Find Lubbock County Inmates

Lubbock County Jail Roster Overview

The Lubbock County Sheriff's Office posts an active jail roster for the public. Sheriff Kelly S. Rowe leads the agency, which the county calls one of the largest law enforcement bodies in West Texas. The office has more than 500 staff and runs two divisions, a Law Enforcement Division and a Detention Division. Each division is overseen by a Chief Deputy and an Assistant Chief Deputy. The Detention Division runs the Lubbock County Detention Center on North Holly Avenue. That is where booked inmates are held, and that is what the active roster covers.

The roster is a live custody list. It shows people booked into the local jail on county and area charges. It does not show everyone tied to a case. State prison inmates in Texas Department of Criminal Justice custody do not appear. Federal inmates do not appear. People held by immigration authorities are not on the county list either. If a person was moved to state or federal custody, the county roster will no longer show them, and you would search a different system.

The sheriff homepage is the front door to the roster and the inmate FAQ.

You can see the sheriff's main site and its inmate links on the official Lubbock County Sheriff homepage.

From that homepage you reach the active jail roster, the inmate FAQ, and the detention contacts used for a Lubbock County inmate search.

How to Use the Lubbock County Roster

The roster is free and open to anyone. The sheriff page links to a search tool, and you do not need an account to look up an inmate. Have a name ready. A booking number or SO number works better when you know it. The county roster lets you search by name, by booking number, or by Sheriff's Office (SO) number. The steps below walk through a basic Lubbock County inmate search.

1. Open the sheriff's active jail roster page and click the link to search the active jail roster.
2. Enter the inmate's name. You can also use a booking number or an SO number if you have one.
3. Run the search and review the list of matches.
4. Click a record to open the inmate's detail page for more on the booking.

If a name is common, expect several matches. Use a booking number or SO number to narrow the list. The sheriff's mobile app also has a Jail Search function, so you can run the same lookup from a phone. The roster updates as the jail books and releases people, so a brand-new booking may take time to post.

The active jail search page hosts the link to the live roster.

You can open the search landing page directly at the active jail roster page, which points to the live roster at the county jail roster endpoint.

That page also links to initial appearance hearings and gives the detention phone numbers used to verify a Lubbock County inmate in custody.

Note: a new booking may not show on the roster right away, so call the detention center if a recent arrest does not appear in your search.

Lubbock County Roster Search Fields

The sheriff describes three ways to find an inmate on the active roster. You can search by name, by booking number, or by SO number. The exact first-name and last-name field labels are not exposed in the public page text, so the table notes that. The search button label is also not shown in the captured text. The table below lays out the search keys the county confirms for the Lubbock County jail roster.

At least one key helps. Name returns the widest list. A booking number or SO number gives the cleanest single match. The mobile app uses the same keys.

What a Lubbock County Inmate Profile Shows

When you click a result, the roster opens an inmate detail page. The county confirms its search keys are name, booking number, and SO number. It does not publish the exact list of profile fields in plain page text, so the fields below are the ones a county jail roster of this type generally shows. Treat them as expected fields, not as a confirmed county field list. The booking number and SO number are confirmed identifiers, since they double as search keys.

The county research notes a gap here. The roster endpoint returned no readable field text without a rendered browser. So the safe move is to verify any charge, bond, or housing detail with the detention center before you act on it.

The Lubbock County Detention Center

The Detention Division runs one main jail. The Lubbock County Detention Center sits on North Holly Avenue, away from the downtown courthouse at 904 Broadway. Court business and jail custody are separate. The detention center holds people booked on local and area charges while their cases move through the courts. Two phone numbers reach the facility, and staff there can confirm whether a person is in custody. The official county pages do not state a jail capacity, so capacity figures come from state jail reports, not the sheriff site.

Detention officers work the jail around the clock, every day of the year. Most staff work 12-hour shifts and report to an on-duty Watch Commander. The Detention Division runs housing, recreation, meals, and intake. For population numbers and capacity context, see the jail population page.

Lubbock County Jail Booking Process

Booking is the process that turns an arrest into a jail record. After an arrest, officers bring the person to the detention center for intake. Entry-level detention officers handle the booking paperwork. They take fingerprints, store and inventory the person's property, take a booking photo, and search for any active warrants. They also process bonds at this stage. Once intake is done, the person is classified and assigned to a housing unit, and a new booking record is created.

The sheriff describes its detention work in detail on its divisions page. Entry-level officers oversee inmate paperwork, visits, and property. Other detention officers oversee housing units, recreation access, dayroom use, meal service, and daily operations. The detention center's stated mission is to provide a safe environment while helping people in custody become productive citizens.

You can read the sheriff's department overview and staffing on the official divisions page.

That overview shows the two divisions and the specialized teams that back up the jail and field work in Lubbock County.

Sheriff Kelly S. Rowe rose through the detention ranks before becoming sheriff. His official biography traces that path from the Detention Division to chief administrator.

You can read the sheriff's full background on his official biography page.

His detention background helps explain why the office puts so much weight on intake, classification, and inmate programs.

Initial Appearance Livestream

After booking, a person gets an initial appearance before a magistrate. The Lubbock County Detention Center holds these hearings on site. The sheriff's active jail search page links to a livestream of the initial appearance hearings. Hearings happen up to three times a day, as needed. So the schedule shifts with the day's bookings.

There are firm rules on the stream. The sheriff says the live streamed hearings are not archived and are deleted when the hearing ends. Recording the live streamed hearings is not allowed. If you miss a stream, there is no saved copy to watch later. For the underlying charges and the case file that follows the hearing, see the arrest records page and the court records page.

Note: the initial appearance livestream is not saved and recording it is prohibited, so plan to watch live if you need to follow a first hearing.

How to Verify Custody by Phone

The online roster is the fast way to check custody. But it can lag, and a new booking may not show right away. When that happens, call the detention center. Staff can confirm whether a person is held at the Lubbock County Detention Center. Two numbers reach the facility, 806-775-7009 and 806-775-7048. Have the full name and a date of birth ready if you can, since it helps staff find the right person.

Phone checks are also useful for release questions and transfers. The county's TDC Coordinator handles transfer of custody between the state prison system and the Lubbock County Detention Center. If a person is no longer on the roster, they may have been released or moved. For release help, see the released inmates page, which covers state and federal searches after a transfer.

The sheriff contact page lists the office details and the inmate mail address.

You can find the agency's contact details on the official sheriff contact page.

That page notes how to send written open records requests and where to mail an inmate at the Lubbock County jail.

Lubbock County Inmate Visitation Hours

The jail uses Smart Communications and its SmartInmate platform for visits. General visitation runs from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM. The last visit must be scheduled to begin no later than 9:30 PM. Visitors over 17 must show a valid government-issued ID. There is a limit of one on-site visit per person, per inmate, each day. Remote video visits are unlimited for general population if you schedule them, but a cost applies. The schedule below lays out the daily visitation window.

Setting up a visit takes a few steps through SmartInmate. You register, connect to the inmate, and then schedule. Visits must be set at least one day, or 24 hours, in advance. The four steps are below.

1. Register as a Public User at SmartInmate. An activation code is sent to your active cell phone or email.
2. Send a connection request to the inmate. The inmate must accept the request.
3. Register to schedule facility visits. Include a valid photo ID and a recent photo. Facility approval is usually within 24 hours.
4. Schedule the visit. It must be completed one day, or 24 hours, in advance.

Rules on the visit room are strict. No food, gum, candy, drinks, cell phones, purses, backpacks, pens, pencils, or bags of any kind are allowed in. Special Housing Unit visits must be set by jail staff, and you call 806-775-7019 for those. An inmate-started video visit gives the recipient three minutes to connect, with up to five attempts by the inmate each day.

You can register and learn the visit rules at the SmartInmate registration site.

That platform handles both on-site and remote video visits for Lubbock County inmates in general population.

The sheriff's inmate FAQ collects the visit, money, and mail rules in one place.

You can review the full rules on the official inmate FAQ page.

The FAQ also spells out the ID rules and the SmartInmate steps used to set a Lubbock County inmate visit.

Sending Money to a Lubbock County Inmate

Inmates use money in their trust account for commissary and other costs. You can add funds a few ways. Cash kiosks sit in the main lobby of the Lubbock County Detention Center and in the sheriff property room lobby downtown. Card deposits go through Access Corrections online. There is also a phone deposit line at 1-866-345-1884. When you deposit, you need the facility number, which is 20172. Sheriff Finance handles inmate accounts and bond-related transactions.

Pick the method that fits you. A cash kiosk is best if you are at the jail. The online and phone options work from anywhere. Always have the inmate's name and SO number ready, plus the facility number for phone or online deposits.

The Access Corrections site handles card and online deposits to the inmate trust account.

You can make a deposit at the Access Corrections deposit site using facility number 20172.

That service, along with the lobby kiosks and the phone line, covers the main ways to fund a Lubbock County inmate account.

Note: deposits need the inmate name, the SO number, and facility number 20172, so gather all three before you start a phone or online deposit.

Mail and Commissary Rules

The jail does not take mail at the detention center address. It uses the Smart Communications MailGuard system instead. You send postal mail to a Florida processing address, not to North Holly Avenue. Print the inmate's name and SO number clearly on the outside of the envelope or postcard. Regular mail, including letters, postcards, and greeting cards, is scanned into the system. Inmates then read it on tablets or wall kiosks, depending on the housing unit.

Privileged mail, such as legal mail, is opened in the inmate's presence to check for contraband, and the officer does not read it unless a search warrant is obtained. Non-privileged mail covers family, friends, religious groups, and publications. Commissary is open to eligible inmates daily, Monday through Friday, unless the schedule changes. The inmate must have enough funds before ordering. Purchases come out of the trust account when staff scan the wristband and the items. Once an order is accepted and the worker's cart is left, the sale is final.

The jail also runs rehabilitative and job-readiness programs while a person is in custody. Programs include Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Parenting, and Anger Management. A Working Inmate Program offers laundry, kitchen, janitorial, and other roles, with credit toward a county jail sentence for those who qualify. For what happens at the end of a sentence, see the released inmates page.

After Transfer: State and Federal Searches

The county roster only covers local custody. Once a person is sentenced to state prison or moved to federal custody, you search a different database. Texas Department of Criminal Justice handles state inmates. The TDCJ offender system can show custody location, offenses, and projected release or parole data, depending on the record. Federal inmates from 1982 to today are in the Bureau of Prisons locator. VINELink lets you check custody status and sign up for notifications where the agency takes part.

The TDCJ offender information page is the start point for a state prison search.

You can open the TDCJ offender information page for state custody records.

From there you reach the search access page used to look up a Lubbock County inmate now in state custody.

The TDCJ search page runs the actual offender lookup.

You can run a state search on the TDCJ inmate search page.

That tool searches by last name, first name, or a TDCJ or SID number for the best exact match.

For federal cases, the Bureau of Prisons keeps its own locator.

You can search the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator by number or by name.

People in the Lubbock County jail on local charges will not appear in the federal locator unless they are in federal custody.

VINELink adds custody notifications on top of a status search.

You can register for alerts at VINELink custody notification where the agency provides data.

You select the state, enter a name or ID, and choose how you want to be told of a status change. For deeper release help, see the released inmates page, and for active warrants, see the warrant records page.

Related Searches

For people recently released, see released inmates. For broader population data, see inmate population. For active warrants, see warrant records. For underlying cases, see criminal records.