Reviewed and updated October 11, 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 11, 2026.
West Plains, Missouri, in Howell County, has about 13,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in West Plains is held at the county jail, run by the Howell 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: West Plains public records, Howell County inmate search, West Plains arrest records, West Plains warrants, West Plains police reports, West Plains property records, Missouri arrest records and Missouri inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in West Plains
The county jail, run by the Howell County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in West Plains, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Howell County Sheriff's Office at howellcountysheriff.com (page title: Howell County Sheriff), phone (417) 256-2544, 1106 Missouri Ave West Plains, MO 65775, Monday through Friday from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm., which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 11, 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 (417) 256-2544.
The Howell County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2019 the jail held about 3 people. Its rated capacity in 2019 was 12 beds, and it ran at 25 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Howell County has about 41,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 0.7 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Howell County Jail
The Howell County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for West Plains (filed by the FBI as West Plains Police Department) make the arrests that end in a booking in and around West Plains.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were West Plains's 327 for 2025, the Howell County Sheriff's Office's 242 for 2025 and Mountain View's 63 for 2025.
Together, the four agencies in Howell County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 655 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 West Plains 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 Howell County serves the sentence in a facility of the Missouri Department of Corrections, whose inmate locator is at web.mo.gov/doc/offSearchWeb.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in West Plains?
Ask the Howell County Sheriff's Office at (417) 256-2544; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at howellcountysheriff.com.
How many people are in the Howell County jail?
About 3 on an average day in 2019, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 12 beds.
What is the phone number for the Howell County jail?
(417) 256-2544, the number on the page of the Howell County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Howell County go?
To a facility of the Missouri Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at web.mo.gov/doc/offSearchWeb.
Is this the official West Plains website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.