The Sheriff's Office keeps the roster on its Detention Center web page. The jail has about 126 beds, based on a 2022 state report, so expect a long list. Here is a quick way through it:

1. Pull up the inmate roster in any web browser.
2. Use the find tool (Ctrl+F, or "Find on page" on a phone) and type the last name.
3. No hit? Search again using a middle or maiden name, or spell it another way.
4. Jot down anything that helps staff find the right person.

The city's municipal court links the same county roster from its page on defendants in custody. Staff use a 5-digit permanent ID number for deposits and services, so ask for it when you call 406-447-8232.

A missing name usually has a simple reason:

• Still in booking. Paperwork comes first, and the list catches up later.
• Already gone. Bail got posted, or a judge let them go at a video hearing.
• Moved. Transport officers take people to state prison, the state hospital, other jails and medical visits.
• Spelled another way. Search a nickname, a hyphenated name or just the first few letters.
• Under 18. Teens are held at the regional juvenile center, not this jail.

Detention staff can clear it up fast at 406-447-8232. If you can't get through, the Sheriff's main office answers at 406-447-8204.

Officers field a lot of calls, so a little prep saves time. Write these down first:

• the person's legal first and last name, with any nickname
• their date of birth
• the day and town where the arrest happened
• which agency made the arrest, if you know it
• the 5-digit ID number, if you already have it

Ask your questions one at a time. Good ones are: Is the person there? What are the charges? Is there a bail amount? When is court? Officers can't give legal advice, so save case questions for a lawyer. For non-emergency police matters, Sheriff's dispatch is 406-447-8235.

This county runs its own jail, so most people stay in Helena. A courtesy hold for the county has shown up on a neighbor's roster, and an arrest across a county line goes to that county's jail. Try these if the person was near a border:

• Broadwater County Detention Center, 519 Broadway St., Townsend, MT 59644, 406-266-3441
• Jefferson County Detention Center, mail to PO Box 588, Boulder, MT 59632, 406-225-4091
• Cascade County Detention Facility, 3800 Ulm North Frontage Road, Great Falls, MT 59404, Sheriff's Office 406-454-6820
• Flathead County Detention Center, 920 South Main, Suite 100, Kalispell, MT 59901, 406-758-5617

Under Montana law, booking photos count as public criminal justice information. So do bail records and the daily jail roster (MCA 44-5-103). To ask the Sheriff's Office for a particular photo, call 406-447-8204 and say which booking you mean.

• Photos taken by ICE come only through the agency's ICE records request page.
• Federal agencies rarely share booking photos. The U.S. Marshals Service may put one out, for instance to help catch a fugitive.

Calling detention at 406-447-8232 and checking the roster each day are the surest ways to keep up with someone held here.

• VINE is a free notice service by phone, text or email. It tracks adult felony offenders under Department of Corrections supervision, including parolees. Register on VINELink or by phone at 800-456-3076. It is not automatic.
• Victims of partner assault, stalking, choking or protection order violations get notice from the jail as soon as the accused bonds out (MCA 46-9-108).

Release is set at the first hearing. On weekdays, people in the jail see a Justice of the Peace by video at 1:00 p.m. Anyone held overnight on a city charge sees the municipal judge on a screen at 8:00 a.m. The law points the judge toward the lightest workable terms (MCA 46-9-108).

• On many misdemeanors, the judge starts from the statewide bond schedule.
• No schedule figure exists for felonies. The judge chooses one.
• Partner and family assault charges are never bailed without a judge.
• Local judges can't bail out a person who is held on an outside warrant.

The jail lobby kiosk only funds an inmate's account. It does not take bail. For amounts, payment spots and bond agents, read our bail page.

Ask the jail which charge was booked and the statute number that goes with it. Look that number up at no cost in the Montana Code Annotated. Theft, for one, sits at 45-6-301.

After prosecutors file, the full wording is in the court file. Search county and city misdemeanor cases on the limited court portal, and felony cases through the District Court portal. Final charging choices belong to prosecutors. The County Attorney's Office is at 406-447-8221, and the city attorney, who handles city misdemeanors, is at 406-457-8595.

Money trouble is no barrier to a lawyer. Speak up at the first hearing, when the judge has to cover the right to counsel, including free help for those who qualify. The Office of State Public Defender handles three kinds of cases: felonies, misdemeanors with possible jail, and youth matters.

• Local office: 139 N. Last Chance Gulch, Helena, MT 59601, 406-444-0104
• Fill in the form at advopd.mt.gov. You'll need pay stubs and bank statements.
• In the city court, a defendant facing possible jail files a financial statement, then must reach out to the defender's office.

Families can also hire a private attorney. Lawyers may visit as often as they need. They request visits between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., and their talks with clients stay private.

Face-to-face visits are free and happen on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. They pause for meals from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Each inmate gets one 20-minute visit a day. Before you go:

• The inmate has to turn in a visitor request form. It lists each visitor's full name, address and date of birth.
• Visitors must be 18 or older with a picture ID.
• Close family under 18 may come only with a parent or legal guardian.
• Anyone drunk, rude or disruptive is sent away and may be barred.
• Longer or special visits need approval from the detention captain or a sergeant.

You may bring in a full book of stamps, medicine or cash for the lobby kiosk. Personal checks are refused. Our visiting guide has more tips.

The jail offers three kinds of video visits. Staff approve each one after you ask for it online through the jail's phone company and show ID.

• Lobby video: free, 7 days a week unless there is a lockdown. One 30-minute call per 12 hours.
• In-pod video: paid by the visitor, 15 minutes each, with no daily cap. These stop during lockdowns, which vary by housing area.
• From home: 25 cents a minute, set up through the same provider.

A no-contact order bans all contact, video included. Our jail phone guide explains how video and phone accounts usually work.

Money on account pays for commissary, calls and messages. There are three ways in:

• Online by card through the jail's deposit service. Make an account, pick the state, the facility and the inmate. The fee is $4 plus 4%.
• Lobby kiosk at the jail. Cash costs $4 per deposit. A card costs $4 plus 4%.
• By mail. Make a money order or cashier's check payable to "LCSO." Write the inmate's first and last name on the memo line. Mail it alone, and put the sender's full name and address on the outside. Send it to the Sheriff's Office at 406 Fuller Ave., Helena, MT 59601. Call first to confirm the exact mailing line.

Personal checks are turned down. Only payroll and government checks may be mailed in. Gift baskets for the next commissary run can be bought online or at the kiosk. Our money guide and commissary guide go into detail.

Inmates get phone access soon after booking, with private phones in each housing area. Calls are prepaid through the jail's communications provider, and you set up an account online in English or Spanish. Its call center is 800-943-2189.

• Rates are per minute, with no connection fee.
• Three-way calls are against the rules.
• Calls only go out. Approved inmates may still pick up voicemail messages.
• Text messages cost 25 cents each, and pictures or documents cost 35 cents. Inmates read them on kiosks or tablets.
• One prepaid account covers calls, video visits and messages.

Assume calls may be recorded, and leave case talk for the lawyer. Our inmate messaging guide has more.

Since July 1, 2023, everyday letters are routed to a Texas mail center that scans them. Address it like this:

Inmate Name
Inmate Number
Lewis and Clark County Detention Center
PO Box 591
Longview, Texas 75606

• Letters are scanned and delivered on screen. The paper originals are destroyed, not returned.
• Each letter is limited to 5 pages of 8.5 x 11 paper, with writing on one side only. Anything written on the back gets returned.
• Send one photo per mailing. Extra photos get the whole letter sent back.
• The envelope must show the inmate's name, booking number and where to send it back.

Legal and medical mail, plus magazines, newspapers and books, go straight to the jail at 221 Breckenridge Ave., Helena, MT 59601. Our mail guide covers the basics.

Detention staff hold most personal items during the stay. Evidence is kept apart and follows the case. Call the jail at 406-447-8232 to learn what was stored and how the person gets it back.

Items sent to the Sheriff's Property and Evidence Office must be claimed within 10 days of release. After that they can be disposed of (MCA 46-5-305). Pickups are by appointment, Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., closed from noon to 1:00 p.m. Find it inside the Law and Justice Center, 406 Fuller Ave., Helena, MT 59602. Call 406-447-8250. Money held as evidence comes back in cash if it is under $100. Larger amounts are paid by check, which takes about three weeks.

Is your loved one ill, injured or missing a prescription? Call Detention Medical Services at 406-447-8256. Tell staff the drug, the dose and the prescribing doctor, along with that doctor's phone number. In an emergency, dial 911.

The county's Behavioral Health Services team works inside the jail. It includes two therapists, a case manager, a behavioral health coordinator and an education and transition coordinator. They help with mental health, suicide risk and addiction, and they plan for life after release. If you fear a crisis, say so plainly when you call.

The county's own pages list different book-and-release hours, so call the Detention Center at 406-447-8232 before you plan a pickup. Ask about when the person will be let out and which door to wait by.

• If the judge ordered pretrial supervision, the person must check in with Criminal Justice Services at 406-457-8845.
• Some releases come with 24/7 breath tests. Ask the court or the program where and when to test.
• Free Narcan is offered from vending machines in the Criminal Justice Services lobby.

Two courts put their warrants online. The Justice Court warrant search lists county warrants, and searching it won't trigger an arrest. The city court keeps a separate municipal court warrants list. Warn your family about phone scams. If a caller demands money over a Justice Court warrant that isn't on that list, hang up. Helena Police Support Services checks county warrants by phone, 406-447-8469, Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Statewide, absconders from probation or parole appear on the DOC offender search. A lawyer can help plan a surrender. Justice Court warrant questions go to 406-447-8201.

Phone the court that has the file:

• Justice Court, 228 Broadway, Room 102, Helena, MT 59601, 406-447-8202. Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Clerk of District Court, 228 Broadway, Room 104, Helena, MT 59624, 406-447-8215.
• Helena Municipal Court, 406 Fuller Ave., Helena, MT 59601, 406-447-8466.
• East Helena City Court, 306 E. Main Street, Room 101, East Helena, MT 59635, 406-227-5321.

The two free state court portals also let you search by name. Our court page walks through each step of a case.

Federal arrests from this county go to the Paul G. Hatfield Federal Courthouse, 901 Front Street, Helena, MT 59626, 406-441-1355.

1. The first federal hearing includes a detention decision: home or jail until trial (18 U.S.C. 3142).
2. Before trial, the Marshals Service decides where federal defendants are kept, often a county jail with a contract. Call 406-200-6004 to ask where.
3. The federal docket is on PACER, for a small fee per page.
4. For someone serving federal time, the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator searches by name or register number.

1. ICE gives the jail Form I-247A, its detainer request.
2. The jail may keep the person for up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released. State law tells officers to carry it out. If papers credibly prove citizenship or lawful presence, the hold has to end (MCA 27-16-801).
3. ICE then moves the person to a site under its Salt Lake City Field Office, 2975 Decker Lake Drive, Suite 100, West Valley City, UT 84119, 801-736-1200.
4. Search the ICE Online Detainee Locator by A-number, or by name with the country of birth. When nothing comes up, ICE suggests calling the field office.

Following a state felony sentence, most people stay in the Helena jail for a while. The Department of Corrections has to finish an intake review first. The state search may list them even before the move.

• Look the person up in the state's offender search, which shows the current facility.
• For prison visits and mail, use our Montana state prisons guide.
• Corrections' central office answers at 406-444-3930.

Teens never share the adult jail. A teen who must be held is placed in the Cascade County Juvenile Detention Center, 1600 26th Street S, Great Falls, MT 59405, 406-454-6930, which serves this region. Visits there are by Zoom only, for parents and close family. They run Saturdays and Sundays from 8:00 to 10:30 a.m. and Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.

A detained youth's first hearing comes within 24 hours, with weekend days and holidays skipped (MCA 41-5-332). Youth Court files stay off the public court portals. For the hearing time and next steps, call Juvenile Probation at 406-447-8228.

The county is home to roughly 75,331 residents (Census Bureau, July 1, 2025). Any of these agencies can bring someone to the jail:

• Sheriff's Office, 406 Fuller Ave., Helena, MT 59601, 406-447-8204, dispatch 406-447-8235. Deputies patrol more than two million acres. Resident deputies serve Lincoln and Augusta, and a contract team works Canyon Ferry Lake in summer.
• Helena Police Department, Law and Justice Center, 406 Fuller Ave., Helena, MT 59601, non-emergency dispatch 406-457-8866 (24/7)
• East Helena Police Department, 306 E. Main Street, Room 102, East Helena, MT 59635, 406-227-8686
• Missouri River Drug Task Force, through the Sheriff's Office, 406-447-8050
• Montana Highway Patrol, 18 Trooper Drive, Boulder, MT 59632, 24-hour dispatch 855-647-3777
• U.S. Forest Service offices: 2880 Skyway Drive, Helena, MT 59602, 406-449-5201; Lincoln Ranger District, 1569 Highway 200, Lincoln, MT 59639, 406-362-7000; Augusta Information Station, 405 Manix Street, Augusta, MT 59410, 406-562-3247