Clay County, Indiana Inmate Search

To find someone currently held in Clay County Jail, start with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office inmate roster, maintained by the elected Sheriff at 611 E. Jackson St., Brazil, IN 47834. The roster lists current inmates sorted by booking date and is publicly accessible under Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act (Ind. Code § 5-14-3). If the person may be held in a state or federal facility rather than the county jail, additional lookups are required.

Looking for someone booked tonight? See Clay County section 3 — If someone was booked tonight for phone-first contact info.

Searching the Clay County jail roster

The county roster covers only people booked into the Clay County Jail — not federal detainees, not state prison inmates, and not people held in neighboring county facilities. Federal detainees in ICE custody at the Clay County Jail are tracked separately through the ICE Online Detainee Locator, not the county roster. Keep that distinction in mind before concluding someone is not in custody.

To search the county roster:

1. Go to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office inmate roster.
2. The roster displays current inmates in booking-date order. Scroll or use your browser’s find function (Ctrl+F / Cmd+F) to locate a name.
3. Each entry shows the inmate’s name, booking date, and charges. Booking photos are generally included under Indiana’s open-records law.
4. If the name does not appear, call the Clay County Sheriff’s Office at (812) 446-2535 (verify before calling) to confirm custody status directly.

What the roster does (and doesn’t) show

The Clay County roster refreshes periodically, but booking data does not post in real time. A person booked within the last several hours may not yet appear online. Calling the Sheriff’s Office directly is faster than waiting for the roster to update after a recent arrest.

The roster also has structural limits. Juveniles are never listed. People held under seal or on federal charges do not appear. Anyone transferred to the Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) after sentencing drops off the county roster and moves to the IDOC Offender Search. The roster shows current county jail population only — it is not a historical arrest log and does not reflect charges that were dismissed or resolved.

If you’re reading this because someone was just booked tonight, the section below is for you.

If someone was just booked tonight

Need to confirm your brother is in Clay County custody right now? Call the Clay County Sheriff’s Office at (812) 446-2535 — that is the fastest path to a custody confirmation tonight. The line is staffed around the clock for custody questions, so the time doesn’t matter. A staff member can tell you whether someone is in the system and at what facility.

Bond is not set at booking. It’s set at first appearance, which typically happens within 24 to 72 hours after booking. That’s a long night, and there’s nothing to do about the timing. Calling tonight confirms custody and gets you the first-appearance date — not the bond amount, which the judge hasn’t set yet. The Clay County Sheriff’s Office bond information page lists licensed bondsmen for when that step arrives.

Visitation is not available tonight. That part is just how it works. The Clay County Jail processes new bookings before allowing visits, and scheduled visitation hours begin the following day. Video visitation through Securus may be available once the person is fully processed — confirm hours and setup with the jail directly.

Tomorrow morning, your next steps are clearer. Call the Clay County Clerk’s Office at (812) 448-9024 (verify before calling) to ask about the case number and first-appearance time. The Clay County Courthouse at 609 E. National Avenue, Brazil, opens at 9:00 AM Monday through Friday. If you need an attorney, the Indiana Public Defender Council can help locate a public defender. It’s a lot to track at once — write the first-appearance date down as soon as you have it.

If someone isn’t on the Clay County County roster

• Booking lag: A recent arrest may not yet appear on the roster. Call (812) 446-2535 to confirm custody status before drawing conclusions.
• IDOC transfer: After sentencing, inmates move to state prison. Search the IDOC Offender Search for anyone who may have been sentenced and transferred.
• Federal custody: Federal charges mean federal detention. Use the BOP Federal Inmate Locator for anyone facing federal prosecution. The county roster never reflects federal holds.
• Neighboring county: An arrest by Indiana State Police or a municipal agency may result in booking at a different county facility. Check adjacent counties — Vigo, Owen, Putnam, Parke, or Sullivan — if the arresting agency is unclear.
• Already released: Bond may have been posted before the roster updated. Call the Sheriff’s Office to confirm release.
• VINELink custody alerts: Register at VINELink to receive automatic notifications when custody status changes in Clay County.

Booking lag is the most common reason a name doesn’t appear. Call the Sheriff’s Office first — it resolves most cases faster than any online search.

For inmates in other counties or states

The Clay County roster covers only current county jail population. A nationwide records search may help fill gaps that local portals often leave — including people who may be held in another Indiana county, another state, or a facility the county roster is not designed to display.

This tool is not a consumer reporting agency under the FCRA and may not be used to screen anyone for employment, housing, credit, or any other purpose covered by that law.

Sponsored: Nationwide Records Search (we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you).

Clay County inmate lookup — resource comparison

Related Clay County resources

Clay County arrest records ·
Clay County warrant search

Nearby counties:
Vigo County inmate search ·
Owen County inmate search ·
Putnam County inmate search ·
Parke County inmate search

Sources

Sources used for this page, verified 2026-07-21:

• Clay County Sheriff’s Office inmate roster — primary county jail lookup tool
• Clay County: Sheriff’s Office — official county Sheriff page, IN.gov
• Indiana Judicial Branch: Clay County — court records and local court information
• Clay County: County Clerk — case filings, first-appearance scheduling
• Indiana Department of Correction Offender Search — state prison inmate lookup
• VINELink — statewide custody notification service
• Clay County Sheriff — bond information and licensed bondsmen
• Indiana Public Defender Council — public defender locator

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Frequently asked questions