Address of the Forrest County Adult Detention Center:
55 Arena Drive
Hattiesburg, MS 39401
This sheriff-run jail books adult felony and misdemeanor arrests made in Forrest County.
Sheriff’s deputies from Forrest County process their own arrests here, and the municipal police in towns without a jail of their own here bring arrestees as well. Jailers fingerprint and photograph every new arrival, list their property, run warrant checks and do a medical screening before placing them in a cell block.
The Mississippi Highway Patrol and other units of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety also book people into this jail, as can federal agencies including the U.S. Marshals and ICE.
Arrest information on the public list comes from the sheriff’s official booking list (opens in a new tab) or an official statewide jail listing. Where allowed, the list may include a mugshot, the charges and the agency that made each arrest. If you find gaps, the Forrest County Adult Detention Center staff can help at 601-545-6148.
Under the Mississippi Rules of Criminal Procedure, an arrested person must be taken before a judge for an initial appearance without unnecessary delay and within 48 hours of arrest. At that hearing, the judge explains the charges and rights, considers appointing counsel and sets release terms. Release on recognizance is possible when the judge believes the person will return to court.
Commercial bail is common in Mississippi, and bail agents must be licensed by the Mississippi Insurance Department. Bail may also be posted in cash or, where the court allows, with property. Steps for getting someone released are on our Bail page.
A 2017 Mississippi law prohibits cities, counties and state agencies from adopting sanctuary policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Several sheriffs’ offices, including Harrison, Stone, Monroe and Lauderdale counties, along with the state Attorney General’s office and other state agencies, have signed 287(g) agreements with ICE, and some county jails hold ICE detainees under contract.
From the moment someone walks into the Forrest County Adult Detention Center until they are housed or released can take two hours or stretch to a whole day, depending on how many arrests are ahead of them.
Calling the jail at 601-545-6148 is the most direct way to learn whether someone has been booked.
A jailer or dispatcher will usually take the call and may ask for the person’s date of birth to make sure the information goes to the right party.
Allow a few hours after an arrest before the booking shows up.
Online, you can check the Forrest County Adult Detention Center Booking Roster.
When someone is arrested in Forrest County, the arresting officer takes them to the county jail, or first to a city police department, to be booked.
The process has several stages. Lawyers usually tell people not to answer questions about what they are accused of, because comments to deputies or calls from the jail may be recorded and introduced in court.
Jailers take a mugshot and fingerprints, gather background details and run warrant checks in Forrest County, statewide and nationally. Mississippi law requires a DNA sample at booking from anyone arrested for a crime of violence or an attempted crime of violence.
In a DUI arrest, refusing a breath test leads to a license suspension, and officers can apply for a search warrant to have blood drawn by a medical professional.
New inmates are searched for contraband. This may involve a metal detector or body scanner and, depending on the charge and jail policy, a strip search.
The intake officer asks about illnesses, medications, allergies, drug or alcohol use, mental health, suicide risk, gang affiliation and tattoos. Those answers determine where the person is housed and whether they need medical attention or extra supervision.
The jail takes and catalogs all personal property, then keeps it until the person is released. If the person agrees, a family member or friend may be allowed to pick up some items.
Property can include clothing, money, wallets, purses, cell phones, rings, earrings and other jewelry, watches and even glasses when they are a safety concern. Laces are removed from any shoes the person keeps.
After processing, the person is normally allowed a phone call to let someone know about the arrest or to arrange bond or bail.
Anyone kept in custody until the initial appearance is issued a jail jumpsuit, shoes, a blanket, sheets and personal hygiene items.
The person may also have to shower and be treated for lice or scabies before going to a cell block.
It can be over in an hour or take 24 hours or more. The number of people being booked, how many jailers are on shift and how the person behaves all affect the wait.
A person who is drunk, high or fighting may be held in a separate cell until they can safely be processed.