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 October 9, 2026.
Lawrence County, South Dakota, has about 29,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Lawrence County is held at the county jail, run by the Lawrence 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: Lawrence County public records, Lawrence County arrest records, Lawrence County warrants, Lawrence County police reports, Lawrence County property records, South Dakota arrest records and South Dakota inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Lawrence County
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Lawrence County is held at the county jail, run by the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office at lawrence.sd.us/198/Sheriffs-Office (page title: Sheriff's Office | Lawrence County, SD), phone 605-578-2230, 50 Tatanka Dr Deadwood, SD 57732, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 9, 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 605-578-2230.
The Lawrence County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2023 the jail held about 49 people, up from about 36 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023 was 53 beds, and it ran at 92 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Lawrence County has about 29,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 17 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Lawrence County Jail
The Lawrence County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Spearfish, Lead, Deadwood and Whitewood make the arrests that end in a booking in Lawrence County.
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were Spearfish's 285 for 2025, Deadwood's 246 for 2025 and the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office's 104 for 2025.
Together, the five agencies in Lawrence County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 740 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 Lawrence 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 South Dakota Department of Corrections lists its inmates at doc.sd.gov/adult-corrections/offender-locator.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Lawrence County?
Ask the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office at 605-578-2230; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at lawrence.sd.us/198/Sheriffs-Office.
How many people are in the Lawrence County jail?
About 49 on an average day in 2023, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 53 beds.
What is the phone number for the Lawrence County jail?
605-578-2230, the number on the page of the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Lawrence County go?
To a facility of the South Dakota Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at doc.sd.gov/adult-corrections/offender-locator.
Is this the official Lawrence 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.