Deputies post a list online of who sits in the jail. A quick way to work it:

1. Open the lookup page on whatever device you have.
2. Put in the surname. Use a given name too if many people match.
3. If you get nothing, check nicknames, past surnames and odd spellings.
4. Click the entry and copy the charge, the bond and the booking number if shown.
5. Write down when you checked, because the list can trail what is happening inside.

Still stuck? Phone 931-836-2700 and request the jail. Someone at the desk can run the name.

Not finding the name does not prove the person went home. Common causes:

• Intake is still running, with prints, photos and a health screen.
• An officer is holding the person at a station or patrol office for now.
• The officer issued a citation and released the person with a hearing date.
• A bond was posted, or the judge sent the person loose on a signed pledge to return.
• The person may be in another county's lockup, or in state or federal custody.
• The name is entered under another spelling.

Call the Sheriff's Office at 931-836-2700 using the complete legal name and birth date. When the jail has no record, ask which agency made the stop and contact that agency. The final answer below lists police contacts.

Adult prisoners from the county are held at the White County Jail, which answers through the Sheriff's Office (111 Depot Street, Suite 4, Sparta, TN 38583; 931-836-2700). The county pages we read list no annex, workhouse or city lockup. Ask the jail if the person is in a special unit, and what it is for: men, women, work release or something else.

Neighbors that may have taken the person in:

• Putnam County Jail
• DeKalb County Jail
• Warren County Jail
• Van Buren County Jail
• Cumberland County Jail

Open any of those for the jail's street address and phone number. Federal, immigration and state-prison holds come later on this page.

Whether photos show on the lookup is unconfirmed, so open it and look. State records law covers photographs kept by government offices (Tenn. Code Ann. 10-7-503), though it never mentions booking photos by name, and some sheriffs post them anyway. To find out if a booking photo can be given out, phone the Sheriff's Office at 931-836-2700. When a town officer made the arrest, that police agency may keep a photo as well.

• Pictures ICE holds are released only through its public records form.
• In federal cases the public does not get mugshots. Only the U.S. Marshals Service can choose to release one, as it might when a fugitive is being sought.

VINE does this at no cost, by phone, text or email. Sign up at VINELink after picking Tennessee, or phone 888-868-4631 and talk to a live operator any hour.

County jail changes may slip past VINE, so double-check by phone. Before you drive to Sparta, dial 931-836-2700 to confirm. Bonds can clear fast and plans shift.

Soon after an arrest, a judicial officer, either a magistrate, a commissioner or a General Sessions judge, fixes the bail amount. The officer weighs the person's time in the area, work, nearby family and earlier court record. State law says the amount should be the lowest that still protects the public and gets the person back to court (Tenn. Code Ann. 40-11-118).

• Cash means the whole bail, paid to the court clerk. Keep the receipt.
• A bondsman usually charges about 10 percent of the bond, and added fees and tax vary. The bondsman needs a state license and local court approval.
• Some charges let a judge release the person with no payment, only a signed promise to show up.
• Domestic violence and stalking arrests can bring a built-in delay of 12 hours or more before release. Ask the jail.

Before you pay, ask the clerk at 931-836-3205, 111 Depot Street, Suite 1, Sparta, TN 38583, where to hand over money. See our bail guide for more, and a short summary of the state's bail rules.

The lookup entry often names the charge. When it does not, ask at the Sheriff's Office, 931-836-2700.

For court files, phone the Circuit Court Clerk at 931-836-3205, 111 Depot Street, Suite 1, Sparta, TN 38583. Know the legal name and birthday before you dial. The state has no one site for searching trial-court criminal cases, so phoning is the surest path. The District Attorney General of the 13th Judicial District decides how a felony case goes forward, and the clerk can give you its contact details.

In the courtroom, the person can ask for a lawyer and say there is no money to hire one. The judge then decides who gets one. A relative may also pay for a private attorney at any point.

• The public defender serving the 13th Judicial District, with its base in Cookeville, takes court-appointed cases from this county. Phone 931-526-9141.
• Bring proof of income, like a recent pay stub, so the judge can decide.

Any lawyer can ask for lower bail or looser terms. Share your notes from the jail and the clerk.

We could not confirm days, times or sign-up steps, so phone first. Ring the Sheriff's Office at 931-836-2700 and ask about:

• The days and hours for visits, and whether you must reserve a slot.
• If visitors meet in person or through a screen.
• The photo ID required and any rule on bringing children.
• Dress limits, and what must stay in your car.

You will likely be searched, and staff can cut a visit short. Our visiting guide has common tips.

A jail account can buy snacks, hygiene items and more. Each jail has its own methods, so call 931-836-2700 to ask how deposits work, the limit and whose name to use.

Have the booking number and legal name written down. Cash never belongs in the mail. For more, see our money guide and commissary guide. A deposit does not count as bail and will not release anyone.

Jails rely on outside phone vendors, and plans change. Ring 931-836-2700 to learn how to get calls from inside, what each costs and if texting or video is offered. Calls are probably recorded, so share case facts with your lawyer only.

For general background, read about inmate phone service and inmate email and texting.

Confirm the rules before you stamp anything. Phone 931-836-2700 and request the exact mailing address, plus any booking number to include. Find out whether cards, pictures or books may come in.

Use plain paper and an ordinary envelope, put the full legal name on it, and print your return address. Never enclose cash. Our mail guide covers common rules.

Property taken at booking stays in the jail's storage room until the person leaves. Phone 931-836-2700 on a weekday. Ask if a release form is needed, when pickups happen and what ID to carry. You can find the Sheriff's Office at 111 Depot Street, Suite 4, Sparta, TN 38583.

Dial 931-836-2700 and request the jail's nurses or medical staff. Tell them the drug name, dose and doctor's contact details. Staff may also want the request in writing.

In a true emergency, call 911. Say so at once if mental health is the worry.

Outside town limits deputies handle warrants, and inside town city officers do. To find out about one, call the Sheriff's Office at 931-836-2700 and ask for Records. A phone call is the fastest way to learn this. If you need facts on a filed case, the Circuit Court Clerk answers at 931-836-3205. To clear a warrant, ask a lawyer first, since the lawyer can reach the issuing court to plan a surrender or reset the date. The clerk's office is at 111 Depot Street, Suite 1, Sparta, TN 38583.

Whichever court has the file sets the hearing date. Contact:

• Circuit Court Clerk, 111 Depot Street, Suite 1, Sparta, TN 38583, 931-836-3205, open weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• White County Courthouse, 1 East Bockman Way, Sparta, TN 38583, 931-836-3203

General Sessions Court hears first appearances and misdemeanors, and it holds preliminary hearings on felonies. Felony charges go before a grand jury, with trials in Circuit Court. Ask the clerk for the room and day. Our court guide explains each step in plain words.

For federal court, the county is assigned to the Northeastern Division, part of the Middle District of Tennessee. Its Cookeville courthouse is at 9 East Broad Street, Cookeville, TN 38501, while the clerk's office is in the Nashville courthouse named for Fred D. Thompson, 719 Church Street, Nashville, TN 37203, 615-736-5498.

1. At the first hearing a judge picks detention or release (18 U.S.C. 3142).
2. The Marshals take charge of the person. Find them at 719 Church Street, Suite 2500, Nashville, TN 37203, 615-750-1434.
3. Someone who can't pay may ask for the Federal Public Defender, 164 Rosa L Parks Boulevard, Nashville, TN 37203, 615-736-5047.
4. When the sentence starts, check the Bureau of Prisons locator.

This is the usual order of events:

1. The detainer arrives on Form I-247A (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
2. The jail may hold the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released.
3. This county is on the state's partner list for the federal 287(g) program, posted by Tennessee's safety department on its state page, phone 615-532-9736.
4. Search with the ICE Online Detainee Locator. For Tennessee, immigration cases run through ICE's field office in New Orleans.

After a state sentence, a person might remain at the Sparta jail for some time first, so call 931-836-2700 to check. The Tennessee Department of Correction is at 320 Sixth Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37243, 615-741-1000.

• The state's offender search can show a photo, the current location, the offense and the term.
• Our Tennessee prisons guide has visiting and mail details.

Juvenile Court, not the adult jail, is where minors are handled. The court is at 111 Depot Street, Sparta, TN 38583, and a Youth Services Officer works with families. Ask the Sheriff's Office, 931-836-2700, how to reach that officer. Youth cases are private, so the lookup may omit a minor. We could not confirm a detention center, so ask the officer where a child is kept.

The lookup often names the arresting agency. These cover an area of about 28,600 people (Census estimate):

• Sheriff's Office, 111 Depot Street, Suite 4, Sparta, TN 38583, 931-836-2700 or 931-836-1524. Covers the rural parts.
• Sparta Police Department: open the city police page, or ask the Sheriff's Office for the non-emergency number.
• Doyle: the Sheriff's Office dispatch desk can say who covers the town.
• Tennessee Highway Patrol: find this area's district on the THP contacts page.