People arrested in Columbia County are held at the Columbia County Jail, 403 Jackson Street, Portage, WI 53901. Sheriff's Office staff operate it. Type the name into Columbia County Inmate Search to see whether the booking is there and what the bail is.

The large prison complex in Portage, Columbia Correctional Institution, belongs to the state. It is a separate place from the county jail. If the lookup shows nothing, call the county jail at 608-742-6476.

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Columbia County Inmate Search shows the charge and the bail once a judge has set it. Until the first court appearance there may be no number yet. Money bail is only one kind of release in Wisconsin, so a blank can also mean the person will be freed without paying.

If the entry confuses you, call the Sheriff's Office at 608-742-4166 with the full name and birth date.

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Wisconsin law allows an officer to take bail only at a sheriff's office or police station, so the jail desk and the Sheriff's Office are where officers take it. Call the jail at 608-742-6476 before you go to find out when the desk can take your payment and what it accepts.

Bail deposits end up with the Clerk of Circuit Court at the courthouse, 400 DeWitt Street, and state law lets a clerk accept a card. Ask at 608-742-9642 whether that office takes payments directly. An officer who takes bail must give you a numbered receipt. Keep it.

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The judge may allow cash, called a cash deposit in lieu of sureties. A clerk may accept a credit or debit card instead of cash. The judge may also accept a surety, who is a person promising to cover the bond.

No law lets a private company hold your money for a fee. Be careful with anyone who contacts you offering to "handle" a Portage bond. Real payment goes through the jail or the court.

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Wisconsin does not allow commercial bonding. Wis. Stat. 969.12 says a surety must be a natural person who lives in Wisconsin, and that no surety may be paid for acting as one.

That means no ten percent fee, no storefront office near the courthouse, and nobody to call at night. The family either posts the cash the judge ordered or asks the judge to accept an unpaid surety.

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The person must be brought before a judge within a reasonable time under Wis. Stat. 970.01. Court decisions set 48 hours as the limit for a judge to decide whether there was probable cause after an arrest without a warrant.

The hearing may happen by live video. Ask the Clerk at 608-742-9642 for the date and courtroom.

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For a misdemeanor, the judge can send the person home on a signed promise to return. An unsecured appearance bond is the same idea with a stated dollar amount, owed only if the person breaks the terms.

Nothing is paid up front. A few Wisconsin court offices call this a signature bond. The statute does not use that name, but the effect is the same.

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The judge must first find that money bail is needed to make sure the person comes to court, or, if the charge is a violent crime, that bail is needed under all the circumstances. Then the judge looks at ability to pay, the seriousness of the charge, prior convictions, health, residence, the strength of the evidence, and any open cases.

The law also states a policy against holding people before trial when it is not needed.

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Yes. For any misdemeanor the bail cannot be higher than the top fine for that crime. The Judicial Conference publishes a Uniform Misdemeanor Bail Schedule each year, and it is available at wicourts.gov.

Felonies have no statewide price list. The judge decides each case on its own facts.

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The Sheriff's Office runs a Huber Center for sentenced inmates who are allowed to leave for work. Under Wis. Stat. 303.08, a court may grant Huber so a person can hold a job, attend school or treatment, or care for family during a jail sentence.

Huber is not bail. Someone who is stuck in jail because bail is unpaid is not in the Huber program.

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Officers must make an arrest when the facts show a domestic abuse crime, and under Wis. Stat. 968.075 they may not let the person go until bail is posted or a judge has seen the case.

For 72 hours after the arrest the person must stay away from the victim's home and may not contact the victim, directly or through others. An intentional violation can mean a fine up to $10,000 and up to nine months in jail.

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Yes. A hold placed by a probation or parole agent is not a new arrest, and the 48-hour rule does not apply to it. Posting money bail on a new charge does not end the hold.

The defense lawyer is the right person to ask how the agent and the court will handle the hold.

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Only through a special hearing. Under Wis. Stat. 969.035, the District Attorney can ask to hold a person charged with certain serious crimes. The hearing must begin within 10 days, and the state must show by clear and convincing evidence that no release terms can protect the community.

If the judge agrees, release can be denied for up to 60 days after the hearing.

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Wis. Stat. 969.11 says the person is taken before a judge in the county where they were arrested to set release terms, or is returned to Columbia County. Ask the arresting agency where the person is and what jail will hold them.

Then call the Clerk at 608-742-9642 to learn which court has the case.

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A youth's case runs through juvenile court at the courthouse. The Clerk of Circuit Court at 608-742-9642 can tell you where the young person is being held and when the detention hearing is set.

The adult lookup, Columbia County Inmate Search, may not show a child.

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The State Public Defender's Portage office, 2520 W Wisconsin Street, Suite 105, serves Columbia County at 608-581-7770. Tell the judge at the first hearing that you want a public defender.

A lawyer can ask the judge to lower bail. A jailed defendant who still cannot meet the conditions 72 hours after the initial appearance can also ask the judge to review them.

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If the complaint is dismissed or the person is found not guilty, the deposit goes back to the person who made it. After a conviction, restitution and the judgment come out first.

If the person fails to appear, the court can order a forfeiture. Judgment on the deposit may follow if there is no appearance within 30 days of the notice. Failing to appear on purpose can also bring a separate criminal charge. Report any address change to the Clerk in writing within 48 hours.

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