1. Open the Sheriff's inmate search. A phone works as well as a computer.
2. Start with the surname alone. A first name helps when the list runs long.
3. Because the list runs by booking date, scan near the day of the arrest.
4. Tap the entry to see the charges and the booking facts.
5. Jot down the booking date and every charge word for word. Bondsmen, lawyers and jail staff tend to ask for both.

Now and then the page shows nothing, or a note about updating. Wait about an hour and retry. You can also read the name to dispatch at 580-255-3131. The Sheriff's website has a Media section, too, with daily and weekly booking reports and a sign-up for a roster emailed each day.

An empty search almost never means they disappeared. Likely reasons:

• Too fresh. Booking involves prints, a photo and forms, and a brand-new arrival may miss the latest hourly refresh.
• Typo or nickname. Try the legal last name alone, a maiden name, or a second spelling.
• Already gone. Bond got posted, or a judge ordered release. VINE can confirm (see the alerts answer below).
• Another agency's arrest. City officers can say where they took someone. Reach Duncan Police at 100 S 7th Street, Duncan, OK 73533, 580-255-2112.
• Arrested across a county line. Someone picked up in Rush Springs, for example, is in Grady County's system, not this one.

For anything else, the Sheriff's administration staff work Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at 580-255-3131.

Arrests here normally land at the Sheriff's Detention Center. A person caught near a border, or wanted on another county's warrant, could sit in one of these jails instead:

• Grady County Jail, 215 North 3rd Street, Chickasha, OK 73018, 405-222-1000. Rush Springs sits in Grady County.
• Garvin County Detention Center, 201 W Grant, Pauls Valley, OK 73075, 405-238-7591.
• Carter County Jail, 100 South Washington, Ardmore, OK 73401, 580-223-6014.
• Jefferson County Jail, 218 N Main St, Waurika, OK 73573, 580-228-2375.
• Comanche County Detention Center, 315 SW 5th Street, Lawton, OK 73501, 580-250-1902.

Cotton County borders this county as well. For a person who might be there, ask the Sheriff's dispatch at 580-255-3131 for help finding the right office. Youth go to a juvenile center, covered near the end of this page.

When we checked, each entry had a gray "no image" box where a picture would go. The Sheriff's Office decides about handing out booking photos, so call it at 580-255-3131. Reporters make that same request through the office.

• What the law opens up: Oklahoma's Open Records Act treats jail registers and arrest facts, such as name, charge and cause of arrest, as public records (51 O.S. § 24A.8). That section says nothing about photos.
• ICE pictures: ask through the ICE FOIA page.
• Federal prisoners: photos are usually withheld, although the Marshals may share one while chasing a runaway defendant.

Yes. VINE, a free statewide service, does two jobs. It shows whether someone is in custody and in which facility, and it can warn you when that changes.

1. Go to VINELink and pick Oklahoma, or dial 877-654-8463.
2. Look the person up by name.
3. Pick phone, text or email for the warnings.

Crime victims use VINE, but so do parents, partners and friends. The Sheriff's Media section also lets you sign up for an emailed roster covering the past 24 hours.

Bail is a right for most defendants under Oklahoma's constitution. A judge can refuse it after a hearing for some violent charges and for crimes that could bring a life term (Okla. Const. art. II § 8). Here's how release usually goes:

• A judge sets the amount, or sets conditions in place of money.
• Families pay the full amount as cash, or hire a licensed bondsman, who charges a fee for the bond.
• Bond paperwork has to be filled in completely, signed in front of a notary and marked with the case numbers.
• Repeat DUI arrests need a judge's own bail order before release (HB 1222).

To learn where and how to pay, phone the jail at 580-255-3131. Our bail page covers bond types, typical amounts, bondsmen and refunds.

Charges on the jail search are whatever the arresting officer wrote down, and they may shift. Afterward, the District Attorney decides which formal charges to file with the Court Clerk.

• Once a case number exists, search it free on OSCN or ODCR, set to Stephens.
• Or call the Court Clerk at 580-470-2000, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• The DA's office sits at 101 S. 11th Street, Room 303, Duncan, OK 73533, 580-255-8726.

Booking facts like the cause of arrest are public under 51 O.S. § 24A.8. Police reports may be held back while a case is open.

A person who can't afford counsel can get one at no upfront charge. The process:

1. From inside, ask a jailer for a pauper's affidavit, which is the paperwork for requesting free counsel. Free relatives can get it from the Court Clerk.
2. Fill in income, bills and family size truthfully.
3. At the first court date, a judge reviews the form and decides.
4. If approved, the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System takes the case. This county is served by its Lawton office, 1318 SW Lee Blvd, Lawton, OK 73501, 580-595-7990.

The Court Fund collects a $40 application fee, which the judge may put off. Paying for a private attorney instead is allowed anytime. Bring the case number to that first meeting.

All visits happen on video. You can sit at a kiosk inside the jail or log on from home, and each kind is booked a day (24 hours) ahead.

• On-site kiosks: free, two visitors per machine, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• From home: one 15-minute remote visit per person each week. Sessions are recorded. Sign up online with the jail's video vendor.
• Registering: a valid photo ID plus a plain headshot with no filters.
• Who qualifies: the person inside must be in good standing. Anyone who was held at this jail must wait six months after release before visiting.
• Dress and behavior: ordinary clothes that aren't revealing. Visitors who seem drunk or high are turned away and can be arrested.
• Leave in the car: cell phones, laptops and other Bluetooth gear, chargers, knives, guns and ammunition, tobacco, lighters and vapes.

Kids and teens can visit too, but a mom, dad or legal guardian has to come along, a rule set by OAC 310:670-5-9. Questions go to 580-255-3131, and our visitation page has more.

Money in the account buys snacks, hygiene items and phone time. Three ways in:

• Lobby kiosk at the Detention Center, 245 S. 10th St., Duncan, OK 73533. It takes cash or credit cards, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
• Money order payable to the person, handed over at the jail in person.
• Web deposits through a button on the Sheriff's commissary webpage.

An outside company runs the store. For general questions during office hours, phone 580-255-3131. Fees and steps for each option are on our money page.

Each cell block has a kiosk. From it, people held there buy phone minutes, video calls and text messages, and they order store items on it too. Jail standards (OAC 310:670-5-1) let a newcomer make a couple of collect or local calls once booking wraps up.

• Set up a prepaid account with the vendor so calls to your number go through.
• Everything except talks with a lawyer may be monitored, so skip any case details.
• If calls stop, ask staff whether the person lost kiosk privileges.

Vendor setup steps live on our phone page, and texting is on our messaging page. Jail staff answer at 580-255-3131.

Before you mail anything, call 580-255-3131. Ask two things. What address should letters use? What number goes next to the name?

• Under OAC 310:670-5-9 there's no ceiling on letters in either direction, though staff may search envelopes for hidden items.
• Letters from a judge's office or a defense attorney get opened only while the addressee looks on. Their own legal letters leave sealed.
• Print who it's from, with a return address, in the top corner.
• Skip stickers, glitter, perfume, tape and anything glued, since extras like these can get a letter sent back.

Our mail page covers books, photos and the rest.

At booking, staff list wallets, phones, keys, jewelry and clothing on an inventory. Before anyone walks out, the jail confirms their identity and the authority for release. Next, each item is handed back against that list, and the person signs for it (OAC 310:670-5-1).

• Lost a key item? Speak up before signing.
• Someone still locked up may sign a release so a family member can pick things up. Phone administration first to set a time.
• Bring a photo ID when picking anything up.

Administration hours run Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at 580-255-3131.

Under 74 O.S. § 192, the jail must treat illness or injury from the time of arrest through the whole stay. Oklahoma's jail standards (OAC 310:670-5-8) spell out the routine:

• Every new arrival goes through a health screening at intake.
• Each person is told how to request care.
• After a valid written request, a visit with licensed medical staff is scheduled inside 48 hours, faster for urgent needs.

Worried about diabetes, seizures, pregnancy, a mental health crisis or a missed prescription? Phone 580-255-3131 and ask that a note go to medical staff. Don't bring pills unless the jail tells you to.

Sheriff's deputies serve this county's warrants, and their dispatch answers at 580-255-3131. Start with the court indexes: type the name into OSCN and ODCR, or ask the Court Clerk, 101 S. 11th St., Duncan, OK 73533, 580-470-2000. Official wanted lists: escapees appear on DOC's Orange Alert page, federal fugitives on the 15 Most Wanted board kept by the U.S. Marshals, and state fugitives on the 10 Most Wanted page of Oklahoma's Attorney General. Anyone named on a warrant should call a lawyer first, then either arrange to surrender or ring the Court Clerk to ask about bond or rescheduling. City warrants, often from unpaid tickets, go through the city court, and Duncan Municipal Court picks up at 580-251-7740.

Most cases here go through the District Court at 101 S. 11th St., Duncan, OK 73533.

1. Phone the Court Clerk at 580-470-2000, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and have a case number or full name handy.
2. Or look on OSCN or ODCR. Find the hearing entries in the docket.
3. For a city charge, call Duncan Municipal Court at 580-251-7740 or Marlow's court clerk at 580-658-5401.

A person held in custody is brought to court by staff. One who is out on bond must show up alone, early, with ID. Our court page explains each stage.

Southwest Oklahoma's federal cases belong to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, 200 NW 4th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, 405-609-5000.

1. Detention hearing: soon after arrest, a magistrate judge decides release or custody under 18 U.S.C. 3142. Pretrial Services in Lawton prepares a report: 410 SW 5th, Room 101, Lawton, OK 73501, 580-353-0387.
2. Where they wait: federal defendants are kept by the Marshals, either in a county lockup or at the Federal Transfer Center, 7410 S. MacArthur Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK 73169, 405-682-4075. Ask the Marshals, 200 NW 4th Street, Room 2022, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, 405-231-4206.
3. After sentencing: custody shifts to the Bureau of Prisons, and its inmate locator accepts either a name or a register number.

1. Detainer: the paperwork is Form I-247A, by which ICE requests that the jail keep custody for agents.
2. Hold: the jail can keep them up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Pickup: ICE officers come for the person. Their Dallas Field Office oversees Oklahoma: 8101 N. Stemmons Frwy, Dallas, TX 75247, 972-367-2200.
4. Where they go: often Cimarron Correctional Facility, 3200 S. Kings Hwy., Cushing, OK 74023, 918-225-3336.
5. Finding them: the ICE Online Detainee Locator searches by the person's A-number. Lacking that, try their name along with the nation of birth.

On state law: HB 4156 (21 O.S. § 1795) made being in Oklahoma without legal authority a state crime. Courts have paused it, so nobody is charged under it while Oklahoma fights the ruling on appeal.

After a prison sentence, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections takes the person, often 6 to 9 months later. First stop is a reception center for testing and classification. From there, DOC assigns a prison that fits their security level and needs.

• Search the DOC Offender Lookup by name or DOC number.
• Our Oklahoma state prisons page lists each prison's address and visiting days.
• DOC headquarters is at 4345 N. Lincoln Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK 73105, 405-425-2500.

Letters sent to a DOC prison need the person's name and ODOC number.

Youth under 18 normally go to a juvenile center, away from grown-up prisoners. A brief stop at the adult facility for booking or transport is allowed if they're kept out of view and earshot of adults, says OAC 310:670-5-5.

• The Comanche County Regional Juvenile Detention Center, 701 SW 17th Street, Lawton, OK 73501, 580-357-2250, is a center in this region.
• The Office of Juvenile Affairs can confirm where a youth is held: 2501 N. Lincoln Blvd, Suite 500, Oklahoma City, OK 73105, 405-530-2800.
• Marie Detty Youth and Family Service Center works with OJA locally: P.O. Box 408, Lawton, OK 73502, 580-250-1123.

Parents should bring the child's birth certificate and their own ID to any hearing.

• Sheriff's Office (patrol and the county jail): 245 S. 10th St., Duncan, OK 73533, 580-255-3131.
• Duncan Police Department: 100 S 7th Street, Duncan, OK 73533, 580-255-2112.
• Marlow Police Department: 580-658-2121. City Hall is at 119 S. 2nd Street, Marlow, OK 73055.
• Velma Police Department: works out of Velma City Hall on Main Street. Dispatch at the Sheriff's number above can connect you.
• Comanche, Bray, Central High, Empire City and Loco: call the Sheriff's line above for arrests in these towns.
• Chickasaw Lighthorse Police, Newcastle precinct (covers this county for the Chickasaw Nation): 400 N.W. 32nd St., Newcastle, OK 73089, 580-436-1166.

Small places without a town government, Crawford among them, rely on sheriff's deputies. Rush Springs, though close by, belongs to Grady County. A highway arrest may come from a state trooper, and dispatch knows which agency handled each booking.