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 on September 23, 2026.
Stephenson County, Illinois, has about 43,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Stephenson County is held at the county jail, run by the Stephenson 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: Stephenson County public records, Stephenson County arrest records, Stephenson County warrants, Stephenson County criminal records, Stephenson County court records, Illinois arrest records and Illinois inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Stephenson County
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Stephenson County is held at the county jail, run by the Stephenson County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the custody page of the Stephenson County Sheriff's Office at stephensoncountyil.gov/government/sheriff_s_office/jail_inmate_info... (page title: Stephenson County, IL), phone 815-235-8254, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
That page is the place to look for someone booked recently. A person cited and released at the scene, or held only a few hours by a city department, will not be on it.
The Stephenson County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2020 the jail held about 56 people, down from about 85 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2019, the last year with a capacity figure, was 212 beds, and it ran at 40 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Stephenson County has about 43,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 13 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Stephenson County Jail
The Stephenson County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Freeport, Lena and German Valley make the arrests that end in a booking in Stephenson County.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Stephenson County: the Freeport Park District (other agency).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Freeport's 1,164 for 2025, Lena's 1,152 for 2025 and German Valley's 1,152 for 2025.
Together, the three agencies in Stephenson County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 3,468 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 Stephenson 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 Stephenson 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 Stephenson County?
Look on the custody page of the Stephenson County Sheriff's Office at stephensoncountyil.gov, or call 815-235-8254. It covers people booked into the county jail.
How many people are in the Stephenson County jail?
About 56 on an average day in 2020, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 212 beds.
What is the phone number for the Stephenson County jail?
815-235-8254, the number on the page of the Stephenson County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Stephenson 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 Stephenson 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.