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 October 2, 2026.
Galesburg, Illinois, in Knox County, has about 29,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Galesburg is held at the county jail, run by the Knox 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: Galesburg public records, Knox County inmate search, Galesburg arrest records, Galesburg warrants, Galesburg criminal records, Galesburg court records, Illinois arrest records and Illinois inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Galesburg
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Galesburg is held at the county jail, run by the Knox County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Knox County Sheriff's Office at knoxsheriff.org (page title: Knox County Sheriff's Office), phone 888-868-4631, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 28, 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 888-868-4631.
The Knox County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2019 the jail held about 110 people. Its rated capacity in 2019 was 128 beds, and it ran at 88 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Knox County has about 49,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 23 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Knox County Jail
The Knox County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Galesburg (filed by the FBI as Galesburg Police Department) make the arrests that end in a booking in and around Galesburg.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Galesburg's 1,452 for 2025, Williamsfield's 1,152 for 2025 and the Knox County Sheriff's Office's 472 for 2025.
Together, the four agencies in Knox County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 3,116 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 Galesburg 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 Galesburg?
Ask the Knox County Sheriff's Office at 888-868-4631; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at knoxsheriff.org.
How many people are in the Knox County jail?
About 110 on an average day in 2019, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 128 beds.
What is the phone number for the Knox County jail?
888-868-4631, the number on the page of the Knox County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Knox 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 Galesburg 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.