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 24, 2026 and September 30, 2026.
Covington County, Mississippi, has about 18,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Covington County is held at the county jail, run by the Covington 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: Covington County public records, Covington County arrest records, Covington County warrants, Covington County criminal records, Covington County court records, Mississippi arrest records and Mississippi inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Covington County
The county jail, run by the Covington County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Covington County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Covington County Sheriff's Office at covingtoncountyms.gov/government/sheriff (page title: Sheriff | Covington County | Mississippi), phone 601-765-8281, 1107 Main St. Collins, MS 39428, 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 601-765-8281.
The Covington County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2019 the jail held about 53 people. Its rated capacity in 2019 was 84 beds, and it ran at 63 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Covington County has about 18,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 29 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Covington County Jail
The Covington County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Collins, Mount Olive and Seminary make the arrests that end in a booking in Covington County.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Mount Olive's 1,152 for 2025, Collins's 93 for 2025 and Seminary's 0 for 2025.
Together, the three agencies in Covington County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,245 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 Covington 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 Mississippi Department of Corrections lists its inmates at mdoc.ms.gov/inmate_search.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Covington County?
Ask the Covington County Sheriff's Office at 601-765-8281; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at covingtoncountyms.gov/government/sheriff.
How many people are in the Covington County jail?
About 53 on an average day in 2019, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 84 beds.
What is the phone number for the Covington County jail?
601-765-8281, the number on the page of the Covington County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Covington County go?
To a facility of the Mississippi Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at mdoc.ms.gov/inmate_search.
Is this the official Covington 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.