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.
McDonald County, Missouri, has about 24,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in McDonald County is held at the county jail, run by the McDonald 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: McDonald County public records, McDonald County arrest records, McDonald County warrants, McDonald County criminal records, McDonald County court records, Missouri arrest records and Missouri inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in McDonald County
The county jail, run by the McDonald County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in McDonald County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the McDonald County Sheriff's Office at mcdonaldcountysheriff.com/detention_center.html (page title: Welcome to the McDonald County Sheriff's Office Website), phone 417-895-6868, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 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 417-895-6868.
The McDonald County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2023 the jail held about 38 people, down from about 52 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023 was 64 beds, and it ran at 59 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
McDonald County has about 24,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 16 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the McDonald County Jail
The McDonald County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Noel, Anderson, Goodman, Southwest City, Pineville and Lanagan make the arrests that end in a booking in McDonald County.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were the McDonald County Sheriff's Office's 112 for 2025, Pineville's 57 for 2025 and Anderson's 57 for 2025.
Together, the six agencies in McDonald County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 290 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 McDonald County arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison, not the jail; the Missouri Department of Corrections lists its inmates at web.mo.gov/doc/offSearchWeb.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in McDonald County?
Ask the McDonald County Sheriff's Office at 417-895-6868; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at mcdonaldcountysheriff.com.
How many people are in the McDonald County jail?
About 38 on an average day in 2023, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 64 beds.
What is the phone number for the McDonald County jail?
417-895-6868, the number on the page of the McDonald County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in McDonald 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 McDonald 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.