The Raleigh County, West Virginia Jail Roster is a public tool that allows anyone to check who is currently held in custody at the county correctional facility. Public information about current and recently released inmates can be found on the RaleighCourt.us website. Additionally, data is available through the official online search of the West Virginia Regional Jail Authority, in person at the facility's reception, or by phone. In West Virginia, county jails are part of the regional correctional facilities system, so the roster is maintained by the Regional Jail Authority and updated daily on the state portal.
Search Current Inmates in Raleigh Jail
Inmates in Raleigh County are held at the Southern Regional Jail, a regional facility serving several southern counties of the state. The search can be conducted in several ways.
Online Search
- Visit RaleighCourt.us for a quick search of public court and correctional data.
- Use the official WV Regional Jail Authority inmate search — enter at least the first three letters of the person's last name.
- Check the daily list of active inmates, where you can filter by the county of conviction (select "Raleigh" from the list).
- Additional tools are available on the Offender Search page of the Department of Corrections — search by prisons, jails, and fugitive lists.
To start your search, you will need:
- Full legal last name — mandatory
- First name — preferred for narrowing results
- Booking number — if known
Data on juvenile offenders is not displayed in the public register.
By Phone
Call the Southern Regional Jail and provide the person's full name. The operator will confirm whether they are in custody. The central office of the WV Regional Jail Authority also accepts inquiries at (304) 558-2110.
In Person
You can visit the Southern Regional Jail reception during business hours.
To check court records related to a specific case, use the West Virginia Court Record Access portal, which covers circuit and magistrate courts of all 55 counties.
Find Raleigh Jail Booking Records Online
A booking record is created at the moment a detained person undergoes processing at the correctional facility. This is the first official document that records the fact of being held in custody.
During processing, the following data is generated:
- Unique booking number
- Date and time of admission
- Charges presented
- Arresting agency (sheriff's office, city police, etc.)
- Basic identification information — name, date of birth, gender, race
Most of this data is displayed in the public register on the Regional Jail Authority portal. If you need a full copy of the booking record — for example, for an attorney or for court preparation — contact the Southern Regional Jail directly with a written request. Some details, such as medical information or data related to an ongoing investigation, may be restricted from public access.
To check charges at the magistrate court level, use the magistrate court record search — it displays cases filed in the Raleigh County magistrate court.
Search the Raleigh Jail Roster by Last Name or Booking Number
The official search tool offers two main methods.
Search by Last Name
Enter at least the first three letters of the last name in the search field on the Inmate Search page. The system will return all inmates whose last name starts with those letters. Adding a first name significantly narrows the list.
Practical tips:
- Check spelling — even one incorrect letter will exclude the correct result
- If the last name contains a hyphen or apostrophe, try the version without them
- Common last names (Smith, Johnson) yield dozens of results — be sure to specify the first name
Search by Booking Number
The booking number is the most accurate method of identification. If you know it from an attorney, relative, or previous search, enter it directly.
If No Results
The absence of results does not always mean the person was not detained. Possible reasons:
- The person has already been released — the register shows only those currently in custody
- Data has not yet been entered — there may be a few hours between the actual arrest and the appearance of the record in the system
- The person is held in another regional facility in the state
- The last name was entered incorrectly or recorded differently than expected
In such a case, call the Southern Regional Jail at (304) 256-6675 to clarify the information verbally.
Jail Roster Updates and Search Limitations in Raleigh
The register on the WV Regional Jail Authority portal is updated daily. The list marked as "Daily Incarcerations" reflects the current day's status but not in real-time — there is usually a delay of several hours to one business day between booking and the record appearing in the online system.
Main limitations to be aware of:
- Not an archive. The register shows only individuals currently in custody. After release, the record disappears from the public list.
- Data entry delay. Arrests that occur late at night or on weekends may appear in the system only the next business day.
- Transfer between facilities. If an inmate is transferred from the Southern Regional Jail to another facility, they may temporarily not appear in any list.
- Limited detail. The online register usually does not contain information about bail amounts, the date of the next court hearing, or release conditions. For this, refer to court records or directly to the Raleigh County court.
If you need historical records of past bookings, submit a written request to the WV Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation at 1409 Greenbrier Street, Charleston, WV 25311 or call (304) 558-2036. Certain criminal history data is regulated by state law and may require the individual's consent or a court order for disclosure.