The list is short, so reading it takes only a minute.

1. Open the current population and active charges list.
2. Open the report it links. Check the "Reporting on" date at the top.
3. Look for the last name, then the first name.
4. Write down the HC number. That is the county's own ID number for the person.
5. Read the charge description and the bail column. Most bail entries say "No Bail," since cash bail is rare in New Jersey.
6. Call Booking, 71 Park Avenue, Flemington, NJ 08822, at 908-788-1184 to confirm what you found. Charges and bail can change.

As a second check, search the person's name on VINELink, the statewide custody lookup.

Don't panic. A missing name has a few common causes:

• Timing. The report shows one date. Someone booked after that date won't be listed yet.
• Release. Under Criminal Justice Reform, most people charged on a warrant are freed after their first hearing.
• A summons. People charged on a complaint-summons are let go with a court date and never held.
• Another agency's case. A warrant from another county, a federal charge or an ICE hold can put the person somewhere else.
• A spelling or name issue. Names get typed wrong. Look for a hyphenated last name, a nickname or a second last name.

Call Booking at the Division of Corrections, 71 Park Avenue, Flemington, NJ 08822, 908-788-1184. Then try the Warren jail, 175 County Route 519 South, Belvidere, NJ 07823-1950, 908-475-7900. If you still have no answer, the Corrections Undersheriff's line is 908-806-5542. VINELink can also show custody in other New Jersey jails and state prisons.

For adults on local cases, the answer is almost always the Warren County Correctional Center, 175 County Route 519 South, Belvidere, NJ 07823-1950. The center opened in 1986 and has an operating capacity of 176. Call 908-475-7900.

Other places to keep in mind:

• The Flemington processing site: the Division of Corrections, 71 Park Avenue, Flemington, NJ 08822, 908-788-1213, right after arrest.
• Youth: the Morris County Juvenile Detention Center, 460 West Hanover Avenue, Morris Township, NJ 07960, 973-285-2959.
• Morris County, if wanted there: Morris County Correctional Facility, 43 John Street, Morristown, NJ 07960, 973-631-5174.
• Somerset County, if wanted there: Somerset County Jail, 40 Grove Street, Somerville, NJ 08876, 908-231-7150.
• Mercer County, if wanted there: Mercer County Correction Center, 1750 River Road, Lambertville, NJ 08530, 609-397-7460.

The county report is text only. It gives names, HC numbers, charges and bail.

Under state records law, arrest photos count as criminal investigation records. A 2013 decision by the Government Records Council (Melton v. City of Camden) sided with a city that refused to hand them out. A public records request for a mugshot will most likely be refused. News outlets can ask the Sheriff's Office at 908-788-1166.

Photos do appear on the Sheriff's Wanted Persons List, but only for people with open warrants. For photos held by ICE, you can file a records request at ICE's FOIA page. Federal agencies keep their booking photos private as a rule. A fugitive's photo may be shared by the U.S. Marshals Service.

VINE, the free statewide notice service, does this. It tracks custody in county jails, state prisons and other lockups, so it works for people held in Belvidere.

• Look the person up, then register, on VINELink or in its phone app.
• Call 877-846-3465 to register by phone. The TTY line is 866-847-1298.
• Choose how to be told: phone call, text, app, email or TTY. Each one is set up on its own.
• Alerts cover things like release, transfer, a trip out to court and, for state prison, parole actions.

VINE is not only for victims. Any family member can use it to see where a person is held.

Most people do not pay to get out. Since January 1, 2017, New Jersey's Criminal Justice Reform law has used risk scores and release rules instead of cash (N.J.S.A. 2A:162-15 to -26).

• Within 48 hours of jail intake, a judge decides on release.
• Release on a signed promise, or with Pretrial Services check-ins, is the normal result.
• Cash bail is used only to make sure someone comes to court, and that is rare.
• Holding a person until trial takes a prosecutor's motion and a detention hearing.

For an amount on one case, call Booking, 71 Park Avenue, Flemington, NJ 08822, at 908-788-1184. Our bail and release guide has every step, including where money is paid.

The county report lists a short charge description next to each name. Treat it as a starting point.

For more detail:

• Ask Booking, 71 Park Avenue, Flemington, NJ 08822, at 908-788-1184, about the charge and the case number.
• For crimes, phone the Superior Court's Criminal Division in the Justice Center, 65 Park Avenue, Flemington, NJ 08822, 908-824-9750, extension 13110, or look up the case through the Judiciary's Find a Case page.
• For town court charges, use the Municipal Court Case Search.
• Ask the person's lawyer for a copy of the complaint.

Crimes in New Jersey are called indictable offenses and have four degrees. Lesser charges are disorderly persons offenses.

The judge at the first appearance has the power to appoint the Office of the Public Defender. To qualify, the person fills out the court's 5A form about money, work and family, and the court decides.

The local public defender office is at 84 Park Avenue, Suite G-102, Flemington, NJ 08822, 908-782-1082. Family members can call to ask whether a lawyer has been assigned yet.

Municipal court has a separate system. Its public defender is for people without money for a lawyer whose case could mean jail, a suspended license or over $800 in penalties. The town court clerk has the form, and the application costs up to $200 unless the judge reduces it.

Visits for people from this county follow the rules of the Warren County Correctional Center, 175 County Route 519 South, Belvidere, NJ 07823-1950.

• Type. Non-contact visits on weekdays. The day depends on the person's housing area. Contact visits for sentenced inmates are suspended.
• Who. Only people the inmate put on an approved list at intake.
• How long. 30 minutes. Two visitors at a time at most.
• Arrive. At least 15 minutes early for screening.
• ID. A driver's license, passport, work photo ID or Welfare or Medicaid card. No ID means no visit.
• Kids. A visitor under 18 needs an approved parent or guardian along, plus proof of guardianship. Children can't wait alone in the lobby or the car.
• Dress. No mini-skirts, short shorts, see-through clothes or low-cut tops.
• Belongings. Leave phones, wallets and purses in the car or a lobby locker.

Call 908-475-7900 for the visit schedule and to ask about video visits. Our visitation page has general tips.

The Warren jail takes deposits three ways:

• Mail. Send a money order, cashier's check, government check or a check from another jail or prison. Personal and payroll checks are sent back. Put your name and address on the money order. Mail it to the person by name and inmate number at 175 County Route 519 South, Belvidere, NJ 07823-1950.
• Phone. Call the deposit line at 866-345-1884. A fee applies.
• Online. Use the deposit service named on Warren's corrections page. A fee applies.

A receipt reaches the person on the next business day. Before sending much, know that Warren bills each new arrival a $50 booking fee, and it may apply half of every deposit to unpaid fees or medical charges. Never send cash. See our pages on sending money and commissary.

People held at the Warren jail, 175 County Route 519 South, Belvidere, NJ 07823-1950, make calls on the jail's phone system. To learn how calls are set up, which numbers are allowed and how to pay for them, call the jail at 908-475-7900.

Ask about messaging or tablets at the same time. Our pages on inmate phone calls and messages and email give general background.

All mail goes to the Warren jail, not to Flemington. Write it like this:

• Your own name and address as the sender
• The person's full name and inmate number
• 175 County Route 519 South, Belvidere, NJ 07823-1950

Get the inmate number by calling 908-475-7900. The HC number on the county list may be different, so ask.

Rules to follow:

• Reading material is accepted only when a publisher ships it.
• No stamps, clothing, sexual photos or blank envelopes.
• No stickers, crayon, lipstick or other things stuck to the envelope. These come back to you.
• Never mail cash or personal checks.

Our mail page has more help.

Most belongings are kept where the person is held. At Warren, cash a person has at booking goes into their jail account, and nobody may keep money or valuables inside.

To pick up property or ask what was taken, call the Warren County Correctional Center, 175 County Route 519 South, Belvidere, NJ 07823-1950, at 908-475-7900. Ask what ID to bring and when to come. For anything kept at booking in Flemington, call the Division of Corrections at 908-788-1213.

When the person is released, ask how the account balance will be paid out. Fees and medical costs may be taken from it first.

Warren's medical program holds accreditation from the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC), and the state inspects the jail yearly.

When a health worry comes up:

1. Call the Warren jail, 175 County Route 519 South, Belvidere, NJ 07823-1950, at 908-475-7900, and ask for the medical unit or a supervisor.
2. Share any medicines, doses and doctors' names.
3. Tell the person's lawyer if care seems slow.
4. For a Hunterdon case, you can also call the Division of Corrections at 908-788-1213.

Medical costs while in custody can be taken from the person's account.

Start with the Sheriff's Wanted Persons List, which shows names, offenses and most photos. The State Police keep a separate statewide page, New Jersey's Most Wanted. Deputies at the Sheriff's Office, 71 Main Street, Building 1, Flemington, NJ 08822, serve county warrants. Call them at 908-788-1166 on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to ask about a name. A town court can say whether it issued a bench warrant. To clear one, the safest path is a surrender planned with a lawyer, or a phone call asking that court to reschedule. Questions on Superior Court warrants go to the Criminal Division, Justice Center, 65 Park Avenue, Flemington, NJ 08822, 908-824-9750, extension 13110.

The court sets every hearing, so check with the court instead of the jail:

• Superior Court crime cases: the Judiciary's Find a Case page, or the Criminal Division, 65 Park Avenue, Flemington, NJ 08822, 908-824-9750, extension 13110
• Town court cases: the Municipal Court Case Search, or the town court's office
• Traffic tickets: NJMCdirect

Every courthouse and each step of a case appear on our court guide.

A federal charge from here is heard at the Trenton courthouse of the U.S. District Court. The first hearing before a magistrate judge comes about a day after arrest. Whether the person stays locked up is usually argued right there (18 U.S.C. 3142(f)).

A defendant who is not released waits for trial under the Marshals' control. To learn which jail, call the Trenton office: 402 East State Street, Trenton, NJ 08608, 609-989-2069. Court records come from the Clerk's Office, 402 East State Street, Room 2020, Trenton, NJ 08608, 609-989-2065.

After a sentence, the Bureau of Prisons takes over. Search by name or number in the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator. It covers people held since 1982.

Use the ICE Online Detainee Locator. The ICE Newark field office covers the state: 970 Broad Street, 11th Floor, Newark, NJ 07102, 973-776-3274.

The detainer process runs like this:

1. ICE delivers Form I-247A, its detainer request.
2. It requests a hold of up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. ICE takes the person into custody.
4. They may be sent to the Elizabeth Contract Detention Facility, 625 Evans Street, Elizabeth, NJ 07201, 908-282-5700. Letters there need the last four digits of the A-number.

New Jersey sets tight limits. The Immigrant Trust Directive lets a county jail hold someone extra for ICE in three cases: a current charge or past conviction for a crime named in its Appendix A, an indictable crime conviction within five years, or a removal order that a federal judge signed and that is lodged with the jail. The extra time ends at 11:59 p.m. on the release date, and the person is owed written notice.

The New Jersey Department of Corrections receives people sentenced to state prison. Each one first spends time at a reception center for health checks and a custody score. Then they are assigned to a prison.

For the DOC's name search, open its Offender Information page and pick the search engine there. Our New Jersey state prisons list links every facility. The DOC can be reached on Whittlesey Road, P.O. Box 863, Trenton, NJ 08625, 609-292-4036.

Calls from a state prison can start after the person's IPIN phone number is assigned. For parole, contact the State Parole Board at 609-292-4257.

When a judge orders detention for someone younger than 18, the youth is placed at the Morris County Juvenile Detention Center, 460 West Hanover Avenue, Morris Township, NJ 07960, 973-285-2959. Its mailing address is P.O. Box 900, Morristown, NJ 07963. The center serves four counties by agreement.

Family Part judges handle these cases instead of adult criminal judges. Reach the juvenile desk in the Justice Center, 65 Park Avenue, Flemington, NJ 08822, at 908-824-9750, extension 13330. For a lawyer, call the public defender at 908-782-1082.

Call the center to ask about visits and what a parent should bring.

Some names on the county report carry these labels. They are programs run by the Division of Corrections:

• Home Detention Program. As the name says, the time is served at home.
• Sheriff's Labor Assistance Program (SLAP). A work program tied to the Sheriff's Office.

For the rules, report times or who qualifies, call the Division of Corrections at 908-788-1213.

The arrest paperwork names the agency. Here is every town, grouped by who patrols it.

Towns with their own police department

• Clinton Township: 1370 Route 31 North, Annandale, NJ 08801, 908-735-6000
• Town of Clinton: 43 Leigh Street, Clinton, NJ 08809, 908-735-2665
• Delaware Township: 816 Sergeantsville Road, Sergeantsville, NJ 08557, 609-397-0911
• Flemington Borough: 200 Main Street, Flemington, NJ 08822, 908-782-3434
• Franklin Township: 202 Sidney Road, Pittstown, NJ 08867, 908-735-6508
• Frenchtown Borough: 27 Second Street, Frenchtown, NJ 08825, 908-996-4820
• High Bridge Borough: 99 Main Street, High Bridge, NJ 08829, 908-638-6500
• Holland Township: 61 Church Road, Milford, NJ 08848, 908-995-4670
• Lambertville City: 349 North Main Street, Lambertville, NJ 08530, 609-397-3132
• Lebanon Township: 530 West Hill Road, Glen Gardner, NJ 08826, 908-638-8516
• Raritan Township: 2 Municipal Drive, Flemington, NJ 08822, 908-782-8889
• Readington Township: 507 Route 523, Whitehouse Station, NJ 08889, 908-534-4031
• Tewksbury Township: 167 Old Turnpike Road, Califon, NJ 07830, 908-439-2503, answered 24 hours
• West Amwell Township: 24 Mount Airy Village Road, Lambertville, NJ 08530, 609-397-1100

Califon Borough is covered by the Washington Township Police Department in Morris County, 1 East Springtown Road, Long Valley, NJ 07853, 908-876-3232.

Towns covered by State Police stations

• Perryville Station, for Bethlehem Township, Bloomsbury, Lebanon Borough and Union Township: R.D. #3, State Highway 173, West Hampton, NJ 08827, 908-730-7042
• Washington Station, for Glen Gardner and Hampton: 560 Route 57, Port Murray, NJ 07865, 908-689-3101
• Kingwood Station, for Alexandria Township, East Amwell Township and Kingwood Township: 945 State Highway 12, Frenchtown, NJ 08825, 908-996-2864

Milford and Stockton. To learn which agency answers calls, phone Milford's Borough Hall, 40 Frenchtown Road, Milford, NJ 08848, 908-995-4323, or Stockton Borough, P.O. Box M, Stockton, NJ 08559, 609-397-0070.

County level. The Sheriff's Office, 71 Main Street, Building 1, Flemington, NJ 08822, 908-788-1166, handles county warrants, prisoner transport and court escorts. Any of these agencies can tell you whether they made an arrest. In an emergency, call 911.