Monroe County Inmate Population
The local Monroe County inmate population is managed by the Monroe County Sheriff's Office Corrections Division under Sheriff Troy Goodnough. The county system has two sheriff-operated jail buildings: the Monroe County Main Jail in downtown Monroe and the Monroe County Inmate Dormitory Facility on East Dunbar Road. The Main Jail is the key intake and court-movement building for new arrests, bond hearings, classified general housing, and local jail custody. The Dormitory Facility holds classified inmates in a lower-security setting and also forms part of Monroe County's broader detention footprint.
The county jail count should not be mixed with every person in custody inside the county line. Monroe County's jail system may hold local pretrial detainees, local sentenced jail inmates, ICE detainees, USMS detainees, and other agency holds, but sentenced Michigan prisoners are tracked by the Michigan Department of Corrections OTIS system. Federal inmates at Federal Correctional Institution Milan are tracked by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Immigration detainees may require ICE ODLS or the ICE Detroit Field Office number.
Monroe County Inmate Population Statistics
The strongest official population figures in the research come from the Monroe County Sheriff's Office 2025 annual-report material summarized in the county research file. It gives bed capacity, annual intake volume, corrections staffing, medical and mental-health activity, and program counts. It does not publish a full average daily population figure in the extracted text, even though the food-service section references jail ADP. For that reason, annual bookings and rated beds are useful, but they should not be read as the same measure.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Main Jail rated capacity | 183 beds | MCSO 2025 Annual Report |
| Dormitory Facility capacity | 180 classified inmates | MCSO 2025 Annual Report |
| Combined county jail capacity | 363 | MCSO 2025 Annual Report |
| Inmates processed or booked | 4,360 | MCSO 2025 Annual Report |
| Corrections officers | 59 | MCSO 2025 Annual Report |
| Federal FCI Milan population | 1,529 | BOP population statistics, June 2026 search result |
The county's estimated population was 156,004 on July 1, 2025 according to U.S. Census QuickFacts. That local population figure helps place the jail system in context, but it is not a jail census. The jail count rises and falls as arrests, court orders, releases, transfers, ICE or USMS holds, and classification decisions change.
Monroe County Inmate Population Trends
Monroe County's jail history shows how bed pressure shaped the present inmate population system. The current Main Jail opened in 1981 with planned capacity for 127 inmates. Overcrowding later led to double-bunking through a 1997 state grant, raising Main Jail capacity to 183. The East Dunbar dormitory project followed in 1999, when the county began building two dormitory-style housing units and support space on a large site designed for future growth.
| Year | Capacity or Population Measure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 127 planned beds | Present Main Jail opened and 68 inmates moved from the old jail. |
| 1997 | 183 Main Jail capacity | State grant allowed double-bunking to ease overcrowding. |
| 1999 | Two 80-person dormitory units started | East Dunbar construction began with support space for future needs. |
| 2025 | 363 combined capacity | Main Jail plus Dormitory capacity in annual-report data. |
| 2025 | 4,360 processed inmates | Annual intake and booking volume, not average daily population. |
The official jail history adds local detail that explains the present structure. Before the Dormitory Facility, overcrowding forced Monroe County to house inmates in other counties at a high annual cost. The county then moved toward East Dunbar dormitory housing, while the downtown Main Jail kept its court link and booking role.
Who Is Counted in Monroe County Jail
The county's published material does not give a full demographic table by race, age band, sex, charge level, pretrial status, or length of stay. The public roster fields show that the jail system can display race, sex, age or date of birth, cell block, held-for agency, arrest date, release date, and hold reasons. Those are roster fields, not a published annual demographic breakdown. The safer interpretation is that Monroe County publishes some person-level roster facts while withholding or not publishing broader demographic totals in the inspected official sources.
Several groups can appear in or near the Monroe County inmate population. New arrests may be held at the Main Jail while awaiting bond or court movement. Classified local inmates can be housed at the Main Jail or Dormitory Facility. Some detainees are held for ICE or the U.S. Marshals Service, and the roster's held-for-agency field matters for that reason. State prisoners sentenced from Monroe County move into MDOC custody after sentencing and transfer, so they are searched through OTIS rather than the county roster.
- Classification
- Jail review of charge, risk, history, medical needs, discipline, substance-use issues, mental-health needs, and protective-custody concerns.
- Held for agency
- The agency responsible for the hold, such as a local court, ICE, USMS, MDOC, or another jurisdiction.
- Detainer
- A request or hold from another agency that may keep a person in custody after a local bond issue is resolved.
Monroe County Jail Capacity
Monroe County's combined jail capacity is 363, with 183 rated beds at the Main Jail and 180 classified-inmate capacity at the Dormitory Facility. That capacity is split by building role. The Main Jail is tied to intake, booking, bond movement, the courthouse catwalk, and general classified housing. The Dormitory Facility is used for classified dormitory housing and has lobby kiosks that support video visitation and inmate-account deposits.
The 2025 annual report also shows efforts that affect the jail population even when they are not capacity figures. Corrections staff installed 283 court-ordered tethers in 2025, saving $18,395 in tether fees and reducing delays after hours or on weekends. The report also notes ICE, USMS, and MDOC inspections with zero deficiencies, a VitalCore medical contract that began in July 2024, Polycom units for electronic court and telehealth, and 2026 facility-repair goals. These details matter because custody population is shaped by court scheduling, health care, transport, release options, and bed management.
Monroe County Jail Record Laws
Michigan law gives the public a broad right to inspect and copy public records, while allowing exemptions for sealed files, juvenile records, active investigations, privacy rules, and other protected material. Monroe County applies that law through its FOIA process. The Sheriff's Records Division handles criminal records, local checks, and FOIA routing, and the county FOIA procedures require written requests with enough detail to locate the record.
Key statutes:
MCL 15.231 states Michigan's public policy that people are entitled to full and complete information about government affairs, subject to the act.
MCL 15.233 generally requires public bodies to permit inspection and copying of public records after a written request.
MCL 15.234 governs FOIA fees, including labor, copying, duplication, media, mailing, deposits, and discount rules.
MCL 791.262 gives MDOC jail and lockup standards authority for humane and efficient administration.
MCL 801.51 defines a county jail under Michigan's County Jail Overcrowding Act.
FOIA is the fallback when a jail record, booking photo, or older custody item is not on the roster. It does not turn every law-enforcement file into a public web record. Courts control court records, the sheriff controls sheriff records, MDOC controls state correction records, and federal agencies control federal custody records.
Search Monroe County Inmate Population
The official search route starts at the Monroe County Inmate Lookup page, which links the public Zuercher Portal. The county describes the portal as public access to information about inmates booked at the Monroe County Jail. It says public information is configured by the correctional facility and may include personal descriptive information, mugshot images, and offenses charged by the arresting agency.
The county inmate lookup page is worth using first because many other states also have a Monroe County. Starting on the county site reduces the risk of opening a New York, Florida, Ohio, or Wisconsin roster by mistake. The county page also links Michigan VINELink for custody-status notifications and lists the Michigan VINE phone number as 800-770-7657.
- Open the Monroe County Inmate Lookup page and choose the linked Zuercher current inmate information portal.
- Search by name first. Use a partial name only when spelling is uncertain.
- Narrow with race, sex, cell block, arrest date, held-for agency, in-custody date, or release date if those fields are available.
- Read the result row for mugshot, name, race, sex, age or date of birth, cell block, arrest date, held-for agency, release date, and hold reasons.
- If the person is not listed, check release, transfer, MDOC, BOP, ICE, VINELink, court records, or a sheriff FOIA request.
The county inmate lookup page shows the official entry point for the roster and notification options.
The screenshot reinforces the main rule for Monroe County inmate search: start with the county page, then move to Zuercher or VINELink based on the task.
Monroe County Roster Fields
The Zuercher public portal template supports several filters and result columns. Monroe County can configure what appears, so a field shown in the template should be treated as a search option or display option rather than a guarantee for every person. Still, the field set is useful because it shows how the county jail population can be filtered by name, agency hold, date, and housing information.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Text | No | Combined name search for the roster. |
| Race | Dropdown | No | Options are loaded from the portal control model. |
| Sex | Dropdown | No | Agency-defined values may vary. |
| Cell Block | Dropdown | No | Useful only when housing is public and current. |
| Arrest Date | Date | No | Filters by the arrest or booking date shown in the row. |
| Held For Agency | Dropdown | No | Important for ICE, USMS, court, or other holds. |
| In Custody On | Date | No | May help confirm custody on a specific date. |
| Release Date | Date | No | Useful if released-person display is enabled. |
The Zuercher public portal home is the county's roster and public portal path.
The portal view is the practical tool for current jail custody, while court charges and older records may require other systems.
Monroe County Inmate Record Contents
A Monroe County inmate record is a custody record, not a final court judgment. It can show details useful for locating a person and understanding why the jail still holds them. A roster row may include a booking photo, name, race, sex, age or date of birth, cell block, arrest date, held-for agency, release date when enabled, hold reasons, descriptive information, and offenses charged by the arresting agency.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Mugshot | Booking image if Monroe County publishes one for that row, or a generic icon if no image is displayed. |
| Name | The roster name attached to the jail record. |
| Race / sex / age or DOB | Demographic fields shown by the jail system when public. |
| Cell block | Housing area when the county chooses to display it. |
| Arrest date | Date the person entered arrest or custody records. |
| Held for agency | Agency connected with the hold, including possible local, federal, ICE, or other holds. |
| Hold reasons / offenses | Reasons or charges that explain why the person remains in custody. |
Charges on a jail roster can differ from charges later filed or amended by the prosecutor. Court case records are the better source for filed charges, hearing dates, and final dispositions.
Monroe County State Federal Search
A search for the Monroe County inmate population often has to move outside the county jail roster. OTIS covers prisoners, parolees, and probationers under MDOC jurisdiction or supervision, plus persons discharged within three years. OTIS excludes county jail and city lockup inmates, people arrested but not yet sentenced, jail-only sentences, FOIA-exempt data, and people off supervision for more than three years. The county roster and OTIS answer different questions.
| Custody Type | Where to Look | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| County jail | Monroe County Zuercher roster | Current local jail custody and some release searches if enabled. |
| State prison or supervision | MDOC OTIS | Michigan prisoners, parolees, probationers, and recent supervision discharges. |
| Federal custody | BOP Inmate Locator | Federal inmates from 1982 to present, including BOP custody at FCI Milan. |
| Immigration detention | ICE ODLS or 313-771-6601 | ICE detainee lookup and Detroit Field Office detainee information. |
| Custody notifications | Michigan VINELink | Notification sign-up for custody-status changes. |
Federal and immigration custody can overlap with local jail housing. Monroe County's annual report says the county continued partnerships with ICE and the U.S. Marshals Service, and the ICE facility page lists Monroe County Jail as a detention facility. A held-for-agency value on the roster may be the clue that the right follow-up is federal or immigration, not only a local criminal case.
Monroe County Detention Facilities
The Monroe County inmate population is best understood by facility type. The Main Jail and Dormitory Facility are sheriff-run county jail buildings. The ICE detention page describes civil immigration detention connected to the county jail setting. FCI Milan is a federal prison and detention center in Milan, but it is not part of the Monroe County jail roster.
- Monroe County Main Jail holds new arrests, classified general housing inmates, court and bond holds, local pretrial detainees, local sentenced jail inmates, and some agency holds.
- Monroe County Inmate Dormitory Facility holds classified county inmates in dormitory housing and supports lobby visitation and account kiosks.
- Monroe County Jail ICE Detention covers ICE detainees handled through Monroe County custody policies and ICE Detroit Field Office information.
- Federal Correctional Institution Milan is the BOP facility in Milan for sentenced federal inmates and federal detention-center or holdover custody.
Past Monroe County Inmate Records
Released people may not stay visible in the current county roster, and the official county text inspected did not post a clear release-retention window. If a roster search fails, the next route depends on the record type. Jail and sheriff records can go through the Monroe County FOIA process or the sheriff FOIA email listed in the research as foia_sheriff@monroemi.org. Court case details go through MiCOURT or the court clerk. State prison or supervision records go through OTIS. Federal and ICE custody use federal tools.
The Monroe County Sheriff's Records Division page describes the local records and FOIA route.
The records-division route is the local fallback for booking or jail records that are not visible through the live roster.
Monroe County Inmate Population FAQ
How large is the Monroe County jail system?
The county jail system has 363 combined rated or classified-inmate capacity in the 2025 annual-report data: 183 at the Monroe County Main Jail and 180 at the Monroe County Inmate Dormitory Facility. The same source says corrections staff processed 4,360 inmates in 2025. That booking count is not the same as average daily population.
Where does a Monroe County inmate search start?
Start with the Monroe County Inmate Lookup page and its Zuercher Portal link. The roster covers people booked at Monroe County Jail and may include mugshots, descriptive information, and offenses charged by the arresting agency. If the person is not found, check VINELink, OTIS, BOP, ICE, MiCOURT, or the sheriff records request route.
Does Monroe County have a state prison?
The official MDOC correctional facilities map did not list a state prison in Monroe County. Sentenced Michigan prisoners from Monroe County are searched through statewide OTIS after transfer into MDOC custody. FCI Milan is federal, not state, and is searched through the BOP locator.
Can the roster show ICE or USMS holds?
The roster template includes a held-for-agency field, and the sheriff's annual report says Monroe County continued ICE and USMS partnerships. A local roster result may point to another agency hold. Confirm custody with the jail information line, ICE, USMS, court records, or the responsible agency before acting on bond or release information.