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 on September 23, 2026.
Albany County, New York, has about 320,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Albany County is held at the county jail, run by the Albany 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: Albany County public records, Albany County arrest records, Albany County warrants, Albany County criminal records, Albany County court records, New York arrest records and New York inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Albany County
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Albany County is held at the county jail, run by the Albany County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Albany County Sheriff's Office at albanycountyny.gov/sheriff (page title: County Sheriff | Albany County, NY), 996 Madison Avenue, Room 120 Albany, NY 12208, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
That page is the office's jail information page rather than a roster.
The Albany County Jail by the Numbers
So far in 2026 the jail has held about 570 people on an average day, up from about 490 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023, the last year with a capacity figure, was 938 beds, and it ran at 48 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Albany County has about 320,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 18 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Albany County Jail
The Albany County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Albany, Cohoes, Watervliet, Colonie, Menands, Green Island and one more cities make the arrests that end in a booking in Albany County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Albany County: the Albany State University of New York Police and the State University of New York at Albany (Plaza) (campus police).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Albany's 1,733 for 2025, Colonie's 1,673 for 2025 and Cohoes's 531 for 2025.
Together, the nine agencies in Albany County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 5,780 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 Albany 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 York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision lists its inmates at nysdoccslookup.doccs.ny.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Albany County?
Ask the Albany County Sheriff's Office; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at albanycountyny.gov/sheriff.
How many people are in the Albany County jail?
About 570 on an average day so far in 2026, against a rated capacity of 938 beds.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Albany County go?
To a facility of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision; its inmate locator is at nysdoccslookup.doccs.ny.gov.
Is this the official Albany 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.