Forrest County Jail Roster Overview
The Forrest County Sheriff's Office runs the county jail and the public inmate roster. Sheriff Charlie Sims leads the agency, which books and holds people at the Adult Detention Center on Arena Drive in Hattiesburg. The official roster lives on a vendor-hosted JailTracker site, linked from the Sheriff's own inmate-roster page. It is meant to show people in current county custody. The update timing is not posted, so treat the list as a recent snapshot rather than a live feed. New arrests and releases can take time to appear.
The county roster has limits. It does not list people held in state prison, federal custody, or immigration detention. Someone sentenced to Mississippi Department of Corrections time moves out of the county database. Federal detainees may be handled by the U.S. Marshals rather than the sheriff. The roster also will not surface sealed juvenile matters. For state inmates, a separate MDOC search applies.
The Sheriff's Office routes the public to its roster through a short inmate-roster landing page.
That landing page does not hold the data itself. It forwards visitors to the vendor system where the live roster loads. Treat the Sheriff's page as the door and the JailTracker site as the room behind it.
Note: A name missing from the county roster may still be in state prison, federal custody, or simply not yet processed into the local system.
How to Use the Forrest County Inmate Roster
The roster itself sits on the JailTracker platform. The Sheriff links it from his site, and it can be reached directly at the vendor address. One catch matters. The page is a JavaScript and Blazor application, so a plain or older browser may show only "Roster Loading..." or an unhandled-error message asking you to reload. When that happens, a phone call gets the answer faster than waiting on the screen.
Run the search in order, and keep the jail's number ready as a backup.
- Open the official roster at the Forrest County JailTracker page.
- Let the page finish loading. If it sticks on "Roster Loading...", refresh once or switch to a current browser.
- Enter a last name, and add a first name if you know it, then submit the search.
- Review the returned list and select the matching name to open that person's profile.
- If the page will not load, call the Adult Detention Center at (601) 545-6148 or Sheriff dispatch at (601) 544-7800.
Forrest County Roster Search Fields
Because the roster is JavaScript-gated, its exact search boxes were not exposed for inspection. Most JailTracker rosters accept a name search, and many let users browse the full current list on screen. The table below reflects the typical roster fields and flags the inputs that could not be confirmed for Forrest County.
Start with a last name. Common surnames can return long lists, so a first name helps narrow the result set.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Name | Text | Likely | Primary lookup on most JailTracker rosters. |
| First Name | Text | Optional | Narrows results when the last name is common. |
| Browse Full Roster | List view | n/a | Many JailTracker sites list all current inmates to scroll. |
| Exact Fields | Unknown | Unknown | Not exposed in inspection; the page loads only a JavaScript shell. |
Forrest County Jail Facilities
Forrest County operates more than one detention facility. Adults arrested in the county are booked into the Adult Detention Center on Arena Drive. Juveniles are handled separately through the Juvenile Detention Center. The Sheriff's Office also runs a dispatch line and an Evaluation Center division. Direct contacts for the two facilities most families need are below.
The Sheriff's Office details its jail rules on the Adult Detention Center page.
That page is the primary source for the facility's visitation, mail, and money rules. Confirm any rule by phone before a visit, since details can change.
Forrest County Adult Detention Center
55 Arena Drive
Hattiesburg, MS 39401
(601) 545-6148
Visitation: Tuesdays, sign up by 11:00 AM
Juvenile Detention Center
Hattiesburg, MS 39401
(601) 545-6183
(601) 545-6184
Sheriff dispatch: (601) 544-7800
What a Forrest County Inmate Profile Shows
A JailTracker profile usually opens once a name is selected. Because a live Forrest County profile could not be inspected, the fields below reflect standard roster data and note where public display is not confirmed. Names and booking dates are commonly public. Bond, housing, and release fields vary by agency and are flagged as not confirmed for this county.
Use the profile to verify identity before acting. Booking numbers and dates help match the right person when names are similar.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Inmate Name | Full legal name, sometimes with aliases. Commonly public. |
| Booking Number | The jail's unique ID for that booking event. Commonly public. |
| Booking Date | Date and time the person was processed into custody. Commonly public. |
| Charges | Offenses listed at booking. Public on many rosters, not confirmed for Forrest County. |
| Bond Amount | Dollar figure or a no-bond or hold status. Where public, not confirmed for Forrest County. |
| Housing Unit | Pod or cell assignment. Often withheld for security, not confirmed. |
| Projected Release | Expected release or transfer date. Shown where public, not confirmed. |
Booking Process in Forrest County
Booking begins at arrest. A deputy, a city officer, or another agency brings the person to the Adult Detention Center for intake. Staff record identity, store property, and complete a booking photo and fingerprints where they apply. Screening and classification then decide housing. The exact local timeline is not published, so processing time shifts with the day's workload.
After booking comes the first appearance. Depending on the charge, the case may route through Municipal, Justice, County, or Circuit Court. A judge can set bond, deny bond, or order a hold for another agency. Bond status often decides whether release is quick or custody continues. Charges and bond can change as the case moves forward, and the charges filed after an arrest are tracked separately in Forrest County arrest records and court charges.
County Jail vs State Prison Custody
County jail and state prison are not the same system. The Adult Detention Center holds local arrests, pretrial detainees, and short county sentences. Once a person is sentenced to state time, the Mississippi Department of Corrections takes custody, and the county roster no longer tracks them. That is the most common reason a search comes up empty after a conviction.
State inmates appear in the MDOC inmate search.
The MDOC tool searches by name or by the assigned MDOC ID number. It runs on a single button, so the form is short.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Name | Text | Optional | State prison and parole records, not county jail. |
| Last Name | Text | Optional | Name search. |
| MDOC ID Number | Text | Optional | Alternative to name when the number is known. |
| SEARCH | Button | n/a | Runs the search. |
The same data is reachable through the MS.gov MDOC interface.
Both tools point to the same state custody records, so either one works for sentenced inmates. Questions about state records go to the MDOC Records Department. The mailing address is P.O. Box 24388, Jackson, MS 39225, and the records line is 601-933-2889. Use the county roster for recent arrests, and MDOC for people already in the prison system.
Forrest County Jail Mail Rules
Mail reaches an inmate through the Adult Detention Center. Every envelope needs the inmate's full name and the jail address. Use this format:
Inmate Name
55 Arena Drive
Hattiesburg MS, 39401
Packages get searched before they reach the inmate. If contraband turns up, the person who brought it can be arrested and prosecuted. Allowed items are limited. A package may include up to $100 in cash and one soft-bound religious text, such as a Bible or Koran, ordered from and delivered by a reputable source like Amazon or Books-A-Million. Canteen items cannot be sent in. That means hygiene products, snacks, envelopes, notepads, and stamps must be bought inside the jail, not mailed.
Packages are received Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM to 4:30 PM. Worn clothing items may be swapped at roughly 90-day intervals, with the old set returned first. State and sheriff trustees can receive a box on the 15th of each month.
Note: Contraband includes drugs, alcohol, weapons, keys, and tobacco, and bringing any of it into the jail can lead to arrest and prosecution.
Forrest County Visitation Schedule
Visitation runs on a tight schedule and strict rules. General visits happen on Tuesdays, and visitors must call and sign up by 11:00 A.M. on the visit day. Visits last 20 minutes. Only two visitors per inmate are allowed, and both must come at the same time. Everyone must be 18 with a valid photo ID. People on parole or probation from any court cannot visit. Cell phones, purses, and tobacco are not allowed inside, and all visitors are subject to search.
Specific pods and groups visit on set weeks. Confirm the exact window by phone, since pod times can shift.
| Group / Pod | Schedule | Call Window | Visit Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| General visitation | Tuesday only | Call (601) 545-6148, 8:15 to 11:00 AM | 20 minutes |
| Females | 1st and 3rd week | Call 8:15 to 9:00 AM | 10:00 to 10:30 AM |
| T-Pod | 1st and 3rd week | Call 8:15 to 9:00 AM | 10:30 to 11:00 AM |
| 102 Pod (F, G, H, J, K) | 1st and 3rd week | Call by 11:00 AM | Confirm time by phone |
| ISO, OBS, 103 Pod (L, M, N, P, Q) | 2nd and 4th week | Call 8:15 to 9:00 AM | ISO and OBS 9:00 to 11:00 AM |
| State / Sheriff Trustee | 2nd and 4th Saturday | Call 8:00 to 11:00 AM | 1:00 to 3:00 PM contact visit |
Video visits are an option too. Families set up an account at CityTelecoin.com to visit by video. Contact visits are not allowed without direct approval from the sheriff.
Forrest County Inmate Funds
Money goes onto an inmate's books online. The Sheriff's Office uses inmatefinancial.com for deposits. Click "Purchase Commissary Credit Now," then select "Forrest County Det Ctr" to fund the right account. Inmates can have up to $150 a day placed on their books. For help with a deposit, customer service is 1-855-700-0077, Monday through Friday, 8 to 5 CST.
Phone and video services run through CityTelecoin.com. A funded account lets an inmate make calls and lets families schedule video visits. These vendor accounts are separate from commissary money, so set up each one as needed. Canteen funds buy snacks, hygiene items, and writing supplies inside the jail.
Note: Online deposits post to a vendor system, so confirm the correct facility name before sending funds to avoid a misdirected payment.
Public Records for Booking Records
Booking and incident records can be requested when the roster is not enough. The Sheriff's Office follows the Mississippi Public Records Act and accepts requests by email at fcsorecords@co.forrest.ms.us. The act treats public records as open for inspection unless an exemption applies, and it lets agencies charge for copy costs. The Sheriff charges 15 cents per black-and-white page and 25 cents per color page, with other fees for media and staff time.
Not every detail is public. Investigative material, sealed cases, and juvenile matters can be withheld or redacted. For records the sheriff does not hold, contact the court with custody of the file. Outstanding warrants and active charges may sit with a different office than the jail, and those are tracked through Forrest County warrant records.