Benton County Jail Inmate Bail & Bonds

Type the name into Benton County Inmate Search. The roster can be checked at any hour. A booking only minutes old may take a little while to appear. The Kennewick jail also houses inmates for agencies outside the county, so a person arrested elsewhere can be held here. If the search shows nothing, call the jail at 509-783-1451 and give the full name and birth date.

City police in Kennewick, Richland, West Richland, Prosser and Benton City all book into the Justice Center. The Benton County Sheriff's Office is in the same complex, Building A, Suite A120, and answers at 509-735-6555 on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed at lunch.

When police arrest without a warrant, a judge must decide within 48 hours whether probable cause existed. Weekends and holidays count in that clock. The first court appearance happens as soon as practical and no later than the close of business on the next court day. A lawyer is provided there. Courts may hold the hearing by video, with the person in the jail.

The default in Washington is release on a promise to appear. The judge can find that a promise is not enough and add conditions: staying away from certain people, travel limits, reporting, drug or alcohol testing, or electronic monitoring. A bond comes only when lesser steps will not bring the person back to court, and the judge must consider what the person can pay.

Pay the court that has jurisdiction over the case: Benton County District Court at the Justice Center in Kennewick, 509-735-8476, or its Prosser branch at 620 Market Street, 509-786-5480. Court offices run Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Superior Court is in Building A, 509-736-3071. Ask the court for a receipt that shows the case number and the person's name.

When the courts are closed, go to the jail's after-hours entrance, to the left of the main lobby door. The jail takes cash only, and you must bring the exact amount because staff cannot make change. If the case qualifies, you can use a bail bond company instead. Once bail is paid and no other hold remains, release usually follows within one to two hours.

Family, friends or a company can pay. Bail bond agents in Washington must hold a license from the state Department of Licensing, and an agent posting a surety bond must also hold an insurance producer license. Ask for the fee, any collateral and the contract terms in writing before signing. Questions about a license go to the Department of Licensing at 360-664-6611.

Agents who write property bonds are licensed by the state and must list the courts that approved their property bonds. Before you offer a deed, call the Superior Court clerk at 509-735-8388 and ask whether the court accepts your land or house and which papers it needs.

Several situations stop bail. A domestic violence arrest means a hold until a judge sees the person, which must happen within one judicial day. A DUI arrest with a prior offense in the past ten years also means a hold until a judge releases the person. For the most serious crimes, the state constitution lets a judge deny bail after a hearing. Class A and B felonies get individual bail decisions.

The court weighs the charge, how strong the evidence is, the person's record, job, family ties, time in the community, and whether the person missed court before. It also asks whether anyone is in danger and whether the person was on probation or parole. Bring proof of work, housing and family ties to the hearing; a lawyer can use it to argue for lower bail.

Go to the jail lobby at the Justice Center, which is open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., or call the jail at 509-783-1451 to ask where to go after hours. If the warrant comes from a case already in District Court or Superior Court, contact your public defender immediately. A warrant on a new criminal charge means you must turn yourself in. Court numbers are 509-735-8476 for District Court and 509-736-3071 for Superior Court.

Only a judge can appoint one, in court. If you have not been to court yet, ask at the arraignment. If you turned one down earlier, ask at the next hearing. The county's Office of Public Defense is at 7122 West Okanogan Place, Building A, 509-222-3700. Public defenders cannot meet with you about the case until the judge appoints them.

Juveniles are held at the Benton-Franklin Juvenile Justice Center, 5606 West Canal Place, Suite 106, Kennewick, 509-783-2151. Benton and Franklin counties share it, and it also houses Adams County youth under an agreement. Juvenile records are private, so the adult roster will not list a minor. Ask for the detention manager at extension 2706.

After a missed date, the judge may forfeit the bond and enter a judgment against both the defendant and the surety. If the court does not send the surety written notice of the unexplained failure to appear within 30 days of the court date, the forfeiture is void and the bond is released. Call the lawyer and the bond company the same day if a date is missed.

Benton County District Court hears the misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor cases from Kennewick, Prosser, Richland and West Richland, so the bail payment for those arrests also goes to the District Court counter. Felony cases go to Superior Court. When you call, give the booking date, the charge and the arresting city so the clerk can find the right file.

Yes. A judge can change release terms when circumstances change, new information appears, or good cause exists. The defense lawyer files the request. Good support includes a steady address, a job letter, treatment enrollment and family willing to attend every hearing. Ask the lawyer to raise bail again if the family cannot pay the first amount.

If you are worried about the mental state of someone in custody, call the jail at 509-783-1451, extension 3385. Say what you have seen or heard and give the person's full name. Do not wait for a court date to raise a safety concern.

Cash and checks are refunded by the court, not by the jail, after the case ends. The person completes an Order Exonerating Bail and follows the posted instructions at the court. The public defender's office cannot process the order. Save your receipt and confirm the address on file.

Visits, mail, accounts and property each have their own rules. Call the jail at 509-786-5710 for the current schedule. Money added to a commissary account is for store items and phone calls. It is not bail, and it does not release anyone.

Bail is paid only at a court, at the jail's after-hours door, or to a licensed bail agent. No one with the jail or the court takes gift cards, crypto or app transfers. If a caller demands payment right now, hang up and call 509-783-1451.

• County jail: Benton County Jail, Benton County Justice Center, 7122 West Okanogan Place, Kennewick, WA 99336; 509-783-1451; also 509-786-5710
• Custody lookup: Benton County Inmate Search
• Bail guide: Benton County bail and bond pages
• Sheriff's Office: 7122 West Okanogan Place, Building A, Suite A120, Kennewick; 509-735-6555
• District Court: Kennewick, Suite A110, 509-735-8476; Prosser, 620 Market Street, 509-786-5480
• Superior Court: Building A, Kennewick, 509-736-3071; clerk 509-735-8388
• Public defense: Office of Public Defense, 7122 West Okanogan Place, Building A, 509-222-3700
• Juvenile: Benton-Franklin Juvenile Justice Center, 5606 West Canal Place, Suite 106, Kennewick; 509-783-2151

Benton County hours, payment rules and numbers can change without notice, and each judge sets bail case by case. Call the jail or the court before you travel with cash. This page offers general help, not legal advice.