St. Francois County Inmate Population
The St. Francois County inmate population is held at the county detention facility in Farmington, Missouri, operated by the St. Francois County Sheriff's Office. This page covers how to search for current inmates, request booking records, and use state tools to track people in Missouri custody.
St. Francois County Quick Facts
St. Francois County Sheriff's Office and Detention Facility
The St. Francois County Sheriff's Office in Farmington runs the county jail. The sheriff handles booking, custody, transport, and court security for the county. The facility holds people arrested in St. Francois County while they await trial or sentencing.
St. Francois County is in southeastern Missouri, in a region known historically as the Lead Belt for its rich mineral deposits. The county seat of Farmington is the main population center. The county borders St. Louis County to the north, Jefferson County to the northwest, Ste. Genevieve County to the east, Washington County to the west, Iron County to the south, and Madison County to the southeast.
One notable state facility in the county is the Farmington Correctional Center (FCC) at 1012 West Columbia Street, Farmington, MO 63640, phone (573) 218-7100. This minimum and medium security state prison sits right in the county seat. The presence of a state prison means families may sometimes confuse county jail and state prison when looking for someone.
Farmington Correctional Center vs. County Jail
It is worth being clear about the difference between the county jail and the state prison in Farmington. The St. Francois County Jail is run by the county sheriff and holds people who have been arrested locally and not yet sentenced, or people serving short sentences. The Farmington Correctional Center is a state prison operated by the Missouri Department of Corrections and holds people who have been sentenced to state time.
If you are looking for someone recently arrested, contact the sheriff's office. If someone has already been convicted and sentenced, they may be at the Farmington Correctional Center or another state facility. Use the Missouri DOC Offender Search to find state prison inmates.
To reach the Farmington Correctional Center directly, call (573) 218-7100. For county jail questions, contact the St. Francois County Sheriff's Office in Farmington. These are two separate agencies with two separate locations, even though they are both in Farmington.
How to Search the Inmate Population
To find someone in the county jail, contact the St. Francois County Sheriff's Office directly by phone or in person. Ask whether the person is in custody, what their bond amount is, and when their next court date is scheduled. Staff can answer basic questions about anyone currently booked into the facility.
The VINE Link notification system covers most Missouri county facilities. Register at vinelink.com or call 1-866-277-7477. Provide the inmate's name or ID. VINE will alert you by phone, text, or email whenever their custody status changes. The service runs 24 hours a day and is free to use.
For state prison inmates, the Missouri DOC Offender Search portal lets you search by name or DOC ID number. Results include current facility, charges, and sentence details. The data updates each evening. People still at county jail will not appear in the DOC system.
The Missouri DOC Offender Search portal allows anyone to search for inmates in state correctional facilities, including the Farmington Correctional Center located in St. Francois County.
Search results include the inmate's current location, physical description, charges, and sentence summary. The portal updates nightly around 9 PM.
Missouri Sunshine Law and Records Requests
Booking records at the St. Francois County Jail are public under Chapter 610 RSMo, the Missouri Sunshine Law. The law requires government bodies to open their records to the public unless a specific exception applies. Daily jail logs, booking details, and bond amounts are open records by default.
To request records, submit a written request to the St. Francois County Sheriff's Office. Be specific about what you need. The office must respond within three business days. Copies cost up to 10 cents per page for standard documents. A research fee may apply if locating the records requires significant staff time.
Closed records include active investigation files, victim identities in sex offense cases, and records that would put someone at risk if released. But for routine booking and custody information, the law presumes everything is open.
VINE Link and Inmate Notifications
The VINE Link service provides automatic custody status alerts. Victims, family members, and others can register an inmate at vinelink.com. When that person is released, transferred, or their status changes, VINE sends an alert right away. The service is confidential and free.
You can also call VINE at 1-866-277-7477. The phone system works 24 hours a day. Multiple language options are available. VINE covers about 2,900 facilities across 48 states, including most Missouri county jails and the state prison system.
Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center
The Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center (ERDCC) in Bonne Terre, also in St. Francois County, is one of Missouri's largest state prisons. It houses approximately 2,700 inmates at minimum, medium, and maximum security levels. New inmates entering the Missouri DOC system are often processed through ERDCC first before assignment to a long-term facility.
ERDCC is located at 2727 Highway K, Bonne Terre, MO 63628, phone (573) 358-5516. If someone was recently sentenced in St. Francois County or a nearby county, they may be at ERDCC during the intake period. After classification, they are usually moved to a long-term facility.
Federal Inmate Locator
If someone was charged with a federal crime, they may be held at a federal facility rather than the county jail. The Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator searches all federal inmates from 1982 to the present. Search by name, and narrow by age or sex if needed. Federal detainees awaiting trial may be held at a contract local jail.
Nearby Counties
St. Francois County is surrounded by several Missouri counties, each with its own jail and records system.