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.
Keene, New Hampshire, in Cheshire County, has about 23,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Keene is held at the county jail, run by the Cheshire 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: Keene public records, Cheshire County inmate search, Keene arrest records, Keene warrants, Keene criminal records, Keene court records, New Hampshire arrest records and New Hampshire inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Keene
The county jail, run by the Cheshire County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Keene, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the custody page of the Cheshire County Sheriff's Office at co.cheshire.nh.us/inmate-list (page title: Inmate List -Cheshire County), phone (603) 835-2986, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 30, 2026.
Someone booked recently shows on that page; someone cited and released at the scene, or held a few hours at a city station, does not.
The Cheshire County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2023 the jail held about 110 people, down from about 150 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2019, the last year with a capacity figure, was 230 beds, and it ran at 65 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Cheshire County has about 78,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 14 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Cheshire County Jail
The Cheshire County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Keene (filed by the FBI as Keene Police Department) make the arrests that end in a booking in and around Keene.
The FBI's agency list also places one more agency in Cheshire County: the Cheshire County State Police (state police).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Keene's 1,037 for 2025, Jaffrey's 232 for 2025 and Rindge's 184 for 2025.
Together, the 15 agencies in Cheshire County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 2,040 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 Keene arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison, not the jail; the New Hampshire Department of Corrections lists its inmates at business.nh.gov/inmate_locator.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Keene?
Look on the custody page of the Cheshire County Sheriff's Office at co.cheshire.nh.us/inmate-list, or call (603) 835-2986. It covers people booked into the county jail.
How many people are in the Cheshire County jail?
About 110 on an average day in 2023, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 230 beds.
What is the phone number for the Cheshire County jail?
(603) 835-2986, the number on the page of the Cheshire County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Cheshire 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 Keene 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.