Lookup Benton County Jail Inmates

Benton County Jail Overview

Benton County Jail is operated by the Benton County Sheriff's Office in Foley. Official sources describe it as a Minnesota DOC-licensed local adult detention jail, not a prison. The jail holds adult pretrial detainees, people serving local jail sentences, court transports, and boarded prisoners for other criminal justice agencies when Benton County accepts boarders. The Jail Division also provides court security and prisoner transport, so the facility is tied closely to the Benton County District Court process nearby.

The sheriff's office states that the building was built in 1996 and that the jail can house up to 102 inmates. The jail page says the Jail Division provides custodial care for up to 102 inmates. The strongest current licensing source is the 2026 Minnesota Department of Corrections inspection, which lists Benton County Jail as a jail facility with secure coed capacity and authority to operate through the 2026 to 2028 licensing period.

Benton County Jail Capacity

The 2026 Minnesota DOC inspection report gives the most detailed capacity and inspection data for Benton County Jail. The report lists 102 approved secure coed beds, a 95 percent operating capacity, and an operational capacity of 96.90. The inspection was completed on April 23, 2026, and the authority-to-operate period runs from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2028. The same report shows 124 applicable mandatory requirements under Minnesota Rule chapter 2911, two noncompliance items, and a 98.41 percent compliance rating.

The sheriff's 2025 annual report lists 1,468 jail bookings, 1,099 male bookings, 367 female bookings, and an average length of stay of 17.7 days. It also states that the jail collected just over $62,000 in prisoner boarding revenue and $27,056.73 in jail booking, work-release, and boarding fees. Those figures describe annual operations, not a current head count. For a live person search, use the roster and then confirm with the jail if the result is unclear.

Benton County Jail Inmate Lookup

The correct online lookup for Benton County Jail is the Tyler-hosted Corrections Records Search linked from the official sheriff page. Because the sheriff links to it as "Search for an Inmate," it should be treated as the county's official roster channel even though the URL is not on the county domain. The roster is for county jail custody and recent booking information. Sentenced felony prisoners who have moved to Minnesota DOC custody must be searched through the DOC locator instead.

1. Start at the Benton County Sheriff's Office page and choose the inmate search link, or open the roster directly.
2. Use the Benton County Corrections Records Search to search or filter the visible list.
3. Leave the minimum arrest date blank for a broader recent list, or use the date filter if the interface exposes it.
4. Sort by recent arrest date when looking for a new booking.
5. Review the result fields before assuming identity, including name, jail ID, arrest time, age, arresting agency, and mugshot column.
6. If the person is missing, call the jail, use sheriff records, check MCRO, search Minnesota DOC, or use BOP, ICE, and VINE if another custody system may apply.

The Benton County inmate search interface is the roster source matched to the jail page.

The roster is the first check for current Benton County Jail custody, but it is not a statewide prison or federal detainee locator.

Benton County Jail Records Fallback

If a person does not appear in the Benton County Jail roster, the next step depends on the custody stage. A new arrest may not have appeared online yet, or a released person may no longer be on the current list. A sentenced person may have transferred to the Minnesota Department of Corrections and may take several business days to appear in the DOC public viewer. A federal case can involve U.S. Marshals custody before BOP commitment, and immigration custody is searched through ICE ODLS.

For sheriff and jail records, Benton County's Data Practices Requests page routes public-data access under county policy. The policy names Sheriff Troy Heck as responsible authority for Sheriff's Office and Jail data. A public requester may ask by U.S. mail, email, fax, or in person and does not have to explain the reason for the request. Inspection of public data is free, while black-and-white copies or computer printouts are listed at 25 cents per page unless another fee schedule applies.

Benton County Jail Visitation

Benton County Jail social visits are by appointment. The jail page requires the visitor to call at least 24 hours in advance during normal business hours. The inmate must place the visitor on the approved list at least 24 hours before the visit. Visits are 20 minutes, and no one may visit within the final 15 minutes of a visiting period. Visitors over 18 must bring government-issued identification.

The jail dress code bars cut-off shorts, tube tops, half shirts, see-through clothing, mesh shirts, shorts above mid-thigh, shoulderless tops, tight clothing, and lack of footwear. Jail staff may refuse or end a visit that creates a safety, security, or order concern. The official Benton County Jail Division page is the source for local visiting rules, mail rules, inmate messages, deposits, PREA reporting, and jail contact details.

Check the jail page or call before traveling because appointment status and approved visitor lists control access.

Benton County Jail Mail and Money

Mail for Benton County Jail inmates must go through the U.S. Postal Service. The jail page states that letters, cards, and drawings cannot be dropped off during visiting times. Use the inmate's name and the jail mailing address. For deposits, the county identifies a TurnKey Corrections kiosk in the jail lobby and Inmate Canteen online deposits. A user account is needed for online deposits through the vendor.

No official Benton County fee table for TurnKey or Inmate Canteen deposit fees was found in the county jail page. The sheriff's general fee page mentions credit-card service charges for sheriff fees, but that should not be applied to vendor inmate deposits unless the vendor checkout confirms it.

Benton County Jail Booking

Benton County does not publish a full public booking manual, so the best local summary comes from the roster, Minnesota jail standards, and the sheriff's permanent jail record law. A booking usually begins when an arresting agency transports a person to Benton County Jail or when a court commits the person to custody. The jail records the person under the sheriff's permanent jail record required by Minnesota Statutes section 641.05.

The intake path can include identification, jail-system entry, a check against the BCA predatory offender registration database, search and property handling under jail policy, booking photo and fingerprints where required, medical and mental-health screening, classification, housing assignment, and roster update. Classification means the jail's safety and housing assessment. It affects where the person is housed and how staff manage risk, medical concerns, court transport, and facility order.

Benton County Jail Inspection

The 2026 Minnesota DOC inspection identifies Benton County Jail at 581 Highway 23 NE or PO Box 159 in Foley, with the Benton County Sheriff's Office as certificate holder. The inspection method included a facility walk-through, staff and inmate interviews, staff and inmate file reviews, facility documentation reviews, and video-footage review. The report was issued to Jail Administrator Sharlene Novak and Sheriff Troy Heck, with jail officials present during the inspection.

The sheriff's 2025 annual report adds context about jail conditions. It says Benton County, like jails statewide, struggles with inmates battling mental illness and that jail staff must manage safety and security for people whose behavior can be hard to predict. The report also notes about 80 people volunteer in jail programs and that jail volunteers performed 1,214 hours of work in 2025. PREA reporting is listed on the jail page, with jail administration and the Central Minnesota Sexual Assault Center identified as public reporting contacts.