Here is a quick route:

1. Open the inmate search using a phone, tablet or laptop.
2. Enter only the surname at first. Too many hits? Put in a first name too.
3. Match each hit to details you know, such as a birthday.
4. If a booking or ID number appears, jot it down. Quoting it to a deputy speeds up the lookup.
5. Reload every few hours, because fresh bookings and releases trail behind real time.

Prefer a person? The jail desk is at 615-597-4935, and the Sheriff's Office posts another line, 615-597-4043.

A blank result has many possible causes:

• Booking in progress. Fingerprinting, photos and a health check all take a while.
• A town station comes first. City officers sometimes hold a person for a short stretch before moving them to the jail.
• Cited and sent home. Some people sign a written pledge to return and leave the same day.
• Back home already. Bail, a signature bond or a judge's order can end a stay quickly.
• Sent elsewhere. Another county's jail or a state agency could have taken custody.
• Spelling quirks. Another spelling may work: a middle name, a married name or a hyphen.

Ring 615-597-4935 and ask a deputy to look the person up by full name and birth date.

We know of one adult jail in the county. It answers to the Sheriff, and it houses men and women alike.

• DeKalb County Jail, 100 Public Square, Smithville, TN 37166, 615-597-4935

Our research found nothing about a work release site, annex or town holding cell. If you suspect one, raise it with the desk above.

A person picked up in a bordering county, such as Cannon, Putnam, Warren, White or Smith, would be booked into that county's jail. A federal, parole or immigration hold might also pull someone away from Smithville. If you cannot tell, the Sheriff's Office knows where your person is housed.

Our research could not verify that. To get a booking photo, dial the Sheriff's Office at 615-597-4935 and see whether staff will hand one over.

Tennessee's records statute, section 10-7-503, covers photographs kept by government agencies. Plenty of sheriffs in the state post mugshots with their rosters. The statute never mentions booking photos, so each office makes its own call on a request.

• If ICE took the picture, send a request to the agency's records unit.
• Mugshots taken by federal agencies are kept from the public. The U.S. Marshals Service may break that rule when it is hunting a fugitive.

Yes, and it costs nothing. Tennessee VINE can send a call, text or email. Sign up at VINELink by picking Tennessee, or dial 888-868-4631, where trained staff answer at all hours.

VINE can show custody status and location. How fully it tracks a county jail may differ, so double-check any release or move with the jail at 615-597-4935. One alert should never be your only source.

The amount comes from a judge or a magistrate. State law asks for bail as low as the court finds safe, after the court weighs where the person lives, their job, relatives nearby and any prior cases (section 40-11-118 of the state code).

• Cash. Pay the full sum at the Circuit Court Clerk, 1 Public Square, Room 201, Smithville, TN 37166, 615-597-5711, Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Ask which cards or apps work and what extra fee applies.
• Bondsman. Most charge a fee near one dollar for every ten of the bond. The state Department of Commerce and Insurance has licensed bondsmen since January 1, 2026, and local courts still approve who may write bonds.
• Waiting periods. Stalking and domestic abuse arrests may bring a 12 hour hold before release. A few severe cases may run 24 hours. Ask the jail.

Want more? The bail guide digs into costs and paperwork, and the Tennessee statute summary adds legal background.

The jail desk can tell you, at 615-597-4935. Keep the legal name and a birthday handy.

• The Circuit Court Clerk keeps General Sessions and Criminal Court files at 1 Public Square, Room 201, Smithville, TN 37166. The number is 615-597-5711.
• The District Attorney General for the 13th Judicial District chooses which charges move ahead. That office is at 1289 South Walnut Avenue, Cookeville, TN 38501, 931-528-5015.

No single statewide search covers trial court cases in Tennessee, so the clerk is your best source.

At the first court date, the person should say plainly that a lawyer is needed and cannot be paid for. The judge then looks at finances and rules on it, so bring pay stubs if you can.

The District Public Defender's office for the 13th Judicial District covers this county. Find it at 230 North Washington Avenue, Cookeville, TN 38501, 931-526-9141.

Hiring a private attorney is another path. Do not discuss the case on jail phones, since calls may be recorded.

We could not confirm visiting days, hours or dress rules. Phone 615-597-4935 before you drive over, and run through this list with staff:

• Which weekdays and times are set aside for guests?
• Does a visit need to be booked first?
• What identification do visitors carry, and is there an age cutoff?
• Does the jail offer video visits?
• Which clothes and items are allowed?

The visiting guide offers broad pointers, yet the jail's own answer wins.

A balance on the account covers snacks, soap and call time. Ask at 615-597-4935 how deposits work, which fees apply and what caps are in place. Never mail cash.

A deposit is not bail. For common deposit methods, see the money guide. To learn which items an account covers, see the commissary page.

The jail picks the phone company and writes the rules. Ask staff at 615-597-4935 how your loved one can reach you, how to fund calls, and whether texts or video are offered.

Plan on every call being recorded, except talks with an attorney. Extra tips live in the phone calls explainer and the explainer on email and texting.

Phone 615-597-4935 for the exact mailing address and name format. Check whether pictures, cards or reading material may be sent.

Print the inmate's complete legal name, and place your own return address at the upper left. Stick to plain paper, with no cash tucked inside. The mail guide lists typical limits.

Whatever the person wore or carried when booked stays in storage until release. Before you drop off or pick up anything, call 615-597-4935. Ask about hours, whether the inmate signs a form and whether photo ID is needed. The jail sits at 100 Public Square, Smithville, TN 37166.

Reach the jail at 615-597-4935 and ask for medical staff. Say which pills, how much, and who prescribes them. Also urge the inmate to file a written care request.

When a life is in danger, use 911. For a possible mental health crisis, state that at the start of your call.

Sheriff's deputies, reachable at 615-597-4935, and town police serve warrants. Ask whether one is on file and which agency holds it. The tip line is 615-464-6400. The county pages list no wanted page, so a call is the route.

For a case check, ring the Circuit Court Clerk at 615-597-5711. To clear one, get a lawyer's advice, and afterward contact the judge's court that signed it. The clerk is at 1 Public Square, Room 201, Smithville, TN 37166.

One office keeps General Sessions, Circuit, Criminal and Juvenile Court records: the Circuit Court Clerk, 1 Public Square, Room 201, Smithville, TN 37166. The line is 615-597-5711.

• General Sessions Court hears first appearances, misdemeanor trials and preliminary hearings. The judge's office answers at 615-597-1400.
• After a grand jury returns an indictment, felony trials go to Criminal or Circuit Court.

Offer the clerk a legal name and birthday. A walk through each stage is on the court guide.

A federal case arising in DeKalb is heard by the Middle District of Tennessee's Cookeville Division. Nashville's Fred D. Thompson U.S. Courthouse, 719 Church Street, Nashville, TN 37203, houses the clerk, 615-736-5498.

1. At the opening hearing, a judge picks jail or release (18 U.S.C. 3142).
2. The U.S. Marshals Service holds pretrial federal prisoners. Contact its Nashville branch, 719 Church Street, Suite 2500, Nashville, TN 37203, 615-750-1434.
3. The Federal Public Defender, 164 Rosa L Parks Boulevard, Nashville, TN 37203, 615-736-5047, assists people who cannot pay.
4. After a sentence, try the federal prison locator.

A hold request comes from ICE as a detainer, filed on Form I-247A. Per 8 CFR 287.7(d), the jail can hold the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released.

• Search the ICE Online Detainee Locator with a name and birth country.
• ICE's New Orleans Field Office covers Tennessee, and the locator explains how to reach it.
• The state lists this county among those taking part in the federal 287(g) program (state immigration page).

Ask the jail desk at 615-597-4935 whether a detainer is on file.

A person with a state sentence may wait in the county jail for a time before transfer, so ask the jail. After the move, the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) is in charge. It is at 320 Sixth Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37243, 615-741-1000.

• The state offender lookup takes a name. Results can include a photo, status, location, offense and sentence.
• Our Tennessee state prisons guide covers visits and mail.

Young people are handled in Juvenile Court, a separate system. The same clerk who handles adult cases acts as Clerk of Juvenile Court, at 1 Public Square, Room 201, Smithville, TN 37166, 615-597-5711.

Find out where the child is kept and what day the detention hearing falls on. A parent should plan to attend. Adult searches leave children out, so ring the clerk or the Sheriff's Office.

Roughly 21,454 residents live here per the Census Bureau, and several agencies patrol:

• DeKalb County Sheriff's Office, 100 Public Square, Smithville, TN 37166, 615-597-4935. Deputies cover land outside town limits. A second line is 615-597-4043.
• Town police serve Smithville, Alexandria and Liberty. Ask the Sheriff's Office for current numbers.
• Tennessee Highway Patrol patrols state roads. Find the district for this county on the THP contacts page.

The courthouse main line is 615-597-5175, at 1 Public Square, Smithville, TN 37166.