1. Call the Detention Center at 307-864-3951. Ask whether the person is in custody, what the charge is and whether bail is set.
2. Spell the first and last name slowly, and give the birthday so staff find the right person.
3. Prefer to look it up yourself? The VINE search takes a first and last name.
4. If staff say the person isn't there, ask whether they were released or moved, and to where.

State law allows county jails to give out a person's name, photo, location and expected release date (W.S. 7-19-106(m)). Asking by phone is normal.

Several things can explain it:

• Booking isn't finished. Paperwork, prints and photos take time. Call back in a few hours.
• They were let go. People sometimes leave on a ticket, a signed promise or a paid bond before family hears anything.
• A different jail holds them. A trooper, a federal officer or a nearby county may have made the arrest.
• The name is spelled differently in the booking record.

Town police and deputies both book people into this one jail. If you need to know which agency made the arrest, the Thermopolis Police Department's dispatch answers at 307-864-3114 at any hour. After the lobby closes, use the phone by the glass doors to the left of the main entrance.

The county runs a single adult jail on Arapahoe Street. Someone wanted elsewhere, or picked up while traveling, may be at a neighboring county's jail:

• Washakie County Detention Center, 100 North 10th Street, Worland, WY 82401, 307-347-4581.
• Fremont County Detention Center, 460 Railroad Street, Lander, WY 82520, 307-332-1858.
• Big Horn County Detention Center, 415 Murphy St., Basin, WY 82410, 307-568-9311.
• Park County Detention Center, 1402 River View Drive, Cody, WY 82414, 307-527-8750.

Out-of-county judges sometimes set bond over video for someone held on Arapahoe Street. Relatives then have one day to pay before a transfer can happen (W.R.Cr.P. 46.1(g)).

Staff snap a mugshot during booking. State law allows a jail to share that picture, though it isn't forced to (W.S. 7-19-106(m)). Deputies at 307-864-2622 can say whether you may get a copy.

Other agencies keep their own photos. The state prison system's public information office handles prison photo requests at 307-777-5889. ICE records are requested with the ICE request form.

Wyoming's VINE service sends free custody alerts by phone, text or email when a person is released or moved. Search for the person on VINE and sign up, or call 866-994-8463. If the person doesn't show up there, ask the Detention Center at 307-864-3951 when they expect a release.

Judges set the bail. Some people must see a judge before they can leave. Many small misdemeanors have set amounts on Wyoming's statewide schedule, while felony bail is decided by the judge.

The jail takes bail in person by cash, credit card or debit card. It can also be paid online through the county's payment service, using the code A0055F, or by phone at 888-604-7888. A surety bond has to go through a registered bondsperson. Our bail guide goes step by step.

Detention staff can usually give the booking charge by phone. The charge filed in court is the official one, and it may differ. For misdemeanors and new felony cases, ask the Circuit Court at 417 Arapahoe Street, Thermopolis, WY 82443, 307-864-5161. Felonies that move up go to the District Court next door, 415 Arapahoe Street, Thermopolis, WY 82443, 307-864-3323. A District Court record search costs $10 per name.

Yes, when they can't afford one. The judge asks about money at the first hearing. Someone held in jail with no funds, or someone getting public help like Medicaid, is presumed to qualify (W.S. 7-6-106). For the defender assigned to cases here, contact the state office: 316 West 22nd Street, Cheyenne, WY 82002, 307-777-7519. Families may hire a private lawyer instead at any time.

All visits happen by video now. In-person visits have ended.

• When: Wednesday 6 to 9 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m.
• Where: free video kiosks in the Circuit Court lobby, first come, first served.
• How long: one 15-minute visit, up to twice a week. If you drove over 60 miles one way that day, ask staff ahead of time about a 30-minute visit once a week.
• ID: adults need a government photo ID with their full name and birthday. Kids need a birth certificate and must come with a parent or guardian.

People on bond, probation or parole can't visit, and neither can anyone who has been drinking or using drugs. Paid video visits from home are also possible through the jail's communication service. See our visiting guide for more.

• Online: through the jail's online deposit service.
• Kiosk: the machine in the building's lobby takes bills or plastic.
• Postal mail: use a money order or a bank check. Make it out to the Detention Center. Write the inmate's name on the memo line.

No personal checks. See our money deposit page for details and the commissary page for store items.

Phone time, messages and video visits from home are all bought through the jail's communication service. Ask the Detention Center at 307-864-3951 how to set up an account. Expect every call to be recorded, apart from properly arranged lawyer calls. Never discuss the case. For setup tips, read our phone guide or our messaging guide.

Address letters to the inmate's full legal name, Hot Springs County Detention Center, 417 Arapahoe Street, Thermopolis, WY 82443. The envelope also needs the sender's full name and return address. Staff open every letter to look for contraband.

• Inmates buy stamps, envelopes and paper from commissary, so don't send those.
• Only mail a book if it's about the inmate's religion.
• Greeting cards, magazines, newspaper clippings, stickers, glitter, perfume, gel pen or marker writing and coins are all returned.

More tips are in our mail guide.

Belongings are stored at booking. With the inmate's written okay, a family member can collect them Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. If the person is moved to another facility, their property is kept for 30 days. After that, it counts as abandoned and may be destroyed. You can't drop off items without approval from the Detention Center Administrator. Call 307-864-3951 before you come.

Jails have to provide medical care. For a prescription, a chronic illness or an injury from the arrest, call the Detention Center at 307-864-3951 soon. Have the medicine names, doses and their doctor's number ready. Ask how the jail handles prescriptions. If a concern isn't handled, reach the Sheriff's Office at 307-864-2622.

Warrants here are served by county deputies and the town's officers. Phone the Sheriff's Office at 307-864-2622 to learn if one is active. Since the state has no single warrant database, court clerks also check names when you call. Walking in with a defense lawyer is the safest way to clear a warrant. Some people ask the clerk for a fresh hearing date instead. The District Court clerk is at 415 Arapahoe Street, Thermopolis, WY 82443, 307-864-3323.

Check the release papers first. If you can't find it there, call the court clerk:

• Circuit Court, for misdemeanors and early felony hearings: 307-864-5161.
• District Court, for felonies after bind-over: the clerk also posts a calendar on the county's website.
• Town court, for town tickets: 307-864-3838.

Our court guide explains each stage.

Federal cases are handled by the U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming. The Casper office is at 111 South Wolcott, Room 121, Casper, WY 82601, 307-232-2620. Pretrial release or custody gets settled at a federal detention hearing (18 U.S.C. 3142).

Until sentencing, federal prisoners stay under U.S. Marshals custody. The Marshals' Casper office is in the same building, Room 138, at 307-261-5411. Once a federal sentence begins, the Bureau of Prisons locator shows the prison.

1. Immigration agents file an I-247A detainer at the front desk.
2. The jail may hold them up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Agents collect the person for federal immigration custody.
4. Look them up in the ICE Online Detainee Locator using their A-number or exact name, plus their country of birth.

This county is covered by ICE's Casper office, 150 E. B Street, Room 1014, Casper, WY 82601, 307-261-6590. If the locator shows nothing, try the Denver Field Office at 720-873-2899.

A felony prison sentence means the person leaves the county jail for the Wyoming Department of Corrections. New male prisoners start at the Wyoming Medium Correctional Institution, the intake center. Use the WDOC locator with a last name or offender number. Only state prisoners and people under state supervision appear there, not anyone sitting in a county jail. Our Wyoming prisons directory covers each prison. The department's office is at 1934 Wyott Drive, Suite 100, Cheyenne, WY 82002, 307-777-7208.

Locking up a child is the exception in Wyoming. Without a court order, a youth goes home unless they put others at risk or are likely to flee, and officers must contact a parent right away (W.S. 14-6-206). Any youth kept in custody gets a detention hearing within two working days. Juvenile cases are private and are filed in District Court. Parents trying to learn their child's location should phone deputies at 307-864-2622. Family Services has a county office at 403 Big Horn, Thermopolis, WY 82443, 307-864-2158.

The county has three incorporated towns. Here are the agencies and offices to call:

• Town police department, 417 Arapahoe Street, Thermopolis, WY 82443, 307-864-3114. The lobby is open weekdays 8 to 5, and dispatch answers around the clock.
• County Sheriff's Office, same address, 307-864-2622. Deputies are on duty day and night across the county.
• Town of East Thermopolis, 112 East Warren Street, East Thermopolis, WY 82443, 307-864-9221.
• Town of Kirby, 114 North Bryan, Kirby, WY 82430, 307-864-4030.
• Wyoming Highway Patrol, the troop office for this area at 1726 Beck Avenue, Cody, WY 82414, 307-587-9729. Troopers make arrests on state highways.