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.
Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, has about 331,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Luzerne County is held at the county jail, run by the Sheriff's Department | Luzerne County, PA, 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: Luzerne County public records, Luzerne County arrest records, Luzerne County warrants, Luzerne County criminal records, Luzerne County court records, Pennsylvania arrest records and Pennsylvania inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Luzerne County
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Luzerne County is held at the county jail, run by the Sheriff's Department | Luzerne County, PA, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Sheriff's Department | Luzerne County, PA at luzernecounty.org/529/Sheriff (page title: Sheriff's Department | Luzerne County, PA), phone 570-825-1651, 200 N River Street Courthouse, Basement Level Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711, Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 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 570-825-1651.
The Luzerne County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2023 the jail held about 410 people, down from about 490 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023 was 537 beds, and it ran at 77 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Luzerne County has about 331,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 12 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Luzerne County Jail
The Sheriff's Department | Luzerne County, PA and the agencies that report for Wilkes-Barre, Wilkes-Barre (township), Hazleton, Kingston, Kingston (township), Nanticoke and 22 more cities make the arrests that end in a booking in Luzerne County.
The FBI's agency list also places four campus police departments, six other agencies, four state agencies and one state police unit in Luzerne County (the arrest records guide names each one).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Wilkes-Barre's 2,801 for 2025, Wilkes-Barre (township)'s 540 for 2025 and Plymouth's 462 for 2024.
Together, the 28 agencies in Luzerne County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 5,627 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 Luzerne 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 Pennsylvania Department of Corrections lists its inmates at inmatelocator.cor.pa.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Luzerne County?
Ask the Sheriff's Department | Luzerne County, PA at 570-825-1651; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at luzernecounty.org/529/Sheriff.
How many people are in the Luzerne County jail?
About 410 on an average day in 2023, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 537 beds.
What is the phone number for the Luzerne County jail?
570-825-1651, the number on the page of the Sheriff's Department | Luzerne County, PA SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Luzerne County go?
To a facility of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at inmatelocator.cor.pa.gov.
Is this the official Luzerne 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.