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 September 26, 2026.
Clinton, North Carolina, in Sampson County, has about 8,300 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Clinton is held at the county jail, run by the Sampson 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: Clinton public records, Sampson County inmate search, Clinton arrest records, Clinton warrants, Clinton criminal records, Clinton court records, North Carolina arrest records and North Carolina inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Clinton
The county jail, run by the Sampson County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Clinton, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Sampson County Sheriff's Office at sampsoncountync.gov/Government/Departments-A-Z/Sheriffs-Office/Dete... (page title: Detention Center | Sampson County Government), phone (910) 592-8178, 8178 Location 112 Fontana Street Clinton, NC 28328, 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 (910) 592-8178.
The Sampson County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 250 people, up from about 250 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2019, the last year with a capacity figure, was 242 beds, and it ran at 102 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Sampson County has about 60,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 41 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Sampson County Jail
The Sampson County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Clinton (filed by the FBI as Clinton Police Department) make the arrests that end in a booking in and around Clinton.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were the Sampson County Sheriff's Office's 841 for 2025 and Clinton's 570 for 2025.
Together, the two agencies in Sampson County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,411 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 Clinton 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 Sampson 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 Clinton?
Ask the Sampson County Sheriff's Office at (910) 592-8178; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at sampsoncountync.gov.
How many people are in the Sampson County jail?
About 250 on an average day in 2024, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 242 beds.
What is the phone number for the Sampson County jail?
(910) 592-8178, the number on the page of the Sampson County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Sampson 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 Clinton 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.