Search Fayette County Jail Inmates

Fayette County Jail Overview

Fayette County Jail is operated by the Fayette County Sheriff's Office. The official county page identifies Sheriff Ronnie Stevens and places the sheriff and jail functions at the same Vandalia government complex. The jail is the local custody facility for new arrests by the sheriff, Vandalia Police, other municipal departments, Illinois State Police, and warrant agencies when the person is booked locally. IDOC's inspection report also states the jail houses U.S. Marshals, Bureau of Prisons, and other county detainees as needed.

The jail is not the same as Vandalia Correctional Center. A person arrested in Fayette County may start at the jail, but a prison sentence after conviction moves the search to IDOC. That split is important because the official county source did not publish a county current-inmate roster page. The county inmate information PDF directs public inmate inquiries to VINELink and the jail phone number.

Fayette County Jail Capacity

IDOC's March 28, 2024 compliance monitoring report lists Fayette County Jail at 69 total rated capacity, with 43 male and 16 female capacity. The inspection-day population was 44 total, with 37 male and 7 female detainees. The report says the jail was built in 1968 and last renovated in 1992, with two detention floors, 13 double cells, one eight-person dorm, three ten-person dorms, one single detention room, and two double detention rooms.

How to Look Up Fayette County Jail Inmates

Use VINELink Illinois first for public custody status and notification registration. If the arrest is recent, if the name does not appear, or if the user needs bond, release, visit, property, or record-request guidance, call the jail at 618-283-2141. A phone call may be the fastest path because the county does not publish a full roster profile online.

1. Search VINELink by name and confirm the identity before registering for notifications.
2. Call Fayette County Jail for recent-booking questions or unclear results.
3. Use the person's full name, birth date if known, arrest date, and booking ID if available.
4. Use IDOC, not the jail, if the person has been sentenced to state prison.

Fayette County Jail Address

The sheriff page gives one public address for the Sheriff's Office and Jail. The same page says inmate visitors enter through the courthouse main entrance, while the law-enforcement entrance is the south door of the jail. Visitors should not assume the south door is the public visitor route.

Visiting Fayette County Jail

The official inmate information PDF says Fayette County Jail does not offer contact visits or face-to-face visitation. Inmates are allowed four visits per week, each 15 minutes long. Visitors register through the courthouse lobby kiosk, HomeWAV at www.homewav.com, or 1-844-394-6639. Correctional officers will not schedule visits for inmates.

Mail Phone and Money

Fayette County Jail uses HomeWAV for phone, video, texting, tablets, and visit registration. Inmates may buy phone time through the commissary system, and family or friends may contact HomeWAV online or by phone. The jail does not relay ordinary messages to inmates.

Mail uses TextBehind. The published format is inmate first and last name plus inmate ID number, Fayette County Jail, P.O. Box 247, Phoenix, MD 21131. TextBehind rejects mail with missing sender, return address, inmate, or facility information. It also does not accept legal mail, money orders, personal checks, gift cards, or cash.

Fayette County Jail Intake

Local intake can include custody transfer, identity confirmation, search, property inventory, fingerprinting, photographing, medical and medication screening, phone access, classification, and housing. The jail rules say prescription medication and medical devices may be brought in only with medical staff or administration approval, and medication must be in original containers with a current prescription. IDOC's inspection report confirms that the jail is monitored for admission records, property receipts, classification, health screening, and release documentation.

The inspection checklist also shows why a person may be held apart from another detainee. Standards cover sight-and-sound separation of female detainees from male detainees, separation of witnesses where relevant, separation of non-criminal from criminal detainees when possible, and separation of charged detainees from convicted detainees. Those are jail-management rules, not public roster fields. Families should avoid assuming that a housing location, classification decision, or medical placement will be released by phone.

Fayette County Jail Visitor Entry

The Sheriff's Office page gives a specific route from I-70: exit 61, east on Randolph to 8th Street, then south three blocks to Johnson. It also separates the public visitor path from the law-enforcement path. Inmate visitors enter through the courthouse main entrance, while the south door of the jail is identified as the law-enforcement entrance. Visitors who bring a phone with confirmation information should know that courthouse security rules restrict electronics, so important visit details should be printed before arrival when needed.

The courthouse security list includes weapons, ammunition, knives, mace or pepper spray, glass items, tools, heavy chains as determined by staff, large bags, outside food or drink, and electronics such as cell phones, computers, tablets, cameras, Bluetooth devices, communication watches, games, and other electronic devices. The dress rules also matter because jail visitors use the courthouse entrance. Proper dress is required, and the county page lists items such as tank tops, halter tops, mesh shirts, short shorts, short skirts, cut-off pants, pajama pants, and offensive logos as inappropriate.

Fayette County Jail Records

The sheriff page gives a formal FOIA path for records that are not online. Requests can be sent to fcso@fayettecountyillinois.gov or to Fayette County Sheriff's Office, Attention F.O.I.A. Officer, 221 S 7th St, Vandalia, IL 62471. The office asks requesters to clearly identify the record and provide date, time, address, names, and other details. FOIA office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, excluding federal and locally recognized holidays.

About Fayette County Jail

The IDOC inspection report lists local providers and services that help describe how the jail operates. Advanced Correctional Healthcare provides medical services, mental-health services, and dental triage screenings. Community Resource Center provides additional mental-health services. Meals are prepared on site by county employees. GED materials are available upon request, law library resources are available through kiosks and tablets, and religious volunteer visits are provided by Celebrate Recovery and an independent volunteer.

The same report notes recent improvements, including mattresses, a mental-health counseling contract, a vacuum property sealer, a food delivery cart, washer and dryer, dehumidification in H and I blocks, a steam cleaning machine, a nurse's station and medication cart, supply-room shelving, booking-station monitor upgrades, a Guard 1 round-tracking upgrade, policy and procedure review, rolling-door inspections, portable radios, and an iris scanning unit. Those details are useful because they come from a state inspection source rather than a generic jail description.