Try this sequence:

1. Go to the official inmate lookup and enter the surname. If you know the court case number, that narrows it down.
2. If a match appears, compare the first name and birth year, and jot down any facility it lists.
3. No luck? Phone the Sheriff's Department in Redfield at 605-472-4595. Staff there know which host jail took each person.
4. Call that jail to confirm the person is still there. Ask for their booking number, since it helps with mail and deposits.

Spell names exactly as they appear on a driver's license. Try a maiden name or nickname if the first search comes up empty.

There are several common reasons:

• Still on the road. The drive from the county to Faulkton, Huron or Aberdeen takes time, and booking comes after arrival.
• Already out. A quick bond or a promise to appear may have ended the stay within hours.
• A different spelling. Retry under a former or maiden surname, with and without the middle name, and with each piece of a two-part surname.
• Under 18. The state lookup leaves out juvenile cases.

Whatever the reason, the Sheriff's Department at 605-472-4595 can tell you where the person went.

The county has used three neighbor jails. Each is run by that county's own Sheriff:

• Faulk County Jail, 924 Lafoon Avenue, Faulkton, SD 57438, 605-598-6229. A small county jail that the Faulk Sheriff's Office answers for at all hours.
• Beadle County Correction Center, 455 4th Street SW, Suite 100, Huron, SD 57350, 605-353-8424. A 62-bed regional jail for adults, with a work and school release program. The same building has a separate youth detention unit.
• Brown County Jail, 22 Court Street, Suite 1, Aberdeen, SD 57401, 605-626-7101. A county jail with its own work release program. The county's youth detention center shares the address.

The county's own Sheriff makes the arrest and the Redfield court keeps the case, wherever the person sleeps. To learn which of the three it is, call the Sheriff's Department at 605-472-4595.

They are not on the state's online lookup. The jail that did the booking snapped the photo, so the host jail holds it. Ask that jail, or the Sheriff's Department at 605-472-4595, if you can get a copy and what the request involves.

Photos held by other agencies follow their own rules. For ICE records, file through the agency's FOIA request page. Most federal mugshots stay sealed. Fugitive alerts are the main exception, and the U.S. Marshals Service posts those itself.

Yes. Sign up with SAVIN, the state's free custody alert service. The Attorney General's office oversees it, and alerts go out at any hour.

1. Search the person by name.
2. Pick a phone, text or email alert.
3. A notice arrives once their custody changes, for example a transfer or release.

SAVIN's phone line, 844-299-4608, takes calls Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central. SAVIN skips juvenile matters, so a victim of a youth's offense should phone the State's Attorney.

A person here has a right to release in almost every case (S.D. Const. art. VI, § 8). Judges begin from release on a signed promise, and they reach for cash or extra rules only when that falls short (SDCL 23A-43-2, 23A-43-3). For many smaller charges, a clerk can set bond from the statewide list.

• A domestic abuse case always goes to a judge first (SDCL 25-10-40).
• In this circuit, the Clerk of Courts in Redfield keeps bond money until a release is signed. Phone 605-472-4535.
• Courts can take fines and costs out of cash bond before giving any back.

Our full bail guide has amounts, payment steps and bondsman rules.

Here are four ways to see the charge:

• Ask the host jail or the Sheriff's Department at 605-472-4595.
• Search the free Find a Court Date site by name. It shows upcoming hearings and case numbers.
• Read the docket on eCourts, or pay $20 for a PARS record search.
• Call the Clerk of Courts at the courthouse, 210 East 7th Avenue, Redfield, SD 57469, 605-472-4535.

In South Dakota, misdemeanors are Class 1 or Class 2, and felonies run from Class 6, the lowest, up to Class A (SDCL 22-6-1, 22-6-2). The charge class tells you the most time the person could face.

The judge raises it at the first court hearing. That's the moment to say money is too tight to hire one (SDCL 23A-40-6). With no public defender's office here, the judge names a local private lawyer whose fee is covered by county funds (SDCL 23A-40-8).

A judge can later make them pay some of it back (SDCL 23A-40-10). Relatives are always free to retain their own attorney instead.

If you don't know who the appointed lawyer is, call the Clerk of Courts at 605-472-4535. The prosecutor in these cases is the State's Attorney, 210 East 7th Avenue, Suite 9, Redfield, SD 57469, 605-472-4593.

Each host jail sets its own visiting plan. Arrest location doesn't matter.

• Beadle County Correction Center, 455 4th Street SW, Suite 100, Huron, SD 57350, 605-353-8424. Most inmates have visits Friday and Sunday, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Women and work release inmates visit Tuesday, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Visits last about 20 minutes. Register with the jailer first and bring a valid ID.
• Brown County Jail, 22 Court Street, Suite 1, Aberdeen, SD 57401, 605-626-7101. Video visits from home by computer, phone or tablet, booked through the jail's video provider.
• Faulk County Jail, 924 Lafoon Avenue, Faulkton, SD 57438, 605-598-6229. Call for visit days and rules.

Leave phones, lighters and food in the car. For general tips, read our visiting guide.

Money goes to whichever host jail has the person, and the three differ:

• Brown County Jail deposits go through a third-party company. Call 605-626-7101 for the current way to add money.
• The Beadle County Correction Center sells phone cards through its Sheriff's Office. Call 605-353-8424 about account deposits.
• For the Faulk County Jail, call 605-598-6229.

Always use the person's full name and booking number. Never send cash through the mail. Our money guide and commissary guide explain deposits and jail store orders.

Yes. At the Beadle County Correction Center in Huron, calls can be made from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. each day. They are collect calls, so you can accept or decline. To block calls, or to buy a $10 calling card good for 20 minutes, contact the Beadle Sheriff's Office at 605-353-8424.

For the Brown or Faulk jails, ask the jail about phone accounts:

• Brown County Jail: 605-626-7101
• Faulk County Jail: 605-598-6229

Assume every call is recorded, and don't discuss the case. Our jail phone guide covers prepaid accounts.

Letters belong at the host jail.

• Brown County Jail: Start with the inmate's full name. Under that, write Brown County Jail, 22 Court Street, Suite 1, Aberdeen, SD 57401. Letters, newspapers and approved magazines must come by U.S. mail. Packages are taken from Amazon and the Postal Service. Mail dropped off in person won't be accepted.
• Beadle County Correction Center: Call 605-353-8424 for the mailing rules.
• Faulk County Jail: Call 605-598-6229 for the address to use.

Mailing anything not allowed can lead to charges. See our jail mail guide for common banned items.

When someone is booked, the jail lists and stores what they had with them. Those items come back at release, at the host jail. Plan the ride home, since that could be in Faulkton, Huron or Aberdeen.

The Brown County Jail takes one drop-off of basics per person. The limit is underwear (5), short ankle socks (5 pairs) and bras with no wire (3). Other clothing and store items can't be brought in, and packages need the jail administrator's okay. Call 605-626-7101 before you drive up.

For the other two jails, ask about property pickup and drop-off:

• Beadle County Correction Center: 605-353-8424
• Faulk County Jail: 605-598-6229

Medical care is handled by the jail holding the person. At the Brown County Jail, a registered nurse gives care and hands out medicine. Spink County also pays medical bills for its prisoners, including hospital, dental and pharmacy costs. The person may later be billed for jail costs, so keep any notices.

Concerned about an illness or injury? Phone the jail without delay and ask to speak with a supervisor. Share names of prescribed medicines and the doctor who ordered them. For an urgent concern you can't sort out, call the Sheriff's Department at 605-472-4595.

Special rules apply. A deputy can't release the person without telling a judge, and the judge sets the terms (SDCL 25-10-40).

Until the person has seen a judge, the accused must stay fully away from the reported victim and every member of that household. That includes messages sent through you. A planned contact like that is a Class 1 misdemeanor (SDCL 25-10-43).

If the person asks you to pass on a note, please refuse. It can lead to a new charge for them. The Clerk of Courts can read you the release terms at 605-472-4535.

The Sheriff's Department serves warrants in Redfield and across the county. A deputy can check by phone at 605-472-4595, day or night. Online, you can look at:

• DOC Most Wanted, for escapes and walkaways
• South Dakota Sex Offender Registry
• Open cases with warrants are flagged on UJS ePayments

Resolving one starts with a lawyer. Walk in beside your attorney and surrender at the Sheriff's Department, 210 East 7th Avenue, Redfield, SD 57469. Your attorney may instead seek a fresh court date. Clerk of Courts: 605-472-4535.

Find a Court Date shows hearings for free when you type a name or case number. To get reminders, sign up with SD Court Notifications.

Hearings take place at the courthouse, 210 East 7th Avenue, Redfield, SD 57469, on the third floor. The Clerk of Courts answers at 605-472-4535 on weekdays, 8:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. A person held in a host jail may join a hearing by video.

Our county court guide walks through each hearing step by step.

A federal case is filed in Aberdeen, at the U.S. District Court, 102 Fourth Avenue SE, Aberdeen, SD 57401. The judge rules on pretrial release the first time the person appears (18 U.S.C. 3142).

• Federal prisoners awaiting trial are often housed by the U.S. Marshals Service in county jails. Ask the Aberdeen office, 102 Southeast 4th Avenue, Suite 409, Aberdeen, SD 57401, 605-226-1794.
• Once sentenced, they can be found with the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

Federal probation and pretrial officers in Aberdeen can be reached at 605-377-2625.

The process often starts in the jail:

1. An immigration officer lodges a detainer, Form I-247A.
2. The request lets the jail keep the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Custody then passes to ICE, whose St. Paul Field Office handles this state: 1 Federal Drive, Suite 1601, Fort Snelling, MN 55111, 612-843-8600. Within South Dakota, ICE has used the Pennington County Jail, 307 Saint Joseph Street, Rapid City, SD 57701, 605-394-6116.
4. Search by name plus birth country in the ICE Online Detainee Locator.

One state law matters too. SB 7 (SL 2025, ch 100) voids any city or county rule that would silence workers when federal agents ask about status.

Use the SD DOC offender locator. You can search by name or by DOC number.

Our South Dakota prisons directory has addresses and visiting details for each one. Prison system headquarters is at 3200 East Highway 34, Pierre, SD 57501, 605-773-3478.

Shorter sentences for Class 5 and Class 6 felonies may be served in a county jail instead (SDCL 22-6-1.1).

Most are released to a parent. When a child must be held, an intake officer decides and must pick the least strict choice (SDCL 26-8C-3). Cases for kids aged 10 and up are heard by circuit court, sitting as juvenile court (SDCL 26-8C-2).

Two juvenile detention centers are nearby:

• Brown County Juvenile Detention Center, 22 Court Street, Suite 1, Aberdeen, SD 57401, 605-626-7102
• Beadle County Juvenile Detention Center, 455 4th Street SW, Suite 100, Huron, SD 57350, 605-353-8424

The Sheriff's Department at 605-472-4595 can tell you where your child is.

One office makes most arrests here, because the Sheriff's Department covers the county seat and the whole county:

• Spink County Sheriff's Department, Law Enforcement Center, 210 East 7th Avenue, Redfield, SD 57469, 605-472-4595. Deputies patrol Redfield, every other town and all rural areas, 24 hours a day. The 911 center is here too. After dialing 911, there may be up to a 12-second pause before it rings, so stay on the line.
• Redfield City Hall, 626 Main Street, Redfield, SD 57469, 605-472-4550. The city has no police force and relies on the Sheriff's deputies.
• South Dakota Highway Patrol, District One, PO Box 1797, Aberdeen, SD 57402-1797, 605-626-2286. This district takes in the Aberdeen, Huron, Pierre and Watertown areas.

No reservation land or college campus police force lies in the county. Federal agencies can also make arrests here, and those cases go to Aberdeen.