Five quick steps, done from any phone or laptop:

1. Go to Wisconsin VINE. If you'd rather talk, its free line is 888-944-8463. Help comes in English, Spanish or Hmong, and you can stay anonymous.
2. Enter the legal first and last name, not a nickname.
3. Match the record to the right age or birthday, since common names repeat.
4. Note the custody status, the facility shown and any number tied to the record.
5. Ring the jail at 715-748-1431 to double-check and to ask about bail.

An empty VINE result does not mean the person is free. Jail staff in Medford have the final word.

A blank result usually comes from one of these:

• Booking isn't finished. Prints, photos and forms can take hours.
• Released already. A judge may have accepted a signed promise to come back, or family paid the cash bail.
• Moved. They could already be in a neighboring county's jail, at state prison intake, or held for federal agents.
• Spelling. Search again using the middle name, a former surname, or a second way to spell it.
• Age. Youths younger than 17 are handled by juvenile intake instead of the Medford jail. From 17 on, a criminal charge puts someone in the adult system.

The jail line is 715-748-1431. The Sheriff's main number is 715-748-2200, and callers outside the area can use 800-343-2201 for free.

Medford is home to the county's one adult jail:

• Taylor County Jail, 224 South Second Street, Medford, WI 54451, 715-748-1431. At a January 2022 county meeting, the Sheriff said it was certified for 92 people. Call to learn how men, women and other groups are housed.
• Huber release. The county code sets a daily board charge for people let out on Huber. Ask jail staff where Huber inmates stay overnight and what rules apply.

Medford has taken in prisoners from other counties too. In 2022 most came from Marathon, plus a few from Price. If the arrest happened outside this county, try the neighbors:

• Clark County Jail, 517 Court Street, Neillsville, WI 54456, 715-743-5380
• Marathon County Jail, 500 Forest Street, Wausau, WI 54403, 715-261-1700
• Price County Jail, 164 Cherry Street, Phillips, WI 54555, 715-339-4116
• Rusk County Jail, 311 Miner Avenue East, Suite L100, Ladysmith, WI 54848, 715-532-2200
• Chippewa County Jail, 50 East Spruce Street, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729, 715-726-7704 (ask for the jail)

VINE is built to report custody, not to show pictures. To get mugshots, phone the Sheriff's Office at 715-748-2200 and ask who handles booking photo requests. Requests fall under the public records statutes, 19.31 through 19.39, and anyone may ask for a booking photo. A guide from the state Justice Department says records are presumed open. Nobody has to explain why they want one or say who they are. Staff decide case by case whether to release a given photo. Juvenile police records stay sealed from the public.

• News outlets may file the same kind of request with the Sheriff.
• Photos ICE took are requested through its records request form.
• Federal agencies rarely release booking photos. The U.S. Marshals Service may put one out now and then, such as when it wants help locating a fugitive.

It may, if the Medford jail takes part. The state's Office of Victim Services and Programs runs WI VINE County Jails along with local law agencies. You can use it two ways:

• Look up status. No account is needed to check, online or by phone, whether a person is being held in a Wisconsin county jail.
• Sign up for notices. Give a phone number or email, and VINE reaches out when custody changes. A voice notice repeats for up to two days unless you key in the PIN you chose.

Register on the VINE site or at 888-944-8463. It's smart to also ring 715-748-1431 and ask if the Medford jail feeds its data to VINE. After a move to state prison, a different system called DOC Notis takes over, and it serves enrolled victims only.

A judge settles release at the first appearance, often held by video link from the jail. Under Wisconsin law, going home is the starting point:

• Lots of people leave on an unsecured bond. They sign a promise, and money is due only if they skip a hearing.
• A judge may require cash only when it is needed to bring the defendant back for court. For violent crimes, since voters amended the state constitution in April 2023, the judge may weigh the full situation, like earlier violent convictions and community safety.
• Paid bondsmen are banned in Wisconsin (statute 969.12), so the family puts up every dollar of cash bail on its own.
• Cash goes to the Sheriff's Office at 715-748-2200 or to the Clerk of Circuit Court, 224 South Second Street, Medford, WI 54451, 715-748-1425. Ask which forms of payment are accepted. Keep your numbered receipt somewhere safe.
• After a conviction, the deposit can go toward fines, court costs and restitution, even if the money came from a parent or friend. Whoever posts it gets written notice of this.
• A judge must take a second look at the conditions when someone has sat in jail for 72 hours after that first hearing, unable to meet them.

The bail page for Medford goes deeper, and a Wisconsin bail law overview covers the state rules.

Jail staff can share the booking charge when you call. After the prosecutor files, type the person's name into Wisconsin Circuit Court Access. That free state site lists each count, upcoming hearings and where the case stands. Public computers at every courthouse run it as well.

At the initial appearance, the judge reads each charge out loud and the defendant leaves with the complaint on paper. For help, call the Clerk of Circuit Court at 715-748-1425 or stop by 224 South Second Street, Medford, WI 54451.

Misdemeanors here come in three levels, each with a cap: Class A, 9 months in jail and a $10,000 fine; Class B, 90 days and $1,000; Class C, 30 days and $500.

At that first hearing, the judge explains that the defendant may have a lawyer. Anyone short on money for a lawyer is referred to the State Public Defender. Its Merrill office takes cases from Medford:

• State Public Defender, 807 East First Street, Merrill, WI 54452, 715-536-9105
• It defends adults charged with misdemeanors or felonies when their income and assets fall under its limits. Applying usually takes about a quarter of an hour.
• Denied by the defender's office? The court can still appoint a county-paid lawyer, so bring it up in court.

Families may also retain a private attorney. State standards let lawyers see clients at reasonable hours.

Every Wisconsin jail writes its own visiting plan. Save yourself a wasted drive by phoning 715-748-1431 first. Questions worth asking:

• What is the weekly visiting schedule for family?
• Is a sign-up needed, and how far ahead?
• What photo ID is required, and can kids visit?
• Are video visits possible from your own device or a lobby station, and do they cost money?
• What clothing is off limits, and where do phones and bags go?

A lockdown or staff shortage can cancel visits. Our visitation page shares more tips.

An inmate account covers snacks, hygiene items, writing paper, stamps and calls. Ring 715-748-1431 to learn the deposit choices offered today, like a website, a kiosk in the lobby, or a mailed money order. Ask what fees and limits apply, and have the legal name handy.

Don't send bills or coins through the mail. Read the money page for deposit options and the commissary page for the store items.

County committee minutes show the jail budgets commission money from inmate calls, so calls run through a paid phone vendor. Call 715-748-1431 to get the vendor's name, account steps and rates. Ask too about tablets, text-style messages and email.

Assume regular calls may be recorded, and leave details of the case for the defense lawyer. For more, read our pages on calls from inmates and emailing someone in jail.

The jail stands at 224 South Second Street, Medford, WI 54451. Before mailing, phone 715-748-1431 to get the exact format. Ask whether a booking number should appear under the name. Also ask about photos, cards and books before you buy any.

Under state rules, staff may look through ordinary letters and read them. Legal mail gets only a quick inspection. Print the legal name clearly, include where the letter came from, and leave money out. The mail page has general rules.

Whatever the person carried at booking is held by the jail. Phone 715-748-1431 before heading over. Ask for pickup hours, ask whether the person in custody must authorize you in writing, and ask which ID to carry. Items are released at 224 South Second Street, Medford, WI 54451.

Leftover account money is handled apart from property. Ask how it is refunded at release.

Under Wisconsin's jail code, the Sheriff must provide treatment for physical and mental illness, plus emergency dental work. Nobody goes without treatment just because they can't pay. Each new inmate has a health appraisal within 14 days, unless one was done in the prior 90 days.

Worried about someone? Call 715-748-1431 and share the medicine names and amounts and the prescriber's phone number. Tell staff right away about suicide risk or any other mental health emergency.

All Wisconsin jails need a written grievance process with an appeal. The state Office of Detention Facilities checks each jail yearly. Reach it at 3099 East Washington Avenue, Madison, WI 53704, 608-240-5000.

Begin with the Sheriff's Office at 715-748-2200. Ask whether a warrant is active anywhere in the county. Next, look the person up on Wisconsin Circuit Court Access, where a case search can reveal a missed court date. To settle the warrant, hire or reach a lawyer first; the two of you can then go to the jail together. The clerk can also explain how to get a new court date. The jail and the Clerk of Circuit Court sit at the same address, 224 South Second Street, Medford, WI 54451. The clerk's number is 715-748-1425.

Hearing dates appear on Wisconsin Circuit Court Access. The Clerk of Circuit Court can also tell you by phone at 715-748-1425, or in person at 224 South Second Street, Medford, WI 54451. All crimes, from small misdemeanors to serious felonies, belong to circuit court.

• Under state law, a person held in jail must be taken to a judge in a reasonable time. If the arrest came without a warrant, the probable cause ruling generally has to happen inside two days.
• A felony case has a preliminary hearing. If bail over $500 keeps the person in jail, it comes within 10 days. If they are out, it comes within 20 days.

The court page walks through a case from charge to verdict.

Medford sits inside the Western District of Wisconsin for federal cases. Clerk of court for the district: Robert W. Kastenmeier U.S. Courthouse at 120 North Henry Street, Room 320, Madison, WI 53703, 608-264-5156. Court is also held in Wausau, Eau Claire, La Crosse and Superior.

1. A detention hearing under 18 U.S.C. 3142 comes early. The judge decides between jail and release while the case moves forward.
2. Federal detainees are in the Marshals' hands before trial, and many stay in county jails that take federal prisoners. The Madison office of the U.S. Marshals Service can say where: 120 North Henry Street, Suite 440, Madison, WI 53703, 608-661-8300.
3. Federal Defender Services of Wisconsin offers appointed counsel from 22 East Mifflin Street, Suite 1000, Madison, WI 53703, 608-260-9900.
4. After federal sentencing, check where they will serve time with the federal locator run by the Bureau of Prisons.

Expect these steps when ICE gets involved:

1. A detainer arrives at the Medford jail from ICE. The form number is I-247A.
2. Under 8 CFR 287.7(d), the detainer is a request to hold them up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released.
3. Next, ICE officers pick the person up. Wisconsin cases are run from the Chicago Field Office: 101 West Ida B. Wells Drive, Suite 4000, Chicago, IL 60605, 872-351-3990.
4. Within the state, ICE uses the Dodge County Jail, 216 West Center Street, Juneau, WI 53039, 920-386-3734.
5. Search the ICE Online Detainee Locator. If nothing turns up, call Chicago.

To learn how the Medford jail responds to these requests, call the Sheriff's Office at 715-748-2200.

Once the judge orders prison time, Wisconsin's Department of Corrections takes over:

• First comes intake, a testing and sorting period of roughly 8 to 12 weeks. Next, the person is sent to a prison suited to them.
• During intake at the main men's site, visits are barred for the first 3 days.
• For felonies from Dec. 31, 1999, onward, a sentence has two halves: time locked up, followed by extended supervision back home. These sentences carry no parole.

Use the state's DOC offender lookup to find their prison. For prison visits, mail and deposits, see our Wisconsin state prisons page.

Wisconsin law counts a criminal suspect who is 17 as an adult, so booking happens at the Medford jail. Those 16 or younger are screened by juvenile intake.

• Phone Human Services at the Human Services Center, 540 East College Avenue, Medford, WI 54451, 715-748-3332, and ask how to reach juvenile intake.
• Intake workers are on call 24/7 by law. Before a youth is locked in detention, one of them must interview the child in person, with very few exceptions.
• Detention may be in another county's youth center; ask intake which one.
• A detained youth must get a hearing quickly. The 24-hour clock starts at the end of the day the hold is ordered, and it pauses for weekends and legal holidays.

For the gravest youth sentences, the state uses Lincoln Hills School for boys and Copper Lake School for girls.

Roughly 20,193 people lived in the county on Jan. 1, 2025, per the state Department of Administration estimate. Agencies that arrest people here:

• Sheriff's Office, 224 South Second Street, Medford, WI 54451, 715-748-2200. Dispatch for Medford police goes through this number.
• Medford Police Department, 224 South Second Street, Medford, WI 54451, office 715-748-1447
• Gilman Police Department, 115 West Davlin Street, Gilman, WI 54433, 715-447-5700
• Rib Lake, Lublin, Stetsonville and the towns. Ask the Sheriff's Office (number at the top of this list) which agency handled the arrest.
• Wisconsin State Patrol Spooner Post, 715-635-2141. Its office: W7102 Green Valley Road, Spooner, WI 54801. This post patrols the county.