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 24, 2026.
McDowell County, West Virginia, has about 17,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person held after an arrest in McDowell County is at the regional jail that serves McDowell County, and the state's inmate search covers every regional jail. 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: McDowell County public records, McDowell County arrest records, McDowell County warrants, McDowell County criminal records, McDowell County court records, West Virginia arrest records and West Virginia inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in McDowell County
West Virginia closed its county jails in favor of regional jails run by the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation, so a person held after an arrest in McDowell County is at the regional jail that serves McDowell County, and the state's inmate search covers all of them.
That search is at dcr.wv.gov/offendersearch/Pages/default.aspx.
McDowell County in the Regional Jail: The Numbers
On an average day in 2024 the regional jail held about 93 people from McDowell County, down from about 98 in 2019. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
McDowell County has about 17,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so about 54 of every 10,000 of them are in the regional jail on an average day.
Who Books People
The McDowell County Sheriff's Office and the agencies that report for Welch, War and Davy make the arrests that end in a booking in McDowell County.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in McDowell County: the State Fire Marshal in McDowell County and the Department of Natural Resources in McDowell County (state agency); the Welch State Police (state police).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were War's 1,152 for 2025, Welch's 1,152 for 2025 and Davy's 1,152 for 2025.
Together, the three agencies in McDowell County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 3,456 arrests to the FBI that year. Those kept in custody were booked into the regional jail; a person cited and released at the scene was not.
The counts, agency by agency and year by year, are in McDowell 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 West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation lists its inmates at dcr.wv.gov/offendersearch/Pages/default.aspx.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in McDowell County?
Through the state's inmate search at dcr.wv.gov/offendersearch/Pages/default.aspx, which covers every regional jail.
How many people from McDowell County are in the regional jail?
About 93 on an average day in 2024, the latest year in the Vera Institute's jail data.
Where do people sentenced to prison in McDowell County go?
To a facility of the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation; its inmate locator is at dcr.wv.gov/offendersearch/Pages/default.aspx.
Is this the official McDowell 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.