Use a phone, tablet or laptop:

1. Open the jail search.
2. Put in a family name only. If the list runs long, narrow it by adding a first name.
3. Test odd spellings, nicknames and maiden names.
4. Copy down the charge or booking number. Staff ask for it on calls.

The web list can run behind real events inside. Inside the Justice Center, the Sheriff's lobby welcomes people on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., and shuts for federal holidays. Once it closes, push the assistance button outside the lobby door, or dial 931-879-8142.

Look over these possibilities:

• Paperwork under way. Booking takes several steps.
• Town police custody. An officer may still have them at the station.
• Back home. A court summons, a written vow to come back, or a paid bond can all lead to a quick exit.
• Different location. Another county's jail or a state site may have them.
• Typing slip. Suffixes, hyphens and married names confuse the search.
• Too young. Anyone under 18 is booked elsewhere.

Skip the guessing. Phone 931-879-8142 and let the desk check the booking log.

People arrested for adult crimes here are held by the Fentress County Jail, a Sheriff's Office operation at 140 Justice Center Drive, Suite 1, Jamestown, TN 38556. It has a JE page of its own. We came across no workhouse, annex or work release center for grown-ups, which means one lobby handles every booking. Phone 931-879-8142 and ask for Booking.

If officers from a nearby county made the arrest, that county's lockup may hold the person. Locate it on JE's Tennessee jail directory. Federal, immigration and state prison custody are explained near the end.

The Sheriff's pages we read do not say the search carries mugshots. State open-records law treats photographs held by government as public records. Booking photos are common on sheriff sites, though the law never spells them out. Phone the Sheriff's Office at 931-879-8142 and ask whether a booking photo can be given out.

• Photos in ICE's hands require ICE's online records form.
• Other federal mugshots are normally withheld. The Marshals Service is the lone exception and can share a photo when it is searching for someone.

VINE is a no-charge tool that contacts you by voice message, text message or email. Enroll through VINELink after selecting Tennessee, or phone the VINE line, 888-868-4631, whenever you like. Real operators pick up around the clock.

VINE can trail a local jail, so also confirm with the desk at 931-879-8142. Once a person goes on to state prison, the Department of Correction lookup near the end works better.

A magistrate or judge sets the terms, and jail staff only carry them out. The arrested person is brought before a judicial officer without needless delay. That officer may free them on a promise to return, add rules, or name a sum as the last resort.

• The full sum in cash goes to the Circuit Court Clerk, 140 Justice Center Drive, Suite 126, Jamestown, TN 38556, 931-879-7919. Ask which payment types the clerk takes.
• A state-licensed bondsman asks about a tenth of the bond up front. That payment is gone for good.
• Some domestic violence and stalking arrests bring a waiting period of 12 hours or more. Ask the desk whether it fits the arrest.

Fuller steps live on our bail guide, and statewide rules sit on JE's Tennessee bail laws page.

First, the jail desk at 931-879-8142 can state the charge. After that, the court clerk has the file. The Circuit Court Clerk keeps Criminal, General Sessions and Juvenile records along with Circuit ones. Go to 140 Justice Center Drive, Suite 126, Jamestown, TN 38556, or ring 931-879-7919, and bring the full name and birth date. No one website covers trial-court cases for the whole state, so the clerk is your way in.

The prosecutor for the 8th Judicial District is the District Attorney General. That office is at 225 W Central Ave., Jamestown, TN 38556, 931-400-8080.

When the judge first sees the case, say plainly, "I want an attorney but I can't pay." The judge then weighs income and decides. The 8th Judicial District Public Defender's office serves the area at 423-563-9701. This number comes from a 2017 list, so verify it with the court.

Hiring a private attorney is the alternative. Relatives may collect pay stubs and court papers, but only the accused can request appointed counsel from the bench.

The jail takes visitors Monday and Wednesday from 8:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with the door unlocking at 8:00. Slots go to whoever asks first. Reserve by phone at 931-879-8142 or in person at 140 Justice Center Drive, Suite 1, Jamestown, TN 38556.

• A person must serve 7 days before anyone can visit.
• Each visit lasts 30 minutes with at most 4 guests.
• Guests 17 or younger must come with a registered adult relative.
• Remote video visits use iWebVisit.com.

Policies change, so call ahead. Our visiting guide has more advice.

The Sheriff's Office names three routes:

• Lobby kiosk: Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with a valid photo ID.
• By phone: 866-345-1884.
• On the web: accesscorrections.com. Search for Fentress County there.

Know the inmate's full name before you start. Do not send cash by mail. What it buys is covered by our deposit explainer and the commissary page.

People inside can place outgoing calls only. Combined Public Communications provides the phones. Load a call balance at 877-998-5678 or on inmatesales.com. The call balance and the store balance are two different pots of money.

Assume someone may listen. Save talk about what happened for the attorney. The desk at 931-879-8142 can say whether texting or tablets are offered. Our jail calling explainer and electronic messages explainer go deeper.

Before you post anything, ring 931-879-8142. Get the exact mailing address and the limits on photos, cards and books. Choose plain paper. Write your own address in the corner and the inmate's whole legal name on the front.

Keep money out of envelopes. Basic tips are in our jail mail guide.

Belongings from booking remain in storage until release. Ask at 931-879-8142 how pickup is handled. To bring items in, the jail accepts new clothing or sealed goods in original packaging, within set amounts, if you show photo ID and sign. This is allowed once during a stay.

Take them to the lobby at 140 Justice Center Drive, Suite 1, Jamestown, TN 38556, Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Ring 931-879-8142 and request the jail nurse. Describe the health problem, then list drug names and doses, and say which doctor prescribed them. Have your loved one turn in a health request slip from the inside as well.

For anything life-threatening, 911 is the number. Tell the call-taker at once if you think they may be a danger to themselves.

Sheriff's Office deputies handle warrants beyond the town. Within it, Jamestown officers handle them. Contact the Sheriff at 931-879-8142 or the town police at 931-879-5871. Both give warrant details in person only, so plan to stop in rather than expect an answer by phone. A court record check goes through the Circuit Court Clerk at 931-879-7919. To clear one, see a lawyer first; the lawyer can reach the court that issued the warrant. Find the clerk at 140 Justice Center Drive, Suite 126, Jamestown, TN 38556.

Whichever court holds the case can give you the day and time:

• General Sessions, which also sits as juvenile court, works from the judge's office at PO Box 906, Jamestown, TN 38556, 931-879-6724. That bench takes the opening appearance, trials for lesser crimes and the early hearing in felony cases.
• Circuit Court Clerk, 140 Justice Center Drive, Suite 126, Jamestown, TN 38556, 931-879-7919. Felony trials start only after grand jurors vote to indict.
• Clerk and Master, 101 S. Main Street, Jamestown, TN 38556, 931-879-8615, for civil lawsuits.

Our court explainer describes each stage.

This area belongs to the Middle District of Tennessee, Cookeville division. Filings run through the Fred D. Thompson U.S. Courthouse, 719 Church Street, Nashville, TN 37203, clerk 615-736-5498.

1. A judge weighs jail versus release before trial at the detention hearing (18 U.S.C. 3142).
2. The U.S. Marshals house people who await trial. Find them at 719 Church Street, Suite 2500, Nashville, TN 37203, 615-750-1434.
3. The Federal Public Defender provides a free lawyer at 164 Rosa L Parks Boulevard, Nashville, TN 37203, 615-736-5047.
4. Once the sentence is handed down, try the federal prison locator.

The common sequence:

1. Form I-247A is the detainer paper ICE uses to request a hold (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
2. The jail may hold the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released.
3. The Department of Safety and Homeland Security lists this county among its 287(g) partners (source: Tennessee immigration enforcement page). Its division can be reached at 615-532-9736.
4. Look the person up in the ICE Online Detainee Locator. Tennessee falls to ICE's New Orleans Field Office.

A person given a state sentence might stay put in the local lockup for some days before the Tennessee Department of Correction collects them. Ring 931-879-8142 to learn whether that has happened. The department is at 320 Sixth Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37243, 615-741-1000.

• The state's offender search lists a photo, where the person is held, what status they have, the offense and how long the term runs.
• Visit and mail rules are on JE's state prison page for Tennessee.

Teens do not sleep in the adult jail. The General Sessions judge also acts as juvenile judge, so phone 931-879-6724 to ask where the young person sits and when the detention hearing falls. The mailing address is PO Box 906, Jamestown, TN 38556.

Juvenile files are private and skip the adult search. Ask that office which youth detention center takes local cases. The Circuit Court Clerk holds the paperwork at 140 Justice Center Drive, Suite 126, Jamestown, TN 38556, 931-879-7919.

Arrests here come from these agencies:

• Fentress County Sheriff's Office, 140 Justice Center Drive, Suite 1, Jamestown, TN 38556, 931-879-8142. Deputies patrol everything beyond town limits. Non-emergency calls: 931-752-0911.
• Jamestown Police Department, based at city hall, 314 E. Central Ave., Jamestown, TN 38556. Police desk 931-879-5871; city hall 931-879-8815.
• Tennessee Highway Patrol covers state highways. Use the THP district phone list to find the district that serves this county.