The West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation (WVDCR) keeps a single lookup for the regional jails statewide. Step by step:

1. Open the state's Offender Search page. It has four tools on it.
2. Choose Offender Search (Jails) to search one name, or open the Daily Incarcerations list to scan new bookings.
3. Enter the person's legal name. If no record appears, try other spellings, a nickname or the name used before a marriage.
4. Read the facility name. A person arrested in this county should show South Central Regional Jail and Correctional Facility.
5. Call South Central at 304-558-1336 for the charges, the bond and whether a release is coming. Ask for the person's OID number too. Letters call for it.

A blank search right after an arrest is common. Here is why it happens:

• Intake isn't done. The jail has to take prints and a photo and enter the paperwork before the record appears.
• They haven't reached the jail. The arresting officers could still be holding them, or they could be in front of a magistrate. The Sheriff's 24-hour line, 304-357-0169, can help you learn which agency has them.
• A magistrate let them go. Lots of people leave on a personal recognizance bond, which is a written promise to show up for every hearing. The magistrate clerk at 304-357-0422 can tell you if a bond was set or posted.
• A judge ordered home confinement. The Sheriff's Home Confinement unit is at 409 Virginia Street East, Charleston, WV 25301, 304-357-0532.

Still no answer? Phone South Central at 304-558-1336 and give the name and birth date so staff can look.

No county lockup exists here. Adults in custody are spread across these state sites, each with its own job:

• South Central Regional Jail and Correctional Facility, 1001 Centre Way, Charleston, WV 25309, 304-558-1336. New arrests from Kanawha and Jackson counties are booked and held here while their cases go on. It also houses the state's only Forensic Evaluation Unit.
• Charleston Correctional Center and Jail, 1356 Hansford Street, Charleston, WV 25301, 304-340-6921. This community corrections center has a 96-bed work release unit for men and women and a 32-bed drug and alcohol treatment unit for women. It is for people already sentenced.
• Tygart Valley Regional Jail and Correctional Facility, 400 Abbey Road, Belington, WV 26250, 304-637-0382. It sits in Randolph County. Most West Virginia women headed for prison wait here for a transfer.

Picked up across the county line? Then check the regional jail serving that county. Some you may need:

• Putnam or Lincoln: Western Regional Jail and Correctional Facility, One O'Hanlon Place, Barboursville, WV 25504, 304-733-6821
• Boone: Southwestern Regional Jail and Correctional Facility, 1300 Gaston Caperton Drive, Holden, WV 25625, 304-239-3032
• Fayette: Southern Regional Jail and Correctional Facility, 1200 Airport Road, Beaver, WV 25813, 304-256-6726
• Clay or Roane: Central Regional Jail and Correctional Facility, 1255 Dyer Hill Road, Sutton, WV 26601, 304-765-7904

Federal detainees, and sentenced people waiting on a prison bed, may be housed at a regional jail too.

WVDCR's search is meant to show which facility holds someone. Questions about mugshots go to the police agency or deputies who booked the case. Two you may need are the Charleston Police Department, 501 Virginia Street East, Charleston, WV 25301, 304-348-6400, and the Sheriff's Office, 301 Virginia Street East, Charleston, WV 25301, 304-357-0200.

Police social media posts of booking photos are restricted by W. Va. Code §62-1-6a, enacted in 2023. Minor offenses here mean misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies a court could later erase through expungement. For those, police may not post the photo on social media. Posting is still allowed once the person is convicted, while they are a fugitive, if they pose an imminent threat, or on a judge's order. After a dismissal, a decision not to indict or an acquittal, the person can ask, and the agency must remove the photo within 14 days.

• News outlets can send photo requests to the arresting agency.
• As a rule, booking photos from federal arrests are held back, though the U.S. Marshals Service sometimes releases one, for instance while it hunts a fugitive.
• ICE handles its own photo requests on the ICE records request page.

VINE, a statewide service, tracks custody at the regional jails and state prisons. Look up the person to see their custody status and the facility, then register for notices.

• Search or register on VINELink.
• Or phone 866-984-8463, which spells 1-866-WV4-VINE.
• VINE stays silent when a person changes facilities. When you hear of a transfer, run the search again or phone South Central at 304-558-1336.

A magistrate picks the bond amount during the initial appearance, the first time the person goes before the court. No needless wait is allowed before that hearing, per W. Va. Code §62-1-5. Plenty of these first hearings run on a screen, with the person still inside South Central. Magistrate Court is in the Judicial Building, 111 Court Street, Charleston, WV 25301, and the clerk answers at 304-357-0422.

• Misdemeanors. Unless the magistrate finds good cause, the person should be freed on personal recognizance, a written promise with no money down (§62-1C-1a). Exceptions to that rule are charges involving violence, a deadly weapon, drugs, sexual abuse, DUI, theft above $250 or a child victim. If cash is required, it may not exceed three times the largest fine the charge carries. If only an unpaid secured bond keeps them locked up, a hearing must follow in five days or less.
• Felonies. Some felony charges never get a promise-only release from a magistrate. They include violent crimes against a person, crimes with a child victim, arson, burglary and drug crimes. Where a life sentence is possible, only the circuit court may decide on bail (§62-1C-1).
• Posting it. Magistrates set each amount for the case at hand; no statewide chart exists. Anyone, such as a parent or friend, may post it. On some cash bonds, a 10 percent cash payment is enough when a surety or a signed promise covers the rest. Real estate works as security if the value left after loans equals at least 50 percent of the bail (§62-1C-4).
• Bondsmen. They must be licensed through the Insurance Commissioner (§51-10-8) and charge 10 percent or more. The fee can be paid in one go, or a family can put down at least 3 percent up front and spread the balance across as long as 12 months (§51-10-5a). A license can be checked at 304-558-0610 or on the bondsman license page.

Not showing up for court brings its own charge. A felony defendant who misses court risks 1 to 5 years behind bars and as much as $5,000 in fines; a misdemeanor defendant faces up to a year and $1,000 (§62-1C-17b). Our bail page covers each step here, and the state bail laws page has the bigger picture.

Start with the free Magistrate Court Record Search. Type the person's name or the case number to see what was filed.

The magistrate clerk can also tell you the charges. Call 304-357-0422 or stop by the Judicial Building, 111 Court Street, Charleston, WV 25301.

Once a felony reaches Circuit Court, the Circuit Clerk in that same building takes questions at 304-357-0440. For circuit files, the state Supreme Court runs the Court Record Access page. The Prosecuting Attorney's Office, 301 Virginia Street East, Charleston, WV 25301, 304-357-0300, brings the case for the state.

Someone without money for a lawyer may request an appointed one. During the initial appearance, they ask for the eligibility affidavit (court form SCA-C&M-101), which covers income and bills, and fill it in. The circuit judge then reviews the form and makes the appointment call.

Appointed cases here are handled by the public defender corporation of the Eighth Judicial Circuit, 816 Quarrier Street, Suite 300, Charleston, WV 25301, 304-348-2323. The court may also appoint a private lawyer.

Relatives who can afford it may hire defense counsel of their choosing. If a felony defendant is still in jail, a preliminary examination is due within 10 days of the initial appearance under Rule 5(e) of the magistrate court criminal rules. A lawyer can also push for lower bail.

Visitors and the person inside stay apart during every visit here, since the jail uses non-contact visiting. Plan around these points:

• The person inside requests the visit, and the jail schedules it from that request.
• Visiting hours are Thursday from 1 to 9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Each person gets one visit every 30 days.
• The dress code is strict. Orange clothing is not allowed.
• Video visits through GettingOut are another choice. Ask whether this jail lets you visit by video from home.

Questions about a visit go to South Central at 304-558-1336. Our visiting guide is worth a read before a first trip.

Deposits go into the person's trust account through ConnectNetwork, the service WVDCR uses. Pick whichever of these four suits you:

• the ConnectNetwork.com site
• the app from ConnectNetwork
• an automated phone line, 888-988-4768
• a kiosk in the jail lobby

Keep the person's full name handy, and check with the jail on which ID number a deposit needs. Trust account support at 888-428-1845 handles deposit trouble. Ask about fees before you pay. Never tuck cash into a letter. To learn what the balance can buy, read our commissary guide; deposit tips are in our money guide.

WVDCR has a contract with GettingOut for phone calls and video visits. To get started, open an account through gettingout.com or the GettingOut app. The state's guide also lists messages, voicemail and photo sharing.

WVDCR describes video visits from a home computer, plus visits on a phone at some sites. To learn what South Central allows, call 304-558-1336. For help with your account, GettingOut family support is at 866-516-0115.

Jail calls are no place to discuss the charges; save that for the lawyer. Read our phone call guide for costs, and our inmate text and email guide for messages.

Personal letters travel first to a scanning address in Phoenix, Maryland, under WVDCR's mail rules, rather than to the jail itself. Address the envelope this way:

Person's first and last name, OID number
South Central Regional Jail and Correctional Facility
PO Box 336
Phoenix, MD 21131

• Give the facility's whole name and skip abbreviations.
• Letters are scanned and sent on to the person.
• No photos. An envelope with a photo goes back to you.
• No attachments or enclosures, and one person per envelope.
• Put your complete name on the return address. A first initial is not enough.

Break a rule and the whole envelope is returned. The rules come from the state's Division-wide page, so confirm them with South Central at 304-558-1336. For general tips, read our mail guide.

The jail keeps whatever the person carried when they were booked. Before you drive to 1001 Centre Way, Charleston, WV 25309, call 304-558-1336 and ask:

• Must the person sign a form before family can take the items?
• When is the property window open?
• What photo ID should I bring?
• What happens to the items if the person moves to a prison?

Phone South Central at 304-558-1336 and ask for the medical department. Tell them the person's name, birth date, the illness or injury, and every medicine with its dose. Add the names of their doctor and pharmacy so staff can confirm prescriptions.

The person should also send a written health request to medical staff from inside. Start the call with any worry about suicide or self-injury, or signs of a breakdown. The defense lawyer may bring serious medical needs to the judge.

The Warrant Division of the Kanawha County Sheriff's Office, 301 Virginia Street East, Charleston, WV 25301, takes questions about warrants. Call 304-357-0157 during business hours or 304-357-0169 after hours. You can also open the Sheriff's warrant search page and the State Police Most Wanted list. The free Magistrate Court Record Search shows filed cases, though it is not a warrant list. A lawyer should be your first call if a warrant turns up. Next, contact the court that issued it. Magistrates issue arrest warrants, and Magistrate Court sits in the Judicial Building, 111 Court Street, Charleston, WV 25301, 304-357-0422.

Magistrate Court handles misdemeanor trials and the first stage of felony cases, in the Judicial Building, 111 Court Street, Charleston, WV 25301. Call the clerk at 304-357-0422 and give the name and birth date, or look the case up on the Magistrate Court Record Search.

• For a felony with the person in jail, the preliminary examination comes within 10 days.
• Next, a grand jury looks at the evidence and may return an indictment. Trials on indictments take place in Circuit Court for the Eighth Judicial Circuit, whose clerk works in the same building.
• For a circuit date, call the Circuit Clerk at 304-357-0440 or use the Court Record Access page.

Every hearing is explained in plain words in our court guide.

Charges filed in federal court stay in Charleston, before the Southern District of West Virginia's U.S. District Court. The courthouse address is 300 Virginia Street East, Suite 2400, Charleston, WV 25301 (the Robert C. Byrd United States Courthouse). The clerk answers at 304-347-3000.

1. A federal judge chooses release or detention at a hearing under 18 U.S.C. 3142. By law the judge picks the mildest terms that still assure a return to court and community safety.
2. A person the judge orders held is in U.S. Marshals Service custody before trial. Because WVDCR has an agreement with the U.S. Marshals Service to house federal detainees, they may be held in a regional jail. The Marshals' Charleston office is at 300 Virginia Street East, Room 3602, Charleston, WV 25301, 304-347-5136.
3. Post-sentence, the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator shows which federal prison has them.

An immigration hold usually moves in this order:

1. A detainer request on Form I-247A from ICE opens the process.
2. Staff can keep the person for up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released. That window comes from 8 CFR 287.7(d) and gives ICE time to arrive.
3. Cases in this state are handled by ICE's Philadelphia Field Office, 114 North 8th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, 215-656-7164.
4. After the transfer, the ICE Online Detainee Locator can help you look for the person.

West Virginia adds two rules. Section 15-16-2 of the W. Va. Code forbids any policy that restricts cooperation with immigration enforcement. A second rule, in §15-16-3, says that when a detainer is lodged, the holding agency notifies the court setting bail, writes the detainer into its records and follows it "to the extent required by law". Per the Governor's Aug. 13, 2025, announcement, 287(g) agreements with ICE now cover three agencies. WVDCR has one, and the State Police and West Virginia National Guard each have their own.

After a judge orders prison time, WVDCR handles intake and classification to choose a prison that fits the person. A prison bed may take a while, so some people stay at a regional jail for now. Women waiting for prison are mostly held at Tygart Valley Regional Jail and Correctional Facility, 400 Abbey Road, Belington, WV 26250, 304-637-0382.

• Use Offender Search (Prisons) on the state's Offender Search page to see where they are.
• Our West Virginia state prisons guide gives visit and mail details prison by prison.

Juvenile court, not adult court, hears the case of anyone whose alleged offense happened before their 18th birthday. A parent gets word of the arrest, and youth are never held in adult jails. A youth kept in detention gets a hearing by the next day.

The state's detention center in this county is the James H. "Tiger" Morton Juvenile Center, 60 Manfred Holland Way, Dunbar, WV 25064, 304-766-2616. Youth from all 55 counties can be held there.

For case questions, reach Juvenile Probation at the Judicial Annex, 111 Court Street, Third Floor, Charleston, WV 25301, 304-357-0520. W. Va. Code §49-4-710 sets the only path for moving a youth case to adult court.

Call the department for the town where the arrest took place. That office knows whether the person went to South Central or straight to a magistrate.

Charleston and the western valley

• Charleston Police Department, 501 Virginia Street East, Charleston, WV 25301, 304-348-6400
• South Charleston Police Department, 235 4th Avenue, South Charleston, WV, non-emergency 304-348-8111
• Dunbar Police Department, 1227 Leone Drive, Dunbar, WV 25064, 304-766-0204
• St. Albans Police Department, 304-727-2252
• Nitro Police Department, 497 1st Ave S, Nitro, WV 25143, 304-729-8071 (part of Nitro lies in Putnam County)

Upper valley, east along the river

• Belle Police Department, 304-949-3841
• Chesapeake Police Department, 12404 MacCorkle Avenue SW, Chesapeake, WV 25315, 304-949-1496
• East Bank Police Department, 201 Walnut Street, East Bank, WV 25067, 304-595-3305; alternative number 304-595-1605
• Glasgow Police Department, 50 3rd St., Glasgow, WV 25086, 304-595-1919
• Cedar Grove Police Department, 304-595-1841
• Pratt Police Department, PO Box 128, Pratt, WV 25162, 304-442-0103
• Handley town police, 304-442-5100
• Smithers Police Department, P.O. Box 489, Smithers, WV 25186, 304-442-5296 (most of Smithers is in Fayette County)
• Marmet and Montgomery: ask the Sheriff's 24-hour line which agency handled the call.

Elk River

• Clendenin Police Department, P.O. Box 694, Clendenin, WV 25045, 304-548-4192

Countywide, campus and state

• Kanawha County Sheriff's Office, 301 Virginia Street East, Charleston, WV 25301, 304-357-0200; 24-hour line 304-357-0169. Deputies patrol places outside the towns, such as Cross Lanes, Elkview and Sissonville. Detachments: 5461-A Big Tyler Road, Cross Lanes, WV 25313; 1078 Main Street, Elkview, WV 25071; 6809 Ohio Avenue, Saint Albans, WV 25177; 6817 1/2 Sissonville Drive, Sissonville, WV 25320; and Quincy, 2700 East Dupont Avenue, Belle, WV 25015.
• West Virginia State University Police, Institute, 304-766-3181
• Yeager Airport Police, 304-344-0200
• West Virginia State Police, Quincy detachment, 2700 E. DuPont Avenue, Belle, WV 25015, 304-949-3136
• West Virginia State Police, South Charleston detachment, 711 Jefferson Road, South Charleston, WV 25309, 304-558-7777
• West Virginia Turnpike patrol, State Police Troop 7 Charleston South, 304-926-1916