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 September 28, 2026.
Raleigh County, West Virginia, has about 72,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), and arrests there are reported to the FBI by the Raleigh County Sheriff's Office, three city agencies and five campus, state or other agencies. An arrest leaves the same records whoever makes it: the arresting agency's report, the record of anyone held at the regional jail, and, if the Prosecuting Attorney files charges, a case in the Raleigh County Circuit Court. This guide says who keeps each one, what it costs and who may see it, with the arrest counts each agency reported.
This guide covers who makes arrests, how many arrests, booking and the jail, finding an arrest, copies, cities and common questions.
Related guides: Raleigh County public records, West Virginia arrest records, West Virginia inmate search and West Virginia criminal records.
Who Makes Arrests in Raleigh County
The Raleigh County Sheriff's Office is the county agency that reports arrests to the FBI for Raleigh County. It reported 367 arrests for 2025.
The FBI lists three cities in Raleigh County with a reporting agency of their own, with the Census population and what each reported:
- Beckley, 16,515 residents: 1,484 arrests reported for 2025.
- Mabscott, 1,278 residents.
- Sophia, 1,081 residents.
A city on that list is reported separately whether the officers are the city's own or the sheriff's under contract; the FBI's list does not say which.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Raleigh County: Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Task Force (other); the State Fire Marshal in Raleigh County and the Department of Natural Resources in Raleigh County (state agency); West Virginia University at Institute of Technology (campus police); the Beckley State Police (state police).
How Many Arrests Each Agency Reports in Raleigh County
Each agency reports its arrests to the FBI by month, and the FBI publishes them on the Crime Data Explorer. These are the full-year totals, all offenses, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026; a year with months missing or not reported is left out.
- Beckley: 1,484 for 2025, 1,953 for 2024, 1,563 for 2023 and 1,636 for 2022.
- Raleigh County Sheriff's Office: 367 for 2025, 444 for 2024, 386 for 2023, 494 for 2022, 534 for 2021 and 580 for 2020.
Together, the two agencies with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,851 arrests that year. The same agencies with both 2025 and 2024 complete reported 1,851 in 2025 against 2,397 in 2024, down 23 percent.
Through August 2026, the two agencies with every month so far on file reported 1,065 arrests, against 1,244 in the same months of 2025.
Booking: Where People Arrested in Raleigh County Are Held
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 Raleigh County goes to the regional jail that serves Raleigh County, and the state's inmate search covers all of them.
On an average day in 2024 the jail held about 160 people, down from about 190 in 2019. Its rated capacity in 2023, the last year with a capacity figure, was 145 beds, and it ran at 102 percent of it that year. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Raleigh County Sheriff's Office at raleighcountyclerk.com/sheriff-history (page title: Raleigh County Sheriff History | Raleigh County Clerk), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 28, 2026.
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison; the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation lists its inmates at dcr.wv.gov/offendersearch/Pages/default.aspx.
How to Find Out About an Arrest in Raleigh County
For Raleigh County the place to look is the case index of the Raleigh County Circuit Court, which shows whether charges were filed and the next court date (the court records page SearchSystems verified is at courtswv.gov/public-resources/court-information-county/raleigh_county, phone 304-252-2417).
West Virginia does not let the public search another person's statewide criminal history. The record kept by the West Virginia State Police goes to the person it belongs to and to employers and agencies the law authorizes; for everyone else the court's own case index is the public record of an arrest that led to a charge.
Getting a Copy of an Arrest Record in Raleigh County
The report of an arrest is released by the agency that made it; the jail and the court hold their own records of the same event, but not the report. Under the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act the agency must answer within 5 business days, and it may charge the actual cost of copying.
- An arrest by the Raleigh County Sheriff's Office: ask its records unit.
- An arrest in Beckley, Mabscott or Sophia: the records unit of the agency that reports for that city; the city guides linked above name each city's records office.
- An arrest by Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, the State Fire Marshal in Raleigh County or West Virginia University at Institute of Technology: the records office of the agency involved.
- The court file of a case that was filed: the Raleigh County Circuit Court, through the court records page at courtswv.gov, phone 304-252-2417.
- Your own statewide record: a fingerprint-based request to the State Police Criminal Identification Bureau.
Cities in Raleigh County: Who Reports the Arrests
The FBI lists a separate arrest reporting agency for three of the four cities in Raleigh County: Beckley, Mabscott and Sophia. Lester has no separate reporting agency in the FBI's list.
Wherever in the county the arrest happens, a person kept in custody goes to the regional jail and the case goes to the Raleigh County Circuit Court.
SearchSystems has a guide to the offices of these cities in Raleigh County, with the 2024 Census Bureau population; a city with its own arrest records guide opens there:
- Beckley (16,515)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many arrests are made in Raleigh County each year?
Beckley reported 1,484 arrests to the FBI for 2025, and the two agencies with every month of 2025 on file reported 1,851 between them.
How do I find out if someone is in jail in Raleigh County?
Ask the Raleigh County Sheriff's Office; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at raleighcountyclerk.com/sheriff-history.
Where are people arrested in Raleigh County booked?
In the regional jail that serves Raleigh County, run by the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Are arrest records public in Raleigh County?
The court files of criminal cases in the Raleigh County Circuit Court are public and can be looked up through the court. The statewide criminal history kept by the West Virginia State Police is not public; you can get your own. The arrest report itself is released by the agency that made the arrest, under the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act.
How do I get a copy of an arrest report in Raleigh County?
From the agency that made the arrest: the Raleigh County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act the answer is due within 5 business days.
Is this the official Raleigh 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.