1. Open the Sheriff's roster PDF.
2. Use "find in page" on your phone or computer and type the last name.
3. Match the first name and entry date so you know you have found them.
4. Write down the MCJ number. You need it for mail, bail and calls to the jail.
5. For more detail, open the census report. It lists custody type, charges, bail and the next court date.

The roster runs about a thousand names, sorted into columns. Each copy shows the date and time it was made at the top, so you can tell how fresh it is.

A missing name usually means timing. Here are the common reasons:

• Just booked. The list is made once each weekday. Open the received report for new arrivals.
• Already out. Many people go home from their first hearing. Check the released report.
• Never booked. On most lower charges, police write a desk appearance ticket and the person leaves the station.
• A different spelling. Try part of the last name, or a maiden name.
• Held elsewhere. The person may be at the STAR Academy, in juvenile detention, or in another county's jail.

Still stuck? Call the jail at 585-753-4300. Have their legal name and birthday ready. The statewide VINE search can also show custody status.

The Sheriff's Jail Bureau runs two adult sites with 1,217 beds in all. Other places nearby may hold someone too.

• Andrew P. Meloni STAR Academy (once called Monroe Correctional Facility): 750 East Henrietta Road, Rochester, NY 14623. This is the jail's re-entry and work unit. Call the jail line at 585-753-4300 about anyone there.
• Children's Detention Center: 400 Rush Scottsville Road, Rush, NY 14543, 585-753-5940. For youth only.
• Genesee County Jail: 3839 West Main Street Road, Batavia, NY 14020, 585-343-0838.
• Livingston County Jail: Sheriff's Office, 4 Court Street, Geneseo, NY 14454, 585-243-7100.
• Ontario County Jail: 3045 County Complex Drive, Canandaigua, NY 14424, 585-394-4560.
• Orleans County Jail: 26 Platt Street, Albion, NY 14411, 585-589-4310.
• Wayne County Jail: 7376 Route 31, Lyons, NY 14489, 315-946-9711.

A person wanted on another county's warrant may be moved to that county's jail.

No. The roster and census give names, numbers and case details, but no booking photos. Under state records law, handing out a booking photo counts as an unfair invasion of privacy, except when police need it for a specific reason (Public Officers Law § 89(2)(b)(viii)).

• A news outlet or anyone else wanting a photo may contact the Sheriff's Office at 585-753-4178.
• ICE photos can be requested through ICE FOIA.
• Federal agencies seldom share booking pictures. One exception: a fugitive case, where the U.S. Marshals Service might publish a photo to help find someone.

Yes. New York's VINE service tracks people in county jails and state prisons. It shows a person's custody status and the place holding them. You can also sign up for alerts.

1. Open VINELink and pick New York.
2. Type the name, or an ID number if you know it.
3. Choose the correct match, then sign up for a call, a text or an email.

Phone sign-up works too, at 888-846-3469. The person in custody is not told that you signed up. Each weekday, the Sheriff's released report is another way to see who left the jail.

Since 2020, a New York judge has had to free almost everyone facing a misdemeanor or nonviolent felony. Bail money can be asked for only when the charge is on the "qualifying offense" list.

Here the first hearing takes place at the central arraignment court. It meets at 9:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekdays, and at 7:00 p.m. on weekends and holidays. Many people go home from there.

If bail is set by a town, village, County or Family Court judge, it can be paid online through the Sheriff's GovPayNow links. Call the bail line at 585-753-4182 first to confirm the amount. Our bail page lists the links, the rules and the refund details.

The Sheriff's census report is the quickest place to look. For each person it shows the charge code and a short description. It also lists the arresting agency, the reason for custody, the bail or bond, the judge and the next court date.

Other ways to learn more:

• Ask the defense lawyer, who gets the court papers.
• Phone the court handling the case. For felonies, the County Court clerk is at 585-371-3758.
• Try WebCrims. It covers only certain courts and open cases with a future date.

Expect the charges to shift as the case goes on. Prosecutors can raise, cut or dismiss counts, and felony counts need a grand jury vote.

A defense lawyer is at every central arraignment session, so no one faces the judge alone. Being locked up is treated as a sign the person can't afford a lawyer.

• Public Defender: Executive Office Building, 10 North Fitzhugh Street, Rochester, NY 14614, 585-753-4210.
• Conflict Defender: Reynolds Arcade Building, 16 East Main Street, Suite 600, Rochester, NY 14614, 585-753-3480.
• Assigned Counsel Program: 50 West Main Street, Suite 8100, Rochester, NY 14614, 585-753-3430.

Families can call the Public Defender to find out who has the case. The person in jail should say they want a lawyer and not talk about the case on jail phones, since those calls may be recorded.

Each person gets two one-hour social visits a week. Visits run Monday to Friday at 8:15, 9:15, 10:15 and 11:15 a.m., and at 1:15 and 2:15 p.m.

1. Book a week ahead for the same weekday. Call 585-753-4000 on weekdays, 9:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. or 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. You can also use the online visit form at any time.
2. Arrive at least 30 minutes early, or the visit may be canceled.
3. Carry a government photo ID. A state driver's license, a state non-driver ID card or a benefit card all work.
4. Put everything in a locker. Wear one layer, with no hoodie, hat, jacket, belt or ripped jeans.

Up to two adults may visit, plus two children under five on laps. Visitors under 18 need the permission form and a birth certificate with a raised seal. A newly booked person can ask for one 30-minute non-contact visit within 24 hours. Read our visitation page for more.

The jail uses Access Corrections for deposits. There are three ways to pay:

• Online or by app: at accesscorrections.com or the Access Corrections app, with Visa or Mastercard.
• By phone: 866-345-1884, open 24 hours, with English and Spanish help.
• Kiosk: in the jail's visits lobby and property lobby, and at the STAR Academy. Kiosks take cash, Visa or Mastercard.

You will need the MCJ number. Don't mail cash, checks or money orders, because the mailroom sends them back. Account money is not bail. It pays for things like snacks and hygiene items, covered on our commissary page. Our money page has more tips.

Every person has the right to make phone calls when booked, and staff must tell them so (9 NYCRR 7002.8). After that, outgoing calls go through the jail's phone system. Ask the jail at 585-753-4300 which company runs it and how to set up an account.

Video visits from home go through Securus:

• Sign up at securustech.net, and jail security approves you.
• The person who books must be 18 or older, show photo ID and stay for the whole visit. Kids may join.
• Most people get two 30-minute video visits a week. All are watched and recorded.
• Anyone with an order of protection against the person, a co-defendant or a witness can't use video visits.

Our phone page and messaging page explain calls and messages in more depth.

Put the person's first and last name and MCJ number on every envelope. Use the address for the site where they are held:

• Main jail: Person's name and MCJ number, Monroe County Jail, 130 S. Plymouth Avenue, Rochester, NY 14614
• STAR Academy: Person's name and MCJ number, Andrew P. Meloni STAR Academy, 750 E. Henrietta Road, Rochester, NY 14623

Mail rules from the Sheriff's mail sheet:

• Regular U.S. mail only. No overnight or express mail and no packages.
• No padded envelopes, stickers, tape, glue, glitter, cardboard or blank paper and stamps.
• Reading material must be mailed by the publisher itself, and hardcover books are refused.
• Photos you mail yourself are copied, and the person gets the copy. Photos sent through an approved photo company arrive as originals after inspection.

Letters from lawyers and courts get opened in front of the person they are for (9 NYCRR 7004.4). See our mail page for more.

The jail's property unit holds whatever was taken at booking. The Sheriff posts its property release rules online. An older Sheriff property sheet lists pickup hours Tuesday through Friday.

• Call 585-753-4300 before you go to confirm the hours and that the property is ready.
• Go to the property lobby at the jail, 130 Plymouth Ave. South, Rochester, NY 14614.
• Bring photo ID. The person inside may need to sign a form naming you.
• Ask how any leftover account money will be paid out when they leave.

Call the jail right away at 585-753-4300. Share the person's name, MCJ number and any medicine or health problem staff should know about. State law requires officers who hold someone to care for their medical and mental health needs (Civil Rights Law § 28).

• To report sexual abuse or harassment of someone in the jail, call the Jail Administration line at 585-753-4178, open 24 hours.
• Complaints about jail conditions can go to the New York State Commission of Correction, Alfred E. Smith State Office Building, 80 S. Swan Street, Albany, NY 12210, 518-485-2346.

State law also limits solitary time. Under the HALT law, people under 22, over 54, pregnant or living with a disability generally can't be placed in it.

The Sheriff's Office and local police departments serve warrants. For questions, phone the Sheriff at 585-753-4178. Statewide wanted people are posted by the New York State Police. You can also ask the clerk at the court that issued it. A lawyer can check quietly and set up a surrender, so call one before going in. The Public Defender answers at 585-753-4210. Going in with counsel to the issuing court, or asking it for a new date, clears most warrants. For a felony, that is County Court, Hall of Justice, 99 Exchange Boulevard, Room 545, Rochester, NY 14614, 585-371-3758.

The jail census lists a court date for people still held. For everyone else, ask the court that has the case:

• City cases: City Court, Criminal Division, 150 South Plymouth Avenue, Room 123, Rochester, NY 14614, 585-371-3413
• Felony cases: County Court clerk, 585-371-3758
• Youth cases: Family Court, 585-371-3544
• Cases from the towns and villages: call the local justice court, found in our court guide

The defense lawyer always knows the next date too.

Federal defendants are under U.S. Marshals Service control. Some of them are housed in the county jail, whose census lists a "federal" group. Their cases belong to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York, Kenneth B. Keating Federal Building, 100 State Street, Rochester, NY 14614, 585-613-4000.

1. Check the jail roster first. Then call the Marshals at 2 Niagara Square, Buffalo, NY 14202, 716-348-5300, to ask where the person is.
2. The judge at the first federal hearing rules on detention before trial (18 U.S.C. 3142(f)).
3. The Federal Public Defender, 28 East Main Street, Suite 400, Rochester, NY 14614, 585-263-6201, represents many people who can't pay.
4. After sentencing, search the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

If immigration officers want someone held in the jail, this is how it usually goes:

1. Form I-247A, an ICE detainer, is filed with the jail.
2. The detainer asks for the person to be kept up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. ICE agents take the person into their own custody.
4. Many are brought to the Buffalo (Batavia) Service Processing Center, 4250 Federal Drive, Batavia, NY 14020, 585-344-6500. Detainee information is given 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. People held there can't take incoming calls.
5. Search the ICE Online Detainee Locator.

The ICE Buffalo Field Office is at 130 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14202, 716-843-7600. New York law limits what local officers can do. A 2018 appeals ruling, Wells v DeMarco, held that local officers may not detain people just for civil immigration reasons under New York law. Since August 25, 2026, no local agency may keep a 287(g) agreement (Executive Law § 170-k). Civil Rights Law § 28 shields people on their way to court, in court and leaving it from civil arrest, unless a judicial warrant or court order allows it.

When a felony sentence runs longer than one year, DOCCS takes the person from the county jail into state prison. They first go through a reception center for testing and a security rating, and then to an assigned prison.

• Look the person up on the DOCCS Incarcerated Lookup. The DIN works best, though a last name plus year of birth works too.
• Expect it to be offline each night near 11:45 p.m., and for about an hour late on Saturday.
• Browse our New York prisons directory.

A new DIN is given for each new prison term, so use the latest one.

Teens under 18 are never held in the adult jail. Police must call a parent right away. Youths who are not sent home stay at the Children's Detention Center, 400 Rush Scottsville Road, Rush, NY 14543, 585-753-5940. It is open 24 hours a day.

• Visits: Two visitors at a time, for one hour, twice a week. Visitors must be on a list kept by the youth's caseworker.
• Visit times: Weekdays 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Bail: The center accepts it 24 hours a day after the paperwork clears.
• Care: Schooling, medical and mental health care, recreation and casework are provided.

Lawyers set up visits through the caseworker. When the youth goes home, a Youth Engagement Specialist helps them settle back in.

The Andrew P. Meloni STAR Academy is the Sheriff's second jail site, at 750 East Henrietta Road, Rochester, NY 14623. STAR stands for Strategic Training Advancing Re-entry. The Sheriff unveiled it on February 24, 2020, in the former Monroe Correctional Facility.

• People are chosen based on need, work ethic, behavior and drive.
• They live in a dorm-style housing unit.
• The program has three phases. First comes character work, then job training and life skills. The last phase is support, like settling fines and child support, family visits, paid work and help with housing.
• The site also houses people in the outside work program and kitchen trustees.

Visits follow the same two-visits-a-week schedule as the main jail. For questions, call the jail at 585-753-4300.

The jail census lists the arresting agency for each person. All agencies bring the people they arrest downtown to the county jail. For a department below with no number shown, call the Sheriff's main line at 585-753-4178 and ask for its number.

City, town and village departments

• City police: the city's police department patrols inside the city line.
• Irondequoit Police Department: 1300 Titus Avenue, Rochester, NY 14617, 585-336-6000, extension 2290
• Gates Police Department: town offices at 1605 Buffalo Road, Rochester, NY 14624. Its administrative line is 585-247-2262, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Greece Police Department: 1 Vince Tofany Boulevard, Greece, NY 14612. The Town of Greece main number is 585-225-2000.
• Brighton, Ogden and Webster also each run a town police department.
• Brockport, East Rochester and Fairport each run a village police department.
• University of Rochester campus police patrol that school's grounds.

Sheriff's road patrol covers the other towns and villages from three zone offices:

• Zone A, for Fairport, Irondequoit, Penfield, Perinton, Pittsford and Webster: 955 Panorama Trail S., Rochester, NY 14625, 585-753-4370
• Zone B, for Brighton, Henrietta, Honeoye Falls, Mendon, Rush, Scottsville and Wheatland: 393 Calkins Road, Rochester, NY 14623, 585-753-4400
• Zone C, for Brockport, Chili, Churchville, Clarkson, Gates, Greece, Hamlin, Hilton, Ogden, Parma, Riga, Spencerport and Sweden: 2330 Union Street, Spencerport, NY 14559, 585-753-4470

State Police: Troop E, Zone 1 has stations for the city area, Churchville and Penfield, all at 585-279-8890. Troop E headquarters is at 1569 Rochester Road, Canandaigua, NY 14425, 585-398-4100.