Here is the quickest route:

1. Open the state locator page the jail links to.
2. Choose the search for county jails. State prison has its own lookup.
3. Enter the last name and first name. If nothing matches, test other spellings, a middle name, or a birth surname.
4. Check that the facility shown is the Justice and Transition Center, and read the custody status.
5. Write down any ID number that appears. Staff can find the record faster with it.

No internet? Call VINE at 888-846-3469 and follow the prompts for a county jail check. You can also phone the jail at 845-486-3900. Its alternative number is 845-486-3913, and the office is staffed weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

A blank result has a few usual causes:

• Booking in progress. Prints, photos and forms come first, and the online record trails behind.
• Never jailed. For most lower charges, officers issue a desk appearance ticket and release the person at the station (CPL 150.20).
• Waiting for a judge. Someone may be held by the arresting agency until arraignment, usually within about 24 hours.
• Already out. A judge may have freed them on their word or with conditions, or bail may have been posted.
• Moved. A transfer to a different county, to state prison, or into federal or ICE hands is possible.
• Under 18. Teens charged as adolescent offenders are kept out of adult jails.

Give the jail the person's full name and birthday when you call 845-486-3900. No record there? Phone the arresting agency. The Sheriff's Office, 108 Parker Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601, 845-486-3800, can help you figure out which agency that was.

The county keeps its own adults on North Hamilton Street. A person picked up on a warrant from Putnam, Ulster or Orange may be sent to that county's jail instead. These are the closest ones, across the Hudson and to the south:

• Putnam County Correctional Facility, run by the Putnam Sheriff, 3 County Center, Carmel, NY 10512, 845-225-4300
• Ulster County Jail, run by the Ulster Sheriff, 380 Boulevard, Kingston, NY 12401, 845-340-3644
• Orange County Correctional Facility, 110 Wells Farm Road, Goshen, NY 10924, 845-291-7713

The same state locator page searches those jails too. For the Dutchess jail itself, call 845-486-3900.

The state locator is built to confirm custody and location. Booking photos are governed by a New York privacy rule. Handing out a police booking photo counts as an unwarranted invasion of privacy unless it serves a specific law enforcement purpose (Public Officers Law § 89(2)(b)(viii)).

• Reporters and others who want a photo can ask the Sheriff's Office at 845-486-3800, or file a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request, which the jail's own page links.
• For an ICE photo, file on ICE's records request page.
• Federal booking photos are generally withheld. Federal marshals may still release a photo, such as when hunting a fugitive.

Yes. New York sheriffs, this county's included, use a statewide victim hotline and notice system known as VINE. Here is how it works:

• Call 888-846-3469 any time to hear the custody status of a person in any county jail in the state.
• Register with a PIN, and the system phones you when that status changes. It keeps calling until you enter the PIN, for up to 48 hours.
• Registration is confidential, and the jailed person gets no notice of it.
• Prefer email or text? Register on VINELink.

Once someone moves to state prison, the DOCCS victim notification program can also send word about parole hearings and release dates.

Bail reform arrived in New York on January 1, 2020. Lawmakers changed it in 2020, 2022 and 2023. For a misdemeanor or a nonviolent felony, the judge usually must let the person go. That can be on their word or with rules to follow. Money bail and remand are only for qualifying offenses, the serious charges listed in CPL 510.10(4).

• The jail takes bail around the clock, holidays included, from any court.
• At the window, pay the full amount in U.S. cash or by credit card. Checks are refused.
• Remote payment, online or by phone, runs through an outside company that charges a fee. Ask jail staff at 845-486-3900 how to reach it.
• Bonds come from licensed bail bond companies. The bondsman takes a release order from the judge to the jail.

Every step, from bond fees to refunds, is on our bail and release guide.

Ask the jail staff at 845-486-3900 what the booking charge is. The judge reads the charges at arraignment, and the defense lawyer gets the court papers.

After that, a County Court case can be found on WebCrims, the state's search for criminal cases with an upcoming date. City, town and village cases are best checked by calling the court. The District Attorney's Office decides what charges to bring and files them. It is at 236 Main Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601, 845-486-2300.

Charges can change. A felony complaint may be cut down to a misdemeanor, or a grand jury may indict on different counts.

The county Public Defender does. Its office is at 45 Market Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601, 845-486-2280, open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.

• Intake interviews are walk-in, every day from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m.
• Being held in jail is enough to be presumed eligible under state standards.
• The judge should assign a lawyer at arraignment, even before the money check is done.
• The office also takes Family Court cases for people who qualify.

A family can hire a private lawyer instead. Talks between a lawyer and client at the jail are private, so save questions about the case for the lawyer, not the phone.

Contact visits happen on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, never on holidays. Each person who is classified may have two 60-minute contact visits a week. Sessions on visit days start at 8:30 a.m., 9:50 a.m., 12:20 p.m. and 1:50 p.m.

• Sign up in person. Every visit is booked at the jail for that session. Phone sign-ups are not taken.
• Arrive early. Sign in 30 minutes before the session starts, with no exceptions.
• First day. In the first 24 hours after booking, one 30-minute booth visit through glass is allowed, any day but a holiday.
• Who can come. Two visitors at a time: two adults, or one adult and one child. A parent or legal guardian must bring a child and prove guardianship.
• ID. A driver's license, state non-driver ID, military ID, passport or other government photo card.
• Screening. Expect a metal detector and dog searches. Phones go in a locker.
• Clothes. No orange, hoods, tank tops, ripped or layered clothing. Sneakers help you clear the detector.

New York requires every jail to offer at least two visits a week (9 NYCRR 7008.3). Ask staff at 845-486-3900 whether your loved one can have contact visits. Our visitation page has general advice.

Account money buys commissary and pays for calls. These deposit options exist:

• Lobby kiosk at 150 North Hamilton Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601. Up to $200 per deposit, with a fee.
• Online through the deposit service the county links, with a fee.
• By phone at 866-232-1899, with a fee.
• By mail, cash only, with no fee. The jail warns against it. Checks and money orders are sent back.

Deposits can take up to 24 hours to post. Each person may place one commissary order a week, up to $125, with no more than $95 for food and $30 for hygiene items. Prepaid packages can be ordered once a week through the county's package program and arrive on Thursdays if ordered by 10 a.m. that day. They count toward the $125. For deposit basics, see our money page. What the money buys is on our commissary page.

State rules guarantee phone calls at admission (9 NYCRR 7002.8). After that, calls run on a prepaid account that families set up on the jail phone provider's website.

• Phones work every day from 9:00 a.m. to 9:45 p.m., except during lock-ins.
• Calls may be monitored and recorded. Staff will not pass along messages.
• Housing units with Wi-Fi have tablets for everyone, used for calls and email.
• To block or unblock collect calls, phone the provider's customer service at 877-650-4249.

Since calls are recorded, save the case itself for the lawyer. Our inmate phone guide and our jail email guide explain setup.

Address each envelope like this:

Person's full name
Dutchess County Justice and Transition Center
P.O. Box 1389, Poughkeepsie, NY 12602

• A return address is required. Envelopes without one are refused and sent back.
• Write in blue or black ink, and leave about an inch of margin so letters can be copied.
• Books must be new softcovers sent straight from an online publisher or bookstore.
• Photos can be up to 5x7 inches, with no frame.
• All mail is inspected. Legal mail from a lawyer or court is opened only with the person there (9 NYCRR 7004.4).

Never mail cash in a letter. Our mail guide has more rules.

Belongings taken at booking are stored at the jail. Property is handed out Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 to 3:00 p.m., when a property officer is free. After release, anything left for 30 days is destroyed.

Some items can be dropped off or mailed in: legal papers, clothes for a trial or funeral visit (not blue or black), and medical devices such as glasses or a C-PAP, which must be dropped off in person. Call 845-486-3900 before you go, and bring a photo ID to 150 North Hamilton Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601.

State law says officers holding someone in custody must take care of their medical and mental health needs (Civil Rights Law § 28). Mental health care at the jail comes through the county's Department of Behavioral and Community Health.

• Call the jail at 845-486-3900 right away. Share each medication, its dose and the prescriber's contact.
• If your loved one is taken to a hospital, ask for the shift commander about visits.
• Eyeglasses, C-PAP machines and diabetic socks can be dropped off in person.
• The state Commission of Correction, which oversees county jails, accepts complaints at 80 S. Swan Street, Albany, NY 12210, 518-485-2346.

If life is at risk, dial 911 first.

Deputies handle warrant service countywide, and local departments cover their own areas. A phone call settles the question best. Try the Sheriff's Office at 845-486-3800 or the court on the case, since WebCrims and similar searches skip warrant cases. Wanted people statewide appear on the New York State Police Wanted and Missing page. CPL 510.50 normally requires 48 hours' warning before a judge issues a bench warrant over a missed date. Fixing a warrant begins with a lawyer. Together, go to the issuing court, or ask it for a fresh date. County Court, 10 Market Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601, 845-431-1710, issues felony warrants.

Each date comes from the court handling the case. For County Court felonies, search WebCrims by name, or call the clerk at 845-431-1710.

• Poughkeepsie City Court, 62 Civic Center Plaza, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601, 845-483-8200
• Beacon City Court, 1 Municipal Plaza, Suite 2, Beacon, NY 12508, 845-431-1900
• Poughkeepsie Town Court, 17 Tucker Drive, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603, 845-485-3692
• Fishkill Town Court, 807 Route 52, Fishkill, NY 12524, 845-831-7860
• Wappinger Town Court, 20 Middlebush Road, Wappingers Falls, NY 12590, 845-297-6070

For any other town or village court, the state's Find a Court tool gives contact details. Our court guide lists every justice court's phone and follows a case from arraignment to sentencing.

Federal charges from here move to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, usually at the White Plains courthouse, 300 Quarropas Street, White Plains, NY 10601, 914-390-4100.

1. A detention hearing, held at the person's first federal court date, settles jail versus release (18 U.S.C. 3142).
2. While the case is pending, Marshals Service deputies keep the person, often lodging them in a local jail under contract. Call its district office at 646-563-9800 to ask where.
3. Federal Defenders of New York, 81 Main Street, Suite 124, White Plains, NY 10601, 914-428-7124, helps people who can't pay.
4. Read case filings on PACER.
5. After sentencing, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator. A register number makes the search easier.

Immigration holds follow these steps:

1. The process starts when ICE files a Form I-247A detainer.
2. The detainer asks the jail to hold the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. If ICE picks the person up, responsibility passes to its New York City Field Office: 26 Federal Plaza, Suite 9-110, New York, NY 10278 (9th floor), 212-436-9315.
4. Detention could be at the Buffalo (Batavia) Service Processing Center, 4250 Federal Drive, Batavia, NY 14020, 585-344-6500. People held there can't get incoming calls.
5. Search the ICE Online Detainee Locator to see where they are now.

New York narrows what local officers may do. The main limit comes from People ex rel. Wells v DeMarco, which a state appeals panel decided in 2018. Under it, deputies and police can't use state law as the basis for a civil immigration arrest. Executive Law § 170-k (2026) ended all 287(g) agreements, though court orders and judicial warrants still apply. Civil Rights Law § 28 shields people traveling to and from court from civil arrest without a judge's approval.

A state prison sentence moves the person from the county jail to the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS). The county sends notice when they are ready, which starts a ten-business-day window for DOCCS to take them. A reception center comes first, then a prison assignment.

• Use the DOCCS incarcerated lookup. The DIN is the fastest search. Searching by exact surname plus year of birth is the other route.
• Each night around 11:45 p.m., the lookup shuts down for a short time.
• Without internet, call DOCCS at 518-457-5000 on business days.
• For parole status, try the parolee lookup.

Our New York state prisons page covers visits and mail at each prison.

Teens never go to the adult jail. Raise the Age sends adolescent offenders, who are 16 or 17, to secure youth detention. Police must call a parent right away.

• A felony charge at 16 or 17 is heard first in County Court's Youth Part.
• Misdemeanor cases for those ages go to probation intake.
• Most cases for ages 12 to 15 go to Family Court.

For the teen's location and court date, call Family Court, 50 Market Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601, 845-431-1850, or probation at 845-486-2600.

About 300,000 people live in the county (299,963 in the Census estimate for July 1, 2024). These agencies patrol it. Phone the non-emergency number of whichever agency arrested your loved one.

County and state

• Sheriff's Office, 108 Parker Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601, 845-486-3800. Pine Plains substation: 518-398-5234.
• New York State Police Troop K headquarters, 2541 Route 44, Salt Point, NY 12578, 845-677-7300
• State Police stations in Rhinebeck (5696 Route 9 South, Rhinebeck, NY 12572), Wappinger (18 Middlebush Road, Wappingers Falls, NY 12590), LaGrangeville (120 Stringham Road, LaGrangeville, NY 12540), Dover Plains (Route 22, Dover Plains, NY 12522) and East Fishkill (P.O. Box 41, Stormville, NY 12582) share one line: 845-298-0398
• State Police, Pine Plains station, Town Hall, Route 199, Pine Plains, NY 12567: 518-851-3111
• County park police and MTA Police also make arrests here. Ask the Sheriff's Office which agency is involved.

Cities

• City of Poughkeepsie Police, 62 Civic Center Plaza, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601, 845-451-4000
• Beacon Police, 1 Municipal Plaza, Beacon, NY 12508, 845-831-4111

Towns and villages with their own department

• Town of Poughkeepsie Police, 19 Tucker Drive, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603, 845-485-3666
• East Fishkill Police, 2468 Route 52, Hopewell Junction, NY 12533, 845-221-2111
• Fishkill Town Police, 807 Route 52, Fishkill, NY 12524, 845-831-1110
• Fishkill Village Police, 4 Wood Place, Fishkill, NY 12524, 845-896-9260
• Hyde Park Police, 3 Cardinal Road, Hyde Park, NY 12538, 845-229-9340
• Pine Plains Police, 3284 Route 199, Pine Plains, NY 12567, 518-398-8601
• Millbrook Village Police, 35 Merritt Avenue, Millbrook, NY 12545, 845-677-8200
• Millerton Village Police, 5933 North Elm Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546, 518-789-6355
• Red Hook Village Police, 7467 South Broadway, Red Hook, NY 12571, 845-758-6780
• Rhinebeck Village Police, 76 East Market Street, Rhinebeck, NY 12572, 845-876-8181
• Wappingers Falls Police, 2628 South Avenue, Wappingers Falls, NY 12590, 845-297-1011

Places patrolled by the Sheriff and State Police

• Towns of Amenia, Beekman, Clinton, Dover, LaGrange, Milan, Pawling, Pleasant Valley, Stanford and Union Vale
• The Village of Pawling and the Village of Tivoli
• The parts of Red Hook, Rhinebeck, Wappinger, Washington and North East outside their village limits

Emergencies: 911.