The Sheriff's Office keeps one public list for the whole jail. Use it like this:

1. Open the bookings and releases page.
2. Read the scam warning at the top. The Sheriff's Office never takes money by phone, and bonds are paid in person.
3. Scan for the surname, and use the first name and booking date to pick the right person.
4. No hit? Retry with another spelling, a maiden name, or the name printed on their license.
5. Call Booking at 843-915-6911 to confirm a match and get the inmate account number. Deposits and mail both need that number.

Rosters of people held in a South Carolina jail are public records (S.C. Code 30-4-30(D)(3)). For general questions, the jail's main desk answers at 843-915-5140, weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Give it some time, then work through these reasons one by one:

• Still in booking. Intake takes a while after the police car arrives. Call Booking at 843-915-6911.
• Held by a city. Myrtle Beach police take questions about their detention facility at 843-918-1382; the department is at 1101 North Oak Street, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577. North Myrtle Beach Public Safety is at 1015 Second Avenue S, North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582, 843-280-5511.
• Already out. Once bond is delivered, release comes within four hours, so the person may be on the way home.
• Arrested in another county. Check the neighbor jails listed in the answer about other facilities, or call the sheriff where the arrest happened.
• Under 18. Most youth go to the state's juvenile detention center in Columbia instead of the county jail.
• A federal case. The U.S. Marshals office in Florence, 843-662-0750, knows which jail has a federal prisoner.

The statewide VINELink South Carolina search is another place to look.

The main jail for adults is the J. Reuben Long Detention Center, 4150 J. Reuben Long Avenue, Conway, SC 29526, 843-915-5140. The Sheriff's Office has run it since 1999. It is built to hold 1,059 people in 21 housing units spread over four buildings, plus 56 segregation cells. Parts of the jail named in its 2026 federal safety audit:

• Intake and property processing, where every new arrest starts.
• General housing for men across the four buildings.
• The annex housing area for women in general population.
• Unit A3, for boys under 18 charged as adults. People who are 17 live with adults.
• The Next Steps dorm, a treatment program for people waiting for trial.
• Segregation cells for discipline and safety holds.

People on the Sheriff's Home Detention program wear GPS or alcohol monitors at home but still count as in custody. That office is at 4155 J. Reuben Long Avenue, Conway, SC 29526, 843-915-6903.

Two beach cities keep small jails for short stays. A person their officers arrest may sit in one of these before any move, so call the city department to ask:

• Myrtle Beach Police Department Detention Section, Ted C. Collins Law Enforcement Center, 1101 North Oak Street, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577, 843-918-1382. City police run it as a 48-hour lockup for adults and juveniles. Its staff book people in, guard the city courtroom and drive inmates to other jails.
• North Myrtle Beach Communications and Detention Division, 1015 2nd Avenue South, North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582, 843-280-5511. The city police run it for short holds after city arrests. It has single and double cells, drunk tanks, two visiting rooms and a room for bond hearings. People held here appear on the Sheriff's bookings and releases list as well.

An arrest just over the county line means a neighbor jail:

• Georgetown County Detention Center, 2394 Browns Ferry Road, Georgetown, SC 29440, 843-545-3400
• Marion County Detention Center, 2715 E. Highway 76, Suite D, Mullins, SC 29574, 843-423-8216
• Dillon County Detention Center, 1027 Old Latta Highway, Dillon, SC 29536, 843-841-3730

An arrest across the North Carolina line goes to that county's own jail, so call the sheriff there.

Booking photos are part of the jail record. For a copy, phone the Sheriff's Office at 843-915-5450; ask for Records. A public records request must be answered within ten business days (S.C. Code 30-4-30(C)).

A few rules protect people in those photos:

• When charges are dismissed and expunged, the booking records and photos are destroyed (S.C. Code 17-1-40).
• Websites that post booking photos have to remove one for free. The person sends a certified letter proving the case closed without a conviction (dropped, wiped from the record or a not guilty finding), and the site then has 30 days (S.C. Code 17-1-60, from 2016 Act No. 132).
• For a photo taken by ICE, use the ICE records page to submit a request.
• Photos from a federal arrest are seldom released, though the U.S. Marshals may publish one when hunting for a fugitive.

Yes. Two free systems send alerts.

• SC VINE. A lookup on VINELink South Carolina tells you whether someone is still held and names the facility. Registering adds automatic phone, text or email notices whenever that changes. The phone line is 866-727-2846, in English and Spanish.
• SAVIN. The jail's own victim notice system ties into the J. Reuben Long booking records and warns registered victims when an offender is released. Victims get a PIN from a Victim Advocate at Victim Services, 843-915-6915, open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. every day.

Alerts help, but they can lag. Before a long drive to pick someone up, phone the jail at 843-915-5140.

A magistrate holds a bond hearing within 24 hours of arrest (S.C. Code 22-5-510). At the jail, these hearings usually run at 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. The Magistrate's Office at the Detention Center answers at 843-915-5145.

• The Magistrate's Office window takes exact cash, a credit card or a money order. It won't take a personal check.
• Window hours run 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on weekdays and 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekends and holidays.
• Some minor "pay" offenses can be bonded out by paying the fine amount, under the jail's Cash and Dash option. The person must still go to court.
• Three of the gravest charges, including murder, are bonded only by a circuit judge.
• A judge can add GPS or alcohol monitoring through Home Detention.

Release must follow within four hours of the bond being posted. For bondsman fees, refunds and holds, turn to our bail and bond page.

The booking list gives a first look; phone Booking at 843-915-6911 to hear the charges read out. Police incident reports showing what crime is claimed and where it happened are public records (S.C. Code 30-4-50(A)(8)). Request a copy from whichever department arrested the person.

Court files carry the official wording. Search the county Public Index by name. For a felony headed to General Sessions, the Fifteenth Circuit Solicitor's Office at 1301 Second Avenue, Conway, SC 29526, 843-915-5460, can say what is being prosecuted.

The magistrate also reads the charges at the bond hearing, so a family member who attends will hear them.

People who can't pay for a lawyer can apply to the Fifteenth Circuit Public Defender's Office, 1300 Second Avenue, Suite 301, Conway, SC 29526, 843-915-5385. The steps:

1. Complete the office's application form, which asks about income under oath.
2. Pay the $40 application fee at the Clerk of Court. A person who truly cannot pay may have it lowered or waived (S.C. Code 17-3-30).
3. Watch for a letter with the lawyer's name, usually about three weeks later.
4. Expect someone from the office at the first court appearance.

A family hiring a private lawyer should know that lawyers book jail visits through the movement center at 843-915-5140.

Every visit at J. Reuben Long happens by video and must be booked ahead. Families pick one of two ways:

• On-site video visits at the jail are free.
• Remote visits from a phone, tablet or computer cost $0.30 per minute and must be scheduled at least 24 hours ahead.

Visits run Monday through Saturday from 8:20 to 10:50 a.m. and 1:00 to 4:10 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday add evening times from 6:15 to 8:15 p.m. Each person in jail gets up to four visits a week, both kinds combined.

To start, make an account with the jail's communications provider, ask to be approved, then book a time. Shirts are required, and see-through, tank, tube or halter tops, short shorts and mini-skirts are not allowed. Visits are recorded. Taking screenshots, recording or posting a visit online brings suspensions of 30, 60 or 90 days and then a permanent ban.

For help, call the visitation line at 843-915-6860 or read our visiting guide.

The jail takes deposits four ways. Each needs the person's full name and inmate account number.

• Online through the jail's commissary supplier, linked on the Detention Center deposit page. Service fees may apply.
• Lobby kiosk in the Detention Center's main lobby, with a $3.00 fee.
• By mail: U.S. Postal Service money orders and IRS checks are the only items accepted, sent to the person's name, c/o Cashier's Office, 4150 J. Reuben Long Ave., Conway, SC 29526. Cash sent by mail is refused.
• Wire transfer, using the payee name and city code the deposit page lists, plus the account number and last name.

Commissary is the jail store. People in general population may order twice a week for hygiene items, clothing, writing supplies and snacks. Maximum-security housing can order only hygiene and writing items. Orders go in Monday and Thursday mornings and arrive Tuesday and Friday mornings.

See our deposit guide and commissary page for more.

People in general population can use the phones every day. They call out collect or with a debit account, and every call is recorded. Families can't call in to a person in jail.

Since November 12, 2025, phones, messages and video visits at J. Reuben Long run through one communications company. Families set up an account on its site. Messages cost $0.25 each, and pictures or documents cost $0.35 each, with no limit on how many.

Account setup is covered in our phone guide and messaging guide.

Everyday letters are mailed to a Texas post office box, where they are scanned. Address them like this:

Inmate's full name and account number
J Reuben Long Detention Center, Horry County SC
PO Box 591, Longview, TX 75606

• Each envelope needs your name and return address.
• Write on one side only, on sheets 8.5 by 11 inches or smaller.
• Send five pages at most and one photo at most. A second photo means the entire letter is returned.
• Letters are scanned and read on a kiosk in the housing unit. The paper copies are destroyed, not returned.

Legal and medical mail skips the Texas box. Send it to the jail itself at 4150 J. Reuben Long Ave., Conway, SC 29526. Books, magazines and newspapers go to that same address with the full name and account number. Up to three can come per shipment, one a week, new and paperback only, mailed straight from a publisher or a national distributor. Anything like that sent to the Texas box comes back.

Our mail guide has more tips.

Call the jail at 843-915-5140 before pickup to ask about stored belongings and any money left on the account. Sentence time is updated each day after 2:00 p.m., so ask then about a release date for someone serving time.

Rides are the person's own job. The Coast RTA bus has a stop at the Detention Center. A trip to the downtown bus station costs $3.00, and going on to Myrtle Beach adds $1.50. Someone leaving with no money can ask the jail's office staff for a free pass for the second leg.

Inmates ask for medical, dental or mental health care through the kiosk in their unit. A co-pay is charged for care and medicine they request. The jail limits narcotics, so a prescription painkiller may be swapped for a non-narcotic or generic drug.

• Medical questions: 843-915-6899. Privacy law limits what staff can share without the person's OK.
• Chaplain's office, which also handles death notices to inmates: 843-915-6908.
• To report sexual abuse or harassment inside the jail: 843-248-1520.

In an emergency involving the person's safety, call the jail's main number, 843-915-5140, and say it is urgent. The county pays for basic needs in jail, including access to medical care (S.C. Code 24-5-80).

Sheriff's deputies and town police serve warrants here. The Sheriff's Warrant Division takes warrant questions at 843-915-8347, and its warrant page lists an anonymous tip line. A court case tied to a warrant often appears on the Public Index. State and federal wanted lists: PPP Most Wanted Offenders (tips 888-761-6175) plus the Marshals' top 15 fugitive list. When someone wants a warrant cleared, a defense lawyer can arrange for the person to turn themselves in, and relatives may call the judge's office that signed it and request a new court date. General Sessions questions go to the Clerk of Court, 1301 Second Avenue, Conway, SC 29526, 843-915-5080.

The bond paperwork from the first hearing lists the next date. Keep it, because missing that date can bring a bench warrant. Other places to check:

• Public Index for open cases by name.
• Court Rosters and Dockets for magistrate hearings.
• General Sessions trial rosters, posted each month.
• The General Sessions clerk at 843-915-5084.
• The public defender assigned to the case.

Our court guide lists every courthouse and town court in the county.

Local federal cases are heard at the McMillan Federal Building, 401 West Evans Street, Florence, SC 29501, 843-676-3820. Until trial, the Marshals Service decides where a federal prisoner sleeps, and that can be any jail willing to take them. Ask the Marshals office at 401 West Evans Street, Suite 341, Florence, SC 29501, 843-662-0750.

Release or detention gets settled at the opening federal hearing (18 U.S.C. 3142). After sentencing, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator:

1. Pick a search by number or by name.
2. Enter the BOP register number if you have it, or the first and last name.
3. Read the facility name and release date in the results.

The locator covers federal prisoners from 1982 on.

An immigration detainer can keep someone at the jail after the state case would let them go. Here is the order:

1. The process starts with a detainer, Form I-247A, that ICE gives the jail.
2. The request covers up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. ICE picks the person up and decides where to hold them.
4. Find them on the ICE Online Detainee Locator. Having the A-number is quickest. Searching by name is possible, but it asks for a birth country too.

State law requires the jail to check, within 72 hours, whether anyone booked on a criminal charge is unlawfully present, and to tell the Department of Homeland Security when they are (S.C. Code 23-3-1100). Bond judges must also weigh that status and any flight risk (S.C. Code 22-5-510(D)(4)). ICE's North Charleston office covers South Carolina: 3950 Faber Place Drive, North Charleston, SC 29405, 843-746-9800.

Anyone sentenced to three months or less stays at J. Reuben Long to serve it. Longer sentences, over three months, go to the South Carolina Department of Corrections (S.C. Code 24-3-20).

1. Wait a few days after sentencing for the transfer.
2. Search the SCDC incarcerated inmate search by name. It shows people in state prison as of the previous midnight.
3. After intake, the record lists the SCDC number, the prison and the housing unit.

Reception and evaluation comes first; no in-person visits happen during it unless it stretches past 30 days. Later, visits are on weekends in two-hour blocks booked online; questions go to 803-896-1838. SCDC is at 4444 Broad River Road, Columbia, SC 29210, 803-896-8500. For custody alerts, use the SC VINE line, 866-727-2846. Our South Carolina prisons page describes each prison.

Most people under 18 go through Family Court and the Department of Juvenile Justice. Six hours is the limit for holding a child in an adult jail, and children ten and under can't be jailed (S.C. Code 63-19-820).

• Detained youth go to the Juvenile Detention Complex, 1725 Shivers Road, Columbia, SC 29210, 803-896-9440 (visitation).
• Within 48 hours, excluding weekends and holidays, a Family Court judge decides if detention continues (S.C. Code 63-19-830).
• The local DJJ office is at 1201 Third Ave., Suite 107, Conway, SC 29526, 843-915-8969.
• Family Court's clerk line is 843-915-5081.

At 17, a teen facing a serious felony goes through adult court (S.C. Code 63-19-20(1)) and may stay at J. Reuben Long. The jail keeps a separate unit for younger teens charged as adults.

The arresting agency is the first place to ask about a police report. The county's own departments:

• Horry County Police Department, the main patrol agency outside the towns, 2560 Main Street, Suite 7, Conway, SC 29526, 843-915-5350. Precincts: North, 109 Hwy 57, Little River, SC 29566, 843-915-5685; South, 9630 Scipio Lane, Suite G, Myrtle Beach, SC 29588, 843-915-7953; West, 5527 Hwy 9, Green Sea, SC 29545, 843-915-5351; Central, at headquarters, 843-915-8340.
• Sheriff's Office, which runs the jail, serves warrants and guards the courts, 1301 Second Avenue, Conway, SC 29526, 843-915-5450.
• County non-emergency line, also used for Loris dispatch: 843-248-1520.

Grand Strand towns:

• Myrtle Beach Police Department, 1101 North Oak Street, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577, 843-918-1382.
• North Myrtle Beach Department of Public Safety, 1015 Second Avenue S, North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582, 843-280-5511.
• Surfside Beach Police Department, 811 Pine Drive, Surfside Beach, SC 29575, 843-913-6368.
• Atlantic Beach Police Department, 843-663-2285. Town Hall is at 717 30th Ave. South, Atlantic Beach, SC 29582.
• Briarcliffe Acres: call the county police number above to learn which agency answers there.

Inland towns:

• Conway Police Department, 1600 Ninth Avenue, Conway, SC 29526, 843-248-1790.
• Loris Police Department, Public Safety Building, 3909 Walnut Street, Loris, SC 29569, 843-756-4000.
• Aynor Police Department: reach it through Aynor Town Hall, 843-358-6231.

Campus and state agencies:

• Coastal Carolina University Department of Public Safety, non-emergency 843-349-2177.
• Horry-Georgetown Technical College Campus and Public Safety, 2050 Highway 501 East, Conway, SC 29526, 843-349-7806; Grand Strand campus 843-477-2115.
• South Carolina Highway Patrol, Troop 5, 3415 East Palmetto Street, Florence, SC 29506, 843-661-4700. The local Highway Patrol line for crash reports is 843-365-5001.