Union County Jail Overview
Union County Jail is operated by the Union County Sheriff's Office. The official sheriff directory lists the office at 309 West Market Street in Jonesboro and names Sheriff David Wilkins, Chief Deputy Bart Hileman, Executive Assistant Heidi Robinson, and Jail Administrator Anthony Pena. That directory is useful because it confirms the local agency and jail leadership, but it does not publish a separate jail address, public roster link, bed count, or jail directions.
The jail should be understood as the county's local custody point for Union County arrestees, pretrial detainees, and short local-sentence detainees when they are held by the sheriff or through the county jail process. The located official sources did not describe housing units, security levels, an intake counter, public lobby hours, or a separate jail building profile. They also did not prove that every Union County detainee is physically housed at the courthouse address after booking, which matters because older official county records show detention billing and transport questions involving Jackson County.
The Union County official website remains the county-government domain for forms and records context, while the sheriff directory supplies the strongest public contact listing for the jail function. No state prison, Bureau of Prisons facility, ICE detention center, or U.S. Marshals detention center was located physically inside Union County. Those systems still matter after sentencing, a federal case, or immigration custody, but they are separate from Union County Jail.
Union County Jail Address
The most reliable published address for Union County Jail contact is the sheriff and courthouse address in Jonesboro. Older Union County FOIA records also show the Sheriff's Office at the same West Market Street location, sometimes with room-specific references such as Room 004 or Room 4. Because the public sources did not publish jail lobby hours, visitor entrance rules, parking instructions, or a separate records counter schedule, call before traveling for custody, visit, bond, release, or public-record questions.
Union County Jail
Union County Sheriff's Office
309 West Market Street
Jonesboro, IL 62952
618-833-5500
Call first for custody, housing, visitation, and records-counter availability.
The same courthouse area also contains the First Judicial Circuit Union County offices, including the Circuit Clerk and State's Attorney. That makes Jonesboro the local hub for arrest, booking, court, and records questions, but each office has a different role. The Sheriff's Office confirms current custody and booking questions. The Circuit Clerk handles court case numbers, filed charges, court dates, and certified court copies. The State's Attorney handles prosecution and appears on the county FOIA form as part of the records-submission route.
Union County Jail Inmate Lookup
No official Union County online jail roster, current-inmate search, booking report, or mugshot gallery was located on the county website, sheriff directory, First Judicial Circuit pages, state correctional pages, VINE, BOP, or ICE sources reviewed. That does not mean custody records do not exist. It means the Union County Jail inmate lookup path starts with direct official contact, then moves through FOIA, court records, VINE, IDOC, federal custody tools, or ICE depending on the person's status.
- Call the Union County Sheriff's Office at 618-833-5500. Ask whether the person is in Union County custody, where the person is physically housed, and whether any transfer is shown.
- Have the full legal name, date of birth, approximate arrest date, city of arrest, arresting agency, and any case or warrant number ready before calling.
- If charges have been filed, search the Judici Union County case search or contact Circuit Clerk Keri E. Clark for court records.
- Use Illinois VINE for custody or case notifications when available, then verify with the agency that created the record.
- If the person was sentenced to state prison, use the IDOC Individual in Custody Search instead of the county jail path.
- If the case is federal or immigration related, use BOP, U.S. Marshals, or ICE channels rather than a county roster.
The first phone question should be about physical housing. Union County official records include older Jackson County detention invoices and a county email asking how many prisoners in Anna cases had been taken to Jackson County. Those documents do not prove a current contract arrangement, but they do prove that Union County custody questions can involve more than one facility.
Note: A missing Union County online roster is not a release confirmation; call the Sheriff's Office for current custody.
Union County Jail Status
Official Union County sources reviewed for jail data did not publish a current population count, average daily population, bed capacity, annual booking total, or demographic breakdown for Union County Jail. The Illinois Sheriffs' Association directory confirms the sheriff service area population and county square miles, but its jail-bed field is blank. That blank field should be treated as a source fact, not filled with third-party capacity claims.
| Measure | Status | Source Context |
|---|---|---|
| Operator | Union County Sheriff's Office | Illinois Sheriffs' Association directory |
| Jail administrator | Anthony Pena | Illinois Sheriffs' Association directory |
| County population | 17,000 | Illinois Sheriffs' Association directory |
| County area | 414 square miles | Illinois Sheriffs' Association directory |
| Jail bed count | Not published | Directory leaves the field blank |
| Current jail population | Not published | No roster, dashboard, or official count located |
| Annual bookings | Not published | No official annual jail report located |
The Prison Policy Initiative Illinois correctional-population table lists many Illinois correctional facilities from Census-vintage sources, but the research did not locate a clean Union County Jail population entry there. Nearby institutions such as Shawnee Correctional Center, Vienna Correctional Center, and USP Marion are not Union County Jail. They belong in state or federal lookup context only.
Union County Jail Directory Source
The county-specific screenshot below comes from the Illinois Sheriffs' Association Union County directory, which is the strongest located public directory for the sheriff and jail administrator. It supports the Union County Jail contact details while also showing what the directory does not publish.
The directory helps verify the sheriff, phone number, office address, and jail administrator. It should not be stretched into a roster, capacity report, visitor schedule, or mail policy because those fields were not supplied in the located source.
Union County Jail Visits
No official Union County Jail visitation schedule, video visit vendor, appointment portal, visitor-list rule, dress code, ID rule, child-visitor rule, or lobby check-in instruction was located. That absence is important. Do not assume a visitor can arrive at the courthouse address and be admitted, and do not use visiting hours from another Union County in another state. Call the Sheriff's Office first and ask whether the person is held locally or at another jail.
| Facility | Day | Hours | Type | What to Do |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union County Jail | Not published | Not published | Not published | Call 618-833-5500 before planning a visit |
| Receiving county facility | Facility controlled | Facility controlled | Facility controlled | Ask Union County where the person is housed, then follow the receiving facility's rules |
| IDOC facility after sentencing | IDOC schedule | IDOC schedule | In-person or video under IDOC rules | Use IDOC locator and visitation instructions after state transfer |
Expect screening at any detention or courthouse setting, but treat that as practical caution rather than a published Union County Jail rule. The research did not locate a local list of prohibited items, accessible entry points, parking directions, or public transit instructions for jail visitors. If a detainee is housed elsewhere, the receiving jail controls visitor approval, visiting days, mail intake, phone access, and commissary rules.
Union County Jail Mail
No official Union County inmate-mail format, phone vendor, tablet vendor, video platform, commissary vendor, lobby kiosk, online deposit page, money-order instruction, or deposit fee schedule was found. The sheriff and courthouse address should not be published as an inmate mail address unless the Sheriff's Office confirms the correct format. Mail sent with the wrong name, housing location, or facility address may be rejected or delayed.
| Service | Published Union County Rule | Practical Step |
|---|---|---|
| Personal mail | Not published | Call the Sheriff's Office for the exact mailing format and facility address |
| Legal mail | Not published | Confirm the legal-mail format with the housing facility |
| Books or publications | Not published | Do not ship books until the facility confirms accepted sources and limits |
| Phone or video account | No official vendor located | Ask which vendor controls calls or video visits for the person's housing location |
| Money deposit | No official vendor or fee schedule located | Do not mail money or use a third-party vendor without sheriff confirmation |
| Out-of-county housing | Receiving facility rules apply | Ask for the receiving facility before sending mail or money |
State prison rules are different. If a Union County defendant has been sentenced and transferred to IDOC, deposits use IDOC-approved methods such as JPay, Western Union, or money order to the IDOC lockbox, and non-privileged mail follows IDOC scanning or photocopying rules. Those IDOC rules do not apply to a new Union County Jail booking unless the person is in state custody.
Union County Jail Booking Records
Union County Jail booking records and mugshot questions should be routed through the Sheriff's Office and the county FOIA process when they are not available through routine public contact. Illinois FOIA section 5 ILCS 140/2.15 covers specified arrest-report information maintained by criminal justice agencies, including identifying information, charges, arrest time and location, arresting or investigating agency, custody receipt, discharge or transfer details when incarcerated, and a photograph when and if available. It also allows exceptions and redactions.
A booking photo should not be promised as an online image. No Union County public mugshot gallery was located, and the statute's phrase "when and if available" matters. A useful request should name the person, date of birth if known, approximate arrest date, arresting agency, and requested records, including the arrest report, booking sheet, custody dates, charges, transfer or discharge information, and booking photograph if available. Ask the agency to cite the legal basis for any withheld or redacted portion.
- Online roster profile
- No official Union County Jail profile page was located.
- Mugshot gallery
- No official Union County Jail mugshot gallery was located.
- Arrest report
- Request through the sheriff or FOIA when it is not provided by routine access.
- Court charges
- Search Judici or contact the Circuit Clerk after the case is filed.
- Custody transfer details
- Ask the Sheriff's Office and request releasable custody records if needed.
- Redactions
- FOIA exemptions, juvenile laws, safety, investigations, or correctional security can limit release.
Union County Jail Transfers
Out-of-county housing is a central Union County Jail issue because official county records show past detention activity involving Jackson County. A 2020 Union County FOIA response included an email about how many prisoners arrested in Anna cases were taken to Jackson County over a prior period. A 2019 official expenditure response listed Jackson County Sheriff Department detention invoices, including 2018 jail bills. These records are not a current housing contract, so they should be used as a reason to confirm, not as a claim that Jackson County is the present jail for every case.
When calling the Sheriff's Office, ask whether the person is booked, where the person is housed, whether another county controls visitation or mail, and whether the Union County case has moved to court. If the arrest began with Anna Police, Jonesboro Police, Cobden Police, Dongola Police, Illinois State Police, or another agency, the incident report, booking record, and court case may sit in different offices. Court records can show charges and court dates, but they may not show the current cell or receiving jail.
Note: Ask for the housing facility before visiting, mailing property, sending money, or relying on any third-party jail page.
Union County Jail Transfer Paths
Union County Jail is only one point in the custody chain. A new arrest is first a sheriff or local police matter. After charges are filed, the court side runs through the First Judicial Circuit for Union County. If a person is convicted and sentenced to prison, the Illinois Department of Corrections becomes the public custody system. If a federal charge, federal sentence, immigration detainer, or ICE arrest is involved, the county jail search will not cover the full record.
- Current Union County booking
- Call the Union County Sheriff's Office at 618-833-5500 for custody, housing, release, or transfer status when releasable.
- Filed criminal case
- Use Judici or the Circuit Clerk for the case number, filed charges, court dates, case status, and dispositions.
- State prison after sentence
- Use IDOC for the IDOC number, parent institution, custody status, physical profile, and sentence fields.
- Federal sentenced custody
- Use the BOP Inmate Locator for federal custody location and release information from 1982 forward.
- Federal pretrial custody
- Contact the U.S. Marshals Southern District of Illinois for federal detention or transport questions before BOP custody appears.
- Immigration detention
- Use the ICE Online Detainee Locator for current immigration detention by A-number or exact biographical search.
The county jail, state prison, federal prison, and immigration systems do not share one search screen. IDOC profiles use IDOC numbers and prison terms such as parent institution. BOP records focus on federal custody and do not serve as public mugshot records. ICE searches require an A-number or exact biographical data. VINE can help with alerts, but it should be verified against the office that created the custody or court record.
Union County Jail Access Laws
Illinois law supplies the public-record framework for Union County Jail records, but it does not require the county to maintain a public web roster. 5 ILCS 140/3 states the general FOIA rule that public records are available for inspection or copying unless an exemption or other law applies. 5 ILCS 140/6 gives the general copy-fee rule, including no fee for the first 50 black-and-white letter or legal pages and up to 15 cents per page after that unless another statute fixes the fee.
The jail facility issue is also shaped by the Illinois County Jail Act, which requires county jail facilities and allows a jail facility to be jointly maintained and used by more than one county. IDOC also has authority to establish minimum standards for county and municipal jails under 730 ILCS 5/3-15-2, and the Illinois Administrative Code contains county-jail standards in 20 Ill. Adm. Code Part 720. Those laws support asking precise questions about custody, housing, health, safety, and records, but they do not fill in missing local visit hours or commissary vendors.