Charleston County keeps current inmate records in a searchable portal run with the Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center at 3841 Leeds Avenue in North Charleston books people arrested by county and city agencies. Each booking gets an identification number that follows a person through housing, court dates, and release. This page explains how to read those records and confirm that a person stays in custody today.
The sections below cover the fields shown on a booking page, the custody labels used by staff, and the reasons a name may not appear. They list the offices that publish rosters, the records kept out of public view, and the update schedule behind the site. The closing questions cover missing files, release dates, and the office to call at the jail when a search fails.
Current Inmate Search
The county portal lists people in custody, and a name or booking number starts most searches.
- Official county inmate search portal: https://inmatesearch.charlestoncounty.gov/
- Search by full name, booking date, or inmate identification number.
- Records show charges, bond amounts, housing unit, and custody status.
- Detention Center: 3841 Leeds Avenue, North Charleston, SC 29405.
- Detention Center phone: (843) 529-7300; Sheriff non-emergency: (843) 202-1700.
- Released people drop off the roster, so confirm custody by phone.
Inmate Identity & Custody Status
A booking page ties one person to one arrest event. The top block carries the name, birth date, and booking number, and the rows below list charges, bond amounts, and the housing unit. Deputies update the status field when a person moves between cells or leaves for court. Read the newest entry first, since a single booking can gather several charges and more than one case number.
| Office detail | Verified information |
|---|---|
| Location | Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center, 3841 Leeds Avenue, North Charleston, SC 29405 |
| Contact Number | (843) 529-7300 (Detention Center); (843) 202-1700 (Sheriff’s Office non-emergency) |
| Office Hours | Contact the Detention Center or relevant division to confirm public counter hours |
| Official Website Search Portal | https://inmatesearch.charlestoncounty.gov/ |
Field names differ between the portal and a printed roster. The portal may call the booking number an inmate ID, and a charge may appear as a statute code with a short description. A blank bond row usually means no bond has been set, not that the amount is zero. Write down the number and the booking date before you call the detention center in North Charleston.
| Booking record field | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Inmate name | Full legal name entered at intake |
| Booking number | Identifier for that arrest and intake date |
| Charges | Statute code, description, and count |
| Bond | Amount set, or a hold with no bond |
| Housing unit | Building, floor, and cell block |
| Custody status | In custody, awaiting court, or pending release |
The name on a booking page comes from the arresting officer’s paperwork, so a nickname or a short form may not match a family record. Check the birth date and the intake date before you trust a row. A person booked twice in one month holds two numbers, and only the newer one shows current housing. Print the row you need and take it with you to the lobby.
Inmate ID & Booking Identifiers
Every arrest earns a booking number, and the same person can hold several numbers across the years. Deputies record a state identification number too when a fingerprint card matches an existing file. The booking number is the fastest key at the counter, so copy it exactly, including any letter at the front. A name and birth date pull a list, but the number points to one record.
Active Custody & Pending Releases
A status of in custody means the person stays in a county cell or a work detail. Awaiting court covers someone held for a hearing, and awaiting transfer covers a person waiting for a state bed. Pending release means staff expect a departure soon, but the time can slip. A release date on the page is a plan, not a promise, since a hold from another county can pause it.
Facility Housing & In-State Transfers
Most people booked in the county stay at the Leeds Avenue detention center. A housing code shows the building, floor, and cell block, and that code can change without a new booking number. A transfer to the state prison system removes the person from the county roster within a few days. Ask a deputy at the front desk for the current unit before you send mail or visit.
Scheduled Release & Court Dates
A court date on a booking page comes from the jail’s calendar and can differ from the docket at the courthouse. Bond hearings usually happen within a day or two of intake, and a trial date may sit months away. A sentence to time served can end custody on the day of the plea. Confirm the date with the clerk before you take time off work.
Public Access & Record Availability
The search portal is open to anyone with a browser, and no account is needed to read a booking page. Some details stay behind a counter, though, and a few files close by law. The county publishes a roster that changes through the day. Staff answer questions by phone during business hours, and a visit to North Charleston works when a name search returns nothing.
Online Directory & Roster Publishing
The county site posts a roster of people in custody and updates it as bookings and releases arrive. Each row shows a name, a booking number, an intake date, and a status. The roster is a snapshot, and the page may carry a timestamp that lags the live jail log. Download or print the row you need, since a released person drops off the list without notice.
Restricted & Confidential Custody Files
Some booking details stay off the public page. A juvenile held on a family court matter, a person in protective custody, and a witness with a safety hold can carry limits. Medical notes, mental health screens, and visitor lists stay private by policy. A lawyer on the case can ask a judge to release a sealed entry, and other requesters need a court order that names the record.
System Update Schedules & Refresh Times
Bookings load through the day, and the portal may refresh every fifteen to thirty minutes. A holiday weekend can slow data entry, and a system upgrade can pause the feed for an hour. The timestamp on the page tells you how fresh the data is. Call the detention center when the page shows no change for a person you know was arrested in the past two days.
Record Accuracy & Resolution
A missing row causes more worry than a wrong row. Most gaps come from a name spelled two ways, a hyphen dropped at booking, or a middle name used instead of a first. Recent intakes can lag the roster by a few hours. A person released yesterday may still show as held. Check the booking number first, then call the jail before you assume the worst.
| Reason a row is missing | First step |
|---|---|
| Name spelled another way | Try a middle initial and a hyphen |
| Booking made in the last day | Wait for the next data refresh |
| Held for another county | Ask the jail about an outside hold |
| Moved to state custody | Check the state prison locator |
| Released within two days | Ask for a release date and time |
Work down the list in order and keep a note of each call. A deputy can confirm custody in a minute when you give a full name and a birth date. Ask for the booking number once the record is found, and write it on the envelope of any letter you send. A second call after a day catches a record that was simply late.
System Delays for Recent Intakes
A booking starts on paper or on a deputy’s screen and reaches the portal after a clerk enters it. That step can take several hours on a busy Friday. A person arrested at two in the morning often shows by noon. When a name still fails after a full day, ask the jail in North Charleston to check the intake log rather than the public page.
Post-Release Listing Removal Timelines
A release does not always clear the roster at once. The booking page may stay up for a day or two as the jail closes the file, and a cached copy can linger longer. A person on probation or house arrest counts as released from custody even when a case stays open. Treat a stale row as a lead, not as proof, and confirm the status by phone.
Unlisted Inmate File Resolution
Call (843) 529-7300 and ask for the records desk. Give the full legal name, any alias, the birth date, and the arrest date. Ask whether the person sits in the county jail, a state facility, or another county under a hold. A federal arrest moves the record to a federal system. If the jail has no record, request a written statement and keep it for your files.
Frequently Asked Questions
These questions arrive at the detention center front desk and on the phone. Each answer follows county practice and the offices named on this page. A deputy can confirm whether a person stays in custody, and a clerk can explain a release date or a court setting. Phone lines stay busy on Monday mornings, so call in the afternoon when the lobby is calm and staff have time.
How do I verify if a subject remains in custody?
Run the name through the county inmate portal and open the row that matches the birth date. Check the status line, which should read in custody or a similar label. Then call the detention center at (843) 529-7300 and read the booking number to a deputy. A live check beats a web page, since a release can land between one refresh and the next, so call before you drive to North Charleston.
How quickly do facility rosters publish online?
Most bookings appear within four to eight hours after intake, and many show sooner. A weekend arrest can wait until Monday if the jail is short on clerks. The roster page carries a timestamp, and that stamp is the best sign of freshness. A name missing for a full day deserves a phone call to the records desk rather than a second web search, and staff can look at the intake log.
Why might an active inmate be unlisted in the search?
A name typed with a hyphen, an apostrophe, or a suffix often fails to match. Some bookings list a legal name that differs from the one a family uses. A hold from a city police department, a federal agency, or a nearby county can move a record to a different system. Protected custody and juvenile files stay hidden by policy, so the jail must confirm those cases by phone.
Who confirms missing current inmate files in Charleston County ?
The detention center records desk holds the booking file and can check the intake log. Deputies there confirm whether a person was booked, transferred, or released. The Sheriff’s Office non-emergency line at (843) 202-1700 handles questions about a warrant or a hold from another agency. A clerk of court confirms a case number, but custody questions belong to the jail staff who run the roster in North Charleston.