Reviewed and updated October 11, 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 October 11, 2026.
Barnwell County, South Carolina, has about 20,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Barnwell County is held at the county jail, run by the Barnwell 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: Barnwell County public records, Barnwell County arrest records, Barnwell County warrants, Barnwell County criminal records, Barnwell County court records, South Carolina arrest records and South Carolina inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Barnwell County
The county jail, run by the Barnwell County Sheriff's Office, holds everyone kept in custody after an arrest in Barnwell County, from every agency.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Barnwell County Sheriff's Office at barnwellcountysc.us/167/Detention-Center (page title: Detention Center | Barnwell, SC), phone 844-394-6639, 57 Wall Street Barnwell, SC 29812, Monday through Friday, 9 am to 7 pm., which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 11, 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 844-394-6639.
The Barnwell County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2019 the jail held about 95 people. Its rated capacity in 2019 was 124 beds, and it ran at 77 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Barnwell County has about 20,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 46 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Barnwell County Jail
The Barnwell County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Barnwell, Williston and Blackville make the arrests that end in a booking in Barnwell County.
The FBI's agency list also places five state agencies and one state police unit in Barnwell County (the arrest records guide names each one).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were the Barnwell County Sheriff's Office's 386 for 2025, Barnwell's 141 for 2025 and Williston's 124 for 2025.
Together, the three agencies in Barnwell County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 651 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 Barnwell County arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
The jail holds people awaiting trial and people serving short sentences. A person sentenced to prison in Barnwell County serves the sentence in a facility of the South Carolina Department of Corrections, whose inmate locator is at doc.sc.gov/inmate-search-disclaimer.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Barnwell County?
Ask the Barnwell County Sheriff's Office at 844-394-6639; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at barnwellcountysc.us/167/Detention-Center.
How many people are in the Barnwell County jail?
About 95 on an average day in 2019, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 124 beds.
What is the phone number for the Barnwell County jail?
844-394-6639, the number on the page of the Barnwell County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Barnwell County go?
To a facility of the South Carolina Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at doc.sc.gov/inmate-search-disclaimer.
Is this the official Barnwell 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.