Work through these steps in order:

1. Open the jail inmate lookup and try the last name.
2. If the person was already sentenced to state prison, search the DOC offender search as well.
3. Still nothing? Ring the facility's front desk at 406-377-7600. Spell the legal name slowly and have the birthday handy.
4. Write down any booking or ID number staff give you. It makes later calls, deposits and letters easier.

The Sheriff's Office shares the building and takes calls at 406-377-5291 if the jail line is busy.

The building on Colorado Boulevard does three jobs. The county owns and runs all of it.

• County jail. About two dozen beds hold people from local arrests and local court cases. A 2022 report to the Legislature counted 28.
• Regional prison. The state corrections agency rents beds under a contract and calls the site a regional prison. It places about 140 sentenced men there. Those prisoners are under state supervision, even though county staff run the building.
• Federal holds. Federal prisoners are housed there under a written deal between the county and the U.S. Marshals Service.

This matters for families. Rules on visits, mail and release can differ for each group, and each group is tracked in a different place. Always say which group you think your person is in when you call.

State prisoners show up on the Montana Department of Corrections offender search. You can type a last name, a first name or a DOC number. The search also checks known aliases and lists the person's current location and status.

• Every field is optional, but each search returns 100 results at most, so add a first name if you get too many.
• Mail to a state prisoner needs their AO number. Ask the facility for it if you don't have it.
• The state's probation and parole officer who works at the facility answers questions about state prisoners there at 406-377-1652.

The offender search covers people under state supervision, so someone held only on a new local charge won't be on it.

An empty result is not proof that the person went home. Some common causes:

• Booking is still going on. New arrests take a while to reach any list.
• They already left. A judge may have released them, or someone posted bail.
• Wrong list. A state prisoner is on the DOC search. A federal prisoner is tracked by the Marshals.
• Spelling. Try other versions of the name, such as a nickname or the name before marriage.
• Age. Someone under 18 isn't held with adults.
• Another county. People arrested over the line may be in a neighbor's jail.

For a firm answer, call the jail at 406-377-7600.

People arrested in this county are normally held in Glendive. If the arrest happened in a nearby county, these are the closest jails with their own beds:

• Richland County Jail, run by the Sheriff's Office at 300 12th Ave. NW, Sidney, MT 59270, 406-433-2919. It holds up to 40 people.
• Custer County Detention Center, 1010 Main St, Miles City, MT 59301, 406-874-3301
• Fallon County Detention Center, 10 W Fallon Ave, Baker, MT 59313, 406-778-2879

McCone, Prairie and Wibaux counties have no jail beds of their own. For an arrest there, ask that county's sheriff where the person was taken. McCone answers at 406-485-3405, and Prairie at 406-635-5738.

Yes, in most cases. Montana's Criminal Justice Information Act treats a mugshot taken at booking as public, the same as bail records and the daily list of who is in jail (MCA 44-5-103). The Sheriff's Office handles requests at 406-377-5291.

• Fingerprints and photos taken for an investigation stay private.
• To ask ICE for its own records on someone, such as a photo, use the ICE records request system.

For a local arrest, don't wait for a call. Phone the jail at 406-377-7600 and recheck the lookup daily.

• State prisoners: VINE is a free service run for the state. It can text, call or email you about adult felony offenders under state corrections supervision, which includes the state prisoners housed in Glendive. Sign up on VINELink or at 800-456-3076. Nobody is signed up for you.
• Victims of partner violence: some charges carry a release notice. These are partner assault, partner strangling, stalking and a broken protection order. When the accused posts bail, the jail has to reach the alleged victim fast (MCA 46-9-108).

The first judge to see the person also sets the release terms. In most county cases this happens before the justice of the peace, 207 W. Bell St., Glendive, MT 59330, 406-377-5425. Money bail is still legal in Montana, but the judge must start from the lightest terms likely to work.

• Many misdemeanors start from a figure on the Supreme Court's recommended list.
• No felony has a list figure. The judge names the amount.
• Partner and family assault charges can't be bailed until a judge holds a hearing.
• A warrant from somewhere else blocks bail here.
• Sentenced state prisoners can't bail out at all.

Our bail page goes through amounts, payment and agents.

Ask the jail which charges were listed at booking. Each Montana crime has a code number. Theft, for example, is 45-6-301. The Montana Code Annotated site lets anyone read those laws free.

Once a case is filed, its court record spells out every count. Misdemeanors are on the limited court portal. Felony files are searchable on the District Court portal. The County Attorney gets the final say on charges, from 121 S. Douglas, Glendive, MT 59330, 406-377-2532.

Free counsel comes up at the first hearing. The judge must explain the right to a lawyer and how to apply for one at no cost. Montana's statewide public defender takes felonies, misdemeanors that could bring jail, and youth cases.

• Glendive office: 100 1/2 S. Merrill, Suite 3, Glendive, MT 59330, 406-987-6010. Its email is OPDGlendive@mt.gov.
• Apply at advopd.mt.gov. Keep a few pay stubs and bank statements nearby when you fill it out.

Families are free to hire their own lawyer instead. Call the jail to learn how a lawyer arranges to meet a client there.

Visiting rules, days and times are set by the jail and can be different for county inmates and state prisoners. Before you plan a trip, call 406-377-7600 and ask:

• the visiting schedule for the person's housing unit
• whether you must be on an approved visitor list first
• what ID to bring and how old visitors must be
• whether visits are in person, by video or both
• what clothing is not allowed

The state says each contract prison sets its own visiting process. Our visiting tips page covers what to expect at most jails.

Account money covers things like shampoo, chips and call time. Phone the jail at 406-377-7600 to learn which deposit methods work now, any fees and any limits. Have the full name and ID number ready.

For a state prisoner, the state says contract prisons run their own money process, so ask the facility the same questions. Our deposit guide explains the usual options, and our commissary page lists what the money can buy. Don't mail cash.

Yes, inmates can make outgoing calls on the jail's phone system. To ask how calls get set up, what they cost, and whether tablets or messages are offered, call 406-377-7600.

Plan on every call being heard by someone else. The county told the Legislature in 2022 that staff listen to live calls when they have time and review recorded ones regularly. For its own prisoners, the state says all contact except legal contact is monitored and recorded. Save case details for private talks with the lawyer. Our inmate phone page goes deeper on calls, and our messaging page covers texts and email.

For a state prisoner, the state's official format is:

Inmate first and last name, AO number
Dawson County Correctional Facility
440 Colorado Blvd, Glendive, MT 59330

That mail is scanned on site and delivered to the prisoner's tablet. The state turns away mail with threats, escape plans, drug content or sexual images, and sends the writer a postcard with the reason. Books must come from approved sellers.

For someone held on a local charge, call the jail at 406-377-7600 before you mail anything. Ask for the right address line and what is allowed. Our mail guide lists common jail mail rules.

The jail keeps what the person carried in until the day they walk out. If you plan to collect them, call 406-377-7600 first. Ask whether the person has to sign a release form naming you, what hours pickup is allowed, and whether you may bring court clothes.

Take a photo ID to 440 Colorado Blvd, Glendive, MT 59330. Leftover account money is a separate question, so ask about it on the same call.

The jail is responsible for the health and safety of everyone inside. Call 406-377-7600 right away if your loved one needs pills every day, is sick, or got hurt. Give staff each drug's name and dose, and the phone number of the doctor who prescribed it.

For a mental health crisis in the area, Eastern Montana Community Mental Health Center runs a crisis line at 406-377-6074. For an emergency, dial 911.

Phone the Sheriff's Office at 406-377-5291 to ask about a county warrant. For one written inside city limits, phone Glendive police at 406-377-2364. People wanted by the state corrections agency, such as escapees and absconders, carry those status labels on the DOC offender search. Court cases tied to a warrant may also be found on the lower court portal or the District Court portal. Before dealing with a warrant, get a lawyer's advice. Then either turn yourself in at the jail on Colorado Boulevard or ask the court that issued the warrant for a new date. Police warn of scam calls from people posing as officers, so never pay a caller to clear a warrant.

The court that owns the case sets the date:

• Justice Court, 207 W. Bell St., Glendive, MT 59330, 406-377-5425
• Clerk of District Court, 207 W. Bell St., Glendive, MT 59330, 406-377-3967, for felonies
• City court for in-town cases, through 406-377-3131
• Richey Town Court, which meets the third Tuesday of each month at 1:30 p.m., through the town office at 406-773-5634

The two state court search sites also list many dates by name. Our court page walks through the hearings.

Federal charges from this area go to the federal court's Billings Division. Call its clerk at 406-247-7000. The courthouse is at 2601 2nd Avenue North, Suite 1200, Billings, MT 59101.

1. A detention hearing comes at the very first federal court date. It settles jail or release until trial (18 U.S.C. 3142).
2. Until trial, the Marshals keep the person in a jail that takes federal prisoners. The Glendive facility is one of them. Call the Marshals' district office at 406-200-6004 to ask where the person is.
3. Check court filings on PACER.
4. Once they are serving a federal sentence, search the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator, using a name or the BOP register number.

Yes, if ICE sends a detainer. The steps:

1. The jail gets an ICE request to keep the person for pickup. It is called a detainer, on Form I-247A.
2. After that, the hold can run up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released. State law (MCA 27-16-801) requires officers to honor it, except for someone with solid papers showing citizenship or legal status.
3. Agents take the person to a holding site of ICE's Salt Lake City Field Office, the office for Montana, at 2975 Decker Lake Drive, Suite 100, West Valley City, UT 84119, 801-736-1200.
4. Search the ICE Online Detainee Locator by name and birth country, or by A-number. When it comes up empty, ICE tells families to phone the field office.

Someone sentenced to the state usually stays in the county jail at first. Corrections staff assess them there. They can show up on the state search before they are moved. In this county, the building already doubles as a state prison site. Still, the state decides where each prisoner goes.

• Current location appears on the Montana offender search.
• Our guide to Montana prisons covers each facility.
• Questions about probation or parole go to the local Probation and Parole office, 606 N Merrill, Glendive, MT 59330, 406-377-4086.

Montana keeps kids apart from adult inmates. A youth can't spend the night in the adult jail just for booking, and any longer stay there has strict limits. A Youth Court judge hears the case, and the public search sites leave it out. A youth held in detention must get a judge's look at the evidence within 24 hours, and hours that fall on a weekend or holiday are not counted (MCA 41-5-332).

Parents who need to know the youth's location and hearing date should call Juvenile Probation at 406-377-4675. A youth sent to the state long term goes to Pine Hills in Miles City.

About 8,692 people lived in the county in mid-2025, says the Census Bureau. Glendive is home to about 4,736 of them and Richey to 160. Any of these agencies may make an arrest:

• Sheriff's Office, 440 Colorado Blvd., Glendive, MT 59330, 406-377-5291. It covers the whole county, including Richey and the rural areas.
• City police department, in the same building at 440 Colorado Boulevard, Glendive, MT 59330, dispatch 406-377-2364. It also helps cover Richey, which has no police force.
• Montana Highway Patrol, local office 406-377-5238, or 24-hour dispatch 855-647-3777
• Makoshika State Park (Fish, Wildlife and Parks), 406-377-6256
• Bureau of Land Management, Miles City Field Office, which manages the OHV riding area south of town, 111 Garryowen Road, Miles City, MT 59301, 406-233-2800