Start with the Sheriff's Office. It has four full-time staff, including the sheriff, plus one part-time worker, so call during office hours for the best chance of a live answer.

1. Phone 406-775-8743 on a weekday.
2. Give the full name, any nicknames and the birth date.
3. Ask which jail is holding the person and what the charges are.
4. Ask for the booking number at that jail, if there is one.
5. Write down the jail's phone number, and call there next for visits, money and release times.

You can also email the office at ccso@midrivers.com. Don't put case details in an email. In an emergency, dial 911.

Open the official inmate search and type the last name first. If you get too many results, add the first name. Look closely at the birth date or age, since two people can share a name.

A list is only as current as its last update. A person arrested a few hours ago, or moved between jails, may not appear yet. Treat what you see as a starting point. Then call the Sheriff's Office at 406-775-8743 to confirm where the person is right now.

Don't panic. There are a few common reasons:

• Still in transit. The trip to a jail in another county takes time, and booking adds more.
• Released already. A judge may have let the person go, or bail may have been paid.
• Held by another agency. A state, federal or immigration hold can place someone in a different jail.
• Spelled differently. Search again with a middle name, a former last name or an alternate spelling.
• A minor. Youths are not listed with adult inmates.

When in doubt, call the Sheriff's Office at 406-775-8743. After hours, the office's own page sends callers to 911.

These three Montana county jails sit closest. Phone the Sheriff's Office first to learn which one has your loved one, and then call that jail.

• Fallon County Detention Center, 10 W Fallon Ave, Baker, MT 59313, 406-778-2879. It had 14 beds in a 2022 state report. Fallon County's dispatch center answers emergency calls for this county too.
• Custer County Detention Center, 1010 Main St, Miles City, MT 59301, 406-874-3301. It had 32 beds in the same report and sits behind the Custer courthouse.
• Powder River County jail, 119 North Park Avenue, Broadus, MT 59317, 406-436-2333. It had 16 beds.

The county also borders Harding and Butte counties in South Dakota and Crook County in Wyoming. A person arrested across the state line is held under that state's rules.

If the Sheriff's Office tells you the person is in Baker, these facts from the Fallon County Sheriff's page will help:

• Inmate list. The Fallon page shows each inmate's name, charge and bond amount or holding agency. It is updated when someone's status changes.
• Visits. Wednesday and Friday from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., first come, first served.
• Mail. Write the inmate's full name, then PO Box 899, Baker, MT 59313.
• Money. Money orders, cashier's checks or cash may be mailed or brought to the Sheriff's Office for the inmate's account.
• Phones. Prepaid phone accounts can be set up online or by calling 800-943-2189.
• Bail. Bonds for other counties may be posted at the Fallon Sheriff's Office at any hour.

The Fallon office is open weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Call 406-778-2879 with questions.

In Montana, booking photos are public. A state law puts them in the same group as daily jail rosters, bail records and first arrest reports (MCA 44-5-103). The law sets no limits on sharing that kind of record (MCA 44-5-301).

Requests for a booking photo start with the Sheriff's Office at 406-775-8743. If the photo was taken at another county's jail, the office can tell you where to send the request.

• For a photo that ICE took, file a request on the ICE records page.
• Federal agencies rarely release mugshots. The U.S. Marshals Service may do so when a person is a fugitive.

For a county jail stay, ask the jail how it shares release news. Then check its inmate list often.

• VINE is a free phone, text and email alert service. In Montana it tracks adult felony offenders supervised by the Department of Corrections, such as people in prison or on parole. Register on VINELink or call 800-456-3076. You have to sign up; it does not happen on its own.
• Victims in a partner assault, strangling, stalking or protection order case have a right to hear from the jail. Staff must tell them, as soon as they can, when the accused makes bail (MCA 46-9-108).

The Justice Court in Ekalaka usually sets bail at the first hearing, which may happen by video while the person sits in the out-of-county jail. The court is at 214 E. Park St., Ekalaka, MT 59324, 406-775-8754.

• For lots of misdemeanors, the judge begins with a statewide list of suggested amounts.
• Felonies have no listed amount, so the judge chooses one.
• Partner assault, stalking and protection order arrests must go before a judge first.
• Someone held on a warrant from another place can't get bail from a judge here.

Read our bail page for payment types, bail agents, refunds and every step in between.

Ask the Sheriff's Office or the jail for the charge and its Montana law number. Then look the law up for free in the Montana Code Annotated. For example, 45-6-301 is theft, and 61-8-1002 covers DUI.

Once charges are filed, a misdemeanor can be found by name on the Justice and city court portal. For felonies, try the District Court portal instead. Charging decisions are made by the County Attorney's Office, which you can call at 406-775-8853.

The very first hearing must include a word from the judge on having a lawyer, including a free one when money is tight. Montana's public defender agency covers serious charges: felonies, any misdemeanor that could end in a jail term, and youth cases.

• Miles City public defender office: 515 Main St, Miles City, MT 59301, 406-851-7080
• Glendive public defender office: 100 1/2 S. Merrill, Suite 3, Glendive, MT 59330, 406-987-6010
• Start an application online at advopd.mt.gov. Gather recent pay stubs and bank statements first.

A family can also hire a private lawyer. Ask the jail how lawyers set up private visits or calls.

Visiting rules belong to the jail that holds the person, so call that jail before you make the drive. Ask about days, times, ID rules and whether you must sign up ahead.

• Baker: the Fallon County jail lists visits on Wednesdays and Fridays, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., first come, first served. Call 406-778-2879.
• Broadus: the Powder River County jail lists visits Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. when an officer is free. Visitors are searched and need a current ID. Call 406-436-2333.
• Miles City: call the Custer jail at 406-874-3301 for its schedule.

Our visiting tips page explains what to wear and what to leave in the car.

Money on an inmate account pays for snacks, hygiene items and phone time. How you add it depends on the jail.

• In Baker, the Fallon County jail takes money orders, cashier's checks or cash, by mail or in person at the Sheriff's Office.
• In Miles City, the Custer County Sheriff's page links an online deposit service. Call 406-874-3301 to ask how it works.
• In Broadus, call the jail at 406-436-2333 for its deposit rules.

Have the person's full name and any booking number ready. Our guide to sending money covers the usual methods, and our commissary page explains what the money buys. Never tuck cash into a letter.

Each jail picks its own phone company and prices, so ask the jail that holds the person.

• Fallon County lets families open a prepaid phone account online or by calling 800-943-2189.
• Powder River County posts its video call details on its inmate video call page.
• The Custer County Sheriff's page links a phone and video service for inmates.

Assume any call except one with a lawyer may be recorded, and leave the case out of your talks. Our inmate phone page and our page on jail messaging explain more.

Mail goes to the jail holding the person, not to the courthouse in Ekalaka. Call that jail first and ask for the exact address and what is allowed, such as photos, cards or books.

For the Fallon County jail in Baker, the Sheriff's page gives this format: the inmate's full name, then PO Box 899, Baker, MT 59313. Use plain paper, print the person's legal name clearly and add your own return address. Our jail mail page lists common rules. Leave out cash, stamps and anything sticky.

Items taken at booking, such as a wallet, keys or a phone, are stored at the jail where the person was booked. Call that jail to ask when you can collect them and whether the person must sign a release first. Bring a photo ID.

If you are not sure which jail did the booking, the Sheriff's Office at 406-775-8743 can tell you. A vehicle towed after an arrest is a separate matter, so ask the Sheriff's Office where it went.

Call the jail that is holding the person right away if they need medicine, have a health condition or are at risk. Tell them what the person takes, how often, and who prescribed it. If you are unsure which jail that is, the Sheriff's Office at 406-775-8743 can tell you.

If you believe someone is in danger, call 911. Tell staff plainly if you think the person may hurt themselves or is in a mental health crisis.

Deputies serve every warrant in the county, since Ekalaka relies on the Sheriff's Office for police work. Phone 406-775-8743 to ask about one. Court cases tied to a warrant appear on the state's Justice and city court portal and the District Court portal. The Department of Corrections offender search flags people the state wants for escape or for running from probation or parole. To deal with a warrant, call a lawyer, then find out from the issuing court how to come in and handle it. The Justice Court is at 406-775-8754, and the district court clerk is at 406-775-8714.

Only the court handling the case can give a firm hearing date. Both offices are in the courthouse at 214 East Park Street, Ekalaka, MT 59324.

• Justice Court, also the town's city court: 406-775-8754, weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Clerk of District Court: 406-775-8714, weekdays 8:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. The clerk lists the second Tuesday of every month as law and motion day.

You can also search both free state court portals by name. Our court page explains what each hearing means.

A federal case from here is heard in Billings. The U.S. District Court clerk is at 2601 2nd Avenue North, Suite 1200, Billings, MT 59101, 406-247-7000.

1. At the first federal hearing, a judge decides on detention, which means jail or release until trial (18 U.S.C. 3142).
2. Until trial, federal prisoners answer to the U.S. Marshals Service. They are sometimes kept in a county jail that has room. Its Montana office in Billings answers at 406-200-6004.
3. Court papers can be found on PACER.
4. After sentencing, search the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator by name or register number.

An immigration hold works this way in Montana:

1. It begins with a Form I-247A detainer sent by ICE to the jail.
2. Staff can then keep the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released. Montana law requires officers to act on it, unless the person presents credible proof of citizenship or lawful status (MCA 27-16-801).
3. ICE then picks the person up. Its Salt Lake City Field Office covers Montana: 2975 Decker Lake Drive, Suite 100, West Valley City, UT 84119, 801-736-1200.
4. The ICE check-in office serving this area is at 2900 4th Avenue, Suite 205, Billings, MT 59101, 406-247-4083.
5. Search the ICE Online Detainee Locator with the person's A-number. Without one, use the full name and the country where they were born. ICE says to call the field office if the search comes up empty.

Someone committed to the state usually waits in a county jail first, while Department of Corrections staff assess them. They may show up in the state search during that wait.

• Use the DOC offender search by name or DOC ID. Results list the current facility and supervision status.
• Our Montana state prisons guide lists visiting and mail rules facility by facility.
• The Department of Corrections main office answers at 406-444-3930.

Youths under 18 must be kept apart from adult inmates. Their cases go to Youth Court, and the public can't search those files. When a youth is locked in detention, a probable cause hearing must follow within a day, skipping weekends and holidays (MCA 41-5-332).

The 16th Judicial District's juvenile probation office uses one number for all seven counties: 406-874-3418. Call it to find the youth and get the hearing time. Long-term state placements for youths are at Pine Hills, a state facility in Miles City.

The Census Bureau puts the county's population at 1,383 as of mid-2025. Ekalaka, the county seat, holds 398 of them. The county covers more than 3,300 square miles. These agencies work here:

• Carter County Sheriff's Office, 214 East Park Street, Ekalaka, MT 59324, 406-775-8743. The only local police agency. It patrols the whole county and, by agreement, the town as well. The sheriff also serves as coroner and fire warden.
• Fallon County Dispatch, 10 W Fallon Ave, Baker, MT 59313, non-emergency line 406-778-7101. It handles 911 calls for Fallon, Carter and Wibaux counties.
• Montana Highway Patrol, 18 Trooper Drive, Boulder, MT 59632, 24-hour dispatch 855-647-3777. Troopers enforce traffic laws on state highways.
• Custer Gallatin National Forest, Sioux Ranger District, 101 SE First Street, Camp Crook, SD 57724, 605-797-4432. It manages national forest land in southeast Montana.
• Federal land partners. The Sheriff's Office has a mutual aid agreement with the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service.