Union County Booking Releases
Union County booking releases are handled by the Sheriff's Office at 309 W. Market Street in Jonesboro. The county sits in the southern tip of Illinois with a population of about 16,997. All arrests in Union County go through the county jail, where staff record the charge, bond, and details of each person booked. There is no online search tool for Union County jail records at this time. To get booking release info, you need to call the office at (618) 833-2556 or submit a written FOIA request.
Union County Quick Facts
Union County Sheriff and Booking Records
The Union County Sheriff's Office runs the county jail and keeps all booking release records. The office is at 309 W. Market Street in Jonesboro, IL 62952. You can reach them at (618) 833-2556. Staff process arrests from local agencies and state troopers that operate in the area. Union County covers a mix of small towns, farmland, and parts of the Shawnee National Forest, so the Sheriff's department patrols a wide territory.
When someone is brought into the Union County jail, the intake staff create a booking record. This includes the person's name, date of birth, the charge, the arresting agency, and the bond amount set by the court. The release portion gets added when the person leaves custody. That might happen through bond, a court order, or time served. The files stay at the Sheriff's Office and are open to the public under Illinois law, unless a court has sealed or expunged the record.
Union County is a smaller county, so the volume of bookings is lower than what you find in metro areas. But the process is the same. Every arrest creates a record, and the public has a right to access it through the proper channels.
| Address |
Union County Sheriff's Office 309 W. Market Street Jonesboro, IL 62952 |
|---|---|
| Phone | (618) 833-2556 |
| County Seat | Jonesboro |
| Website | unioncountyil.gov |
Union County Booking Releases Search Options
Union County does not have an online inmate search tool. Some larger counties in Illinois run web-based jail rosters, but Union County is not among them. If you need to check on a current inmate or find out about a past booking, your best bet is to call the jail at (618) 833-2556. Staff can check their system and confirm if someone is in custody. They can also give you basic booking details over the phone.
For people who want to search from home, the Illinois Department of Corrections runs a statewide offender search that covers inmates in state prison. If someone was booked in Union County and later moved to a state facility, the IDOC tool can help you track them.
The Illinois Department of Corrections offender search lets you look up inmates who have been transferred from county jails to state prison.
The IDOC search tool is free and covers all state prison inmates, including those originally booked in Union County.
The IDOC search only covers people serving state sentences. It does not show people held at the county level in Union County. For county jail data, you will need to go through the Sheriff's Office directly. The statewide tool is useful as a second step if you think the person may have been transferred out of the county system after their initial booking.
FOIA Requests for Union County Booking Releases
The Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140) gives you the right to request booking release records from the Union County Sheriff. Every public body in Illinois must respond to FOIA requests within five business days. You do not need to explain why you want the records. The law is open to everyone.
Your request should include the full name of the person you are looking for. Add a date of birth or approximate booking date if you have that info. The more detail you give, the easier it is for the staff to pull the right file. Send your request in writing to 309 W. Market Street, Jonesboro, IL 62952. You can also call (618) 833-2556 to ask whether the office accepts email submissions.
Under 5 ILCS 140/2.15, arrest information must be made available within 72 hours. That covers the arrested person's name, age, address, and charges. This is a faster timeline than the general five-day window. If you need very recent booking data from Union County, you have a strong legal basis for quick access. The first 50 pages of copies are free, and extra pages cost 15 cents each.
What Union County Booking Releases Show
Booking release records from Union County contain several standard data points. The exact contents vary by case, but most files follow a similar format. A typical record includes:
- Full name and date of birth
- Date and time of booking
- Charges at the time of arrest
- Bond amount and type
- Arresting officer and agency
- Release date and method
Some files also show the court date set at booking and bond payment details. Union County booking releases are factual records that come from the jail intake process. They do not include personal opinions or case assessments. The data stays on file at the Sheriff's Office even after the person has left custody. A record can only be removed from public access if a court orders it sealed or expunged. Otherwise, anyone can request it.
Illinois Laws on Booking Release Access
Two state laws control how booking releases work in Union County. The Illinois FOIA (5 ILCS 140) gives the public broad rights to government records. It sets response deadlines, limits copy fees, and lists the narrow exemptions that can block a records release. The law covers every public body in the state. If the Union County Sheriff denies a request without a valid reason, you can appeal to the Attorney General's Public Access Counselor.
The Criminal Identification Act (20 ILCS 2630) adds rules specific to criminal records. It governs how arrest and booking data is stored, shared, and restricted. The Illinois State Police keep a central criminal history database. Local agencies like the Union County Sheriff feed arrest data into that system. Under this act, courts can order records sealed or expunged. When that happens, the booking release file gets removed from public view. Juvenile records are automatically restricted under Illinois law and never appear in public booking data.
Together, these two laws set the rules for every records request made to the Union County Sheriff's Office. FOIA tells you how to ask, and the Criminal Identification Act tells you what limits apply.
How to Get Union County Booking Releases
Since Union County has no online search tool, the phone is your fastest option for current inmates. Call (618) 833-2556 and ask about the person you need. Staff can check the system and tell you if someone is in custody or has been released. Have the full name ready when you call. For past bookings or official copies, submit a FOIA request in writing.
You can also visit the Sheriff's Office in person at 309 W. Market Street in Jonesboro. Walk in during business hours and ask at the front desk. Staff can look up a booking in their system and provide details on the spot. If you need copies, ask for them during your visit. Certified copies may take extra time and cost more than standard ones. For large requests, the office may ask you to fill out a written FOIA form even if you are there in person.
The VINE notification system covers Union County. Register with an inmate's name or booking ID to get alerts when their custody status changes. Alerts go out by phone, text, or email. The service is free and runs around the clock across all Illinois counties. You can also call 1-866-277-7477 to register by phone.
Related Records in Union County
The Union County Circuit Clerk handles court records for criminal cases filed in the 1st Judicial Circuit. If someone was booked and then charged, the court file will have the complaint, hearing dates, and any ruling. These records connect to the booking file through case numbers and dates. Looking at both sources gives you a broader view of what happened after the initial arrest in Union County.
The Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification maintains criminal history data for the entire state. Local agencies like the Union County Sheriff report arrest records into the state system. Full background checks require fingerprints and a fee. Basic arrest data may be available through a FOIA request to the State Police. For a single Union County booking, though, the Sheriff's Office is the most direct option. They have the original file and can respond faster than a state-level request in most cases.
Nearby Counties
These counties border Union County. Booking releases stay on file in the county where the arrest happened. If you are not sure which county handled a case, check where the person was picked up.