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.
Clayton, North Carolina, in Johnston County, has about 32,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Clayton is held at the county jail, run by the Johnston 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: Clayton public records, Johnston County inmate search, Clayton arrest records, Clayton warrants, Clayton criminal records, Clayton court records, North Carolina arrest records and North Carolina inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Clayton
The county jail, run by the Johnston County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Clayton, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Johnston County Sheriff's Office at johnstonnc.gov/sheriffs_office/content.cfm?page_desc=faqs (page title: Frequently Asked Questions), phone (919) 989-5040, 127 S. Second Street, Smithfield, NC 27577, Monday through Friday from 8am until 4pm., 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 (919) 989-5040.
The Johnston County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 270 people, up from about 220 in 2018. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Johnston County has about 250,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 11 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Johnston County Jail
The Johnston County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Clayton (filed by the FBI as Clayton Police Department) make the arrests that end in a booking in and around Clayton.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were the Johnston County Sheriff's Office's 1,565 for 2025, Kenly's 1,153 for 2025 and Smithfield's 939 for 2025.
Together, the nine agencies in Johnston County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 4,761 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 Clayton 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 Johnston County serves the sentence in a facility of the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction, whose inmate locator is at dac.nc.gov/dac-services/criminal-offender-searches.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Clayton?
Ask the Johnston County Sheriff's Office at (919) 989-5040; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at johnstonnc.gov.
How many people are in the Johnston County jail?
About 270 on an average day in 2024, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data.
What is the phone number for the Johnston County jail?
(919) 989-5040, the number on the page of the Johnston County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Johnston County go?
To a facility of the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction; its inmate locator is at dac.nc.gov.
Is this the official Clayton 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.