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 1, 2026.
Richmond County, North Carolina, has about 42,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Richmond County is held at the county jail, run by the Richmond 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: Richmond County public records, Richmond County arrest records, Richmond County warrants, Richmond County criminal records, Richmond County court records, North Carolina arrest records and North Carolina inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Richmond County
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Richmond County is held at the county jail, run by the Richmond County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the custody page of the Richmond County Sheriff's Office at richmondcountysheriff.net/divisions/inmate_information.php (page title: Richmond County Sheriff, NC), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 1, 2026.
That page is the place to look for someone booked recently. A person cited and released at the scene, or held only a few hours by a city department, will not be on it.
The Richmond County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 95 people, down from about 96 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2019, the last year with a capacity figure, was 72 beds, and it ran at 133 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Richmond County has about 42,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 23 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Richmond County Jail
The Richmond County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Rockingham and Hamlet make the arrests that end in a booking in Richmond County.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were the Richmond County Sheriff's Office's 880 for 2025, Rockingham's 755 for 2024 and Hamlet's 299 for 2024.
Together, the three agencies in Richmond County with all twelve months of 2024 on file reported 1,919 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 Richmond 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 Richmond County?
Look on the custody page of the Richmond County Sheriff's Office at richmondcountysheriff.net. It covers people booked into the county jail.
How many people are in the Richmond County jail?
About 95 on an average day in 2024, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 72 beds.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Richmond 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 Richmond 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.