With a jail this size, a phone call beats any website. Try it this way:

1. Peek at the inmate lookup first if you like, but treat what it shows as a hint, not proof.
2. Dial the Sheriff's Office at 406-436-2333. The same office also runs county dispatch, so be patient if the line is busy.
3. Give the legal name, any nickname and the birthday.
4. Ask what the booking charge was and whether bail has a dollar figure yet.
5. Jot down who answered and what time you called, in case you need to follow up.

Real emergencies go to 911, not the office line.

Websites trail behind what happens at a booking desk. A blank result often means one of these:

• Brand new arrest. Fingerprints and forms come before any record shows.
• Out already. Bail got paid, or the judge sent them home.
• Somewhere else. A neighboring county, a state facility or the U.S. Marshals could have them.
• Odd spelling. Search a married name, a first initial, or the name as a clerk might have typed it.
• Under 18. Minors never mix with grown inmates.

Every one of these clears up with a single call to 406-436-2333.

A short list makes the call go faster:

• Legal first and last name, plus a birthday
• The place and rough time of the arrest
• The arresting agency if you know it, like a deputy or a trooper
• Something to write with, so you can note the charge, bail and court date

Some details can't be shared over the phone. When that happens, ask who can give them out. Assume any call with an inmate may be taped, and leave case talk for the defense lawyer.

Adults from this county stay in Broadus. An arrest made right at a county line, though, can end up in a neighbor's lockup. Try these:

• Custer County Detention Center, 1010 Main Street, Miles City, MT 59301, 406-874-3301
• Big Horn County Detention Center, 121 3rd St W, Hardin, MT 59034, 406-665-9792
• Rosebud County Detention Center, 180 S 13th Ave, Forsyth, MT 59327, 406-346-2715

Carter County, to the east, has no jail of its own. Its Sheriff's Office is at 214 Park Street, Ekalaka, MT 59324, 406-775-8743, and can say where its arrests are held. See our Carter County page for more.

Yes. Under Montana's criminal justice records law, a booking photograph is public information (MCA 44-5-103). For a copy, ring the Sheriff's Office at 406-436-2333 with the name and the date of the arrest.

Pictures taken by immigration officers are a separate matter. Those go through the ICE records request page instead.

For someone still in Broadus, phone the jail at 406-436-2333 to check on them.

• VINE can alert you, at no charge, through calls, texts or emails. In this state it follows adult felons whom the Department of Corrections supervises, like prisoners and parolees. Registration is up to you: use VINELink or dial 800-456-3076 at any hour.
• Victims of certain crimes must be notified by jail staff when the accused is bailed out (MCA 46-9-108). Those crimes are partner or family assault, strangulation, stalking and breaking a protective order.

A judge rules on it at the first court date. Here that is normally Justice Court at 119 North Park Avenue, Broadus, MT 59317, 406-436-2503, with arraignments on Monday and Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. By law, the judge must use the lightest terms that will still get the person back to court.

• A statewide recommended bond list suggests amounts for lots of misdemeanors.
• Felony bail has no suggested figure, so the judge picks it.
• Anyone arrested for hurting a partner or relative waits in jail for the judge.
• A warrant issued by some other county or state blocks local bail.

Head to our bail page for paying, bondsmen and refunds.

Ask jail staff for each charge and its code number, like 45-5-201 for assault. Look up the wording of that law in the Montana Code Annotated, which costs nothing to read.

Once filed, the case record spells out the complete charge. Check the limited court portal when it's a misdemeanor, and the District Court portal when it's a felony. Prosecutors may add, drop or change charges. They work in the County Attorney's Office, 119 North Park Avenue, Broadus, MT 59317, 406-436-2365.

A free lawyer comes through the court. The right to counsel is explained by the judge during the first appearance. Saying "I can't afford one" starts the process, and the court then appoints a lawyer from the Office of State Public Defender. Its lawyers handle felonies and youth matters, along with any misdemeanor where a jail sentence is possible.

• Miles City office, as listed in the state directory: 515 Main St, Miles City, MT 59301, 406-851-7080
• The application lives at advopd.mt.gov. It asks about income, so keep recent pay records handy.

A family can hire a private attorney at any point. Ask the jail how that lawyer can book a private meeting.

The Sheriff's Office lists in-person visiting on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., whenever an officer is free to supervise. Since that can change on short notice, call 406-436-2333 before you leave home.

• Every visitor needs a current photo ID.
• Visitors may be searched for weapons and contraband.
• Ask staff about age limits, what you may carry in and any dress rules.

For what to expect walking in the first time, read our visiting guide.

Yes. The county's inmate video call page explains how to set up an account and log in to a video session. It also lists the service's customer help line, 888-984-1903, for trouble with sign-up or a call.

For call times, costs and rules, ask the jail at 406-436-2333. Our jail phone guide covers calls in general.

Money on account buys things like shampoo, chips and phone time. Call 406-436-2333 and ask how deposits are made today, plus any cap on amounts. Use the inmate's full legal name.

Deposits in general are explained in our money guide. Our commissary guide describes the store items. Never tuck bills into a letter.

Outgoing calls are set up by the jail. Ask staff at 406-436-2333 how your person can call you, the price per call, and whether any message service exists. Find out if calls are taped.

Attorney visits stay confidential. Phone chats may not, so stick to family news. Our guide to inmate email and texts has more.

Address envelopes to PO Box 200, Broadus, MT 59317. Call 406-436-2333 first to check the exact name line and what may go inside, like photos, cards or a book.

Put the inmate's whole legal name up top and yours on the back flap or upper left. Our mail guide lists what most jails accept. Keep cash out of the envelope.

Items like a wallet, keys or a phone are bagged and held at booking. If you are collecting them on the person's behalf, call 406-436-2333 on a weekday first. Ask whether a signed release from the person is required. Then show photo ID at the Sheriff's Office, 119 North Park Avenue, Broadus, MT 59317.

Care and custody of every prisoner falls on the Sheriff's Office. Report a sickness, an injury or a missed prescription by calling 406-436-2333 as soon as you can. Have the medicine's name, the dosage, and the prescribing doctor's number ready.

Life in danger? Call 911. Mention it plainly if the worry is about mental health.

With no town police force, deputies handle warrant service in Broadus and on every ranch road. Phone the Sheriff's Office at 406-436-2333 with warrant questions. Court cases behind a warrant are listed on Montana's Justice and town court portal or its felony case portal. The state offender search labels escapees and probation or parole absconders as wanted by corrections. A missed Justice Court ticket deadline can trigger a warrant and a suspended license at once. Before doing anything else, speak with a lawyer. Then the issuing court can set a new date or a surrender time. The felony clerk is at 406-436-2320.

Only the court with the case can promise a date:

• Justice Court, 119 North Park Avenue, Broadus, MT 59317, 406-436-2503. Arraignments are Monday and Tuesday afternoons.
• Clerk of District Court, same address, 406-436-2320.
• Broadus Town Court, Town Hall, 210 E Holt Street, Broadus, MT 59317, 406-436-2409.

The state's two free court portals can be searched by name as well. Our court page describes what happens at each stage.

A federal charge from out here is heard in Billings, at 2601 2nd Avenue North, Suite 1200, Billings, MT 59101, inside the Battin courthouse. Reach the clerk at 406-247-7000.

1. The opening federal hearing decides custody or freedom while the case plays out (18 U.S.C. 3142).
2. Until trial, deputy marshals hold the person, sometimes in a county jail under contract. Their Billings office, 406-200-6004, can tell you which one.
3. Court papers can be pulled up on PACER.
4. Once a federal sentence begins, the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator can find them by name or register number.

Here is the usual path of an immigration hold:

1. ICE sends the jail a detainer request.
2. Staff can keep the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released. Montana makes officers honor it, unless good proof of citizenship or lawful status is shown (MCA 27-16-801).
3. From there, ICE's Salt Lake City Field Office takes charge, 2975 Decker Lake Drive, Suite 100, West Valley City, UT 84119, 801-736-1200. This county's check-ins are handled in Billings at 2900 4th Avenue, Suite 205, Billings, MT 59101, 406-247-4083.
4. Look the person up in the ICE Online Detainee Locator, using the A-number or the name with country of birth. Empty results? ICE points people to the field office by phone.

A felony sentence to state custody rarely means an instant transfer. Corrections staff first assess the person, who waits locally in the meantime. Even during that stretch, their name can turn up in the state's records.

• Enter a last name, or the state ID, on the Montana offender search.
• Each prison's visiting and mail rules appear in our Montana state prisons guide.
• Corrections headquarters in Helena takes calls at 406-444-3930.

Minors and adults are kept apart. In rural counties, Montana allows a short adult-jail stay only while a youth waits on a hearing, with no sight or sound contact with grown inmates (MCA 41-5-349). Should a teen remain in custody, the law gives a judge 24 hours to review probable cause, and Saturdays, Sundays and holidays don't use up that time (MCA 41-5-332). Youth Court hears the case, and its files stay private. For the teen's location and the next step, call the Sheriff's Office at 406-436-2333 or the district's juvenile probation officer at 406-874-3418.

Jail staff can say who brought the person in. Only about 1,781 people call this county home (a July 1, 2025 Census Bureau estimate). A few agencies cover it:

• Sheriff's Office, 119 North Park Avenue, Broadus, MT 59317, 406-436-2333. Deputies cover the whole county. Broadus has no town police, so they answer calls in town too.
• Montana Highway Patrol, 18 Trooper Drive, Boulder, MT 59632, 24-hour dispatch 855-647-3777. Troopers work the highways.
• U.S. Marshals Service, 2601 2nd Avenue North, Suite 2300, Billings, MT 59101, 406-200-6004, for federal warrants and prisoners.