Search Mason County Booking Releases
Mason County booking releases are filed through the Sheriff's Office in Havana, the county seat. The county sits in central Illinois along the Illinois River with a population of about 12,700. Mason County stands out among smaller Illinois counties because it maintains an online inmate list through a dedicated detention website. That gives the public a direct way to check current jail bookings without calling the office. You can also file FOIA requests or use state tools to find older records.
Mason County Quick Facts
Mason County Sheriff and Booking Records
The Mason County Sheriff's Office runs the county jail and keeps all booking release records. The office is at 102 West Market Street in Havana. Every person arrested in Mason County goes through booking at this facility. Staff collect personal information, log the charge, take fingerprints and a photo, and set bond. All of this becomes part of the booking release file.
Call the Sheriff's Office at (309) 543-2231 to ask about current inmates or recent bookings. Staff can confirm whether someone is in custody, what they are charged with, and whether bond has been posted. The office handles both the law enforcement side and the jail operations, so one phone call can often get you the booking release info you need.
Mason County also runs a separate detention facility website that lists current inmates. This is not common for Illinois counties this size. The site gives you a faster way to check bookings than calling or visiting in person. More on that in the next section.
| Address |
Mason County Sheriff's Office 102 West Market St. Havana, IL 62644 |
|---|---|
| Phone | (309) 543-2231 |
| Website | masoncountyil.gov |
Search Mason County Booking Releases Online
Mason County provides an online inmate list through a dedicated detention website. This is one of the better resources you will find in a small Illinois county. The list shows who is currently held at the Mason County jail, along with their charges and booking details. It gets updated as new people come in and others are released.
The Mason County Detention Inmate List shows current inmates with booking and charge information.
This tool is useful for checking recent bookings in Mason County without needing to call the jail.
The inmate list only covers people currently in custody. Once someone is released, their name comes off the list. For historical booking release records, you will need to contact the Sheriff's Office directly or file a FOIA request. The office keeps past records on file, but they are not available through the website.
State-level tools can also help. The Illinois Department of Corrections offender search covers anyone in state prison. If a person was booked in Mason County and later moved to state custody after sentencing, that transfer shows up in the IDOC system. VINE is another free service that tracks offender custody status statewide and sends alerts when someone is released.
FOIA Requests for Mason County Booking Releases
Under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140), you can request booking release records from the Mason County Sheriff's Office. The law covers all public bodies in Illinois. You do not need to state a reason for your request. Just put it in writing and send it to the office.
Mail your FOIA request to the Mason County Sheriff's Office at 102 West Market St., Havana, IL 62644. Include the full name of the person whose records you are looking for. A date of birth, booking date, or case number will speed things up. The office has five business days to respond once they receive your request. That deadline is set by state law and applies to all Illinois agencies.
Fees follow the standard state schedule. The first 50 pages of any response are free. After that, copies cost up to $0.15 per page. Certified copies can run up to $1.00 each. If the request is big, the office may ask for more time but must explain why.
The 72-hour rule under 5 ILCS 140/2.15 is worth knowing. It says arrest reports must be made public within 72 hours of the arrest. For Mason County booking releases, that means the office cannot hold fresh arrest data beyond that window. If you need recent booking info, cite this provision in your request.
Illinois Laws on Booking Release Access
The Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140) gives broad public access to government records in Illinois. Booking logs, arrest reports, and release data all fall under this law. The act requires agencies to respond to requests quickly and limits how much they can charge for copies. Most booking release records in Mason County are fully public under this law.
The Criminal Identification Act (20 ILCS 2630) controls criminal history records at a deeper level. It sets rules for when records can be sealed or expunged. If a court orders a Mason County booking record sealed, the Sheriff must remove it from public access. That means it will not show up on the inmate list, in a FOIA response, or through any public search. But this only happens by court order. Most records stay open.
Together, these two laws create the framework for how Mason County booking releases are shared with the public. FOIA opens the door wide. The Criminal Identification Act closes it in narrow cases where the court has acted. If you believe a record should be available but the office says it is not, the Circuit Clerk can check whether a sealing order exists.
What Happens During a Booking in Mason County
When law enforcement makes an arrest in Mason County, the person is brought to the county jail in Havana for booking. The process creates the core record that tracks their time in custody. Staff go through several steps:
- Record the person's name, date of birth, and physical description
- Log the charge and the name of the arresting officer or agency
- Take a booking photo and fingerprints
- Set a bond amount based on the offense
- Assign housing or release on bond
The booking release record follows the person from intake to release. If they post bond quickly, the record is short. If they stay in custody for weeks, the file grows with court date entries and any changes to charges or bond. Once the person leaves custody, the release details close out the file. Mason County keeps these records on file for future reference.
Getting Help with Mason County Records
The Sheriff's Office at (309) 543-2231 is the first call for any booking release question in Mason County. For court-level records, the Mason County Circuit Clerk handles case files and can tell you the status of a case that started with a booking. Legal aid organizations in central Illinois can help if you need guidance on records access or if you want to petition for sealing or expungement of a Mason County booking record.
Nearby Counties
Mason County shares borders with several central Illinois counties. Booking release records are filed where the arrest happened. If you are not sure which county processed the booking, find out where the arrest took place.