The Scotland County Inmate Population
Scotland County's local jail population is centered on the Scotland County Sheriff's Office and the Scotland County Jail in Memphis, Missouri. The jail is a local county jail, not a state prison, federal prison, or immigration detention center. It holds adults arrested in Scotland County while they wait for bond, first appearance, court action, transfer, trial, or short local sentences. People convicted of felonies and sent to prison move into the Missouri Department of Corrections system and should be searched through the statewide DOC locator instead of the county jail.
Available high-authority data shows a very small jail. The Vera Institute Incarceration Trends county data reported Scotland County jail population counts between 3 and 4 people from 2015 through 2019. That does not prove the current count. It does show why a single arrest, bond release, transfer, or court sentence can change the Scotland County inmate population in a visible way. The county does not publish a current jail dashboard, daily population report, or online jail roster in the official sources reviewed, so current custody should be confirmed with the sheriff.
Scotland County Inmate Population Statistics
The best available Scotland County inmate population figures come from Vera's county jail data, with local context from the Prison Policy Initiative and Census QuickFacts. The Vera dataset lists Scotland County, FIPS 29199, with jail population, rated capacity, admissions, and rate fields through 2019. The Prison Policy Initiative correctional-population table lists Scotland County Jail with 4 local prisoners on December 31, 2013. Census QuickFacts lists Scotland County's 2020 population as 4,716, which helps explain why the jail count is small in absolute terms but still important locally.
The figures below are historical. They should not be read as a live jail roster. Fractional admissions in the Vera rows reflect the way the dataset reports or standardizes county-level admissions, so body text should not turn those figures into exact head counts for a specific day.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Total jail population | 3 | Vera county CSV, 2015 |
| Total jail population | 4 | Vera county CSV, 2016 |
| Total jail population | 4 | Vera county CSV, 2017 |
| Total jail population | 3 | Vera county CSV, 2018 |
| Total jail population | 4 | Vera county CSV, 2019 |
| Local prisoners | 4 | Prison Policy Initiative table, 12/31/2013 |
| County population | 4,716 | U.S. Census, April 1, 2020 |
The Vera Incarceration Trends data explorer is one source used for Scotland County jail population context.
That source fits the population half of this site because it supplies county-level capacity, population, admission, and rate figures instead of a commercial jail-directory estimate.
Scotland County Jail Capacity Trends
Scotland County Jail capacity in the Vera data appears as 8 beds in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2019, with a 6-bed entry in 2018. The reported jail population stayed between 3 and 4 people across the same years. In a small jail, that is a narrow range in head count but a large swing as a share of beds. One warrant arrest, one weekend booking, or one transfer to another county or Missouri DOC can change the ratio fast.
No official county page published a current rated capacity, current daily count, housing-unit count, inspection report, or jail expansion notice. That lack of a current county jail dashboard should be treated as a research finding, not a blank to fill with third-party numbers.
| Year | Total Jail Population | Rated Capacity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 3 | 8 | Vera row lists admissions at 28.75. |
| 2016 | 4 | 8 | Pretrial custody appears as 3 in the visible Vera row. |
| 2017 | 4 | 8 | Admissions peak in the available period at 47. |
| 2018 | 3 | 6 | Capacity field drops to 6 beds. |
| 2019 | 4 | 8 | Vera lists 1 pretrial and 3 sentenced custody. |
Who Is Counted in Scotland County Jail
The local Scotland County inmate population should be read as a county-jail count. It can include people arrested by local deputies, Memphis police, state troopers, or other officers when they are taken into local custody. It can also include warrant arrestees, defendants waiting for a first appearance, people held while bond is reviewed, short local sentences, and people waiting for transfer after court action. It should not be used as the count for people already in state prison.
Vera demographic fields for 2015 through 2019 show a small visible jail population that is mostly reported as male and white, with some totals not summing cleanly because the numbers are so small and some fields appear rounded, blank, or suppressed. Those rows also show different pretrial and sentenced splits by year. The safest reading is limited: Scotland County's local jail count was small, and the available data does not support broad demographic claims.
- Pretrial custody
- A person is held before the case is resolved, often while bond, warrants, or first appearance issues are pending.
- Sentenced custody
- A person is serving a sentence. Felony prison sentences move to Missouri DOC after county processing.
- Detainer
- A hold or notice from another agency that can delay release even if local bond is posted.
- DOC
- The Missouri Department of Corrections, which handles state prisons, probation, parole, and active state supervision.
Laws Governing Scotland County Jail Custody
Missouri law supplies the framework for jail custody, public records, and jail-related requests in Scotland County. The sheriff is the local jailer under state law, while open-records requests use Missouri's Sunshine Law. Arrest reports, booking information, and court records can be public, but law-enforcement records may also be closed or redacted when a statute permits it. Juvenile records, active investigations, sealed cases, expunged records, victim information, and security-sensitive details need careful handling.
Key Statutes:
RSMo 610.011 states Missouri's policy that public records are presumed open unless the law provides otherwise.
RSMo 610.023 requires a public body to appoint a records custodian and respond to Sunshine Law requests.
RSMo 610.100 defines arrest reports and incident reports and sets public-access limits for law-enforcement records.
RSMo 221.020 gives the sheriff custody and charge of the county jail and prisoners.
Missouri DPS death-in-custody reporting explains the state's duty to collect and report Missouri deaths in custody.
Search Scotland County Inmates Now
No official Scotland County, Missouri online jail roster was located on the county site during research. That means the correct Scotland County inmate search starts with the sheriff by phone, in person, or by written request. The official elected-officials page lists Sheriff Brian Whitney at the Market Street courthouse address with phone 660-465-2106. Use that local source before relying on a commercial directory or a page for Scotland County, North Carolina.
The search path depends on the kind of custody. Local jail custody goes to the sheriff. Formal court charges after arrest go to Case.net and the circuit clerk. State sentences, probation, and parole go to Missouri DOC. Federal sentences go to BOP. Immigration detention goes to ICE. VINELink/MOVANS can help with notification and custody status, but it is not a full court docket or a substitute for sheriff confirmation.
- Call the Scotland County Sheriff's Office at 660-465-2106 and ask whether the person is currently in the Scotland County Jail.
- Have the person's full name, date of birth or age, arrest date, charge, warrant information, and any case number ready.
- If the person is not in local custody, search Missouri Case.net for court charges filed after arrest.
- If sentencing or state supervision may have occurred, use Missouri DOC Offender Search.
- For federal or immigration custody, use the BOP Inmate Locator or ICE Online Detainee Locator.
Current Scotland County Inmate Lookup
The local roster search-field table is short because no official public roster interface was found. That is useful to a reader. It prevents wasted time on pages that may show the wrong state, stale scraped data, or a third-party lead form. For a current Scotland County Jail inmate lookup, the sheriff's office is the primary channel, followed by a visit or written Sunshine Law request when a record copy is needed.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| No official Scotland County online roster field located | N/A | N/A | The county did not publish a public roster interface in inspected sources. |
| Sheriff phone inquiry | Phone | Practical first step | Call 660-465-2106 for current local custody and bond status. |
| In-person or written request | Office request | Needed for copies | Ask whether a Sunshine Law request is required for booking records or mugshots. |
What Scotland County Inmate Records Show
Because Scotland County does not publish an official online inmate profile, no local sample page confirms that a public record shows a mugshot, housing unit, booking number, bond amount, or release date online. The better approach is to ask for specific fields and compare them with court and DOC records. A booking charge can differ from a prosecutor-filed charge, and a county custody record can become stale after release or transfer.
| Field | What It Shows or How to Get It |
|---|---|
| Name | Confirm exact spelling with the sheriff, Case.net, or DOC search. |
| Booking date/time | Ask the sheriff; it may appear in a booking record or arrest report if releasable. |
| Charges at booking | May reflect arrest allegations rather than formal prosecutor-filed charges. |
| Bond amount/type | Ask the sheriff and check Case.net for the court's bond order. |
| Mugshot | No official gallery was found; request a booking photo from the sheriff if releasable. |
| Release or transfer | Sheriff confirms local custody; DOC covers state custody after sentencing. |
State and Federal Inmate Search
The Missouri DOC Offender Search covers people under active Missouri Department of Corrections supervision, including many people in prison, probation, parole, or conditional release. The DOC page is protected by CAPTCHA and states that discharged offenders are not shown. During research, the DOC search page displayed offender data as current as of June 18, 2026 at 9:00 PM, which should be treated as a point-in-time notice, not a guarantee for later searches.
The Missouri VINELink/MOVANS page is useful for notification and custody-status tracking. The Federal BOP Inmate Locator covers people in BOP custody from 1982 to present. The ICE Online Detainee Locator searches immigration detention by A-Number and country of birth or by biographical information. None of these systems replaces the sheriff for a fresh local booking in Scotland County.
| Custody Type | Where to Look | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Local jail | Scotland County Sheriff | Current jail custody, bond status, local booking questions. |
| Court case after arrest | Missouri Case.net and Circuit Clerk | Formal charges, docket, bond orders, hearings, and dispositions. |
| State custody or supervision | Missouri DOC Offender Search | Active DOC prison, probation, parole, or supervision records. |
| Federal custody | BOP Inmate Locator | BOP custody, not all new federal pretrial arrests. |
| Immigration detention | ICE ODLS | ICE detention, separate from county jail and state prison custody. |
Scotland County Detention Facilities
Research resolved one local detention facility for this build. No Missouri DOC prison, federal BOP facility, ICE detention facility, or separate municipal jail was found inside Scotland County. The Scotland County Jail is the local starting point for current inmate custody, while sentenced state prisoners and federal or immigration detainees must be searched through separate statewide or federal systems.
- Scotland County Jail - a small county jail operated by the Scotland County Sheriff's Office for local arrests, warrants, first appearance, bond, transfer, trial, and short local sentences.
Scotland County Inmate Population FAQ
How large is the Scotland County inmate population?
Available Vera data reported Scotland County's jail population between 3 and 4 people from 2015 through 2019, with rated capacity between 6 and 8 beds. That is historical data. The county does not publish a current jail dashboard in the official sources reviewed, so a live count should be confirmed with the sheriff.
Is there an official Scotland County jail roster online?
No official Scotland County, Missouri online jail roster was located during research. A current search should start with the sheriff at 660-465-2106, then move to Case.net, Missouri DOC, VINELink, BOP, or ICE when the custody type points outside the local jail.
Where are court charges found after a jail arrest?
Formal court charges are searched through Missouri Case.net or requested from the Scotland County Circuit Clerk. Jail booking information and prosecutor-filed court charges are different records, and the court charge list can change after the first booking entry.