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.
Suffolk County, Massachusetts, has about 793,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Suffolk County is held at the county jail, run by the Sheriff’s Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department, 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: Suffolk County public records, Suffolk County arrest records, Suffolk County warrants, Suffolk County criminal records, Suffolk County court records, Massachusetts arrest records and Massachusetts inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Suffolk County
The county jail, run by the Sheriff’s Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Suffolk County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Sheriff’s Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department at scsdma.org/sheriffs-office (page title: Sheriff’s Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department), phone (617) 635-1000, 20 Bradston Street Boston, MA 02118, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 30, 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 (617) 635-1000.
The Suffolk County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2025 the jail held about 1,210 people, down from about 1,410 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023, the last year with a capacity figure, was 2,745 beds, and it ran at 42 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Suffolk County has about 793,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 15 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Suffolk County Jail
The Sheriff’s Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department and the agencies that report for Boston, Revere, Chelsea and Winthrop Town make the arrests that end in a booking in Suffolk County.
The FBI's agency list also places 13 campus police departments, three other agencies, one state police unit and three state agencies in Suffolk County (the arrest records guide names each one).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Boston's 7,705 for 2025, Revere's 811 for 2025 and Chelsea's 714 for 2025.
Together, the four agencies in Suffolk County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 9,323 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 Suffolk 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 Suffolk County serves the sentence in a facility of the Massachusetts Department of Correction, whose inmate locator is at mass.gov/how-to/find-someone-housed-in-a-massachusetts-prison.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Suffolk County?
Ask the Sheriff’s Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department at (617) 635-1000; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at scsdma.org/sheriffs-office.
How many people are in the Suffolk County jail?
About 1,210 on an average day in 2025, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 2,745 beds.
What is the phone number for the Suffolk County jail?
(617) 635-1000, the number on the page of the Sheriff’s Office, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Suffolk County go?
To a facility of the Massachusetts Department of Correction; its inmate locator is at mass.gov.
Is this the official Suffolk 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.