Work through these steps:

1. Go to the roster page and read how the app works.
2. Install the Sheriff's app on your phone from either major app store. There is no fee.
3. Type a surname. A blank screen calls for a shorter spelling, a nickname or the first name only.
4. Copy down whatever booking number turns up.

Still nothing? Ring the Corrections Center at 509-659-3331 and have an officer search the system by hand.

A blank result can mean:

• Still in intake. Paperwork and fingerprinting can run for hours.
• Held at a station. A town officer might keep the person for a while before a jail has a bed.
• Housed away. This county's prisoners may be in a jail in another county.
• Freed. A judge may have let them go, a signed pledge to show up may have bought release, or a bond may be posted.
• Different spelling. Try middle names and maiden names.

Deputies at 509-659-1122 can say where the person is.

The Ritzville jail is said to be closed, though only the Sheriff's Office can confirm it. Questions about the building at 210 West Broadway Avenue, Ritzville, WA 99169, go to the Corrections Center at 509-659-3331.

Local reports say the county pays neighbors to house its prisoners. Two names have surfaced. The Benton County Jail sits in Kennewick. The Franklin County Jail sits in Pasco. Neither is confirmed as today's choice, so ask the Sheriff's Office for the street address and phone number before any drive.

Also good to know: children go elsewhere, and no separate women's, work release or lower-security building is known for this area.

State law keeps jail booking photos confidential (RCW 70.48.100), which is why most Washington rosters show no mugshots. Photos of people convicted of sex offenses may be shared. To request a photo, contact the agency whose officers made the arrest. For a county deputy, dial 509-659-1122.

• For an ICE booking photo, file with the ICE records office online.
• Nobody outside government gets a federal booking photo. Only the U.S. Marshals Service sometimes shares one, when hunting a fugitive.

Washington VINE sends free alerts. Sign up at VINELink or call 877-846-3492, any hour.

• It tracks city and county jails, state prisons and the Nisqually Tribal Jail.
• Data refreshes every 15 to 30 minutes.
• Youth detention and court dates are not part of it.

Since the person may be housed in another county, ask the Sheriff's Office whether VINE lists the right jail.

Washington judges start from sending a person home on a signed pledge to attend court. Extra conditions, like no-contact orders, check-ins or a bond, need a real reason: a risk of flight, of harming witnesses or of violence. The judge must choose the least strict option and weigh what the family can afford. A cash-only requirement is barred, and a cash deposit may not top 10 percent of a bond.

• A judge normally sees the person at a first hearing within one court day, perhaps over video.
• Some domestic violence arrests mean no release until a judge steps in.
• Bail money goes to wherever the person is housed, so the Sheriff's Office should be your first call.
• Bail bond agents need a state license. Check one on the license lookup page or phone 360-664-6611. Demand fees in writing.

The longer bail explainer breaks down every stage, and a short summary of Washington's bail laws is there as well.

Start by asking the Sheriff's Office, 509-659-1122. After a case is filed, court records spell out each count.

• Type a name into the free statewide court search. It tells you which court has the file.
• Misdemeanors sit in District Court. Felony files sit in Superior Court, run by the County Clerk at 210 West Broadway Avenue, Ritzville, WA 99169, 509-659-3257.
• The Prosecuting Attorney settles the final counts. Visit the office at 210 West Broadway Avenue, Suite 100, Ritzville, WA 99169, 509-659-3219.

At the first court date, say to the judge that an appointed attorney is needed. Washington lets a person qualify through public aid, a household earning 125 percent of the federal poverty guideline or less, or an inability to cover a lawyer's likely fee (RCW 10.101.010). Court staff screen each request.

A state report says Adams contracts with seven attorneys for Superior and District Court. To learn who handles a case, phone the court: Ritzville District Court, 509-659-1002, or Superior Court, 509-659-3271. A paid private lawyer is another option.

Visiting policy is set jail by jail, and the building holding your person could lie outside Adams. Ring the Corrections Center at 509-659-3331 or the Sheriff's Office to locate the jail, then ask it about days, hours, ID and clothing limits, and in-person versus video visits.

Do not drive anywhere before staff okay the visit. See our visitor tips too.

Funds held for a person pay for commissary snacks, soap and calls. A deposit is never a bond, and it will not release the person. The holding jail explains how to deposit. Keep their full legal name and booking number handy. Unsure which jail? Dial 509-659-1122.

Our deposit explainer and commissary explainer compare the usual routes. Leave cash out of envelopes.

The housing jail picks the call vendor, so prices and options vary. Ask that jail what setup is needed, the price per call, and if texts or video visits are offered. Plan on calls being monitored. Only a conversation with your attorney is protected.

Your lawyer is the only person to tell about the events behind the arrest. Our phone service overview and email and texting overview compare choices.

Letters travel to the street address of the housing jail. Phone it to learn how to label the envelope, if a booking number is wanted, and which extras are accepted, like pictures or paperbacks. Write the legal name as the recipient, and place your own address at the top left corner.

When the jail is unknown, start with the Corrections Center, 509-659-3331. Our letter-writing rules list the usual limits.

Belongings logged during intake, like a wallet, keys or phone, sit in storage until the person leaves. Phone the housing jail to arrange a drop-off or pickup, and ask about hours, forms to sign and the ID to carry. Not sure which jail? Call 509-659-1122.

Phone the housing jail and request the nursing staff. Share the medicine name, dose, prescribing doctor and allergies. The person may also submit a health request slip in the housing unit. Dial 911 for an emergency, and mention a mental health crisis straight away.

The Corrections Center, 509-659-3331, can point you to the right jail.

Warrants outside town limits fall to deputies, while town officers handle those inside city lines. Ring the Sheriff at 509-659-1122 and ask whether a name has a warrant. To look up a case, try the free Washington Courts search or Ritzville District Court, 509-659-1002. Felony records live with the County Clerk, 509-659-3257, which can also tell you how a warrant was issued. Clearing a warrant starts with legal advice from a lawyer, then ask the judge's court about a quiet way to turn yourself in. The clerk works from 210 West Broadway Avenue, Ritzville, WA 99169.

A hearing date comes from the court where the case was filed:

• Superior Court (felonies) with the County Clerk, 210 West Broadway Avenue, Ritzville, WA 99169. Call Superior Court at 509-659-3271.
• Ritzville District Court: 210 West Broadway Avenue, Suite 305, Ritzville, WA 99169, 509-659-1002. Weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed from noon to 1 p.m.
• Othello District Court: 425 East Main Street, Suite 300, Othello, WA 99344, 509-488-3935.
• Othello Municipal Court for city cases: 500 East Main Street, Othello, WA 99344, 509-331-2743.

The statewide search helps as well. See the court guide for each stage.

Adams sends federal cases to the Eastern District of Washington. Judges there sit in three cities: Spokane, Yakima and Richland. To learn the courthouse for a case, phone the Spokane clerk, 509-458-3400 (920 West Riverside Avenue, Room 840, Spokane, WA 99201).

1. Early on comes a detention hearing that decides jail or release (18 U.S.C. 3142).
2. While awaiting trial, the person is held by the Marshals. Their office line is 509-842-1400 (920 West Riverside Avenue, Suite 200, Spokane, WA 99201).
3. Following sentencing, find the person with the BOP inmate locator.

The federal clerk can explain how to reach the federal defender.

Holding requests from ICE arrive on Form I-247A, which agents call a detainer. Under 8 CFR 287.7(d), a jail may keep someone up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released. Washington's Keep Washington Working Act (RCW 10.93.160) bars local jails from holding a person solely on a civil immigration warrant or detainer, or just to learn status. Jails may not allow an ICE interview about a noncriminal matter without written consent. Washington law also does not allow local 287(g) agreements.

• Try the ICE Online Detainee Locator.
• Seattle Field Office: 12500 Tukwila International Boulevard, Seattle, WA 98168, 206-277-2000.
• Northwest ICE Processing Center: 1623 E J St SE, Tacoma, WA 98421, 253-396-1611.

A person sentenced to prison might wait in a county jail before moving to a Department of Corrections reception center. Ask the holding jail about timing. Then run the name or DOC number through the state incarcerated search, which lists location and housing without a photo.

The department is at 7345 Linderson Way SW, Tumwater, WA 98501, 360-725-8213, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Our Washington prisons overview covers visits and mail.

Adult jail is off limits for kids. Youth matters belong to Juvenile Court, a division of Superior Court, at 425 East Main Street, Suite 100, Othello, WA 99344, 509-488-5646. Adams runs no youth jail. State lists show Martin Hall in Medical Lake and the Grant County youth center in Ephrata among the places serving this area, so call the court to learn which holds your child.

Before charges are filed, a judge has to review a child's detention inside 72 hours, weekends and holidays excluded (JuCR 7.3). VINE skips youth detention.

• Adams County Sheriff's Office: 210 West Broadway Avenue, Ritzville, WA 99169, 509-659-1122. Patrols rural areas and towns lacking their own police.
• Othello Police Department: 500 East Main Street, Othello, WA 99344, 509-488-3314. Staffed day and night.
• Ritzville police: the Sheriff's line can connect you.
• Washington State Patrol: handles I-90 and state highways. Find the nearest district office on the patrol's contact page.