Try this routine:

1. Pull up the jail search in any web browser.
2. Enter only a surname at first. Spelling mistakes are easier to spot that way.
3. If several people match, compare dates of birth before you trust a row.
4. Jot down whatever the row shows: booking number, charge, bond amount, hearing.

Online lists lag behind real life. When you are sure of an arrest yet see nothing, ring 731-635-1311 and ask a deputy to look at the booking desk.

A name can stay off the screen for several ordinary reasons:

• Paperwork underway. Fingerprinting and forms can drag on for a good while.
• Waiting at a town station. An officer in Halls, Henning, Gates or Ripley may keep someone briefly before the drive to the jail.
• Citation release. Some folks get a paper summons and leave.
• Bond already posted. A quick release leaves no row behind.
• Another facility. Another county, or the state, may have taken custody.
• Name quirks. Try nicknames, hyphens, married names.

One call to 731-635-1311 usually clears it up.

Adults arrested here are normally booked at the Lauderdale County Jail, 675 Highway 51 South, Ripley, TN 38063, 731-635-1311. Our records show one adult jail. Still, ask whether a work program, annex or town cell is in use today.

A person detained over the line sits in the cells of whatever county made the arrest. Phone its Sheriff to find out. Federal, state and immigration custody are covered further down this page.

Ask the Sheriff's Office first. Tennessee's open records law covers photographs held by government, but it says nothing specific about booking pictures. Call 731-635-1311 and find out if a mugshot may be given out and what you must do to get it.

• If ICE took the picture, send your request through the ICE FOIA records form.
• The public does not get federal mugshots, except that the U.S. Marshals Service might share one, for instance while hunting a runaway.

Tennessee offers VINE, a free notice system. Visit VINELink, pick Tennessee and enter the name. Prefer a human? Dial 888-868-4631 any time of day or night.

VINE may not track every local cell block, so also check with the jail at 731-635-1311. People are sometimes let out after midnight, so keep a ride ready.

Jailers have no power to bargain bail down. A magistrate or General Sessions judge alone picks the figure. Tennessee tells judges to pick the lowest figure that still protects the public and ensures a return, weighing roots in town, a job, relatives and past cases.

• Cash. Pay the entire bail at the clerk's counter. The Circuit Court Clerk sits at 675 Highway 51 South, Ripley, TN 38063, 731-635-0101.
• Bondsman. Expect to hand over around a tenth of the bond. That fee is gone for good. Request every charge on paper.
• Mandatory holds. A case tied to stalking or domestic abuse may mean a wait of twelve hours or longer. The jail can tell you more.

More detail lives on our bail page, plus the state bail law overview.

The jail search may show the charge beside the name. When it does not, the Sheriff's Office at 731-635-1311 can read it to you.

After a case is opened, court files carry the full wording. Misdemeanors start with the General Sessions judge's office, 731-635-2572. Felonies indicted by a grand jury are tracked by the Circuit Court Clerk, 731-635-0101, at 675 Highway 51 South, Ripley, TN 38063.

The District Attorney General for the 25th Judicial District chooses which counts to pursue. Ask the clerk for that office's contact details.

Speak up in the courtroom: the defendant should tell the judge they want counsel and have no money for it. The judge reviews income and rules on it.

Lauderdale falls under the District Public Defender's office for the 25th Judicial District, 901-465-7330. That phone comes from a 2017 state list, so ask the clerk to confirm it. Hiring a private attorney remains open at any point.

Each jail sets its own schedule. Before you leave home, ring 731-635-1311 and settle these points:

• Which weekdays and hours take guests?
• Is it face to face, through a screen, or both?
• Must I sign up beforehand?
• Which kinds of ID count, and what clothing is banned?
• Are kids welcome?

Expect to leave purses and cell phones in your vehicle. Our visitation guide adds general pointers.

Deposited cash buys snacks, toiletries, stamps and calls. Ask the jail at 731-635-1311 which deposit routes are open, any ceilings and any service charges. Know the inmate's legal name.

Our deposit guide and commissary guide describe the usual options. Stay away from cash in envelopes. Anyone promising a faster release for a payment is a scammer.

The jail chooses a phone provider, and charges are often by the minute. Dial 731-635-1311 to learn how your person can call you, the rates and whether text or video exists.

Act as if every word is recorded. Save talk about evidence for their attorney. For basics, read our phone guide and messaging guide.

Skip guessing. Ring 731-635-1311 and request the correct mailing layout, and if the envelope needs a booking number. Learn which extras are allowed, if any.

Use ordinary paper. Write the inmate's legal name as the addressee, and add a return address for replies. Never tuck money inside. More ideas sit in our mail guide.

Items collected at intake wait in storage until the person walks out. To drop off clothing or collect belongings, call 731-635-1311 before heading over. Find out which ID the desk wants, who may sign and what hours apply. The jail is at 675 Highway 51 South, Ripley, TN 38063.

Telephone the jail at 731-635-1311 and ask for the nurse. Pass along drug names, strengths and the prescribing doctor's phone. The inmate should also hand a guard a written sick-call slip.

Dial 911 for an emergency. If a person talks about self-harm, say so clearly on the call.

Deputies serve county warrants. Town officers handle those inside town lines. Ring the Sheriff's Office, 731-635-1311, and ask whether one is on file, since a call is the quickest route. To verify a case, call the Circuit Court Clerk, 731-635-0101, at 675 Highway 51 South, Ripley, TN 38063. To resolve a warrant, consult an attorney, then reach out to the court that signed it before you turn yourself in. Bring any papers you were handed, and write down the case number.

Whichever court owns the case knows the date:

• General Sessions handles first appearances and most misdemeanors: 731-635-2572.
• Circuit Court tries felonies after an indictment. Its clerk is at 675 Highway 51 South, Ripley, TN 38063, 731-635-0101.
• Chancery Court deals with civil disputes. The Clerk and Master is at 100 Court Square, Ripley, TN 38063, 731-635-1941.

Record the day, hour and courtroom. Our court guide describes every phase of a case. A skipped hearing can bring a new arrest order.

Federal court for Lauderdale sits in the Western District of Tennessee, Western Division, inside the Odell Horton Federal Building, 167 North Main Street, Memphis, TN 38103. The clerk answers at 901-495-1200.

1. A judge holds a detention hearing under 18 U.S.C. 3142 to choose custody or release before trial.
2. The U.S. Marshals, Suite 1072 of that building, 901-544-3304, know where prisoners are kept.
3. The Federal Public Defender, 200 Jefferson Avenue, Suite 200, Memphis, TN 38103, 901-544-3895, assists those unable to pay.
4. Following sentencing, find the person with the BOP online locator.

Typical sequence:

1. The jail receives an ICE detainer, which arrives on Form I-247A.
2. Under 8 CFR 287.7(d), the jail may keep the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released.
3. The New Orleans Field Office of ICE serves Tennessee.
4. Search by name and country of birth at locator.ice.gov, the ICE Online Detainee Locator.

Tennessee's own immigration enforcement page counts Lauderdale among counties joined to the 287(g) program. The jail, 731-635-1311, can say how a detainer would be handled.

People sentenced to state time sometimes wait in the local jail before a bus takes them. Ring the jail first. Afterward, the Tennessee Department of Correction, 320 Sixth Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37243, 615-741-1000, handles intake questions.

• The FOIL offender search displays location, status and sentence.
• Our state prison page covers visiting and mail rules.

Minors move through Juvenile Court rather than the adult cells. Phone the Probate and Juvenile Court, 731-635-3505, to ask where the youth is staying and the hearing day. Ask for the street address as well.

Records for minors are shielded, which is why the online jail list may stay silent. Ask the court how a child gets a free attorney.

More than one agency makes arrests here, and the agency in charge can tell you where your person went.

• Sheriff's Office: 675 Highway 51 South, Ripley, TN 38063, 731-635-1311. Serves the countryside beyond town lines.
• Town police: Ripley, Halls, Henning and Gates may each field officers. The Sheriff's line can direct you to the right one.
• Tennessee Highway Patrol: the state's list of patrol offices shows which one answers for this corner of West Tennessee.