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 4, 2026.
Menard County, Illinois, has about 12,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Menard County is held at the county jail, run by the Menard 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: Menard County public records, Menard County arrest records, Menard County warrants, Menard County criminal records, Menard County court records, Illinois arrest records and Illinois inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Menard County
The county jail, run by the Menard County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Menard County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Menard County Sheriff's Office at menardcountyil.com/elected-officials/sh (page title: Menard County IL | Sheriff), phone (217) 632-4458, 102 S. Seventh St. Petersburg, IL 62675, Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., 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) 632-4458.
The Menard County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 4 people, down from about 10 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2019, the last year with a capacity figure, was 25 beds, and it ran at 40 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Menard County has about 12,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 3 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Menard County Jail
The Menard County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Petersburg, Athens and Greenview make the arrests that end in a booking in Menard County.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Greenview's 1,152 for 2025, the Menard County Sheriff's Office's 31 for 2025 and Athens's 17 for 2025.
Together, the three agencies in Menard County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,200 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 Menard 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 Menard 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 Menard County?
Ask the Menard County Sheriff's Office at (217) 632-4458; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at menardcountyil.com/elected-officials/sh.
How many people are in the Menard County jail?
About 4 on an average day in 2024, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 25 beds.
What is the phone number for the Menard County jail?
(217) 632-4458, the number on the page of the Menard County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Menard 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 Menard 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.