The McDonough County Inmate Population
The McDonough County inmate population sits in a single local jail. The McDonough County Jail at 110 S. McArthur St. in Macomb is run by the McDonough County Sheriff's Office, and its staff care for pre-trial detainees and people sentenced to the county jail. The jail can hold a small population by Illinois standards. The most recent state inspection, dated September 17, 2024, counted 28 people in custody that day against a rated capacity of 58. That snapshot came from the Illinois Department of Corrections, which inspects every county jail each year.
Who is counted matters. The county jail holds people before trial, people serving local sentences, and at times people held for other jurisdictions. Sentenced felons do not stay here. After a McDonough County court sentences someone to prison, that person transfers to the Illinois Department of Corrections, and the state takes over the count. Arrests push the number up. Releases, bond decisions, and transfers to state prison pull it back down. Because the jail is small, even a handful of bookings can move the daily total.
McDonough County Inmate Population Statistics
The headline figures come from two sources. The IDOC inspection gives the rated capacity and a single inspection-day count. The Vera Institute's Incarceration Trends data set gives a county jail population figure that can be tracked year over year. The county does not publish a live daily population dashboard, so these sourced figures are the reliable numbers.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Inspected jail capacity | 58 (51 male, 7 female) | IDOC inspection, Sept 17, 2024 |
| Inspection-day population | 28 (23 male, 5 female, 0 juvenile) | IDOC inspection, Sept 17, 2024 |
| Directory jail beds | 60 | Illinois Sheriffs' Association, 2026 |
| Jail population (Vera) | 38 | Vera Incarceration Trends, 2024 |
| Jail population rate (per 100k) | 214.97 | Vera Incarceration Trends, 2024 |
The two capacity numbers differ for a reason. The IDOC Jail and Detention Standards Unit recorded 58 beds at its 2024 inspection, while the Illinois Sheriffs' Association directory lists 60. Treat the inspection figure as the latest official count and the directory figure as a rounded bed count.
McDonough County Jail Population Trends
Vera's county data shows the McDonough County inmate population holding fairly steady over the past decade. The total jail population has bounced between the mid-30s and about 40 for most years on record. It has not surged, and it has not collapsed. The jail population rate per 100,000 residents moves with that count, since the county's population has stayed near 34,000.
| Year | Jail Population (Vera) | Rate per 100k | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 38 | 214.97 | Total and rate only in the 2024 row |
| 2019 | 37 | 198.49 | Pre-trial 30, sentenced 7; rated capacity 53 |
| 2018 | 40 | 209.37 | Rated capacity 52.8 |
| 2017 | 40 | 203.47 | Rated capacity 52.6 |
| 2016 | 35 | 172.13 | Rated capacity 52.4 |
| 2015 | 40 | 190.06 | Rated capacity 52.2 |
Two cautions apply. The Vera total and the IDOC inspection-day count are not the same measure, so they should not be read as one continuous line. Also, the change in Illinois pretrial law in 2023 ended cash bail statewide, which can affect how long some people stay in a county jail before trial.
Who Makes Up the McDonough County Inmate Population
The most complete demographic snapshot comes from Vera's 2019 row, the latest year with a full breakdown. It shows a small, mostly male, mostly white jail population, which tracks with the county overall. The county does not release a current daily demographic report, so the 2019 figures stand as the best available detail.
- Pre-trial vs sentenced - In 2019 about 30 were pre-trial and about 7 were serving a sentence.
- Male vs female - Roughly 85.7 percent male and 14.3 percent female in the 2019 data.
- Race - About 85.7 percent white and 14.3 percent Black, with no Latinx, Native, or AAPI count recorded that year.
- Held for other agencies - In 2019 the jail recorded two held from prison and two from another jail, and none from federal authorities, ICE, or the U.S. Marshals.
McDonough County Jail Capacity and Population
The jail is not overcrowded in the figures on record. The 2024 inspection-day population of 28 sat well under the rated capacity of 58. Vera's 2024 total of 38 is also below that capacity, though it measures the population a different way. The building dates to 1967 and is laid out as 4 single cells, 21 double cells, two 7-bed dormitories, and one 5-bed dormitory. The inspection also logged recent improvements, including a health monitor system in two cells, an IRIS scanner, a secure door at the library area, and freshly painted common areas.
That said, the jail has faced serious scrutiny. A wrongful-death lawsuit filed in October 2024 alleges that an inmate, Darrell Hocker, was killed by a cellmate, and it names the county, the sheriff's office, and jail staff. The case is one reason public attention to conditions and custody at the jail has grown.
Laws Governing the McDonough County Inmate Population
Several Illinois laws make jail and inmate information public and set the rules the jail runs under. The Freedom of Information Act opens most jail records to the public. A separate arrest-records law spells out what booking information agencies must release. State jail standards and an annual inspection govern how the facility operates, and a deaths-in-custody law requires that any death behind bars be investigated and reported.
Key Statutes:
Illinois FOIA, 5 ILCS 140 - Public bodies must release public records unless exempt and generally respond within five business days.
5 ILCS 140/2.15 - Arrest reports, including a booking photo when available, must be furnished within 72 hours, subject to safety and investigation limits.
20 Ill. Adm. Code Part 701 - Sets the Illinois county jail standards for records, admission, classification, medical care, and more.
730 ILCS 210/3-5 - Deaths in custody must be investigated and reported, with public reporting requirements.
McDonough County and the State Prison Population
No state prison sits inside McDonough County. When a McDonough County court sentences someone to a prison term, that person leaves the county jail and joins the Illinois Department of Corrections population, counted at a state facility elsewhere. The nearest state prisons are in neighboring counties, such as Western Illinois Correctional Center in Mount Sterling, but those are not McDonough County facilities. To find a sentenced state prisoner, the IDOC Individual in Custody Search is the right tool, not the county jail.
This split is the single most common point of confusion. The county jail count and the state prison count never overlap for the same person at the same time.
How to Search the McDonough County Inmate Population
McDonough County does not appear to publish an official online jail roster. No sheriff or county inmate-search page, booking feed, or current-roster tool was found. That changes how a search works here. Instead of typing a name into a roster, the reliable path is a short chain of official channels, starting with a phone call to the jail.
Before you start, gather the person's full name, date of birth if you know it, and the approximate arrest date. Those details speed up every channel below.
- Call the McDonough County Jail at 309-833-JAIL (5245) to confirm current custody, booking status, or whether the person has been transferred.
- If the jail cannot give the record by phone, file a written FOIA request with the sheriff's FOIA officer for the booking record or arrest report.
- Register with Illinois VINE to get custody and case alerts by phone, text, email, or app.
- Check the McDonough County Circuit Clerk or Judici for the court case tied to the arrest.
- If the person was sentenced and moved, search IDOC for state custody, or BOP and ICE for federal or immigration custody.
Current Inmate Lookup in McDonough County
For a person believed to be in the McDonough County Jail right now, the jail phone line is the front door. The sheriff publishes the jail line as 309-833-JAIL (5245) and the main non-emergency number as 309-833-2323. Staff can confirm whether someone is booked, still held, or already released. Because there is no public roster, this call is the fastest way to confirm current custody.
If the person turns out to be in state custody, the IDOC search is straightforward. Its field options are simple, and the same screen links out to the federal locator.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| How do you want to search? | Radio | Yes | Last Name, IDOC Number, or Birthdate |
| Search text / IDOC number | Text | Yes | Examples: Smith; Smith, John; K01234; 04-01-1965 |
| Find | Button | n/a | Runs the search |
| Federal BOP Inmate Locator | Link | n/a | Opens the federal locator |
The image below shows the IDOC Individual in Custody Search, the statewide tool for sentenced prisoners who left the county jail. You can open it at the IDOC inmate search page.
That locator only covers people in state prison custody, so it will not show someone still held pre-trial in the Macomb jail. For those, the jail phone line remains the answer.
Past and Released Inmate Records
Finding someone no longer in custody takes a records request rather than a roster. With no online roster, there is also no archived booking feed to scroll. The route is a written FOIA request to the sheriff's FOIA officer, Bailey Rauch, at 110 S. McArthur St., Macomb, IL 61455. Illinois FOIA does not require a special form, so a clear written request works. Include the person's full name, date of birth, the arrest or booking date, and the case number if you have it. The county charges nothing for an electronic response and 15 cents per page for paper copies after the first 50 pages.
What a McDonough County Inmate Record Shows
Because the county jail does not post a public profile, the field-by-field record people can actually view comes from the state and federal locators and from the sheriff's warrant list. The table below shows what a typical IDOC profile displays for a sentenced prisoner, which is the most detailed public record in this chain.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Photos | Front and side images of the individual in custody |
| IDOC Number and Name | State custody identifier and legal name |
| Parent Institution | The prison currently holding the person |
| Offender Status and Location | Whether in custody, paroled, or discharged, and where |
| Physical Profile | Date of birth, height, weight, hair, eyes, sex, and race |
| Sentencing Information | Offense, class, custody date, sentence, and county |
For a person held only in the county jail, none of this appears online. The booking record exists, but you reach it through the jail or a FOIA request rather than a search box.
County Jail vs State Prison: Where to Look
Pre-trial detainees and people serving short county sentences sit in the McDonough County Jail. Sentenced felons move to an Illinois Department of Corrections prison, which is a separate system with its own locator. Matching the person to the right system saves time and prevents a fruitless search in the wrong place.
| County Jail | State Prison (DOC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who Is Held | Pre-trial plus short sentences | Sentenced felons |
| Run By | McDonough County Sheriff | Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) |
| Where to Look | Jail phone line and FOIA | IDOC inmate locator |
| Records Online | No public roster found | Public statewide locator |
State and Federal Inmate Search
Three official locators cover the slices of the inmate population that fall outside the county jail. The IDOC Individual in Custody Search covers sentenced state prisoners. The Federal Bureau of Prisons locator covers federal inmates held since 1982. The ICE Online Detainee Locator covers immigration detainees, though no ICE facility sits in McDonough County and Illinois law limits local civil immigration detention.
The federal locator, shown below, searches by name or by a federal register number. You can reach it through the BOP inmate locator.
Each locator covers a different group, so a "Released" or "no facility" result in one system often means the person sits in another. Work through them in order rather than assuming a single tool covers everyone.
McDonough County Detention Facilities
The county inmate population is held in one facility. The Illinois Sheriffs' Association directory, pictured below, lists the jail's bed count, leadership, and downtown Macomb location. You can view it at the Illinois Sheriffs' Association McDonough page.
That single jail handles every local custody role in the county, from booking through short sentences.
- McDonough County Jail - The county's only detention facility, holding pre-trial detainees, people serving county sentences, and at times holds for other agencies.
McDonough County Inmate Population FAQ
How big is the McDonough County inmate population?
The latest state inspection counted 28 people in the jail on September 17, 2024, against a rated capacity of 58. The Vera Institute's 2024 figure puts the jail population near 38. The county does not publish a live daily count, so these sourced numbers are the best available. The population usually runs in the mid-30s.
How do I search the McDonough County inmate population?
There is no public online roster. Start by calling the jail at 309-833-JAIL (5245) to confirm current custody. If the jail cannot answer, file a FOIA request with the sheriff's FOIA officer. Register with Illinois VINE for alerts, and check IDOC, BOP, or ICE if the person may be in state or federal custody.
Can I look up a released or past inmate?
Yes, but through records channels rather than a roster. File a written FOIA request with the sheriff's FOIA officer for the booking record or arrest report. Include the person's name, date of birth, and the arrest date. For a court case tied to the arrest, check the McDonough County Circuit Clerk or Judici.