The jail in Forsyth is small, with room for about two dozen people, so the list is short. To use it:

1. Open the Rosebud Sheriff's page with the inmate list and tap the roster link.
2. Look at the date printed on top. That tells you how old the list is.
3. Scan the three groups: County Holds, DOC Holds and Federal Holds.
4. Find the last name, then read the Court column. A person held for a court here is marked "TREASURE."
5. Note the charge and the bond. You will want them when you call about bail.

Can't find the person? Ring 406-346-2715. Dispatch and the jail share that line, so a deputy may call you back.

Three facts point to Forsyth. The county has zero jail beds. Its Sheriff's page tells readers to use the Rosebud roster and warrant list. And the 911 dispatch for both counties runs out of the Rosebud Sheriff's Office. A recent Rosebud list even showed someone held for the court here.

Still, arrangements can change, and a person may be moved. The local Sheriff's Office can tell you where someone was taken: 307 Rapelje Ave, Hysham, MT 59038, 406-342-5211.

When the name won't turn up, one of these is usually why:

• The sheet is older than the arrest. Check the date at the top against the day of the arrest.
• They walked out already. Bail got paid, or a judge set them free.
• They were sent elsewhere. Maybe another county, a state lockup or the federal system has them.
• They are a minor. Anyone under 18 goes somewhere other than the adult jail.
• The spelling is off. Search a second first name, a nickname or a maiden name.

Phone the Detention Center at 406-346-2715 for a quick answer.

An arrest near the county line, or one made by another agency, could lead to a different jail. These are the closest choices:

• Rosebud County Detention Center, 180 S 13th Ave, Forsyth, MT 59327, 406-346-2715. The usual stop for adults from here.
• Big Horn County Detention Center, 121 3rd St W, Hardin, MT 59034, 406-665-9792
• Yellowstone County Detention Facility, 3165 King Avenue East, Billings, MT 59101. Booking answers around the clock at 406-256-6881.

Not sure which one? The Sheriff's Office can say where the person was taken: 406-342-5211.

The Rosebud list gives names, ages, charges, courts and bonds. For a photo, ask. Montana law counts booking photos, bail records and the daily jail roster as public information (MCA 44-5-103). Call the Detention Center at 406-346-2715 and ask how to request one.

• For a photo ICE took, file through the agency's records request site.
• Federal mugshots are rarely given out, though the U.S. Marshals Service may post one to help catch a fugitive.

For someone in the Forsyth jail, the best plan is simple. Call 406-346-2715 now and then, and reload the list each day.

• VINE is a free notice service. Messages come by phone, text or email. In Montana, VINE follows adult felons under Department of Corrections watch, including inmates of state prisons and parolees. You must enroll yourself, on VINELink or by phone at 800-456-3076, any hour.
• A legal duty to warn. Bail on stalking, strangling, partner assault or protection order charges triggers a duty: jail staff must alert the person who was allegedly harmed (MCA 46-9-108).

Release gets settled when the person first sees a judge, usually in the Justice Court. That court's phone is 406-342-5532. Montana has not done away with cash bail. Still, a judge has to choose the gentlest terms likely to get the person to every hearing.

• For many misdemeanors, the Montana Supreme Court's bond list suggests a figure.
• No figure is suggested for felonies. The judge names one.
• Charges of hurting a spouse, partner or relative need a judge's OK before release.
• Bail can't come from a local judge when the hold is on an outside warrant.

The bond shows on the Rosebud list next to each name. Our bail page covers payment, bondsmen and refunds.

Every row on the Rosebud sheet lists the charge. You can read Montana's criminal laws for free in the Montana Code Annotated.

Once filed, the court case shows the full wording. Search misdemeanors through the lower court portal. Felonies sit in a separate District Court portal. What gets charged in the end is up to the County Attorney, 307 Rapelje Ave, Hysham, MT 59038, 406-342-5547.

At the person's first court date, the judge raises the subject of lawyers. A person who can't pay is told how to apply for a free one. Felony charges, youth matters and jailable misdemeanors all qualify for help from Montana's Office of State Public Defender.

• Miles City office: 406-851-7080
• To apply online, go to advopd.mt.gov. Gather a few recent pay stubs and bank statements first.

Families can pay for a private lawyer if they choose. The jail can explain how attorney visits are arranged.

Visits follow the Forsyth jail's schedule while the person is there:

• Tuesday, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.
• Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Call 406-346-2715 before you drive over. Ask about ID, dress, how long a visit lasts and whether you must sign up ahead. Confirm the person is still there that day, since people can be moved. Our visiting guide has more tips.

The Rosebud Sheriff's Office sets short lists. People held there may keep:

• a plain wedding band
• a religious medallion smaller than 1 inch across
• up to 4 photos, each 4 by 6 inches or smaller

Family and friends may bring or send:

• money, as cash or a money order only
• one set of clothes for court
• prescription medicine, mailed straight from the pharmacy
• soft-cover books and magazines, mailed straight from the publisher or a bookstore

Personal letters and cards are accepted only through regular postal mail.

Money on the books lets a person buy extra food, soap and similar items, and pay for calls. There are three ways in:

• Online. The Rosebud Sheriff's page, the same one that holds the inmate list, links a deposit website you can use from anywhere.
• In person. Hand cash or a money order to staff at the Detention Center.
• By mail. Send a money order addressed to the inmate. Call first for the right address.

Questions about limits or fees go to 406-346-2715. Our guide to deposits and our commissary page explain the basics.

The jail picks the phone system. Call 406-346-2715 and ask how your loved one can reach you, what each call costs, and if tablets or electronic messages are part of the setup. Ask if calls are recorded, too. Talks with a lawyer should stay private.

Keep the case itself out of family calls and leave it for the lawyer. For more general advice, see the calls page and the email and texting page on our site.

All letters and cards have to come by U.S. mail. Before writing, call 406-346-2715 and ask for the exact inmate mailing address. The Sheriff's Office there gets its own mail at PO Box 85, Forsyth, MT 59327.

• Use the name the person was booked under, with no nicknames.
• Put your return address in the corner.
• Books and magazines must be soft-cover and shipped by the publisher or a bookstore.
• Don't tuck cash inside.

Our mail guide lists common rules.

Jail staff are in charge of the health of each person in custody. If the person you love is sick, hurt or on daily pills, call 406-346-2715 without waiting. Share what the medicine is called, how much they take, and who prescribes it.

Prescriptions can't be dropped off by hand. They must be mailed straight from the pharmacy. In an emergency, call 911. If you worry about a mental health crisis, say so clearly.

Anything taken from a person during booking is stored by the jail until release. To collect it on their behalf, call 406-346-2715 first. Find out if a signed release form is needed and when staff can meet you. Bring photo ID to 180 S 13th Ave, Forsyth, MT 59327.

Ask about any account balance at the same time, so the money goes back with the person.

Reports and other records can be requested by mail. Write "ATTN: Records Request" and send it to PO Box 1511, Hysham, MT 59038. The Sheriff's page also takes requests by email with that same subject line.

• $5 minimum per case number, which covers up to 6 pages
• $1 for each extra page
• $10 more if parts must be blacked out
• Photos and video: at least $10 per gigabyte, plus at least $10 an hour for video redaction

Crash reports come from the Montana Highway Patrol's crash records page. Questions? Call 406-342-5211.

Deputies serve warrants here, since the town has no police department. The Treasure County Sheriff's page points readers to the current warrant list on the Rosebud County Sheriff's page. Each entry shows a name, a bond amount, the offense and which court signed it. Questions by phone go to the Sheriff's Office at 406-342-5211. The Montana offender search flags anyone the state lists as escaped or as a supervision absconder. Found a warrant? Talk to a lawyer before anything else. Counsel can ask the judge for a new date or arrange a surrender.

Call whichever court has the file:

• Justice Court, which doubles as town court: 406-342-5532
• Clerk of District Court, for felonies: 307 Rapelje Ave, Hysham, MT 59038, 406-342-5547

Or type the name into one of Montana's free court portals. For a map of the whole process, read our court guide.

A federal arrest from this area goes to the Billings Division of the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana. The clerk is at 2601 2nd Avenue North, Suite 1200, Billings, MT 59101, 406-247-7000.

1. Jail or home until trial? That question is settled at the first federal hearing (18 U.S.C. 3142).
2. Before trial, a federal prisoner is held wherever the U.S. Marshals Service places them, often a county jail renting beds to the Marshals. Call the Billings office at 406-200-6004 to ask where.
3. Case papers can be read on PACER.
4. Once a prison sentence is given, look the person up with the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

When immigration officers want someone, the steps usually go like this:

1. ICE puts its request in writing on Form I-247A, a detainer sent to the jail.
2. Under it, staff can keep the person for up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released. Montana law makes officers honor that request. Showing solid papers of U.S. citizenship or lawful presence ends it (MCA 27-16-801).
3. ICE takes custody. Its Billings check-in office handles this county: 2900 4th Avenue, Suite 205, Billings, MT 59101, 406-247-4083.
4. Try the ICE Online Detainee Locator. Search with an A-number. Without one, use the person's full name and birth country. No match? ICE suggests calling its Salt Lake City Field Office, 801-736-1200.

A state felony sentence doesn't mean an instant move. Most wait in county custody while the Department of Corrections decides on placement. Their name may appear in the state's search before they ever leave.

• Where are they now? The Montana offender search answers that, using a name or a state ID.
• Visit days and mail rules vary from prison to prison, so check our Montana state prisons guide before you go.
• Call the Department of Corrections main line, 406-444-3930, with other questions.

State law keeps teens out of adult jails except for very short, closely limited stays, and always out of sight and sound of adults (MCA 41-5-349). The case goes to Youth Court, whose files are hidden from public court sites. A detained teen's first stop is a probable cause hearing, held inside 24 hours. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays pause that count (MCA 41-5-332).

Billings is home to the Ted Lechner Youth Services Center, which names this county as one it serves: 410 South 26th Street, Billings, MT 59101, 406-256-6825. Parents who need to know where their child is, or when the hearing is, can call juvenile probation at 406-874-3418.

The arresting agency matters when you call. Only a few agencies arrest people in this county, home to roughly 728 residents in the Census Bureau's mid-2025 estimate:

• Sheriff's Office, 307 Rapelje Ave, Hysham, MT 59038, 406-342-5211. Deputies patrol the whole county and also enforce Hysham's town ordinances. The Sheriff serves as county coroner too.
• Rosebud County dispatch, 180 S 13th Ave, Forsyth, MT 59327, 406-346-2715. It takes the non-emergency calls for both counties. Calls to the Sheriff's office that go unanswered roll over to it.
• Montana Highway Patrol, 18 Trooper Drive, Boulder, MT 59632, 24-hour dispatch 855-647-3777. State troopers patrol Montana's highways.

For any emergency, dial 911.