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 24, 2026.
Wise County, Virginia, has about 35,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Wise County is held at the county jail, run by the Wise 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: Wise County public records, Wise County arrest records, Wise County warrants, Wise County criminal records, Wise County court records, Virginia arrest records and Virginia inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Wise County
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Wise County is held at the county jail, run by the Wise County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Wise County Sheriff's Office at wisecounty.org/211/Sheriff---WCSO (page title: Sheriff | WCSO | Wise County, VA), phone 276-328-3566, 5605 Patriot Drive Wise, VA 24293, Monday through Friday 8 am to 4:30 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 276-328-3566.
The Wise County Jail by the Numbers
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 240 people, down from about 310 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023, the last year with a capacity figure, was 275 beds, and it ran at 94 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Wise County has about 35,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 69 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Wise County Jail
The Wise County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Big Stone Gap, Wise, Coeburn, Pound and St. Paul make the arrests that end in a booking in Wise County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Wise County: the Wise County State Police (state police); the University of Virginia's College at Wise (campus police).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were the Wise County Sheriff's Office's 927 for 2025, Coeburn's 114 for 2024 and Big Stone Gap's 96 for 2025.
Together, the five agencies in Wise County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,141 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 Wise 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 Virginia Department of Corrections lists its inmates at vadoc.virginia.gov/family-and-friends.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Wise County?
Ask the Wise County Sheriff's Office at 276-328-3566; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at wisecounty.org/211/Sheriff---WCSO.
How many people are in the Wise County jail?
About 240 on an average day in 2024, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data, against a rated capacity of 275 beds.
What is the phone number for the Wise County jail?
276-328-3566, the number on the page of the Wise County Sheriff's Office SearchSystems verified.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Wise County go?
To a facility of the Virginia Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at vadoc.virginia.gov/family-and-friends.
Is this the official Wise 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.