The county's VINE page steers families to the statewide VINE system, run with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. Using it costs nothing, and nobody asks who you are. Try this:

1. Go to Wisconsin VINELink from a phone, tablet or laptop.
2. Key in both names exactly as a license would show them.
3. Pick the record tied to the Stevens Point jail. It shows the custody status.
4. Without internet, dial VINE at 888-944-8463. The voice menu speaks English, Spanish and Hmong.
5. To be certain, phone the jail at 715-346-1259 with the birth date handy.

Each person also gets a PIN at booking for canteen orders. You don't need that PIN to look someone up.

An empty search can have several causes:

• Paperwork in progress. Fingerprinting and photos happen before the record goes live.
• Already home. The person may have signed a bond or had cash bail paid.
• Picked up by another agency. A hold from elsewhere keeps someone here until that agency collects them. Afterward the person could be in a different county jail, in state hands or in a federal hold.
• Spelled another way. Try a short form of the first name, the middle name, or a surname from before a marriage.
• Younger than 17. Police records about youths are not public.

One call to the jail at 715-346-1259 usually clears it up. The Sheriff's Office main line is 715-346-1400.

Adults are kept in one jail, split into parts with different uses:

• Main jail. The Stevens Point jail, 1500 Strongs Avenue, Stevens Point, WI 54481, 715-346-1259, takes adults right after arrest, people waiting on their case and people serving county time. The Sheriff's Corrections Division runs it.
• Huber cell block. This unit inside the same jail is for sentenced people who leave each day for a job, classes, treatment or probation meetings. It runs on its own daily schedule.
• Electronic Monitoring Program. This is a program, not a building. Some sentenced people, and a small number waiting for trial, stay home wearing a GPS device. Its office number is 715-346-1262.

Youths under 17 have a separate place:

• Juvenile Detention Center. The county's youth detention center shares the building at 1500 Strongs Avenue, Stevens Point, WI 54481, 715-346-1263. Its 14 beds are for secure custody of kids, mostly ages 10 to 16.

An arrest close to a county border can land someone in a nearby jail:

• Marathon County Jail, 500 Forest Street, Wausau, WI 54403, 715-261-1700
• Adams County Jail, 401 Adams Street, Friendship, WI 53934, 608-339-4239

The VINE search is meant for custody status. For mugshots, know that booking photos fall under the state's public records law, sections 19.31 through 19.39, so a request goes to the Sheriff's Office. Phone 715-346-1400 to ask. Wisconsin's Justice Department explains that public records are presumed open, and nobody must explain who they are or why they're asking. The records custodian still weighs each request, and police records about youths are kept closed.

• Reporters send photo requests to that same office.
• Federal agencies keep most of their photos private. The U.S. Marshals Service may put one out, for instance when hunting a fugitive.
• For a photo from an ICE booking, file on the agency's records request page.

VINE can tell you. It reports whether a person sits in a Wisconsin county jail and sends notices when that status changes. Signing up is open to everyone, not only victims.

• Enroll on VINELink or at 888-944-8463.
• You choose how notices arrive: phone, text message or email. Voice alerts redial for as long as 48 hours, or stop once your chosen PIN is entered.
• According to the county's VINE page, the system follows release and custody changes for Wisconsin jails.

Notices can lag, so if you plan to meet someone at release, check with the jail at 715-346-1259. People are let go as staffing allows once the first court hearing is over. DOC Notis is a separate service for registered victims and tracks state prison, not county jails.

Release is set at the first court hearing, the initial appearance, held at the courthouse, 1516 Church Street, Stevens Point, WI 54481. Often a screen links the courtroom and the jail. In Wisconsin, going home is the starting point:

• Signature bond. The person signs and leaves. Nothing is paid unless a hearing is missed or a rule is broken.
• Cash bail. Money bail is allowed only when needed to assure a return to court. Violent charges let the judge weigh the full set of facts, such as earlier violent convictions.
• No bondsmen. Paid bail bonding is outlawed in this state (Wis. Stat. 969.12). Whoever pays puts up the whole sum and should keep the receipt.
• Paying. State law limits where officers take bail to sheriff's offices and police stations, with a numbered receipt. The Clerk of Circuit Court can accept it too. Ask the Clerk at 715-346-1364 which payment types work.
• Bail can be applied to debts. After a conviction, the court may use the deposit for fines, costs and restitution, whoever posted it.
• A second look. Someone who can't meet the terms and sits in jail for 72 hours past the first appearance gets the conditions reviewed by the judge.

Questions about pretrial supervision go to Justice Programs at 715-346-1342. Our bail page goes deeper, and our Wisconsin bail laws summary lists the state rules.

Charges appear on Wisconsin Circuit Court Access once the District Attorney's complaint is filed. A name search there is free. Each record lists the counts, hearing dates and where the case stands. Keep in mind it covers court files and won't confirm custody.

Charging calls are made by the District Attorney's Office, 1516 Church Street, Stevens Point, WI 54481, 715-346-1300. The Clerk of Circuit Court keeps the case file in the same building, 715-346-1364. Until a case is filed, jail staff at 715-346-1259 can share the booking charge.

A judge covers legal help at the initial appearance. When cost is a barrier, the person applies to the State Public Defender. The Stevens Point branch, which also serves Waupaca County, is at 1265 Main Street, Suite 201, Stevens Point, WI 54481, 715-345-5382.

• Adults with a misdemeanor or felony case qualify if they pass its financial test.
• An application takes roughly 15 minutes. The application steps explain what to bring.
• A denial isn't the end. Ask the court about a lawyer that county funds pay for.

Attorneys, counselors and probation agents may visit Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. These meetings happen through glass with a pass-through for papers, and attorney visits aren't recorded.

In-person visits ended, and every family visit now happens on video. You can log in from home or use a booth at the jail.

• Home visits. Reliance Telephone, the company the county names, books and bills them on its website.
• Jail booths. Two free booths sit at 1500 Strongs Avenue, Stevens Point, WI 54481. The county's visiting page gives each person held one free booth visit a week. Slots run 8:00 to 11:00 a.m., noon to 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.
• Book a day ahead online or through the jail line, 715-346-1259.
• Show a valid government photo ID. Phones, gadgets and backpacks stay in the car.
• The booths close on legal holidays. Staff may cancel any visit with no notice.
• Family visits are recorded and monitored. Dress modestly, keep the screen clean and follow every no-contact order.

Our visiting guide adds general tips.

Account money buys canteen items and helps pay for calls and messages. Families have two options:

• Stellar Teller kiosk. This machine stands in the Law Enforcement Center, 1500 Strongs Avenue, Stevens Point, WI 54481, near the jail entrance. A cash deposit carries a $3.00 fee. A Mastercard or Visa deposit carries a fee of 10% of the amount.
• Website. The county names Jail ATM for online deposits.

The county's own pages give mixed answers on mailed checks and money orders, so phone 715-346-1259 first. From visitors, the jail takes only cash deposits and prescription medicine.

Watch for charges. People serving a sentence owe $22 per day. Medical costs are billed to the account, and while it sits below zero, half of every deposit pays that down. Our money guide and commissary guide cover deposits and canteen shopping.

Phones are mounted in the dayrooms, and some people are handed a personal device. The county names Reliance Telephone as the provider for calls and texts.

• Calls go out collect or on minutes bought through Reliance's site.
• Texting and video calls run on a Reliance "Wallet" account that outside contacts fill.
• Staff record calls and can listen in.
• When a number gets blocked, jail officers don't know the reason and won't undo it.

Hold all case talk for private meetings with defense counsel. Our jail phone guide and our texting and messaging guide have more.

Starting April 1, 2026, personal mail stopped going to Strongs Avenue. Reliance opens it, scans it for reading on a screen, and shreds the original. Address envelopes in four lines:

1. Portage County Jail - WI
2. Inmate [Full Name]
3. Street line: 1533 S 42nd Street - Suite 200
4. City line: Grand Forks, ND 58201

• Skip any ID number. The full legal name is enough.
• Both the sender's and the receiver's full names and addresses go on the envelope, and it must carry a valid postmark.
• Send letters, greeting cards, photos and hand-colored drawings.
• Paper size tops out at 8.5 x 14 inches. Leave out staples and stop at 15 sheets per day.
• Books, magazines and internet printouts are refused.

Privileged legal mail is the only kind still delivered to the jail itself, and lawyers can confirm the steps at 715-346-1259. Our mail guide explains general mail rules.

Belongings are bagged at booking and held. Staff choose what can be handed to someone outside. Clothes are released only when the person is going to prison.

• For a prison-bound person, family gets 30 days to claim the property with a property release form.
• Things left after someone goes free are kept for 30 days and then discarded.
• At release, the jail pays out any account balance by check or debit card.

Phone 715-346-1259 before driving to the Law Enforcement Center, 1500 Strongs Avenue, Stevens Point, WI 54481, and carry photo ID.

Under the state's jail standards, the Sheriff must supply medical, mental health and emergency dental treatment. Lack of money can't stop anyone from being treated. Within two weeks of arrival, each person has a health screening. Inside this jail:

• Requests go in as a sick call slip on the kiosk in the cell. Each block has an emergency intercom.
• A nurse is on site Monday to Friday, and a doctor visits weekly. Co-pays are $5 to see the nurse and $10 to see the doctor.
• Medications go out near 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.
• A full-time social worker and a part-time psychiatrist cover mental health needs.

Prescription medicine can be dropped off any time. To raise a health worry, call 715-346-1259 and describe it clearly. People held can also file a grievance and appeal the answer.

Countywide, Sheriff's deputies serve warrants, and the office answers warrant questions at 715-346-1400. Open the Sheriff's Active Warrant List or the warrant information page. The list is refreshed roughly every two weeks, so a warrant paid off lately may linger. Search the case on Wisconsin Circuit Court Access to spot a missed hearing. A lawyer can walk in with the person to surrender at the jail, 1500 Strongs Avenue, Stevens Point, WI 54481, 715-346-1259, or call the court to set a fresh date. If the warrant is over an unpaid fine, the state court online payment page takes payment. The Clerk of Circuit Court sits at 1516 Church Street, Stevens Point, WI 54481, 715-346-1364.

Circuit court handles every criminal case, misdemeanor or felony, at the courthouse, 1516 Church Street, Stevens Point, WI 54481. Ways to get the date:

• Run a name search on Wisconsin Circuit Court Access. Public computers at the courthouse run it too.
• Ring the Clerk of Circuit Court at 715-346-1364.
• Check with the defense lawyer.

City and village ordinance tickets from Stevens Point and Plover belong to the joint municipal court, 1515 Strongs Avenue, Stevens Point, WI 54481, 715-342-4054. Court Services deputies move jailed people to court and answer at 715-346-1270. Our court guide traces a criminal case hearing by hearing.

A federal charge filed anywhere in this county lands in the Western District of Wisconsin, based in Madison. Reach the clerk by phone or in person: Robert W. Kastenmeier U.S. Courthouse, 120 N. Henry St., Room 320, Madison, WI 53703, 608-264-5156.

1. Near the start, a detention hearing settles jail versus home while the case is pending (18 U.S.C. 3142).
2. Until trial, custody rests with the U.S. Marshals Service, which often places people in county jails that take federal detainees. Its office is at 120 N. Henry St., Suite 440, Madison, WI 53703, 608-661-8300.
3. Federal Defender Services of Wisconsin may represent people who can't afford counsel: 22 East Mifflin Street, Suite 1000, Madison, WI 53703, 608-260-9900.
4. After sentencing, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator. FCI Oxford is the one Bureau of Prisons site inside Wisconsin.

Immigration holds follow a common pattern:

1. ICE opens the process by lodging Form I-247A, its detainer, with Corrections staff on Strongs Avenue.
2. That request seeks a hold of up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. ICE officers collect the person. The ICE Chicago Field Office oversees Wisconsin from 101 W. Ida B. Wells Dr., Suite 4000, Chicago, IL 60605, 872-351-3990. Among Wisconsin sites, ICE detainees have been kept at the Dodge County Jail, 216 W. Center Street, Juneau, WI 53039, 920-386-3734.
4. To find someone ICE holds, try the ICE Online Detainee Locator. Search with an A-number, or use the full name along with birth country.

Ask the Sheriff's Office at 715-346-1400 about its practice on these holds. ICE's Milwaukee check-in office is at 310 E. Knapp St., Milwaukee, WI 53202, 414-792-7198.

With a prison term, custody passes from the Sheriff to the state Department of Corrections. The first stop is intake. Testing and sorting there generally take 8 to 12 weeks. Once a bed is open at a fitting prison, the person is moved there. At the men's intake prison, the first three days are closed to visits.

• The Department of Corrections runs an inmate and offender lookup that names the state facility holding someone.
• For felonies committed since Dec. 31, 1999, a sentence has two pieces: confinement in prison, then extended supervision out in the community. There is no parole on these sentences.
• Check our Wisconsin state prisons guide for each site's rules on visits and letters.

For criminal court, adulthood in this state begins at 17. That means 17-year-olds can be held with grown-ups at the Strongs Avenue jail. For younger kids, juvenile intake runs through Health & Human Services, 817 Whiting Ave, Stevens Point, WI 54481, 715-345-5350. An intake worker must meet a child in person before locking them up, apart from a few exceptions.

Kids held in secure custody stay at the county's own Juvenile Detention Center, 1500 Strongs Avenue, Stevens Point, WI 54481, 715-346-1263. It has room for 14, mostly ages 10 to 16, plus some 17-year-olds. By the county's account, no detention center in Wisconsin is smaller.

Any youth kept locked up gets a court hearing within 24 hours once the day of that decision ends, leaving out Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays. Juvenile records stay private. The gravest youth sentences go to Lincoln Hills School for boys or Copper Lake School for girls.

Roughly 72,569 people lived here on Jan. 1, 2025, by the Wisconsin Department of Administration's count. Agencies that arrest people here:

• Sheriff's Office, Law Enforcement Center, 1500 Strongs Avenue, Stevens Point, WI 54481, 715-346-1400. The county directory lists police departments only for Stevens Point and Plover, so call here to learn who covers the other villages and the towns.
• Stevens Point Police Department, 1515 Strongs Ave, Stevens Point, WI 54481, 715-346-1500 (non-emergency)
• Plover Police Department, P.O. Box 37, Plover, WI 54467, 715-345-5255
• Village of Whiting, 3600 Water St, Stevens Point, WI 54481, 715-341-2742. Village staff can say which officers handle calls there.
• UW-Stevens Point University Police, 1925 Maria Drive, Stevens Point, WI 54481, 715-346-3456
• Wisconsin State Patrol, Wausau Post, in Wausau, 715-845-1143. This post's troopers patrol the county's highways.