions and a bigger one without.
• Cash paid in. The court administrator keeps it, and the law treats it as belonging to the accused, even when a parent or partner put it up. Fines can come out of it. For the refund to go to a relative, the defendant signs form CRM602 (Minn. Stat. 629.53).
• Bondsmen. State-licensed agents must charge at least $100. Their premium is never handed back (Minn. Stat. 60M.02).

WCDC staff at 507-457-6368 can say where and when bail is accepted. Court Administration, 507-615-5183, handles court payments. Our bail page for Winona goes deeper, and JE's statewide bail law page covers Minnesota rules.

Look at the roster first. Each charge has a statute number and a brief label. Paste the number into the Minnesota Statutes site to read the whole law.

After prosecutors file their complaint, Minnesota Court Records Online picks the case up. Type the name into its free case finder for the case number, the counts and new filings. Certain juvenile matters are left out.

Here is the top penalty at each level:

• Petty misdemeanor: up to a $300 fine, with no jail possible.
• Misdemeanor: up to 90 days behind bars and a $1,000 fine.
• Gross misdemeanor: as long as 364 days, plus as much as $3,000.
• Felony: Minnesota allows one year or more of prison for these (Minn. Stat. 609.02, subd. 2).

Stuck on a court file? Court Administration takes calls at 507-615-5183.

Free counsel is offered on felony and gross misdemeanor charges. The same goes for a misdemeanor that carries possible jail time. Early on, the court asks the accused for a written list of income and bills. The judge then rules on whether they qualify. If they already receive means-tested aid, the law presumes they qualify (see Minn. Stat. 611.17; also 611.14).

The Third Judicial District runs a public defender office right in town:

• 166 West Third Street, Suite 201, Winona, MN 55987
• Phone: 507-474-6440

Some families pay for their own attorney. Whoever represents them may ask a judge to lower bail or ease the conditions.

Visits fall on Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday. The roster prints each person's own time windows, plus an "On-Site Visitation" number. Times are not the same for everyone, so check your person's entry.

Before making the drive downtown, call WCDC at 507-457-6368. Good questions to ask:

• Must a visit be scheduled in advance?
• Which forms of photo ID are accepted?
• Are kids allowed, and with which adult?
• Which clothing is off limits, and is there a locker for my phone?
• Is remote video visiting available?

JE's visitation help page explains what a first jail visit is like.

Funds on an account cover canteen snacks, hygiene goods and, often, calls. Ask the jail at 507-457-6368 which deposit methods it uses. While you're on the line, ask about service fees, any daily cap and whether the lobby has a kiosk.

Use the legal name exactly as it appears on the roster. Mailing bills or coins is risky and should be avoided. For more, see JE's guide to sending jail money and the commissary explainer.

People held at WCDC can usually place outgoing calls, but you can't dial in to them. Call 507-457-6368 to find out which phone provider the jail uses, how to open an account and the cost per call. Also ask whether tablets, messaging or video calls are part of the setup.

Assume someone may be listening, so keep details of the case off the phone. JE's inmate calling page and messaging page have more.

WCDC's street address is 203 W. 3rd Street, Winona, MN 55987. Call 507-457-6368 before mailing, though, and confirm the exact way to address it. Ask if a booking number belongs beside the name. Ask too about photos, cards and books.

Write the legal name neatly. Your name and street address go in the upper left. Skip tape, glitter and stickers, and never tuck in cash. JE's jail mail tips list things that often get rejected.

Pockets get emptied at booking, and WCDC bags those items up. The bag is normally handed back at release. If you urgently need an item, like the car or house key, call 507-457-6368 before coming in.

Staff can explain whether the person must sign permission for you to collect it and when pickup is possible. Carry ID. Anything kept as evidence stays with police.

Phone WCDC at 507-457-6368 quickly and request that your message reach the nurse or medical team. Give the medications and doses, allergies, and the doctor's name and number.

Urge your relative to submit a sick-call slip too, since a written request leaves a record. Be blunt if you fear suicide or a breakdown, so staff treat it as urgent. If it's life or death, dial 911.

Wondering about a warrant from anywhere in the county? The Sheriff's Department can check by phone at 507-457-6368. Minnesota lacks a single statewide public warrant lookup. Statewide, the DOC names its supervised-release violators on a Wanted Fugitives page. The free MCRO case lookup lists court cases, but warrants are a separate matter. A lawyer should be your first call. Next, contact the issuing court, or walk in to WCDC, 203 W. 3rd Street, Winona, MN 55987. Local warrants come out of the courthouse at 171 West 3rd Street, Winona, MN 55987, where Court Administration answers 507-615-5183.

Start on the roster, which often prints the upcoming court date. Local criminal matters, from petty tickets to felonies, all go before the District Court of Minnesota's Third Judicial District:

• Courthouse: 171 West 3rd Street, Winona, MN 55987
• Court Administration: 507-615-5183

Search a name on MCRO's calendar of hearings for times and courtrooms. Hearings get moved, so recheck the night before. Each step after the first appearance is covered on JE's Winona court page.

Those cases are filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. For Winona families, St. Paul is the closest courthouse, 316 North Robert Street, St. Paul, MN 55101. Reach the clerk at 612-664-5000.

1. A federal judge makes the jail-or-release call for the stretch before trial, at what's known as a detention hearing (18 U.S.C. 3142).
2. The U.S. Marshals Service is in charge of federal pretrial prisoners. Its district office is at 300 South 4th Street, Suite 402, Minneapolis, MN 55415, 612-664-5900. Ask there where your person is housed.
3. Elk River's Sherburne County Jail houses many Marshals prisoners. Contact its Sheriff's Office at 13880 Business Center Drive NW, Suite 100, Elk River, MN 55330, 763-765-3500.
4. Once sentenced, the person appears on the federal Bureau of Prisons locator.

These are the usual steps when ICE gets involved:

1. ICE files a detainer with WCDC on Form I-247A.
2. Federal regulation 8 CFR 287.7(d) lets the detainer request a hold of up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released.
3. Minnesota adds a wrinkle. Its Attorney General put out an opinion on February 6, 2025. The office found nothing in state law that lets jails keep people for ICE after their local case would free them.
4. ICE cases from this area run through the ERO St. Paul Field Office, 1 Federal Drive, Suite 1601, Fort Snelling, MN 55111, 612-843-8600.
5. To locate a person in ICE custody, use the ICE Online Detainee Locator. The site takes a person's A-number or their whole name, each paired with the country they were born in.

A felony prison term means the state, through its Department of Corrections, becomes the keeper. Until the transfer, the person waits at WCDC. Deputies then take them to a state intake facility, where they are processed and evaluated.

• Search by name with the state's Offender Locator from the DOC. A brand-new prisoner might stay invisible there for a handful of workdays.
• JE's Minnesota prisons section covers visiting, letters and deposits at each prison.

For about the last third of the term, most people live outside prison on supervised release. A DOC agent oversees them then.

Minnesota law defines a child as a person younger than 18 (Minn. Stat. 260B.007). Charges against a youth are handled in juvenile court, which sits within District Court. In most cases the officer returns the youth to a parent. Exceptions apply when the youth is a safety risk or may skip court (Minn. Stat. 260B.176, subd. 1).

WCDC has state permission to hold a youth for one day at most. That 24-hour limit pauses over weekends and holidays. After that, a juvenile facility must take over. Locked juvenile detention longer than 36 hours, again skipping weekends and holidays, needs two things first: a written petition in court and a judge's order.

Court Administration, 507-615-5183, or the Sheriff's Department, 507-457-6368, will know the teen's current location and the hearing date. For grave charges, teens 14 through 17 can be moved to adult court. Prosecutors may also seek an extended jurisdiction juvenile case, known as EJJ.

Look at the roster to see who arrested your person. Then use this list:

• Winona County Sheriff's Office: 507-457-6368. Deputies cover rural areas. For a town with no police department of its own, ask which agency responded.
• Winona Police Department, 201 W 3rd Street, Winona, MN 55987. Non-emergency dispatch 507-457-6491; main office 507-457-6302.
• Goodview Police Department: 507-452-1500
• Lewiston Police Department: 507-523-2534
• St. Charles Police Department: 507-932-4500
• Minnesota State Patrol: highway troopers here come from the Rochester district. Statewide headquarters is at 445 Minnesota Street, Suite 130, St. Paul, MN 55101, 651-201-7100.

In an emergency, dial 911.