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 28, 2026 and October 4, 2026.
Ford County, Illinois, has about 13,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Ford County is held at the county jail, run by the Ford 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: Ford County public records, Ford County arrest records, Ford County warrants, Ford County criminal records, Ford County court records, Illinois arrest records and Illinois inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Ford County
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Ford County is held at the county jail, run by the Ford County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Ford County Sheriff's Office at fordcounty.illinois.gov/sheriff (page title: Ford County Jail and Sheriff's Office | Ford County Illinois), phone (217) 379-2324, 235 N. American Street Paxton, IL 60957, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 4, 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 (217) 379-2324.
The Ford County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 34 people, up from about 30 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2019, the last year with a capacity figure, was 61 beds, and it ran at 49 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Ford County has about 13,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 25 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Ford County Jail
The Ford County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Paxton and Gibson City make the arrests that end in a booking in Ford County.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Paxton's 102 for 2023, the Ford County Sheriff's Office's 56 for 2025 and Gibson City's 0 for 2020.
Together, the two agencies in Ford County with all twelve months of 2023 on file reported 154 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 Ford County 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 Ford County?
Ask the Ford County Sheriff's Office at (217) 379-2324; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at fordcounty.illinois.gov/sheriff.
How many people are in the Ford County jail?
About 34 on an average day in 2024, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 61 beds.
What is the phone number for the Ford County jail?
(217) 379-2324, the number on the page of the Ford County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Ford 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 Ford 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.