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.
McDonough County, Illinois, has about 27,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in McDonough County is held at the county jail, run by the McDonough 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: McDonough County public records, McDonough County arrest records, McDonough County warrants, McDonough County criminal records, McDonough County court records, Illinois arrest records and Illinois inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in McDonough County
The county jail, run by the McDonough County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in McDonough County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the McDonough County Sheriff's Office at ilsheriff.org/county/mcdonough (page title: McDonough County | Illinois Sheriffs' Association), phone (217) 753-2372, 110 South McArthur St., Macomb, IL 61455, a site that blocks automated checks (HTTP 403), so open it in a browser.
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) 753-2372.
The McDonough County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 38 people, up from about 37 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2019, the last year with a capacity figure, was 53 beds, and it ran at 70 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
McDonough County has about 27,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 14 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the McDonough County Jail
The McDonough County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Macomb, Bushnell, Colchester and Blandinsville make the arrests that end in a booking in McDonough County.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in McDonough County: Western Illinois University (campus police).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Bushnell's 1,152 for 2025, Macomb's 89 for 2024 and Colchester's 0 for 2022.
Together, the two agencies in McDonough County with all twelve months of 2024 on file reported 1,241 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 McDonough 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 McDonough 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 McDonough County?
Ask the McDonough County Sheriff's Office at (217) 753-2372; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at ilsheriff.org/county/mcdonough.
How many people are in the McDonough County jail?
About 38 on an average day in 2024, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 53 beds.
What is the phone number for the McDonough County jail?
(217) 753-2372, the number on the page of the McDonough County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in McDonough 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 McDonough 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.