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 27, 2026.
Lincoln County, New Mexico, has about 20,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Lincoln County is held at the county jail, run by the Lincoln 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: Lincoln County public records, Lincoln County arrest records, Lincoln County warrants, Lincoln County criminal records, Lincoln County court records, New Mexico arrest records and New Mexico inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Lincoln County
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Lincoln County is held at the county jail, run by the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office at p2c.lincolnsheriff.org/jailinmates.aspx (page title: Lincoln County Sheriffs Office P2C), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 27, 2026.
That page is the office's jail information page rather than a roster.
The Lincoln County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2023 the jail held about 82 people, down from about 230 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2019, the last year with a capacity figure, was 144 beds, and it ran at 162 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Lincoln County has about 20,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 41 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Lincoln County Jail
The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Ruidoso, Ruidoso Downs, Capitan and Carrizozo make the arrests that end in a booking in Lincoln County.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Ruidoso's 429 for 2019, the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office's 422 for 2019 and Ruidoso Downs's 17 for 2025.
Together, the two agencies in Lincoln County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 24 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 Lincoln 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 New Mexico Corrections Department lists its inmates at cd.nm.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Lincoln County?
Ask the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at p2c.lincolnsheriff.org/jailinmates.aspx.
How many people are in the Lincoln County jail?
About 82 on an average day in 2023, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 144 beds.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Lincoln County go?
To a facility of the New Mexico Corrections Department; its inmate locator is at cd.nm.gov.
Is this the official Lincoln 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.