The jail is small. A 2022 state survey listed 14 beds, and in late August 2026 the sheriff told county commissioners 2 people were in jail. That makes a phone call quick. Use these steps:

1. Open the inmate lookup and search the person's name.
2. Whatever it shows, call 406-323-1402 to confirm. Staff pick up at any hour.
3. Share their legal name, birthday and any nickname.
4. Ask what the booking charge is, whether bail has been set and when court is scheduled.
5. Write down what you are told, including the name of the person you spoke with.

No match? Staff can say if the person already left or went to another facility.

Several things can explain it:

• Paperwork lag. Fingerprints, photos and forms all come before a name is entered.
• They are out. Bail may have been posted, or the judge let them go on a promise to return.
• They were moved. Overflow, medical needs or a hold for another agency can send someone to a different jail, a state facility or federal custody.
• The name is spelled another way. Jail records follow the legal name on an ID, which may differ from what family uses.
• They are a minor. Youths are not housed with adults here and usually go to a youth center in Billings.

The dispatcher at 406-323-1402 can tell you whether the person was booked and released.

Local arrests stay in the Main Street jail as a rule. Someone arrested near a county line, or held for another agency, may be in a neighboring jail instead:

• Yellowstone County Detention Facility, on King Avenue East in Billings, booking line 406-256-6881, open 24 hours
• Fergus County Detention Center, 121 8th Avenue South, Lewistown, MT 59457, 406-535-3415
• Rosebud County Detention Center, 180 S 13th Ave, Forsyth, MT 59327, 406-346-2715
• Wheatland County Jail, 203 A Ave NW, Harlowton, MT 59036, 406-632-5614

Two neighbors, Golden Valley and Petroleum, send their own prisoners to other counties. If the arrest happened over the line in one of them, ask that sheriff's office where the person is.

Yes, in most cases. Montana lists mugshots among the records the public may see (MCA 44-5-103). That same list takes in first arrest reports, bail papers and the daily jail count. Anyone may share public records like these (MCA 44-5-301).

• To ask for a booking photo or arrest record, call the Sheriff's Office at 406-323-1402, or ask about a written request.
• Investigation files and fingerprints stay confidential.
• For an ICE booking photo, file a records request on the ICE FOIA page.
• Federal agencies rarely release mugshots, except in cases like a person on the run.

Start with a call to the jail. Booking staff can give the charge and the Montana law number, such as 61-8-1002 for DUI. Look up any number on the state's Montana Code Annotated site, which is free to use.

After the prosecutor files, the official charges appear in the court record. Search lower court cases on the limited court portal. Felonies live on the District Court portal. Charges can change after booking, because the County Attorney's Office makes the final decision. That office is at 506 Main Street, Roundup, MT 59072, 406-323-2230.

Release is up to the justice of the peace at the first hearing in Justice Court, 406-323-1078. The options range from a signed promise to return, to release with rules, to cash or a bail bond.

• Many misdemeanors have a recommended amount from the state's bond schedule.
• Felonies get an amount set by the judge.
• Partner assault, stalking and protection order charges mean the person must see the judge before leaving.
• A warrant from somewhere else blocks local bail.

The full process, including how to pay and what bondsmen charge, is on our bail page.

Montana requires the first appearance to happen "without unnecessary delay" (MCA 46-7-101). In this county, Justice Court holds first appearances on Mondays and Wednesdays between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. The judge may hold the hearing by video, with the person still at the jail.

Depending on the day of the arrest, the next regular hearing day may be a few days off. Call the court at 406-323-1078, or ask the jail, for the exact time. Family members can usually sit in on a public hearing.

Yes, if they qualify. The right to counsel, paid for by the state when needed, is explained at the first hearing (MCA 46-7-102). The program covers any felony, any youth case and any misdemeanor punishable by jail.

• Office listed for this area: 207 N. Broadway, Suite 201, Billings, MT 59101, 406-256-6861
• The state's online application asks for proof of income and bank balances.

Under the jail's rules, lawyers and clergy may visit at reasonable hours outside the normal visiting times. Hiring a private attorney instead is always an option.

Visiting days are Tuesday from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., Thursday from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. The jail's posted rules say:

• Each visit lasts 10 minutes unless a supervisor allows more.
• Only one visitor goes in at a time, first come, first served. Anyone still waiting at closing comes back the next visiting day.
• On Sundays, and any time no officer is free, only close family may visit: a spouse, parent, child, brother, sister or grandparent. There are no exceptions.
• On other days, when an officer is free, up to two non-family visitors age 18 or older may visit.
• Bring a photo ID and sign the Visitor's Log. Everyone is searched before entering.
• Cell phones, purses, coats and weapons are not allowed past the secure door.
• Visits are not contact visits unless the Sheriff approves, and an officer may end a visit early.

Call 406-323-1402 before you drive in, and read our visiting tips.

Very little. The jail's rules are strict:

• No pop, candy or other food is accepted for inmates.
• Clean, neat clothing is accepted only for a trial. Other items need a supervisor's OK.
• Over-the-counter medicine also needs a supervisor's OK.
• Passing anything not allowed to or from an inmate can be charged as a crime (MCA 45-7-307).

Before you bring anything, call 406-323-1402 and ask.

The jail has a commissary, which sells extras to inmates. The sheriff has told county commissioners that commissary funds have paid for new mattresses, clothes, shoes and socks for the jail.

To add money, call 406-323-1402 and ask which deposit methods work, any limits, and whose name to use. Our money guide covers common deposit options, and our commissary guide explains what inmates can buy. Don't mail cash.

Phone setup is decided by the jail. Ask staff how calls from inside reach you, the cost, and if messaging or video is available. The number is 406-323-1402. Assume ordinary calls may be recorded, and leave talk about the case to the lawyer.

Our inmate phone guide and inmate email and messaging guide explain how these services usually work.

The jail's rules say notes, messages and letters reach inmates only when they come through the U.S. Postal Service. Don't leave a letter at the front desk.

Call 406-323-1402 to confirm the mailing address, what to write on the envelope and what can go inside, such as photos. Address it with the inmate's full legal name, and add your return address in the corner. For general tips, see our mail guide.

The jail stores keys, wallets, phones and clothing from booking. If you need those things while the person is still in custody, call 406-323-1402 to find out if their written OK is needed. Bring a photo ID to 820 Main Street, Roundup, MT 59072.

Leftover commissary funds are handled at release, so ask staff how that balance is paid out.

Jail care falls to the Sheriff's Office. If your loved one takes daily medicine or has a health problem, call 406-323-1402 right away. Staff will want each medicine's name, the amount and the doctor who ordered it.

Over-the-counter medicine needs a supervisor's approval. If you think someone is in danger, call 911. If self-harm is a worry, say those words to the dispatcher.

For someone held in Roundup, checking by phone is the surest way. Call 406-323-1402.

• VINE is a free notice service, and in Montana it covers adults on felony supervision with the state. It works by phone, text or email. You must enroll yourself on VINELink or at 800-456-3076.
• Crime victims in family violence cases. A person charged with abusing a partner, stalking or violating a protection order can't walk out on bail without the jail first trying to reach the victim (MCA 46-9-108).
• Victims in ICE cases can sign up through the ICE victim notification program, which the Sheriff's page links.

Deputies serve all warrants here, inside and outside town limits, since Roundup and Melstone contract with the Sheriff's Office for police work. Phone 406-323-1402, day or night, to ask whether someone has one. On the state level, the DOC offender search lists people wanted for fleeing parole, probation or custody as absconders or escapees. A missed court date or new filing may show on the state's justice court portal or its felony court portal. Speak with a lawyer before you act. Then contact the court that issued the warrant, or turn yourself in at 820 Main Street, Roundup, MT 59072. Felony warrants come from District Court, where the clerk answers at 406-323-1413.

Two clerks' offices hold the calendars:

• Justice Court, also the Roundup and Melstone city courts: 406-323-1078. The clerk works weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Call before going, since two addresses are listed for it.
• Clerk of District Court, 506 Main Street, Roundup, MT 59072: 406-323-1413.

The state's two court portals are free and searchable by name as well. Our court process page walks through what comes next.

U.S. charges filed against someone from this county are handled at the Billings federal courthouse, 2601 2nd Avenue North, Suite 1200, Billings, MT 59101, 406-247-7000.

1. Right at the start, a federal magistrate or judge rules on pretrial release or detention (18 U.S.C. 3142).
2. Before trial, federal prisoners are the Marshals' responsibility, and many stay in county jails under contract. Call the Marshals in Billings at 406-200-6004 to ask where.
3. Track filings on PACER.
4. Once sentenced, a federal inmate can be found with the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

Here is what usually happens when immigration officers want someone:

1. It starts when ICE faxes or hands the jail Form I-247A.
2. Officers may then keep the person in the cell for up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released. State law says officers must carry out the detainer. Believable papers proving citizenship or legal residence end that duty (MCA 27-16-801).
3. ICE then takes custody. Its check-in office for this area is at 2900 4th Avenue, Suite 205, Billings, MT 59101, 406-247-4083, under the Salt Lake City Field Office.
4. The ICE Online Detainee Locator works with an A-number, or with a full name plus birth country. If nothing turns up, call the Salt Lake City Field Office at 801-736-1200.

People committed to the Department of Corrections often spend time in the county lockup first, while state staff evaluate them. During that time they can already be listed in state records. Questions about a state case go to the department's main office at 406-444-3930.

• The Montana offender search gives location and status by name or DOC number.
• Details for every state facility, including visiting and mail, sit in our Montana state prisons guide.

Youths are not held in the adult jail except for very short, separated stays. When a youth from this county must be locked up, the regional center is the Yellowstone County Youth Services Center, 410 South 26th Street, Billings, MT 59101, 406-256-6825.

Detained youths get a hearing in front of a judge inside 24 hours, skipping weekends and holidays (MCA 41-5-332). You won't find youth files on the public portals. Juvenile Probation, at 406-323-1714, can give parents the location and the hearing time.

The Sheriff's Office links the state's Sexual and Violent Offender Registry, run by the Montana Department of Justice. You can search it by name.

People who must register in this county do so at the Sheriff's Office, Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Emergency registration is available 24 hours a day. Questions go to 406-323-1402.

Arrests here come from a short list of agencies. About 5,582 people live in the county, including 2,075 in Roundup and 147 in Melstone (Census Bureau estimates for July 1, 2025).

• Sheriff's Office, 820 Main Street, Roundup, MT 59072, 406-323-1402. Deputies patrol about 1,900 square miles and also police Roundup and Melstone under contract.
• Montana Highway Patrol, 18 Trooper Drive, Boulder, MT 59632, 24-hour dispatch 855-647-3777. Troopers write tickets into Justice Court.
• Game wardens, state transportation officers and livestock officers, whose citations also go to Justice Court.
• Lake Mason National Wildlife Refuge, managed from the Charles M. Russell Wetland Management District, 333 Airport Road, Lewistown, MT 59457, 406-538-8706.