The Ozark County Inmate Population
The Ozark County inmate population is held at one local facility: the Ozark County Jail / Ozark County Law Enforcement Center in Gainesville. The Missouri county sheriff listing identifies the Ozark County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Cassidy Martin, the Gainesville law-enforcement address, and the main jail phone. The same building is also listed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as an ICE detention facility under the Chicago Field Office. That federal listing does not make it a separate jail. It means the same Ozark County jail can hold or transport immigration detainees while also serving the county's normal arrest and detention role.
People counted in the Ozark County inmate population can fall into several groups. Local pretrial detainees are people booked after arrest who have not finished their case. Short county sentences may remain in the jail. Other people may be held for a warrant, detainer, transfer, probation matter, or state-prison movement after sentencing. Immigration detainees follow ICE rules, and federal sentenced prisoners are searched in the federal system. This matters because a person may be absent from one lookup and still be in custody somewhere else. The first question is not only "is the person in jail?" It is "which custody system controls the person now?"
Ozark County Inmate Population Statistics
Public jail statistics for Ozark County are thin. No county dashboard, annual jail report, daily population table, or official online roster was located in the research sources. The best available figures are a reported bed count, a historical correctional-population count, and county population context. The Prison Policy Initiative and related correctional-population material reported 19 people at Ozark County Jail for the local jail data point dated December 31, 2013. The Marshall Project reported in May 2025 that Ozark County had a 24-bed jail, while noting the jail's new ICE transport and detention work.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Jail bed capacity | 24 beds | Marshall Project reporting, 2025; county-rated bed page not located |
| Historical correctional population | 19 people | Correctional population table, local jail date 12/31/2013 |
| County population | 8,553 in 2020 | U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts |
| Annual bookings | Not published in located official sources | No county annual jail report found |
| Average daily population | Not published in located official sources | No county ADP dashboard found |
Ozark County Jail Population Trends
Ozark County does not publish enough local jail counts to support a true year-by-year inmate population trend. The available timeline is still useful because it shows how jail operations changed. A small jail can change its occupancy and workload quickly. A few extra detainees, a large warrant sweep, a state transfer delay, or an ICE transport run can have a large effect on staffing, beds, and phone calls. For Ozark County, the trend story is less about a public dashboard and more about a rural sheriff's office moving from budget stress to a detention contract.
| Year / Date | Population or Operation | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| 12/31/2013 | 19 people | Historical local jail count reported in correctional-population material. |
| 2022 | No inmate count published | KY3 reported sheriff budget pressure, reduced patrol response, and later a law-enforcement sales tax tied partly to jail repair. |
| 2025 | 24-bed jail and ICE contract work | Marshall Project reported transport and temporary holding work for ICE, with staffing and pay changes. |
| 2026 | No inmate count published | KTLO reported Missouri Blue Shield designation tied to training, outreach, and a Crisis Intervention Team. |
ICE and the Ozark County Inmate Population
The Ozark County inmate population is not only a local pretrial population. ICE's official facility page lists the jail as a detention facility and gives a detainee information option on the jail phone line. The Marshall Project reported in May 2025 that Ozark County had negotiated an ICE contract to transport and temporarily hold detainees. It reported a rate of $110 per detainee per night and $1.10 per mile for transport, along with long transport runs and a jump in jail staffing after the contract began. Those figures should be read as public reporting, not as a county-posted daily census.
This federal role changes the search path. An immigration detainee may be connected to the Ozark County jail even when a local criminal case is not the main issue. ICE's Online Detainee Locator System searches by A-number or biographical data, but transfers and data timing can make the jail's option 2 phone line important. A local criminal bond also does not release a person from ICE custody. Immigration bond, release, legal calls, and transfer decisions are handled in the immigration system.
Laws Governing Ozark County Jail Records
Missouri law explains why some Ozark County inmate population records can be requested even when no online jail roster exists. The sheriff operates the county jail under state law. Arrest and incident reports are public records in Missouri, subject to closure and redaction rules. A person seeking a historic booking, jail log, or booking photo should make a clear Sunshine Law request to the Ozark County Sheriff's Office rather than relying on unofficial roster sites.
Key Missouri rules:
RSMo 221.020 makes Missouri sheriffs generally responsible for county jails and jail prisoners.
RSMo 610.023 requires public bodies to provide access to public records and respond by the end of the third business day unless more time is justified.
RSMo 610.026 allows limited copy, search, research, duplication, and staff-time fees for public records.
RSMo 610.100 defines arrest reports and incident reports, makes them open records, and explains when investigative or uncharged-arrest material can close.
Search Ozark County Inmates Without a Roster
No official Ozark County public online jail roster, recent-booking list, or mugshot gallery was located in the research. That is the central fact for current inmate lookup. The best local search starts with the jail phone line and then branches by custody type. The Ozark County Sheriff's Office can address local custody status, while state, federal, immigration, court, and notification systems each cover a different slice of the record trail.
- Call the Ozark County Sheriff's Office / jail at 417-679-4633 with the person's full legal name, date of birth, and approximate arrest date.
- For immigration custody, call 417-679-4633 option 2 and search ICE ODLS with an A-number or exact biographical details.
- For a sentenced Missouri prisoner or person on state supervision, search the Missouri DOC Offender Search.
- For a federal sentenced prisoner, use the Federal BOP Inmate Locator.
- Use Missouri VINELink for custody-notification options, then check Case.net after charges are filed.
- For older records, submit a Sunshine Law request for the arrest report, booking information, jail log, or booking photo.
Ozark County Current Inmate Lookup
Because the Ozark County jail did not publish an official searchable roster in the located sources, there are no county roster fields to enter online. This is different from larger Missouri counties that offer vendor rosters with name, booking date, charge, and bond fields. In Ozark County, current custody should be verified by phone first. The jail can say whether it can release a status, whether a hold or transfer affects release, and whether the person is better searched in a state, federal, or immigration system.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not available | No official public roster located | Not applicable | Use phone, in-person contact, Sunshine request, VINE, DOC, ICE, BOP, and Case.net. |
The Ozark County inmate population also includes people who may move quickly. A local arrestee can be booked, released, charged in court, transferred to MODOC, moved under an ICE matter, or held for another agency. That movement is why Case.net and state/federal locators should not be treated as duplicates. Each source is a separate checkpoint.
What Ozark County Inmate Records Show
Official Ozark County online profile fields could not be inspected because no county profile page was found. A records request should ask for the fields needed for the person's situation instead of assuming a web profile exists. Under Missouri arrest-record law, a public arrest report concerns the arrest and detention or confinement incident together with the charge. The sheriff may review, redact, or close some material under Missouri law, especially active investigative material or records affected by the 30-day no-charge rule.
| Requested Field | What It Can Clarify |
|---|---|
| Full name and date of birth | Helps separate people with similar names. |
| Booking date and time | Shows when jail intake began. |
| Arresting agency | Identifies whether a deputy, trooper, city officer, or warrant service made the arrest. |
| Charges and warrant number | Shows the booking label or warrant basis, which may differ from later court charges. |
| Bond or hold status | Explains whether release is possible through bond or blocked by a detainer or no-bond order. |
| Release or transfer status | Shows whether the person left local jail, moved to DOC, or transferred to another agency. |
Ozark County Jail vs State Prison
Ozark County jail custody and Missouri state-prison custody are separate. A person booked after a local arrest is a jail inmate. A person sentenced to state prison is under MODOC and may no longer be in the Ozark County inmate population, even if the criminal case began in Gainesville. No Missouri DOC prison is physically located in Ozark County, and Ozark Correctional Center is in Webster County, not Ozark County.
| Question | Ozark County Jail | Missouri DOC |
|---|---|---|
| Who is held | Pretrial detainees, short county sentences, transfer holds, ICE detainees tied to the jail | Sentenced state prisoners, probationers, parolees, and active state offenders |
| Run by | Ozark County Sheriff's Office | Missouri Department of Corrections |
| Where to look | Call the jail, request records, use VINE and Case.net | Search MODOC Offender Search |
| Records limit | No official public roster was located | Active offenders only; discharged and some protected records may be absent |
State and Federal Inmate Search
The Missouri Department of Corrections has separate tools and family services for state offenders. MODOC Offender Search covers active offenders and can include prison, probation, and parole status. It does not replace an Ozark County custody call. The BOP locator covers federal inmates from 1982 to present and does not prove a person is free from all other custody if the result says released or not in BOP custody. ICE ODLS is a detainee locator, not a jail roster and not a mugshot gallery.
MODOC money-transfer rules, state prison visiting rules, and the MODOC digital mail address apply after a person is in state corrections. They do not control local Ozark County jail visits, local commissary, or ICE detainee legal mail. Families should verify the custody level before sending money or mail.
Ozark County Detention Facilities
The facility map for Ozark County has one local detention site. No separate city jail, regional jail, state prison, BOP prison, or ICE-only building was located inside Ozark County. The county jail is still linked to both local and immigration custody because ICE lists the same jail as a detention facility.
- Ozark County Jail / Ozark County Law Enforcement Center - county jail operated by the Ozark County Sheriff's Office for local detainees, short sentences, holds, transfers, and ICE detention or transport functions.
Tiger Commissary's Ozark County Jail page confirms the Gainesville jail as a participating facility for web deposits and commissary ordering.
Ozark County Inmate Population FAQ
How big is the Ozark County inmate population?
The current daily count was not published in the located official sources. The strongest figures are 24 reported beds in 2025 public reporting and 19 people in a historical correctional-population table for December 31, 2013.
Does Ozark County have an online jail roster?
No official public Ozark County online roster or booking gallery was located. Current custody checks should start with the jail phone line, then use DOC, ICE, BOP, VINE, Case.net, and Sunshine Law requests as needed.
Where are state prisoners from Ozark County listed?
Once a person is sentenced to Missouri prison or placed under state supervision, search the Missouri DOC Offender Search. The county jail does not serve as the state-prison locator.
Can ICE detainees be held at the Ozark County jail?
Yes. ICE lists Ozark County Jail as a detention facility, and public reporting describes ICE transport and temporary holding work. Use ICE ODLS and the jail's option 2 detainee information line.