Lawrence County Inmate Population Overview
The Lawrence County inmate population is centered on the Lawrence County Security Center, the county jail operated by the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office in Bedford. The jail holds adults arrested by county and city agencies, people awaiting first appearance or later court dates, defendants held on bond or no-bond orders, people arrested on local warrants, and some short county commitments. Once a person receives a state-prison sentence and transfers to the Indiana Department of Correction, that person leaves the local jail population and must be searched through the state system.
No separate county work-release center, regional jail, adult state prison, federal prison, or ICE detention center was confirmed in Lawrence County from the official source sweep. That matters for search accuracy. Bedford Police, Mitchell Police, Indiana State Police, and sheriff's deputies may all make arrests, but the researched local jail housing destination is the Security Center. Court records, booking records, jail phone information, and state correction records are related, but they are not the same record set.
The county's own pages do not publish a live web-based Lawrence County jail roster. The official sheriff page instead promotes a mobile app that includes incarcerated individuals, and the county inmate information page gives the Jail Division phone line for charge and bond information. That makes the Lawrence County inmate population a phone-and-app-first search, with court and state systems used when the jail no longer controls the record.
Lawrence County Inmate Population Statistics
The strongest local population figures come from the county Security Center page and the Lawrence County Prosecutor's case-statistics material. The county says the Security Center opened with an original design capacity of 88 inmates and has been modified to house 180 inmates. The prosecutor's case-reporting page reports that the average daily jail population was around 202 inmates when Prosecutor Samuel C. Arp III took office in 2019 and that the more recent average is in the 75 to 95 range.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Date |
|---|---|---|
| Original Security Center design capacity | 88 inmates | Lawrence County Security Center page, inspected June 12, 2026 |
| Modified Security Center capacity | 180 inmates | Lawrence County Security Center page, inspected June 12, 2026 |
| Average daily jail population in 2019 period | Around 202 inmates | Lawrence County Prosecutor case-statistics page |
| Recent average daily jail population | 75-95 inmates | Lawrence County Prosecutor case-statistics page and WBIW report, May 5, 2024 |
| Full-time jail officers | 26 | Lawrence County Security Center page, inspected June 12, 2026 |
Lawrence County Jail Population Trends
The reported trend is a marked reduction from the 2019 average. Using the county's 180 modified capacity and the prosecutor's around-202 average daily population figure, the jail was above the modified bed count during that period. That is an arithmetic comparison from two local source points, not a separate jail-inspection finding. The recent 75 to 95 range is below that modified capacity, but a daily jail can still face pressure from classification needs, gender separation, medical issues, court holds, and staffing limits that are not shown in the public figures.
| Year / Period | Population Figure | Local Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 88 designed beds | Security Center opened at its original design capacity. |
| Current building configuration | 180 modified beds | County says the jail has been modified to house this count. |
| 2019 period | Around 202 average daily inmates | Prosecutor page identifies this as the average when Samuel Arp took office. |
| 2024-2026 page period | 75-95 average daily inmates | Prosecutor page describes the current average in this range. |
The prosecutor's page ties the lower count to taxpayer savings using an Indiana Department of Correction value of $37.50 per inmate per day and an estimated annual savings around $1.5 million. That figure should be read as the prosecutor's stated calculation. It does not create a live jail count, and it does not replace custody verification through the sheriff or jail.
Lawrence County Jail Capacity
Capacity is a building figure, while the Lawrence County inmate population changes every day. The official county Security Center page gives the fixed facility facts: the jail opened in 1990, was built for 88 inmates, later was modified to house 180 inmates, and has 26 full-time officers. The same page states that full-time officers complete a one-week Jail Academy accredited by the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy. Those details help place the population numbers in context because a jail count depends on more than the total number of beds.
The source sweep did not locate official Lawrence County demographic splits by sex, race, age, pretrial status, sentence status, annual bookings, average length of stay, or agency holds. Those gaps should not be filled from statewide data. Statewide material from Prison Policy Initiative and IDOC can describe Indiana's broader jail and prison environment, but it does not say who was in the Lawrence County Security Center on a given day.
Population note: The 75-95 range is a reported average, not a live roster or a guarantee about current custody.
Lawrence County Inmate Population Laws
Indiana law shapes both access to jail records and the standards that govern the jail itself. The Indiana Access to Public Records Act gives a route to request existing public records, while separate state statutes and administrative rules set minimum county-jail standards and inspection duties. These laws do not require the sheriff to create a new report on demand, and they do not make every law-enforcement record public without redaction.
Key Statutes:
IC 5-14-3 gives Indiana's general public-records framework for inspecting and copying records unless an exception applies.
IC 5-14-3-4 lists records that must or may be withheld, including categories relevant to law-enforcement and confidential material.
IC 11-12-4-1 requires minimum standards for Indiana county jails, including conditions and services.
210 IAC 3 contains Indiana county jail standards covering supervision, classification, sanitation, records, and operation.
For older Lawrence County booking records, photos, reports, or copies not posted online, the request should go to the office that created or maintains the record. Jail and booking material usually starts with the sheriff. Formal case filings and docket entries go through the clerk or court. State-prison records go through IDOC, and federal or immigration custody uses federal systems.
Lawrence County and State Prison
The Indiana Department of Correction locator covers sentenced state prisoners, not a new Lawrence County arrestee who is still in county jail. A person can have a Lawrence County criminal case in MyCase and still be absent from the Security Center because of bond release, transfer, hospital placement, another county hold, or movement to IDOC after sentencing. IDOC's statewide support hubs cover state-prison visitation, mail, phone calls, money accounts, commissary, video visits, tablets, and offender records.
| Lawrence County Jail | Indiana State Prison System | |
|---|---|---|
| Who is counted | New arrests, pretrial detainees, local warrants, bond holds, short county sentences | Sentenced prisoners in IDOC custody after transfer |
| Lead agency | Lawrence County Sheriff's Office | Indiana Department of Correction |
| Search route | Sheriff app and Jail Division phone | IDOC incarcerated locator by name or DOC number |
| Visit rules | County kiosk and remote video rules | IDOC facility approval and scheduling rules |
Search Lawrence County Inmates
A current Lawrence County inmate lookup should start with the official sheriff app because the sheriff page says it includes incarcerated individuals. The county website did not show a separate public web roster during the source sweep. If the app is unavailable, does not show a person, or does not answer the custody question, the direct jail phone line is the next local channel. The jail page says staff typically have charge and bond information, while court appearances must be checked with the court.
- Check the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office app from the Apple or Google Play store and look for the incarcerated-individual feature.
- Call the Jail Division at 812-277-2014 if the app is unavailable or if custody, charge, or bond information must be confirmed.
- Search MyCase for filed charges, court dates, case numbers, and docket entries after booking.
- Use Indiana SAVIN for custody-status notification where the person or case is covered by the notification system.
- Search IDOC, BOP, or ICE only when the facts suggest state-prison, federal-prison, or immigration custody.
The app path is important because the statewide INjail Public Portal did not list Lawrence County as a participating county on June 12, 2026. Sending a reader to the statewide portal as if it were the county roster would be misleading unless future verification shows Lawrence has joined that system.
Lawrence County Inmate Search Fields
The official sheriff app could not be inspected in a desktop browser for its exact fields, so the page should not promise a mugshot, booking number, housing unit, or release filter from the app. The statewide INjail portal field list is still useful as a contrast because it shows what the state portal can accept for counties that participate. Lawrence County was not in that participant list when inspected.
The screenshot below comes from the Indiana County Jail Public Portal, which is a statewide public jail search application but was not a Lawrence County roster on the inspection date.
That distinction keeps a Lawrence County inmate search tied to the real local access channels instead of a state portal that did not include the county.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Name | Text | At least one value required in the state portal | Alpha-only entry in the inspected portal template. |
| First Name | Text | Optional | Helps narrow common names. |
| Birth Date | Date | Optional | Useful when several people share a name. |
| County | Dropdown | Optional | Lawrence County was not listed on June 12, 2026. |
| Booked / Released Between | Date range | Optional | Portal template supports recent booking and release filters for participating counties. |
Lawrence County Inmate Records
A Lawrence County inmate record may be split across several offices. The jail can often answer current charge and bond questions. The court record shows the formal charge once the prosecutor files it. The clerk maintains filings and copies. The state corrections record follows the person after transfer to IDOC. A federal or immigration locator applies only after that custody system is involved.
| Record Item | Where to Check | Important Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Current custody | Sheriff app or Jail Division | App fields were not verified in browser. |
| Charge and bond information | Jail Division | Jail page says court appearance questions go to court. |
| Formal filed charges | MyCase, clerk, or court | Booking charges can differ from prosecutor-filed charges. |
| Sentenced state-prison custody | IDOC locator | Does not cover a new county-jail arrestee. |
| Federal sentence | BOP inmate locator | Does not cover ordinary Lawrence County jail custody. |
Lawrence County Detention Facility
The Facility Map resolves one local detention facility for Lawrence County. The Lawrence County Security Center is the county jail and should be the first place to identify local custody. The former historic jail and sheriff residence in Bedford is local history, not an active detention facility, and should not be treated as a place where current inmates are held.
- Lawrence County Security Center - county jail for local adult arrests, pretrial detention, bond holds, local warrants, and short county commitments.
State and Federal Inmate Lookup
Some Lawrence County searches fail because the person is no longer in local jail custody. The Indiana SAVIN offender search can help with notification and status alerts where supported. The BOP locator covers federal inmates from 1982 forward and can be searched by number or by name, race, age, and sex. ICE ODLS covers immigration detainees and does not replace county jail, IDOC, or BOP lookup.
- DOC number
- The state prisoner identifier used by IDOC after a person enters state correction custody.
- Booking number
- A jail intake identifier tied to a specific booking event, not the same as a DOC number.
- Detainer
- A hold or request from another agency that may keep a person in custody even after local bond is addressed.
- PR bond
- Release on a promise to appear and obey court terms, rather than full cash payment.
Lawrence County Inmate Population FAQ
How large is the Lawrence County inmate population?
The prosecutor's case-statistics page reports a recent average daily jail population in the 75 to 95 range. It also reports that the average was around 202 in the 2019 period. The Security Center's modified capacity is 180 inmates.
Is there a Lawrence County web roster?
No official county web roster was found in the researched county sources. The official sheriff page says the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office app includes incarcerated individuals, and the Jail Division phone line is the local fallback for custody, charge, and bond questions.
Does INjail cover Lawrence County?
The Indiana County Jail Public Portal did not list Lawrence County as a participating county on June 12, 2026. Use the sheriff app, Jail Division, MyCase, SAVIN, and the correct state or federal locator instead.
Where are court dates found after booking?
Court dates and formal case records are found through MyCase or the Lawrence County courts and clerk. The jail page says the jail typically has charge and bond information only, and court appearances should be checked with the court.