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.
Dover, New Hampshire, in Strafford County, has about 34,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Dover is held at the county jail, run by the Strafford 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: Dover public records, Strafford County inmate search, Dover arrest records, Dover warrants, Dover criminal records, Dover court records, New Hampshire arrest records and New Hampshire inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Dover
The county jail, run by the Strafford County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Dover, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Strafford County Sheriff's Office at co.strafford.nh.us/jail-home-page (page title: Jail Home Page), phone (603) 742-3310, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 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 (603) 742-3310.
The Strafford County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2023 the jail held about 310 people, down from about 440 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023 was 399 beds, and it ran at 78 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Strafford County has about 134,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 23 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Strafford County Jail
The Strafford County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Dover (filed by the FBI as Dover Police Department) make the arrests that end in a booking in and around Dover.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Strafford County: the Strafford County State Police (state police); the University of New Hampshire (campus police).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Rochester's 1,121 for 2025, Dover's 746 for 2025 and Somersworth's 542 for 2025.
Together, the 14 agencies in Strafford County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 3,280 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 Dover 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 Strafford County serves the sentence in a facility of the New Hampshire Department of Corrections, whose inmate locator is at business.nh.gov/inmate_locator.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Dover?
Ask the Strafford County Sheriff's Office at (603) 742-3310; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at co.strafford.nh.us/jail-home-page.
How many people are in the Strafford County jail?
About 310 on an average day in 2023, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 399 beds.
What is the phone number for the Strafford County jail?
(603) 742-3310, the number on the page of the Strafford County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Strafford County go?
To a facility of the New Hampshire Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at business.nh.gov/inmate_locator.
Is this the official Dover 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.