Use more than one tool, since each has a different lag. Work through these in order:

1. Open the Sheriff's inmate lookup and type the last name.
2. Search VINELink for New York. It shows custody status and the facility. Adding a birth date trims a long list of matches.
3. Scan the newest weekly arrest report on the Sheriff's page. It covers a full week, so a booking from this morning may come later.
4. Phone the jail at 315-253-2911. Give the full spelling of the name, plus the birthday.
5. Jot down the inmate number staff read to you. Letters use it, and online bail asks for a separate criminal history number.

An empty result rarely means bad news. Common reasons:

• Booking takes time. Prints, photos and forms can run a few hours.
• They already left. Most people charged with misdemeanors and many lower felonies must be released, and many never come to jail at all because police hand them an appearance ticket.
• They are still at a police station. In the city, call the Auburn Police Department at 315-253-3231.
• They moved. A transfer to a DOCCS prison, a federal hold or another county's jail would take them off the list.
• Age. Under-18s are held in juvenile detention instead.
• Spelling. Search again with a former last name or a nickname, or switch the first and middle names.

When in doubt, the jail's main line, 315-253-2911, can say whether the person was booked and released.

County House Road is home to the county's only adult jail. Call 315-253-2911 to ask where women are housed and whether someone was moved. Someone picked up near a border, or wanted by another county, could be at one of these:

• Onondaga County Justice Center, 555 S. State Street, Syracuse, NY 13202, 315-435-1770
• Jamesville Correctional Facility, 6660 E Seneca Turnpike, Jamesville, NY 13078, 315-435-5581
• Oswego County Jail, 39 Churchill Road, Oswego, NY 13126, 315-349-3300
• Cortland County Correctional Facility, 54 Greenbush Street, Cortland, NY 13045, 607-756-4275
• Tompkins County Jail, 779 Warren Road, Ithaca, NY 14850, 607-257-5316
• Seneca County Correctional Facility, 6150 State Route 96, Romulus, NY 14541, 315-220-3469
• Wayne County Jail, 7376 Route 31, Lyons, NY 14489, 315-946-9711

New York keeps most booking photos private. Its open records law treats handing out an arrest photo as an invasion of privacy (Public Officers Law § 89(2)(b)(viii)). The exception is when police need the photo out for a real law enforcement reason.

• The Sheriff's weekly arrest report names recent arrests. For questions about a photo, reporters and others can call the Sheriff's Office at 315-253-1222.
• Federal booking photos generally stay out of public view. An exception: the Marshals, a federal agency, sometimes put one out, say, when hunting for a fugitive.
• For photos taken by ICE, use the ICE records request form.

Yes, through VINE. This free statewide hotline is what New York's sheriffs use to track custody in county jails. Register by phone at 888-846-3469, or online through VINELink for email or text alerts. Signing up is never automatic.

• After a status change, VINE keeps calling a registered number until the PIN is entered or 48 hours pass.
• The person in custody is not told who registered.
• Once someone is in state prison, DOCCS runs its own victim notice program covering parole hearings and release dates.

Because alerts can lag, a call to 315-253-2911 is still the surest check on a release.

New York's bail reform dates to January 1, 2020. It requires judges to free most people facing misdemeanor or nonviolent felony charges. They release on recognizance or set conditions (CPL 510.10(3)). Only "qualifying offenses," violent felonies among them, open the door to money bail or remand (CPL 510.10(4)).

• A judge decides at arraignment, in Auburn City Court, a town or village court, or the county's centralized arraignment part.
• When bail is set, the order must offer three or more forms, with one a partially secured or unsecured bond (CPL 520.10).
• The jail accepts cash and major credit cards in its lobby.
• Card payments, at the jail or online, go through GovPayNet with pay location code 6079 and a fee that is never refunded.

Step-by-step payment help, bond agent rules and refunds are on our bail page.

The booking charges are available from jail staff at 315-253-2911. The Sheriff's weekly arrest report also lists recent arrests.

Early charges can change. Police file the first papers, and the District Attorney decides what to pursue. A felony is formally charged only when a grand jury indicts. The District Attorney's Office is at 95 Genesee Street, Auburn, NY 13021, 315-253-1391.

A felony is a serious crime that may lead to state prison. The law grades felonies by letter, from A, the worst, to E. Misdemeanors are lesser crimes with a local jail term of 364 days or less. Violations are not crimes. To read the court file, call the court that has the case. Our court page lists every one.

Lawyers for people who can't pay come from the county's Assigned Counsel Program, 152 Genesee Street, Floor 2, Auburn, NY 13021, 315-253-1402. Being jailed creates a presumption of eligibility under state rules, and an assignment should follow any request.

• Counsel must be ready at arraignment (Executive Law § 832(4)).
• Counsel is also guaranteed whenever a judge sets or reviews a securing order (CPL 510.10(2)).
• Hiring private counsel is always an option for the family.
• Federal cases get the Federal Public Defender in Syracuse, 4 Clinton Square, Floor 3, Syracuse, NY 13202, 315-701-0080.

Call the jail at 315-253-2911 before you go. Ask for the current visit days, how to book a slot, what ID to bring and whether video visits are offered. State jail rules set a floor for every county jail:

• Weekly visiting time must total two hours or more, with no single visit shorter than 30 minutes (9 NYCRR 7008.3).
• In the first 24 hours after admission, a non-contact visit is available on request (9 NYCRR 7008.4).
• Contact visits allow touch, within reason (9 NYCRR 7008.6).
• Visitors must prove who they are, and people under 18 may need a parent or written permission (9 NYCRR 7008.5).
• Visitors and their things may be searched (9 NYCRR 7008.7).

More tips are in our guide to jail visits.

People in the jail can't hold cash. The Sheriff's FAQ lists two ways to fund a commissary account:

• Money order by mail. Make it out to the person, and send it to the jail at 7445 County House Road, Auburn, NY 13021.
• Lobby kiosk. A money kiosk in the jail lobby adds funds for a small fee.

Ask the jail at 315-253-2911 about limits and lobby hours. For deposit tips see our inmate money page, and for what the account buys, our commissary page. Never mail cash.

The jail does not pass along phone messages, and people inside can't take incoming calls. After booking, they may make collect calls only, and every call may be recorded. New York jail rules also give each person the right to make calls when they first arrive (9 NYCRR 7002.8).

Email works one way at the start. A person in the jail can buy email through commissary and write to you, and you may reply. You can't send the first message. Staff may read every email.

Talking about the case on a jail call is risky, since calls may be recorded, so leave that to the lawyer. More on calls is in our phone guide, and more on messages in our email guide.

Put the person's name and inmate number, if you know it, above the jail's street address. The Sheriff's own sample looks like this:

John Doe #000000
7445 County House Road, Auburn, NY 13021

• State rules put no cap on the number of letters sent or received (9 NYCRR 7004.1).
• Staff can open a personal letter to check it for contraband (9 NYCRR 7004.3). Actually reading it is allowed only under a written order stating the reasons.
• An envelope from a lawyer, a legal aid office or a court is opened with the person watching (9 NYCRR 7004.4).
• Anyone without funds gets free stationery and postage each week, enough for a pair of one-ounce letters or more (9 NYCRR 7004.2).

Ask the jail about photos, books and cards before sending them. Our guide to jail mail has general tips.

Whatever the person carried at booking goes into storage. To arrange a pickup, call 315-253-2911 and ask which days and hours work, whether the person must sign a release for you, and how any commissary balance is paid out. Bring a photo ID to 7445 County House Road, Auburn, NY 13021.

The jail has its own medical and mental health offices. Staff there can't discuss a diagnosis or treatment plan, but they will listen to your worries.

• Jail medical office: 315-253-3061
• Jail mental health office: 315-253-1028
• Complaints about treatment: shift supervisor, 315-253-3002
• Sexual abuse concerns: PREA coordinator, 315-253-1562
• County mental health crisis line: 315-253-0341

Under Civil Rights Law § 28, officers who hold someone under arrest are responsible for that person's health care, mental health included. Complaints can also go to the state Commission of Correction, the agency watching over every county jail, at 80 S. Swan Street, Albany, NY 12210, 518-485-2346. In an emergency, call 911.

Deputies from the Sheriff's Office handle warrants countywide. Ask them at 315-253-1222. Its Records Section, open weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., is at 315-253-1148. Each week the Sheriff adds an active warrants list to the Sheriff's web page. City police keep their own warrant log and take calls at 315-253-3235. The New York State Police wanted list covers statewide cases. Clearing one is a two-step job: get a lawyer, then appear with that lawyer before the issuing court, or phone the court to request another date. County Court is at 152 Genesee Street, Auburn, NY 13021, 315-237-6450.

Each court tracks its own calendar:

• Felonies after indictment: County Court, 152 Genesee Street, Auburn, NY 13021, 315-237-6450
• City cases: Auburn City Court, 157 Genesee Street, Auburn, NY 13021, 315-237-6420
• Town and village cases: the local justice court, listed with phones on our court page

WebCriminal, the state's online search, reaches just some courts and drops any case without an upcoming date, so phoning is the better bet here. The assigned lawyer can also give the date.

According to the Sheriff's Custody page, the county jail takes in prisoners for federal agencies, including the Marshals and the Bureau of Prisons. A federal prisoner may be close by.

1. Call the Marshals' district office, 100 South Clinton Street, Floor 10, Syracuse, NY 13261, 315-473-7601, to ask where the person is held.
2. The case runs in federal court in the James Hanley Federal Building, 100 South Clinton Street, Syracuse, NY 13261, 315-234-8500. The first appearance includes a detention hearing (18 U.S.C. 3142), which decides jail or home until trial.
3. Look up court filings on PACER.
4. After sentencing, search the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

Should ICE seek custody of someone in the county jail, expect this sequence:

1. ICE puts a written detainer, Form I-247A, on file with the jail.
2. The detainer requests custody for up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Upstate pickups frequently end at ICE's Buffalo (Batavia) Service Processing Center, 4250 Federal Drive, Batavia, NY 14020. Detainee information is at 585-344-6500, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Detainees there cannot take incoming calls.
4. Then try the ICE Online Detainee Locator.

New York law shapes what local jails do. A 2018 state appeals ruling, People ex rel. Wells v DeMarco, concluded local officers lack any state-law basis for civil immigration arrests. Executive Law § 170-k, adopted in 2026, ended 287(g) agreements and forbids deals to jail people purely over civil immigration status, while judicial warrants and court orders are still honored. Civil Rights Law § 28 protects people going to court from civil arrests without a judge's warrant or order.

A state sentence usually starts with a wait on County House Road. When the county reports the person ready, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) collects them within ten business days. A stay at a reception center for screening comes first, then a move to a long-term prison.

• Search the DOCCS Incarcerated Lookup using a DIN, or an exact last name with birth year. It goes offline briefly each night around 11:45 p.m.
• Our New York state prisons page lists visiting and mail rules prison by prison.
• Without internet, DOCCS staff in Albany, 1220 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12226, help locate people at 518-457-5000 on business days.

Nobody under 18 is booked into the County House Road jail. Under Raise the Age, felonies by teens of 16 or 17 go to a Youth Part, while probation intake takes their misdemeanors. A youth held before trial goes to a juvenile detention center. A child who stays in custody must appear in Family Court quickly (Family Court Act § 307.3). That hearing must happen within 72 hours, or sooner when a court session falls earlier.

To learn where a youth is held, call the Probation Department's juvenile officer at 315-253-1689, or Family Court at 315-237-6400. The state keeps a juvenile detention list too.

The Census Bureau's July 1, 2025 estimate is 74,365 residents. The county has no county police force. These agencies make arrests here:

• Cayuga County Sheriff's Office, 7445 County House Road, Auburn, NY 13021, 315-253-1222. Its road patrol covers 800 square miles.
• Auburn Police Department, 46 North Street, Auburn, NY 13021, non-emergency 315-253-3231.
• New York State Police, Troop E: the station at 1551 Clark Street Road, Auburn, NY 13021, and the station at 48 West Cayuga Street, Moravia, NY 13118, share 315-255-2766.
• Moravia Village Police, Village Justice Center, 48 W Cayuga Street, Moravia, NY 13118, 315-497-0287.
• Weedsport Village Police (part time), 8892 South Street, Weedsport, NY 13166. Leave messages at Village Hall, 315-834-6634.
• Port Byron Village Police (part time), officer in charge 315-776-4099.
• County 911 dispatch for the three village departments: 315-253-2224.

Every other town and village is patrolled by Sheriff's deputies and state troopers:

• Towns: Aurelius, Brutus, Cato, Conquest, Fleming, Genoa, Ira, Ledyard, Locke, Mentz, Montezuma, Moravia, Niles, Owasco, Scipio, Sempronius, Sennett, Springport, Sterling, Summerhill, Throop, Venice and Victory.
• Villages: Aurora, Cato, Cayuga, Fair Haven, Meridian and Union Springs.