Find Inmates in the South Bend Jail Roster

The South Bend jail roster shows people currently held at the St. Joseph County Jail following arrests made in the city. South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County and the fourth-largest city in Indiana. City arrests do not go to a separate city facility. All bookings happen at the county jail, which is managed by the St. Joseph County Sheriff's Office. You can search the roster online through the county or use the statewide INjail portal.

South Bend Police Department

The South Bend Police Department serves the city and handles criminal arrests within the city limits. The department's main office and Records Bureau are located at 401 W. Sample St., South Bend, IN 46601. The non-emergency line is 574-235-9201. The Records Bureau is staffed by civilian employees who handle public records requests, including booking record access. The department is divided into six operational divisions that cover patrol, investigations, and specialized functions.

South Bend police do not run a city jail. When an officer makes an arrest, the person is taken to the St. Joseph County Jail for booking. The jail shares an address with the police department at 401 W. Sample St., South Bend, IN 46601. The county sheriff manages the facility and publishes the public inmate roster. If you need to know whether someone is currently in custody after a South Bend arrest, you need to search the county jail roster, not a city system.

South Bend Jail Roster Search

The St. Joseph County Sheriff's Office provides inmate search access through the county's official website at sjcindiana.gov. This page links to the current jail roster and explains how to search for inmates held at the facility. You can look up people by name and see basic booking details including charges and custody status.

The INjail Public Portal below provides statewide jail roster access for Indiana, including South Bend arrests booked into the St. Joseph County Jail.

Enter a name in the INjail search and select St. Joseph County from the county list to narrow results to the local jail.

The INjail portal at public.indianajail.gov covers most Indiana county jails and is a useful backup when a county's own site is unavailable. For South Bend specifically, start with the St. Joseph County jail page, then cross-check with INjail if needed. Both tools pull from current booking data.

VINE Victim Notification

VINE provides free custody status alerts for people held at the St. Joseph County Jail. Sign up online at VINELink.com or call 866-959-8463 at any time. Once you register, VINE will contact you by phone or email when the person you are tracking is released, transferred, or has any change in custody status. The system operates around the clock without interruption.

VINE is especially useful for crime victims and families who need to know when someone will be released from the South Bend area jail. You do not need to provide a reason to sign up, and there is no charge for the service. The St. Joseph County Jail reports status changes to VINE in real time.

Booking Records and Your Rights

When South Bend police book someone into the St. Joseph County Jail, the record becomes public under Indiana law. Under IC 5-14-3, basic booking information including the person's name, charges, booking date, and bond amount is available to the public without any special process. You can get this information through the online roster or by visiting the Records Bureau at 401 W. Sample St. during business hours.

Indiana administrative rules at 210 IAC 3-1-6 govern how county jails must maintain and share inmate data. These regulations set minimum standards for record accuracy and public access. If you need records for someone already released, submit a written public records request to the St. Joseph County Sheriff's Office or contact the South Bend Police Records Bureau at 574-235-9201. The Records Bureau staff can guide you through the process for accessing older booking records.

Some records may be withheld. Juvenile records and information tied to active investigations are typically protected from public disclosure. If your request is denied, the agency must explain which legal exemption applies.

State Resources

People held at the St. Joseph County Jail may later be transferred to a state facility if they are convicted and sentenced to a term in state prison. The Indiana Department of Correction Offender Locator tracks people serving sentences in state facilities, including prisons, work release, and community corrections programs. If someone is not showing up in the county jail search, check IDOC next.

The INjail Public Portal is a separate statewide tool that covers most Indiana county jails in one search. It can be used when you are unsure which county has a person in custody or when you want to check multiple jurisdictions at once. South Bend and St. Joseph County data appears in the INjail system and is updated regularly.

Nearby Cities

South Bend is in northern Indiana's St. Joseph County region, near several other communities in Michiana.