St. Johns County Inmate Roster Lookup

St. Johns County Jail Roster and SJSO Inmate Search

The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office, led by Sheriff Robert A. Hardwick, runs the county detention operation from the 3955 Lewis Speedway complex in St. Augustine. The SJSO website links directly to the official inmate search from its jail FAQ page. That search covers people currently held in the St. Johns County Detention Center. It is the only official source for local custody status. Third-party roster aggregators pull from various public feeds and may lag by hours or days; the SJSO site is the correct starting point.

The roster reflects current bookings in the county jail. It does not show people held in Florida state prisons, federal Bureau of Prisons facilities, other county jails, or immigration detention. If someone was sentenced to more than a year in Florida, they are likely transferred to the Florida Department of Corrections rather than staying in the county jail. For those cases, the FDC offender search is the right tool. Similarly, federal charges lead to federal custody tracked by the Bureau of Prisons. The sections below explain how to use each system.

Director of Corrections Jason M. Caban oversees detention operations. The 2025 inmate handbook, revised February 7, 2025, governs current rules for mail, visits, commissary, and inmate conduct at the St. Johns facility.

How to Use the St. Johns County Inmate Roster

The SJSO jail FAQ page on sjso.org links to the inmate search. The FAQ itself says the first step after an arrest is to verify the person has actually been booked in St. Johns County by searching for them there. If the online result is unclear or the person does not appear, the FAQ directs callers to the booking department at (904) 209-3125. Use the steps below to get the most out of the search.

1. Go to the official SJSO website and navigate to the Detention Center or Jail FAQ page to find the Inmate Search link. Avoid lookalike sites that charge for public data.
2. Enter the person's last name in the name field. Add the first name if the last name is common to narrow results.
3. Review the list of results. Look for a matching name, booking date, and charge that corresponds to the arrest you are researching.
4. Click the inmate's name or record to open the detail view, which shows custody status, charges, and bond information where available.
5. If the person does not appear, call booking at (904) 209-3125. They may still be in processing, or they may have already been transferred or released.
6. For felony court-date questions, call the Clerk's criminal division at (904) 819-3618. For misdemeanor court dates, call (904) 819-3619.

Note: The live field labels inside the SJSO inmate search were not exposed in the official crawl text. The steps above reflect the workflow described in the SJSO jail FAQ and standard booking-search practice. Verify current field labels on the live page before relying on them for formal legal purposes.

Inmate Roster Search Fields

The SJSO inmate search accepts name-based queries. The official FAQ implies that searching by name is the standard approach. Mail rules in the handbook require both an inmate name and an inmate ID number, which suggests the roster result displays some form of booking or inmate ID. The table below reflects what official sources confirm and honestly marks what was not confirmed in available crawl data.

If the online search does not produce a result, call SJSO booking at (904) 209-3125. Booking staff can confirm whether someone is in the system, still being processed, or already released. The SJSO non-emergency line at (904) 824-8304 is another contact point for general custody questions.

What an Inmate Profile May Show

The SJSO inmate search profile page displays details about the booked individual. Because the live result page was not directly accessible in the official research crawl, the fields below reflect what the SJSO FAQ, inmate handbook, and booking procedures describe as standard booking-record data. Do not assume mugshots are displayed without verifying the live result, as the research did not confirm image display. The table below maps expected categories to what each one covers.

Fields marked above are based on standard county jail booking records and SJSO official FAQ information. The live page may show more or fewer fields. If a field appears blank, it may not yet be updated, or the information may be restricted for the specific record. Call SJSO booking at (904) 209-3125 to confirm details that the online result does not display.

St. Johns County Detention Facilities

The St. Johns County Detention Center operates two separate units at the 3955 Lewis Speedway complex in St. Augustine. The 2025 SJSO inmate handbook confirms this two-facility structure. Official sources reviewed did not publish rated capacity figures for either unit; the capacity rows below reflect that gap honestly. The SJSO Video Visitation Center is at a separate address on Avenue D and handles scheduled video visits for both facilities.

Both detention units are operated by the SJSO Corrections Division under Director of Corrections Jason M. Caban. The Main Detention Unit and the Community Work Re-Entry Center share the Lewis Speedway address but serve different inmate populations based on custody level and sentence status.

Booking Process at the St. Johns County Jail

When someone is arrested and brought to the St. Johns County Detention Center, the booking process follows a set order. The SJSO jail FAQ describes it this way: upon entry, the person is entered into the computer system, fingerprinted, and photographed. A nurse screens them next. They are then placed into a holding cell while charge information is received. Once the system is updated with the charge data, they are allowed to make a phone call to try to arrange bond. A friend or family member looking for someone recently arrested should wait for booking to complete before calling, as the online roster may not reflect a new arrest for some time.

If the person cannot bond out at that stage, they see a judge within 24 hours at what SJSO calls first appearance. First appearances are held every day, usually between 7:30 AM and 11:00 AM, though the exact time varies. The SJSO FAQ says to contact booking at (904) 209-3125 for the specific time on any given day. At first appearance, a circuit or county judge reviews the charging affidavit, determines whether probable cause exists, and sets bond if probable cause is found. Bond can be paid in full with cash at the jail. A bondsman can also be used; the bondsman posts the bond and collects a fee from the family. If the judge sets no bond, the person stays in custody until the case progresses.

Phone calls from inside the jail go through Paytel. Family members can set up an account by calling 1-800-729-8355 or visiting Paytel.com. The SJSO FAQ notes that if someone cannot bond out, they remain in the facility until the court resolves the case.

St. Johns County Jail Visitation Schedule

All visits at the St. Johns County Detention Center are video-based, not in-person contact visits. The SJSO Video Visitation Center at 4500 Avenue D, St. Augustine, handles on-site scheduled visits. Remote paid video visits can also be scheduled through HomeWAV when kiosks are available in inmate housing areas. Both types are scheduled at homewav.com. Visits at the Video Visitation Center are free and last up to 60 minutes. Remote visits carry a provider fee; confirm current HomeWAV pricing before scheduling.

The SJSO visitation PDF and 2025 inmate handbook set the appointment schedule below. Each inmate is permitted two 60-minute visits per week at the Video Visitation Center. Visitors must submit a questionnaire and a copy of their picture ID (military IDs are not accepted) and wait for approval, which can take up to two hours or the next business day if submitted near the end of the day. Approved visitors must schedule at least 24 hours in advance and check in 15 minutes before the appointment.

Additional rules apply. Up to four visitors may share one 60-minute session. Visitors under 18 must be accompanied by a legal guardian with proof, or must have a valid marriage license. No visitors under age 6 are permitted. Late arrivals only receive the remaining time in the hour slot. Three missed appointments without proper cancellation result in a 30-day visitation suspension. Visits are monitored and subject to recording. To cancel, call the Video Visitation Center at (904) 209-2222 at least one hour before the appointment. Email: SOCorrectionsVisitation@sjso.org.

Inmate Mail Rules and the Smart Communications Address

Non-legal mail to an inmate at the St. Johns County Jail no longer goes to the jail's physical Lewis Speedway address. Effective February 1, 2021, all regular inmate mail is processed through Smart Communications. Address non-legal mail like this:

Smart Communications scans the mail and delivers it digitally to tablets and kiosks in the facility. The original paper mail is destroyed after 30 days. Do not send original documents that cannot be replaced, such as birth certificates, marriage licenses, or Social Security cards. Those originals will be destroyed with the rest of the mail.

Legal mail marked "Legal Mail" is handled differently. Under the inmate handbook, legal and privileged mail is opened in the presence of an Inmate Communications Specialist. Outgoing mail from the inmate must include the inmate's full name and booking number in the return address and is not sealed by the inmate before mailing. Packages larger than 10x13, CDs, and DVDs are refused. Mail sent without the Smart Communications address format may be returned or not delivered.

Medical Care at the St. Johns County Detention Center

The SJSO medical division is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The jail FAQ says medical staff provide needed medication to inmates. If an inmate needs specific prescription medication, the FAQ says medical records may be requested from their primary care physician. Glasses can be dropped off at the detention center for the medical department. If a family member has concerns about an inmate's medical situation, contact SJSO non-emergency at (904) 824-8304 or reach the detention center at (904) 209-3125.

State and Federal Inmate Searches

The SJSO roster only covers people in St. Johns County custody. Two additional official searches cover state and federal confinement. The Florida Department of Corrections offender search covers people serving sentences in state prisons or under FDC supervision after release. The Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator covers people in federal custody from 1982 to the present. Someone originally arrested in St. Johns County may be in any of these systems depending on the charge level and case outcome.

The BOP locator is described in depth on the released inmates page, which covers state and federal searches and how to read BOP results. The BOP itself notes that release dates listed on its site may not be current because First Step Act credits can change sentences without an immediate update to the public page. For St. Johns County inmate population context and aggregate data, see the inmate population page.

VINELink at vinelink.com is a national custody status and victim notification service. If the St. Johns County Detention Center participates, registered users can receive alerts when an inmate's status changes, including release. The screenshot below shows the BOP inmate locator, which is one tool families use when a loved one may have been moved to federal custody.

The BOP locator at bop.gov/inmateloc accepts name searches or register number searches and covers all federal facilities nationwide, not just those in Florida.

The screenshot below shows the VINELink custody notification service, which allows victims and family members to register for automated alerts when an inmate's status changes at a participating facility.

VINELink at vinelink.com lets you select Florida as the state and search by name or offender ID to check custody status and sign up for text or email alerts.

Related St. Johns County Inmate and Court Searches

For people recently released from the St. Johns County jail or state prison, see St. Johns County released inmates, which covers VINELink notifications, FDC searches, BOP lookups, the sex offender registry, and reentry resources. For aggregate jail population data and facility context, see St. Johns County inmate population. For outstanding warrants, see warrant records. For the underlying criminal case in the Circuit or County Court, see criminal records, which explains how to search Benchmark for felony and misdemeanor case files and how to read a court disposition.