Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. The jail figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and September 25, 2026.
Canton, Illinois, in Fulton County, has about 13,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Canton is held at the county jail, run by the Fulton County Sheriff's Office, and the jail's record of each person held is a public record. This guide says where to look for someone in custody, what the jail holds and who books people into it.
This guide covers the search, the jail, who books people, state prison and common questions.
Related guides: Canton public records, Fulton County inmate search, Canton arrest records, Canton warrants, Canton criminal records, Canton court records, Illinois arrest records and Illinois inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Canton
The county jail, run by the Fulton County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Canton, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Fulton County Sheriff's Office at fultoncountyil.gov/officials/elected/the-county-police (page title: Fulton County Sheriff | Fulton County), phone (309) 547-2277, 268 W. Washington Ave., P.O. Box 269, Lewistown, IL 61542, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
That page is the office's jail information page rather than a roster, so a search for a particular person goes through the office at (309) 547-2277.
The Fulton County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2019 the jail held about 52 people. Its rated capacity in 2019 was 80 beds, and it ran at 65 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Fulton County has about 33,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 16 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Fulton County Jail
The Fulton County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Canton (filed by the FBI as Canton Police Department) make the arrests that end in a booking in and around Canton.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Lewistown's 1,152 for 2025, Dunfermline's 1,152 for 2025 and Canton's 420 for 2025.
Together, the four agencies in Fulton County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 2,789 arrests to the FBI that year. Those kept in custody were booked into the county jail; a person cited and released at the scene was not.
The counts, agency by agency and year by year, are in Canton arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison, not the jail; the Illinois Department of Corrections lists its inmates at idoc.illinois.gov/offender/inmatesearch.html.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Canton?
Ask the Fulton County Sheriff's Office at (309) 547-2277; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at fultoncountyil.gov.
How many people are in the Fulton County jail?
About 52 on an average day in 2019, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 80 beds.
What is the phone number for the Fulton County jail?
(309) 547-2277, the number on the page of the Fulton County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Fulton County go?
To a facility of the Illinois Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at idoc.illinois.gov/offender/inmatesearch.html.
Is this the official Canton website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.