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.
Johnston County, North Carolina, has about 250,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Johnston County 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: Johnston County public records, Johnston County arrest records, Johnston County warrants, Johnston County criminal records, Johnston County court records, North Carolina arrest records and North Carolina inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Johnston County
The county jail, run by the Johnston County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Johnston County, 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 agencies that report for Clayton, Smithfield, Selma, Benson, Wilson's Mills, Four Oaks and three more cities make the arrests that end in a booking in Johnston County.
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 Johnston 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 North Carolina Department of Adult Correction lists its inmates at dac.nc.gov/dac-services/criminal-offender-searches.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Johnston County?
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 Johnston 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.