Use any phone or computer. No account is needed.

1. Go to the custody search.
2. Enter the surname. If hundreds of hits show, add a given name.
3. No luck? Test nicknames, a married name or a different spelling.
4. Click a match and jot down what it shows: booking number, charge, dates, bond.
5. Phone the jail to confirm. An online list can trail what is happening inside.

Dial 601-735-3801 and ask who can answer questions about charges, bond amounts and whether someone was released.

A blank search in the first day is not unusual, and the reason is often simple.

• Paperwork is underway. Staff must finish prints, photos and forms before a record goes up.
• A city officer made the arrest. The Waynesboro Police Department, 714 Wayne St., Waynesboro, MS 39367, 601-735-3192, may keep someone briefly before handing them over.
• They already left. A judge might have freed them, or a bail agent might have posted the bond.
• They were driven elsewhere. Other counties and regional lockups take some Mississippi prisoners.
• The spelling differs. Check every version of the name.

Your best next move is the Sheriff's line, 601-735-3801.

Adults arrested here normally land in the county's detention center, run by the Sheriff. The office sits at 613 Court Street, Waynesboro, MS 39367, 601-735-3801. Ask staff how inmates are housed, including any women's unit or work-release program, and where yours sleeps.

A person detained in an adjoining county can end up in that county's care. Greene County, to the south, uses the George/Greene County Correctional Facility, 154 Industrial Park Road, Lucedale, MS 39452, 601-947-9399. It is a shared regional jail. Other nearby jails are on JE's statewide jail list.

Look for yourself. Open the custody search, view a record, and see whether a photo shows. If it does not, there are other routes.

Incident reports written by police are open to anyone under state records law. Every report names the arrested person and the charge. The statutes are § 25-61-12(2), plus the definitions in § 25-61-3(e), and copy fees come under § 25-61-7. No rule we read forces release of the photo itself, so the answer may be yes or no.

• Sheriff's Office, 613 Court Street, Waynesboro, MS 39367, 601-735-3801
• Waynesboro Police Department, 714 Wayne St., Waynesboro, MS 39367, 601-735-3192
• Booking photos held by ICE must be asked for through its online records request form.
• Mugshots from a federal arrest are not given to the public. The lone exception is the U.S. Marshals Service, which can share a photo while hunting someone on the run.

VINE can send you a message. Mississippi offers it through the Department of Corrections, and it covers county and state offenders. The service reports a move to another facility, a release, an escape and a return to custody. You must sign up yourself.

• Register at VINELink.
• Or phone 888-967-7284, which is staffed around the clock, with Spanish available.
• Your sign-up stays active if the inmate moves on to a state prison.

Which county jails feed VINE is unclear, so do not rely on it alone. Keep an eye on the custody search and ring 601-735-3801 when you need certainty.

A judge makes the call, not a jailer. Anyone held after an arrest must be in front of a judge within two days, or 48 hours (Mississippi criminal procedure Rule 5.1). Arrests in the unincorporated county normally go to Justice Court, 814 Chickasawhay Street, Waynesboro, MS 39367, 601-735-3118. A city arrest can go to the Waynesboro municipal court.

Next comes the hearing itself. The judge names the charge, covers the right to a lawyer and then decides how the person may go free. A signed promise to return is the usual starting point. Harsher limits need a reason: the judge must fear the person will skip court or hurt someone. Conditions might be a curfew, testing or staying away from certain people.

• Clerk deposit: ten percent of the bond (at least $250) goes to the court. Some defendants cannot use it.
• Land: a sworn statement about Mississippi property.
• Bail agent: licensed through the Mississippi Insurance Department. The premium is ten percent of the bail (at least $100) plus a $50 fee, and it is never returned.

If the arrest is for domestic violence, release must wait until the person has been seen by a judge. For more, read the local bail guide or the statewide bail laws.

Ask the jail first. Phone 601-735-3801, spell the name and say the birthday. The arrest report lists the charge too.

After a case is opened, the clerks keep the files. For misdemeanors, call the Justice Court office, 814 Chickasawhay Street, Waynesboro, MS 39367, 601-735-3118. For felonies, reach the Circuit Clerk inside the courthouse, 609 Azalea Drive, Waynesboro, MS 39367, 601-735-1171.

Mississippi Electronic Courts hosts dockets for courts that take part, behind one login. A charge is only an accusation. On a felony, a grand jury first votes on whether to indict.

Often, yes. The judge begins by explaining that the defendant may have counsel. For someone short on money, the court can name a lawyer, and that must happen by then at the latest (Rule 7). The defendant should describe earnings and dependents.

To learn who takes appointed cases here, ask the Justice Court at 601-735-3118.

You may also hire your own attorney whenever you wish. For a felony, do it quickly. Never hand money to someone who guarantees a release.

Maybe. The jail makes the visiting policy, and it can change at any time. Before you drive, call 601-735-3801 and ask:

• When are guests let in?
• Must I book ahead?
• What ID is accepted?
• Are children allowed, and how should I dress?
• Does the jail offer lobby or video visits?

Keep phones and bags in your car unless staff say otherwise. Lockdowns can cancel a visit on short notice. More tips are in our visiting guide. An attorney can ask for a private meeting.

Funds in an inmate's account pay for commissary food, soap, shampoo and phone minutes. Ring the jail at 601-735-3801 and find out which deposit methods are open and what limits or charges apply. Be ready with the complete legal name and booking number.

Follow only the methods staff describe. Do not put cash in an envelope. Ask staff whether account money can be used for anything besides snacks and calls. Our deposit guide and commissary guide give background.

Most jails offer phones that bill the family, and some add tablets. Ask the Sheriff's Office at 601-735-3801 how to set up payment for calls, what a minute costs and whether the jail allows texts or video.

Assume staff can listen. Discuss what happened only with your attorney, since those conversations are protected. More detail: phone guide, email and text guide.

Dial 601-735-3801 before posting a thing. Get the exact mailing format. Ask if the envelope must carry a booking number and which extras, like pictures or cards, may go inside.

Write the inmate's legal name as the recipient, and add your return address near the top. Do not enclose cash or stamps unless the jail approves. Employees may open and read letters. For general customs, read our mailing guide.

The jail stores items collected at booking until the person leaves. To hand in or retrieve belongings, call 601-735-3801 and ask who handles property. Ask about drop-off hours, any form the person must sign and the ID you need to bring.

Go to 613 Court Street, Waynesboro, MS 39367 only after staff agree. Keep any receipt you are given.

Phone 601-735-3801 and ask who handles medical needs. Share the medicine's name, dosage, the prescribing doctor and any allergies. Tell the person to turn in a written sick-call slip inside.

Call 911 for a life-threatening emergency. Should the emergency be a mental health crisis, state that to the dispatcher right away.

Warrants are carried out by Sheriff's deputies in the county. If you suspect one, ring the Sheriff's Office, 613 Court Street, Waynesboro, MS 39367, 601-735-3801. You may also browse Mississippi's Most Wanted. Court clerks can check a name with a birth date: the Circuit Clerk for felonies, 609 Azalea Drive, Waynesboro, MS 39367, 601-735-1171, or Justice Court for misdemeanors, 814 Chickasawhay Street, Waynesboro, MS 39367, 601-735-3118. Before anything else, consult an attorney. After that, ask the issuing court how to surrender. Do not simply walk into the jail, and do not ignore it, because a warrant stays active until a court recalls it.

It depends on the charge.

• Justice Court: misdemeanors outside city limits, plus the early steps of a felony. 814 Chickasawhay Street, Waynesboro, MS 39367, 601-735-3118.
• Circuit Court: felony trials after an indictment. The clerk works at 609 Azalea Drive, Waynesboro, MS 39367, 601-735-1171.
• Municipal Court: city ordinance and misdemeanor cases. It is listed with the police department at 714 Wayne St., Waynesboro, MS 39367, 601-735-3192.

A skipped hearing may cost the bond and trigger another warrant. The court should try the case inside 270 days after arraignment, with exceptions for good cause. See the court guide for each stage.

A federal case from Wayne is handled by the Southern District's Eastern Division, which meets in Hattiesburg. The court's judges work out of the William M. Colmer Federal Building, 701 North Main Street, Suite 200, Hattiesburg, MS 39401, 601-255-6400.

1. At an early hearing, a federal judge picks release or detention (18 U.S.C. 3142).
2. The U.S. Marshals Service keeps federal prisoners before trial. Its Hattiesburg office is at 701 North Main Street, Suite 331, Hattiesburg, MS 39401, 601-582-8464. Ask which jail has your person.
3. Once sentenced, search for them on the federal prison locator.

A detainer is a request from immigration officers. Expect these stages:

1. Step one is a detainer. ICE writes it on Form I-247A.
2. Under 8 CFR 287.7(d), the jail may keep the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released.
3. After that, ICE picks the person up. The New Orleans Field Office oversees Mississippi.
4. Try the ICE Online Detainee Locator. Give the name in full along with the country of birth. The A-number is another option.

Speak with an immigration attorney soon. The Sheriff, 601-735-3801, can say if a detainer reached the jail.

Prison time begins with intake at a Department of Corrections reception center, where staff pick the right prison for the inmate. That wait runs from two weeks to 45 days. Visits are barred during it and calls are few. Wayne deputies drive the person there.

• Search the state corrections lookup. It lists state prisoners and never county jail detainees.
• Read JE's state prison pages for facility details.
• The Mississippi State Parole Board is the only body that can grant parole.

Minors go before Youth Court. Wayne's office is inside the courthouse, first floor, 609 Azalea Drive, Waynesboro, MS 39367, 601-735-2190. Staff there can say where the young person sleeps and when the next hearing is.

• The cap without a judge's order is 24 hours; see Mississippi Code § 43-21-303(4).
• Within 48 hours the youth is owed a detention hearing (Miss. Code § 43-21-309; also § 43-21-307).
• Children generally do not go into adult jails (Miss. Code § 43-21-315).
• If a teen aged 13 or more faces a charge that carries life, or one involving a deadly weapon, adult court takes the case; statute § 43-21-151 covers it.

After a court commitment, a teen can be sent to Oakley Youth Development Center, 2375 Oakley Road, Raymond, MS 39154.

If you do not know the agency, ask jail staff. Here is who works in this area:

• Wayne County Sheriff's Office, 613 Court Street, Waynesboro, MS 39367, 601-735-3801. Ask here if you are not sure which agency made the arrest.
• Waynesboro Police Department, 714 Wayne St., Waynesboro, MS 39367, 601-735-3192. Covers inside the city of Waynesboro.
• Mississippi Highway Patrol, Troop J, 35 J.M. Tatum Drive, Hattiesburg, MS 39401, 601-582-3529. Troopers work the highways here.

For a small town or a campus not listed here, phone the Sheriff and ask who covers it.