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 9, 2026.
Douglas County, Illinois, has about 20,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Douglas County is held at the county jail, run by the Douglas 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: Douglas County public records, Douglas County arrest records, Douglas County warrants, Douglas County criminal records, Douglas County court records, Illinois arrest records and Illinois inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Douglas County
The county jail, run by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Douglas County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office at dgso.org/index.php/dgso-inmate-reports (page title: DGSO Inmate Reports), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 9, 2026.
That page is the office's jail information page rather than a roster.
The Douglas County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 19 people, down from about 39 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2019, the last year with a capacity figure, was 38 beds, and it ran at 103 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Douglas County has about 20,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 10 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Douglas County Jail
The Douglas County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Tuscola, Arcola, Villa Grove, Arthur and Newman make the arrests that end in a booking in Douglas County.
The Atwood Police Department is listed by the FBI across two counties including Douglas County, so its arrests are not broken out for Douglas County here.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Villa Grove's 1,152 for 2025, Arcola's 82 for 2025 and Arthur's 46 for 2025.
Together, the five agencies in Douglas County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,308 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 Douglas County arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
The jail holds people awaiting trial and people serving short sentences. A person sentenced to prison in Douglas County serves the sentence in a facility of the Illinois Department of Corrections, whose inmate locator is at idoc.illinois.gov/offender/inmatesearch.html.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Douglas County?
Ask the Douglas County Sheriff's Office; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at dgso.org/index.php/dgso-inmate-reports.
How many people are in the Douglas County jail?
About 19 on an average day in 2024, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 38 beds.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Douglas 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 Douglas County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.