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 September 30, 2026.
Ross County, Ohio, has about 76,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Ross County is held at the county jail, run by the Ross 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: Ross County public records, Ross County arrest records, Ross County warrants, Ross County criminal records, Ross County court records, Ohio arrest records and Ohio inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Ross County
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Ross County is held at the county jail, run by the Ross County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the custody page of the Ross County Sheriff's Office at ross.miamivalleyjails.org (page title: Ross County, Ohio, Sheriff | Persons Currently In Custody), phone (740) 773-1187, 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 Ross County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2023 the jail held about 100 people, down from about 220 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023 was 102 beds, and it ran at 103 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Ross County has about 76,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 14 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Ross County Jail
The Ross County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Chillicothe make the arrests that end in a booking in Ross County.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Chillicothe's 940 for 2025 and the Ross County Sheriff's Office's 596 for 2025.
Together, the two agencies in Ross County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,536 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 Ross 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 Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction lists its inmates at appgateway.drc.ohio.gov/OffenderSearch.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Ross County?
Look on the custody page of the Ross County Sheriff's Office at ross.miamivalleyjails.org, or call (740) 773-1187. It covers people booked into the county jail.
How many people are in the Ross County jail?
About 100 on an average day in 2023, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 102 beds.
What is the phone number for the Ross County jail?
(740) 773-1187, the number on the page of the Ross County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Ross County go?
To a facility of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction; its inmate locator is at appgateway.drc.ohio.gov/OffenderSearch.
Is this the official Ross 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.