Claiborne County Jail

Start with the legal name exactly as printed on a driver's license. Then go step by step:

1. Load the inmate search in your browser.
2. Put the surname in the name box and leave the first name empty.
3. A long result list means you should add the first name.
4. Nothing yet? Search a nickname, a second name or a name from marriage.
5. Check every match against the birth date, since relatives often share a surname.

This link goes to a lookup built for the whole state, so the jail itself gives the firmest answer. The Sheriff keeps a jail docket. Dial 601-437-5161 and ask the desk to look in it. Ask about the charge and bond at the same time.

Seeing nothing is not proof of freedom. Consider each of these:

• Not entered yet. Booking staff take prints and photos first, and the entry follows later.
• Port Gibson officers have the person. Port Gibson police, at 800 Farmer Street, Port Gibson, MS 39150, 601-437-5101, may have the person, so ask them where the person is before you drive to the jail.
• Bonded out. A family member or a bondsman may have paid already, or a judge may have sent the person home.
• Sleeping in a different county. A small jail may place people in a jail outside the county.
• Spelling. A typo, a nickname or a Jr. or III can hide a match.

For a real answer, reach the Sheriff's Office, 410 Market Street, Port Gibson, MS 39150, at 601-437-5161. Ask which building the person sleeps in.

Public records list one adult jail for the county. A nearby jail may be the answer if the arrest happened elsewhere.

• Claiborne County Jail, 410 Market Street, Port Gibson, MS 39150, 601-437-5161. Men and women arrested by deputies or city officers are booked here. Ask whether the person has been moved to another building or to a jail in another county.
• Jefferson/Franklin County Correctional Facility, 279 MS Hwy 33, Fayette, MS 39069, 601-786-2284. This regional facility is the one to try if the arrest took place in Jefferson County.

Other neighboring counties run their own jails. Use our list of Mississippi jails to find them. A person under a federal or state hold may be housed elsewhere, as answers 17 and 19 explain.

No one has confirmed that it does. The link opens a name lookup, which may or may not display mugshots. To request a booking photo, contact the arresting agency and ask whether it will release one:

• Sheriff's Office, 410 Market Street, Port Gibson, MS 39150, 601-437-5161
• Port Gibson Police Department, 800 Farmer Street, Port Gibson, MS 39150, 601-437-5101

Under the Mississippi Public Records Act (Miss. Code § 25-61-1 and following), a police incident report is open to the public, and it lists everyone arrested and charged (§§ 25-61-3 and 25-61-12). The agency may bill you for copies (§ 25-61-7). Photos are a different question, and each agency answers it for itself.

Pictures held by ICE must be sought through its public records form. Federal booking photos are generally not released, although the U.S. Marshals Service can release one in a fugitive case.

Yes. Mississippi's VINE program, also known as SAVIN, runs through the Department of Corrections. It sends a notice about county and state offenders when one is moved, let out, escapes or comes back into custody.

• Search the person and register on VINELink.
• Or phone the toll-free line, 888-967-7284, staffed around the clock in English and Spanish.
• During business hours, the state SAVIN office is at 601-359-5759.

If a county inmate is later sent to state prison, your registration goes along. Because the state never lists the county jails in the system, keep checking with the jail desk too.

A judge must see every person in custody within two days after the arrest (Mississippi Rule of Criminal Procedure 5.1). County arrests normally go to Justice Court, 501 Market Street, Port Gibson, MS 39150, 601-437-4478. An arrest made by city police is handled in that city's municipal court. At this first hearing the judge states the charge, explains the person's rights, and decides how release will work.

• The judge starts from a promise to return or an appearance bond, and moves up only if those will not work.
• If two days pass with no judge, a bailable person can walk out on an appearance bond at the minimum scheduled amount.
• Ways to post: a promise, an unsecured bond, a cash deposit, a property bond, or a bondsman.
• For a cash deposit, the clerk takes the larger of $250 or a tenth of the bond.
• A bondsman keeps 10 percent of the bail or $100, whichever is larger, plus a $50 processing fee. For capital charges or people living out of state, the rate rises to 15 percent. None of it comes back.
• Verify a bondsman's license with the Insurance Department at 601-359-3582.
• Guide amounts: one-year misdemeanor, $500 to $2,000; felony with up to 10 years, $5,000 to $50,000; selling or trafficking drugs, $5,000 to $1,000,000. A judge may go above or below.
• In a domestic violence case, posting bail waits for the judge's first look at the person.

State law lets the sheriff or officer holding a person take the bail (Miss. Code § 99-5-7), so phone 601-437-5161 to learn how to post. More detail is on our bail page, and our Mississippi bail laws page gives a state view.

These offices can tell you, starting with the quickest:

• The jail desk, 601-437-5161, which knows the charge, the arresting agency and the bond.
• Justice Court, 501 Market Street, Port Gibson, MS 39150, 601-437-4478, for misdemeanors and the first hearing in a felony.
• The Circuit Clerk, 410 Market Street, Port Gibson, MS 39150, 601-437-5841, once a grand jury has acted on a felony. Bring the legal name and date of birth.
• The District Attorney for this district, P.O. Box 767, Hazlehurst, MS 39083, 601-894-5010, who prosecutes felonies.

Participating courts also post dockets on Mississippi Electronic Courts, which needs one login. A request for the incident report will show the charge too.

The judge decides on a court-appointed lawyer by the first hearing at the latest (Rule 7). The person should tell the judge plainly that they cannot pay. The county's website lists no public defender office, so the court clerk is the one to ask who takes appointed cases. Reach Justice Court at 601-437-4478 for misdemeanors, or the Circuit Clerk at 601-437-5841 for felonies.

You may always pay for a private lawyer instead. The state public defender's office in Jackson, 601-576-4290, handles most felony appeals and death penalty cases. A lawyer can move to lower a bond that looks too high (Rule 8.5). Save case talk for your lawyer, since jail calls may be recorded.

The Sheriff's Office writes the visiting rules, and no written copy was available to pass along. Phone 601-437-5161 before you drive over. Here is what to ask:

• On which days and at what hours can visitors come?
• Must visits be booked ahead?
• Is there a minimum age, and which ID is accepted?
• What clothes are allowed, and where do bags and phones go?
• Does the jail offer video visits from home or in the lobby?

Rules can shift without notice. Our visiting guide explains the usual jail rules.

An account pays for snacks, toiletries and, in some jails, phone time. Ring the jail at 601-437-5161 to learn which deposit methods work, any cap on amounts, and any fees. Have the legal name and a booking number on hand.

Our money guide lists deposit options, while the commissary guide shows what a balance can purchase. Cash by mail is a bad idea, and so is any payment to someone demanding gift cards.

The jail chooses its own call system. Contact 601-437-5161 to find out how your person can reach you, what each minute costs, and whether texting, email or video is on offer. Also ask whether calls are taped, and plan as if they are.

For typical setups, see the guides on jail phones and inmate email.

JE shows the jail's mail address as c/o Claiborne County Jail, P.O. Box 427, Port Gibson, MS 39150. The county website lists that same box as the Sheriff's mailing address. Phone 601-437-5161 to confirm the format and learn if an inmate number goes on the envelope.

Address the envelope to the person by formal name, and mark your own return address clearly. Check what the jail accepts, such as photos or books. Stick to plain paper, and keep cash out of the envelope. Our mail guide lists more tips.

Whatever the person had at booking stays in storage until release. Ring 601-437-5161 to ask how a relative may bring clothes or take property home, and if the person must sign for the items. Bring photo ID to the Sheriff's Office, 410 Market Street, Port Gibson, MS 39150. Cash and valuables may follow a separate process from clothing.

Dial 601-437-5161 and tell the desk the person needs a nurse or doctor. Say what medicine is taken, how much, and who prescribed it. Urge the person to file a written medical request inside the jail so a record exists.

If life is at risk, use 911. For a mental health emergency, state that clearly when the call is answered.

Deputies of the Sheriff's Office, 410 Market Street, Port Gibson, MS 39150, serve warrants in the county. The desk, 601-437-5161, can say if one is active for a name. For fugitives across the state, read Mississippi's Most Wanted. Court clerks may also be able to check their files. Try Justice Court, 501 Market Street, Port Gibson, MS 39150, 601-437-4478, or the Circuit Clerk, 410 Market Street, Port Gibson, MS 39150, 601-437-5841. Keep the complete legal name and birth date at hand. To resolve a warrant, consult an attorney before anything else, then contact the issuing court to arrange a surrender.

Each court keeps its own calendar, and our court page follows a case stage by stage. Offices to call:

• Justice Court, 501 Market Street, Port Gibson, MS 39150, 601-437-4478. It hears misdemeanors outside city limits and runs bond and early hearings for felonies. The county has an east and a west justice district.
• Circuit Court, through the Circuit Clerk, 410 Market Street, Port Gibson, MS 39150, 601-437-5841. Felony cases land here after an indictment.
• Port Gibson City Hall, 1005 College Street, Port Gibson, MS 39150, 601-437-4234. Ask which court takes charges filed by city officers.

The county lists no county court. State rules aim to start a trial within nine months of arraignment, unless the court finds a good reason to wait (Rule 9). Participating courts also show cases on Mississippi Electronic Courts.

A federal case arising here belongs to the Southern District of Mississippi, Western Division. Its courtroom sits in the federal building at 109 South Pearl Street, 2nd Floor, Natchez, MS 39120, 601-897-6936. No clerk works in Natchez. Papers go to the clerk at the Thad Cochran United States Courthouse, 501 East Court Street, Jackson, MS 39201, 601-608-4000.

1. Soon after arrest, a federal judge decides in a detention hearing whether the person stays in jail or goes home (18 U.S.C. 3142).
2. The U.S. Marshals Service has custody of people awaiting trial. Reach its Natchez office, 109 South Pearl Street, Natchez, MS 39120, at 601-608-6800 to learn where a person is kept.
3. Follow the case through PACER.
4. After sentencing, search the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

The hold unfolds in four stages:

1. The jail gets a written hold notice from ICE on Form I-247A. This notice is called a detainer.
2. Under 8 CFR 287.7(d), the jail can keep the person for up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released.
3. ICE then collects the person. Mississippi is covered by the ICE New Orleans Field Office.
4. Look in the ICE Online Detainee Locator by A-number. Another option in the locator is the full name plus the birth country.

If the locator finds no match, a lawyer can reach out to ICE on your behalf. The jail desk, 601-437-5161, can confirm whether a detainer is on file.

Once prison time is ordered, the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) sends the person to an intake site for classification, chosen by the county of origin. Expect a stay of two weeks to a month and a half, with no visits and few calls. Sheriff's deputies make the drive. The jail at 601-437-5161 can say when it will happen.

• Try the MDOC inmate search with a name or ID number. It shows state prisoners only, never people in county jails.
• Our Mississippi state prisons page covers visits and mail.
• Parole is decided by the Mississippi State Parole Board.

A child is usually handled by Youth Court, not adult court. The county has no county court, so the chancery judge hears youth matters. Begin with the Chancery Clerk, 410 Market Street, Port Gibson, MS 39150, 601-437-4992, and ask how to reach youth court intake and where the child is kept.

• Custody of a child beyond 24 hours requires a judge's say-so, and a hearing about holding the child must come within 48 hours (Miss. Code § 43-21-303 sets the day limit; §§ 43-21-307 and 43-21-309 cover the hearing).
• Children are not placed in an adult jail as a rule (§ 43-21-315).
• Adult court may take a child of 13 or older charged with an offense punishable by life or death, or one involving a deadly weapon (§ 43-21-151).
• A youth committed by the court may go to Oakley Youth Development Center, 2375 Oakley Road, Raymond, MS 39154.

The state's Youth Defense line, 601-576-4206, can point families to a lawyer.

Whichever agency made the arrest can give you a report number. Departments to know:

• Claiborne County Sheriff's Office, 410 Market Street, Port Gibson, MS 39150, 601-437-5161. Deputies cover the land outside city limits. The county guide lists no police department for Lorman, Hermanville or Pattison, so call the Sheriff about those places.
• Port Gibson Police Department, 800 Farmer Street, Port Gibson, MS 39150, 601-437-5101.
• Alcorn State University, 1000 ASU Drive, Alcorn State, MS 39096, 601-877-6100. That is the main campus line, so ask the operator for campus police.
• Mississippi Highway Patrol, Troop C, 3851 Highway 468 West, Pearl, MS 39208, 601-420-6342. Troopers patrol the state highways here.