Sullivan County Dept. of Corrections

By home video visit through Securus only (Sullivan County Department of Corrections).

Since Jan. 12, 2026, personal mail goes to the Securus Digital Mail Center in Tampa, Florida, which scans it (Sullivan County Department of Corrections).

A 72-bed program at the jail that helps people prepare to return to the community (Sullivan County Department of Corrections).

Before the first court date, a bail commissioner can set and take bail "in the same manner as the court might do" (RSA 597:18). Commissioners are justices of the peace and quorum appointed by the superior or circuit court (RSA 597:15; 597:15-a). After that, a judge of the 5th Circuit Court decides.

State law sets the bail commissioner fee at $60. It is waived if the person cannot afford it (RSA 597:20). The court pays the commissioner first. If the court later finds the person is not indigent, the person must pay the court back within one year after the case closes (RSA 597:2-b).

Release on personal recognizance (a promise to come back), an unsecured appearance bond, or cash or corporate surety bail, plus conditions like no new crimes (RSA 597:2). A judge may not set a money amount that keeps someone in jail only because they cannot pay, unless a hearing finds nothing else will work (RSA 597:2, paragraph IV).

Yes. New Hampshire allows paid bondsmen, but each one must be registered as a professional bondsman with the state Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (RSA 598-A; OPLC professional bondsmen page). The state sends its list to every jail, court, and police station, and that list must be posted where defendants can see it. A bondsman's fee may not be refunded (NH Judicial Branch definitions page).

In most cases, a person may be held no more than 36 hours from arrest before arraignment, not counting weekends and holidays (RSA 597:2). People charged with serious violent crimes (the state's "qualifying offenses") cannot see a bail commissioner. They stay in custody until a judge arraigns them within that 36 hours (HB 592 (2025); RSA 597:2).

No. A person charged with a class B misdemeanor must be released on personal recognizance before arraignment, unless release would put someone in danger (RSA 597:2, paragraph XIII).

Yes. If a bail commissioner releases someone, either side can ask for a hearing before a judge within 48 hours, not counting Sundays and holidays. Either side can also ask the Sullivan County Superior Court to change the order (RSA 597:6-e).

The bail is declared forfeited (RSA 597:31). A court may strike the default for good cause (RSA 597:32). The court may also charge a $50 default fee (RSA 597:38-a).

In the Sullivan County Superior Court, 22 Main Street, Newport (NH Judicial Branch superior court list). The Superior Court hears felonies and misdemeanor appeals. District Division courts in Sullivan County are in Claremont and Newport (NH Judicial Branch court finder).

The New Hampshire Public Defender office in Newport, 603-865-1460, serves Sullivan County. People charged with a class A misdemeanor or a felony who cannot afford a lawyer can apply for one. Class B misdemeanors carry no jail, so no lawyer is appointed for them (NH Judicial Branch definitions page).

The case goes to the Family Division. Officers release a minor to a parent. If that does not happen within 4 hours, the court must be told. A minor must see a judge within 24 hours, not counting Sundays and holidays, and cannot be held after arraignment where adults are held (RSA 169-B, 169-B:11, :13, :15). The state's secure youth center is the Sununu Youth Services Center in Manchester.

In Concord. New Hampshire's one federal trial court, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire, sits at 55 Pleasant Street, Concord, 603-225-1423. Federal judges set their own release terms.

It holds people waiting for arraignment, people held before trial, and people serving county sentences. A felony sentence may be served at the New Hampshire State Prison instead (NH Judicial Branch definitions page).

Call the Sullivan County Department of Corrections at 603-542-8717.

Newport is the county seat of Sullivan County, on the Vermont border in western New Hampshire, and the Sullivan County Superior Court sits on Main Street there. Lesser criminal charges are heard by the 5th Circuit Court district divisions in Claremont and Newport. Local police prosecutors take most misdemeanor cases, and the elected Sullivan County Attorney prosecutes felonies. Anyone kept in custody after arrest waits at the Sullivan County Department of Corrections jail in Unity, just outside Claremont.

• 5th Circuit Court – District Division – Claremont, 1 Police Court, Suite 2, Claremont, NH 03743 (Claremont, Charlestown, Cornish, Plainfield, Unity, Acworth and Langdon), 1-855-212-1234
• 5th Circuit Court – District Division – Newport, 55 Main Street, Newport, NH 03773 (Newport, Croydon, Goshen, Grantham, Lempster, Springfield, Sunapee and Washington, plus New London, Newbury and Wilmot in Merrimack County), 1-855-212-1234
• 5th Circuit Court – Family Division (juvenile cases) in Claremont (1 Police Court, Suite 2) and Newport (55 Main Street), 1-855-212-1234
• Sullivan County Superior Court, 22 Main Street, Newport, NH 03773, 1-855-212-1234
• Sullivan County Attorney's Office, 14 Main Street, Newport, NH 03773, (603) 863-7950
• New Hampshire Public Defender – Newport office, 27 John Stark Highway, Newport, NH 03773, (603) 865-1460
• Sullivan County Department of Corrections, 103 County Farm Road, Unity (Claremont mailing address), NH 03743, (603) 542-8717

Which court hears your case. Sullivan County's misdemeanors, violations and DWI charges are split between two courthouses by town. Claremont and the river towns to its south and north, including Charlestown, Cornish and Plainfield, as well as Unity, Acworth and Langdon, go to the district division at 1 Police Court in Claremont. Newport, Sunapee, Grantham and the hill towns, along with three Merrimack County towns around Lake Sunapee, go to the district division at 55 Main Street in Newport. Even the city of Claremont has no court of its own today: New Hampshire replaced its municipal and local courts with the statewide Circuit Court, and every Sullivan County community now sends its local criminal cases to one of these two district divisions. District division judges hear trials without a jury; a Class A defendant who would rather face jurors may transfer the matter to the Superior Court on Main Street. Felony charges are filed directly in the Superior Court, consistent with the "felonies first" procedure used across the state, and do not pass through the district divisions first.

Where pretrial detainees are held. An adult arrested in Sullivan County by Claremont or Newport police, a town department, sheriff's deputies or state troopers is processed first at the arresting agency. If the person is not released, he or she is taken to the Sullivan County Department of Corrections at 103 County Farm Road in Unity, which the county operates as its jail on the county farm complex near Claremont. Deputies transport inmates between the jail and the courts in Claremont and Newport. For questions about custody, bail or visits, call (603) 542-8717.

Right after the arrest

Many people charged with minor offenses in Sullivan County are released at the police station with a summons. If not, a bail commissioner looks at the charge and can allow release on a written promise to appear, or require cash or a surety bond with conditions, such as no contact with the alleged victim or no drinking. A 2025 statute gives a judge 36 hours, not counting weekends and holidays, to hold a bail hearing for anyone still locked up. For a short list of grave violent charges, only a judge can grant release.

In the district division

Arraignment is held in Claremont or Newport. The defendant enters a plea; if it is not guilty, the case goes to a pretrial conference and, if unresolved, a bench trial. A Class A misdemeanor defendant can elect a jury, which moves the case up to the Superior Court in Newport.

Classes and penalties

• Class A misdemeanor: a sentence of up to a year in the county jail is possible, along with a fine as high as $2,000.
• Class B misdemeanor: no jail; the maximum fine is $1,200.
• Violation: a non-criminal, fine-only offense.
• Theft of $1,000 or less: usually Class A; first offenders often pay restitution and a fine and receive a suspended sentence.
• First DWI: a Class B misdemeanor with a minimum $500 fine, a license revocation of nine months or more (partly suspendable after treatment) and the impaired driver program. Aggravated DWI, such as a 0.16 or higher test result or a crash with injury, is a Class A misdemeanor with mandatory jail time and an ignition interlock.
• Simple assault: generally Class A, or Class B if both sides consented to the fight; domestic cases carry firearms consequences.
• Criminal trespass: a violation when someone ignores posted signs on open land, but a misdemeanor for going into a structure or refusing a lawful order to get out.

Lawyer, outcome and timing

Where a conviction could mean jail and hiring a lawyer is out of reach, request appointed counsel at arraignment; the New Hampshire Public Defender's Newport office, (603) 865-1460, handles most appointments in the county, and contract counsel take conflicts. Appointed counsel may have to be partly repaid later depending on ability to pay. Frequent endings include a guilty plea (perhaps to a lesser offense) or with a filed charge that disappears if the person stays out of trouble. Most Sullivan County misdemeanors are resolved within one to four months.

The Sullivan County Attorney, based at 14 Main Street in Newport, prosecutes felonies in the Superior Court at 22 Main Street. Appointed defense usually comes from the public defender's Newport office.

How the case unfolds

1. The County Attorney files a felony complaint in Superior Court, and a judge addresses bail.
2. A Sullivan County grand jury considers whether to indict, unless the defendant waives indictment and agrees to proceed by information.
3. At arraignment the defendant pleads, usually not guilty, and a schedule is set.
4. Discovery is shared and the lawyers attend a dispositional conference, where many felonies are resolved by agreement.
5. Unsettled cases proceed to a final pretrial hearing and a trial where all twelve Sullivan County jurors have to agree.
6. Sentencing may follow a presentence investigation.

Possible sentences

• Class B felony (second-degree assault, the typical burglary, and theft of $1,000.01 through $1,500): a maximum of 3½–7 years and a $4,000 fine.
• Class A felony (theft over $1,500; armed or injurious burglary, or a nighttime break-in of an occupied dwelling): maximum 7½–15 years, fine to $4,000.
• Drug sales: penalties are set by drug type and weight; the heaviest exposure, as much as 30 years, applies to dealing sizable quantities of fentanyl or heroin.

New Hampshire prison terms carry a stated minimum and maximum, and parole eligibility begins at the minimum, which may be reduced by earned time. A judge may instead order probation, county jail time in Unity or a suspended sentence. The state's Superior Courts operate drug courts for eligible felony defendants with addiction; ask a defense lawyer whether the Sullivan County program is currently accepting participants. Expect a felony to take six to fifteen months.

Violent felonies move through the Newport Superior Court on the same track as other felonies, but defendants are often held without bail at the Unity jail until the case ends. Homicide cases from the county are tried by state prosecutors in the Attorney General's Office.

• First-degree murder: mandatory life imprisonment without parole. There has been no death penalty in New Hampshire since 2019.
• Second-degree murder: life or a term of years; manslaughter: up to 30 years.
• Aggravated felonious sexual assault: sentences commonly range from 10 to 20 years, and certain child-victim or repeat cases trigger required minimum terms.
• Armed robbery: classified as Class A, punishable by up to 7½–15 years; robbery without a deadly weapon is generally Class B.

Victims in these cases must be notified of each hearing and may be present, to speak with the prosecutor and to address the court at sentencing. With forensic testing, experts and pretrial motions, cases like these in Sullivan County usually last one to two years or more. Defendants who qualify are represented by the public defender's Newport office at (603) 865-1460 or by appointed counsel.

Youth under 18 accused of offenses in Sullivan County are handled through delinquency petitions in the 5th Circuit Court – Family Division, which sits in Claremont (1 Police Court, Suite 2) and Newport (55 Main Street), 1-855-212-1234.

Intake and diversion. After a police referral, a Juvenile Probation and Parole Officer with DCYF reviews the case and recommends how to proceed. Many towns use a juvenile court diversion program for first and minor offenses, allowing a youth to avoid a petition by completing service, restitution or counseling. Petitions are prosecuted by police prosecutors or, for serious charges, the Sullivan County Attorney, and the youth is entitled to counsel, typically from the public defender's Newport office.

Detention. Most young people are sent home with a parent. A youth ordered held must get a detention hearing quickly, usually within a day, with weekends and holidays not counted. Statewide, the one secure youth facility is Manchester's Sununu Youth Services Center, a long drive from Claremont. That facility was still operating in 2026; state law requires its replacement by a smaller state-run center, which is being built in Hampstead, with the move expected around early 2027.

Outcomes. A judge may order DCYF probation, treatment, restitution, community service, a placement outside the home, or commitment to the state facility for the most serious cases. The proceedings and records are confidential.

Adult court. Prosecutors may seek to have a juvenile certified for trial as an adult in Superior Court. Transfer is ordinarily available for felonies committed at 15 and above and, for a limited group of grave violent crimes for example murder or aggravated felonious sexual assault, at 13, after a hearing on the youth's history and the seriousness of the charge.

Federal charges from Claremont, Newport and the rest of Sullivan County are heard roughly an hour east, in Concord. The District of New Hampshire covers the whole state as a single district with no divisions, and its criminal trials are held at the Warren B. Rudman U.S. Courthouse, 55 Pleasant Street, Concord, NH 03301. Jurors come from every county, and appeals go to Boston's First Circuit.

Contacts

• U.S. Attorney's Office (prosecution): 53 Pleasant Street, 4th Floor, Concord, NH 03301, (603) 225-1552
• Federal Public Defender (defense for people who cannot afford counsel; CJA panel lawyers take conflicts): 22 Bridge Street, Concord, NH 03301, (603) 226-7360
• U.S. Marshals Service (custody of federal prisoners): Rudman Courthouse, Room 207, 55 Pleasant Street, Concord, NH 03301, (603) 225-1632

Typical cases and process

In a rural county like Sullivan, federal cases most often involve drug distribution, particularly fentanyl and methamphetamine, firearms charges such as straw purchases or possession by a prohibited person, fraud and child exploitation. They are investigated by agencies such as the DEA, FBI, ATF, Homeland Security Investigations, postal inspectors and the IRS, often with state and local police. After arrest the defendant appears before a U.S. magistrate judge; a government request to hold the defendant is typically argued within three court days, and the judge then orders detention or sets release terms that federal pretrial services officers enforce; bondsmen have no role. Cases begun by complaint require an indictment within 30 days of the arrest. The 70-day Speedy Trial Act clock is often extended, and most cases conclude with a plea agreement, though a defendant may insist on a unanimous 12-person jury. The judge sentences after a presentence report after weighing the Sentencing Guidelines, which are advisory, and applying any statutory minimum; with no federal parole, about 85 percent or more of the term is served before supervised release.

Custody

The Marshals choose where federal pretrial detainees stay, using jails in New Hampshire and neighboring states that hold federal prisoners by contract, so a Sullivan County defendant may be housed far from home; call the Marshals office for location information. Use the Bureau of Prisons inmate locator after sentencing. Juvenile cases in federal court are uncommon.