Clark County Inmate Search
Violating a penal statute in Clark County, Nevada, can result in a person's arrest or citation. NRS 171.104 defines an "arrest" as taking a person into custody as sanctioned by law. In Nevada, law enforcement officers and private citizens can make arrests. The purpose of a Clark County inmate search is to provide inquirers with a means to access inmate information. Per Nevada statutes, inmate information is maintained along with other Clark County Nevada Public Records.
Peace officers can generally arrest people with and without warrants (if reasonable cause exists that a person ventured to commit or committed a crime). However, a private individual can only arrest another under these circumstances:
- When a public offense or crime is attempted or committed in the individual's presence
- When the other person committed a felony, although not in the individual's presence
- When a felony was committed, and the individual has reasonable cause to believe the other person committed it
Following any person's arrest in Clark County is their detention and booking at a local police department with jurisdiction over the offense. Say, a crime was committed in an unincorporated town, then it will be the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. After booking, a person may be kept in custody until their court hearing or released. One may be released with a notice to appear in court on a specific date (a procedure often used for minor offenders or misdemeanants) or released without prosecution (if the district attorney's office does not file charges). At the same time, a person may not be arrested but only cited and released to appear on their court date.
Per the law, defendants in custody must be brought before the court within 72 hours of their arrest, where they will be informed of the charges and asked to enter a plea ("guilty" or "not guilty"). What follows after any alleged offender's appearance in court is the legal process to determine if the person should be held accountable for a crime.
If the court enters a guilty verdict for an offense, the defendant will be sentenced as the law prescribes. The sentence may include fines, restitution, community service, or imprisonment. Persons incarcerated for a misdemeanor offense in Clark County are supervised throughout their jail term in one of the four detention facilities in the county. Meanwhile, those convicted of felonies (serious crimes with a year or more sentence) are sent to a state prison run by the Nevada Department of Corrections.
Oftentimes, knowing where to find a person in custody in Clark County may be challenging, given that all one may possess is a person's name and that there are different detention facilities in the county. This article breaks down how to look up a Clark County inmate, otherwise known as performing a Clark County inmate search.
Inmate records are considered public in the United States and therefore are made available by both traditional governmental agencies as well as third-party websites and organizations. Third-party websites may offer an easier means to search, as these services do not face geographical limitations. However, because third-party sites are not government-sponsored, the information obtained through them may vary from official channels. To find inmate records using third-party aggregate sites, requesting parties must provide:
- The location of the sought-after record, including state, county, and city where the inmate resides.
- The name of the person listed in the record, unless it is a juvenile.
Clark County Crime and Incarceration Statistics
Each year, thousands of people are arrested for violent, property, hate, and domestic and elderly crimes, according to the crime data released by the Nevada Department of Public Safety. Per the Department's 2021 crime report, 73,179 were arrested in Clark County, a 12.8% decrease from 2020. The most popular offenses that led to an arrest included:
- Aggravated assault: 3,446 arrests
- Burglary: 1,426 arrests
- Buying, receiving, and possession of stolen property: 1,366 arrests
- Larceny-theft: 3,611 arrests
- Other assaults: 16,669 arrests
- Robbery: 1,029 arrests
- Vandalism: 1,511 arrests
- Weapons violations: 2,674 arrests
The age group commonly arrested was 25 to 44. Further, more males were arrested than females for criminal offenses: 62.7% for domestic and elderly crimes, 72.8% for property crimes, and 82.1% for violent crimes.
Per the latest data released by the Bureau of Justice Statistics in October 2021, the total number of persons incarcerated in Clark County jails in midyear 2019 was 3,749. Interested individuals can find specific incarceration statistics by contacting a particular corrections department.
Clark County Prison System
The Clark County prison system has four detention centers managed by different corrections divisions. These jails are as follows:
Clark County Detention Center (CCDC)
Also called the Clark County Jail, the CCDC serves the larger county area (Las Vegas City and the unincorporated areas of Clark County). The CCDC is run by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD or the Metro) and is the primary jail facility in Las Vegas City.
The Clark County Detention Center is divided into three jail facilities:
- The Clark County Detention Center - South Tower: The jail has a maximum inmate capacity of 1,497.
- The North Valley Complex: The facility has a maximum capacity of 1,064 inmates.
- The Clark County Detention Center - North Tower: The jail facility has a 1,592-bed capacity.
Data pulled from the DSD Annual Reports published by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department reveals that the Clark County Jail processed 57,754 bookings in 2021. The average daily population or ADP in the jail was 2,954 inmates (934 in the CCDC South Tower, 707 in the North Valley Complex, and 1,106 in the CCDC North Tower). The average length of stay (LOS) was 18.7 days. Individuals in custody at the jail include new arrestees, persons awaiting trial or sentencing, and persons convicted of misdemeanor offenses.
Henderson Detention Center
Located in the City of Henderson, the Henderson Jail is overseen by the Henderson Police Department. The jail offers custody services within the city's limits. People confined in the jail include:
- U.S. Marshal inmates
- Clark County inmates (overflow)
- Henderson City misdemeanants
- ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) inmates
- U.S. Park Service inmates
- Persons arrested for misdemeanor offenses by the Boulder City Police Department
The Henderson Detention Center houses only adults and juveniles assigned to adult status by the court. The jail has an average daily population (ADP) of about 503 inmates.
City of Las Vegas Detention Center
Also referred to as the Las Vegas City Jail, this detention facility houses individuals arrested for misdemeanor crimes within Las Vegas City. The city's Department of Public Safety operates the jail, which has an average daily population of approximately 430 inmates. Like the Henderson Jail, the Las Vegas City Jail does not house juveniles unless the presiding court remanded them to adult status.
North Las Vegas Detention Center
Another name for the North Las Vegas Detention Center is the North Las Vegas Community Correctional Center (CCC). The jail houses individuals arrested or sentenced within North Las Vegas. The City of North Las Vegas Police Department operates the jail.
How to Find an Inmate in Clark County
The corrections departments in Clark County provide offline and online methods to locate persons arrested or imprisoned in jail. These include:
- Online via an inmate locator (as explained below).
- Postal mail: One can obtain the correctional facility's mail address from its official website and send an inmate's identifying information (e.g., a name) to determine if the facility has custody of the inmate.
- Phone call: One can call the inmate information line of the detention facility nearest where a person was arrested to determine if the individual is being held there. (See the address list below.)
- Fax or email: A detention facility may provide an email or fax address to reach staff for inmate inquiries. For example, individuals can email the Clark County Detention Center at ccdc@lvmpd.com.
How Does a Clark County Inmate Search Work?
Per Chapter 239 of the Nevada Revised Statutes ("NRS"), popularly known as the Nevada public records law, records of individuals held in custody within a jail or prison facility are open to the public unless exempted by law. As a result, interested individuals can query Clark County correctional agencies (online, in person, by mail, etc.) for open inmate records. These agencies are legally mandated to provide this information to the requesters. Details that may be retrieved upon a Clark County inmate search include:
- Full name (first, middle, and last)
- Inmate ID
- Age
- Gender
- Race
- Arrest and booking information (for example, the offense code and description, the arrest and booking date, custodial agency, etc.)
- Housing location
- Custody status
- Court information (the court case number, presiding court, next court date)
- Bail/bond amount
Where to Find a Clark County Inmate Locator
In general, members of the public can find inmate locators on the official websites of corrections departments. This also holds in Clark County, as all four detention centers or jails in the county have web-based inmate locators. The links below redirect to each jail's inmate locator.
- Clark County Detention Center
- Henderson County Detention Center
- City of Las Vegas Detention Center (or visit the county's detention services page and click "Inmate Search & Information")
- North Las Vegas Detention Center
Individuals can search any of these online locators with an inmate's name or ID. However, the Clark County Detention Center's locator has an additional Justice Court (JC) Case Number search feature.
To find inmates transferred from local to state or federal custody, an inquirer can use the Nevada Department of Corrections inmate locator (for state inmates) or the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) inmate locator (for federal inmates). Like the county inmate locators, these inmate search systems are accessible with an offender's ID number or name (first or last).
Lastly, several private websites host inmate locators that the public can access, typically with an inmate's name and state of incarceration. Some of these sites offer inmate information to the user for free, while others require a fee for the service. The charge, if applicable, varies by site.
How to Send Money to a Clark County Inmate
The procedure used to send money to a Clark County inmate (i.e., deposit money into an inmate's trust fund account or "put money on the books") differs based on the local jail in which a person is confined.
The Clark County Jail (CCDC)
Friends and family can send money to an inmate in the CCDC as follows:
-
Online or telephone via an authorized vendor: Individuals can fund an inmate's account using a credit or debit card.
-
Via a kiosk in the CCDC lobby: Individuals can use a kiosk at the CCDC lobby in Las Vegas City (see complete address below) to make cash deposits into an inmate's trust fund account. Each depositor requires the following details:
- The inmate's name
- The inmate's ID number
- Clark County Detention Center Facility #289101
Note that specific transaction fees are charged for each cash or credit/debit transaction. Cash deposits are posted to an inmate's account within a day, but posting often occurs within 15 minutes.
- Via postal mail: A person can send money via mail to a CCDC inmate using the following address format:
[Inmate Name] [Inmate ID Number]
Clark County Detention Center - 1115
P.O. Box 96777
Las Vegas, NV 89193
Acceptable payment options for mail deposits include checks (except personal, two-party, and checks from foreign banks), cashier's checks, and money orders. Cash cannot be sent by mail. Senders should note the following:
- Money orders must be issued in US currency and payable to the "CCDC Inmate Trust Account".
- Money orders and checks have a 10-business-day hold.
- The money order or check's memo line should bear the inmate's name and ID number.
The Henderson Jail
Persons who want to send money to an inmate at the Henderson Detention Center can use a kiosk in the jail facility's lobby. Accepted payment options at the kiosk include cash and Visa or MasterCard credit/debit cards. One may also deposit money online or via telephone through a third-party vendor. The website link and phone number can be obtained from the city's corrections department's website. Typically, the following information is required to deposit funds:
- An inmate's first and last name
- Inmate's ID number
- The sender's billing address and credit card information
- The jail facility's information: Henderson Detention Center, Nevada
The Las Vegas City Jail
The North Las Vegas Detention Center accepts deposits into an inmate account through a third party. Payments can be made online, through a mobile app, or by calling a designated number. Visit the jail's webpage, click "Inmate Search and Information," then "Inmate Fund" for more details (the site link and phone number).
The North Las Vegas Jail
Members of the public who wish to send money to an inmate in the North Las Vegas Jail should contact the corrections division at (702) 633-1400.
How to Visit a Clark County Inmate
Here's how to visit an inmate in each of the four Clark County jails
Inmate Visitation at the Clark County Detention Center (CCDC)
All first-time visitors must stop by the jail/detention center (address below) any day to register. Each applicant requires a valid email address and a valid government-issued photo ID for the registration process.
The next step after registration is scheduling the visit. While only first-time visitors must appear in person to register, all intending visitors (whether newly registered or not) must schedule a visit at a kiosk in the jail lobby or online via the CCDC portal (see online scheduling guidelines).
Visitors to the CCDC must note the following rules and regulations:
- Only three persons can visit an inmate.
- All visitors over 13 must present a valid ID.
- All visitors are subject to a search and a random check for warrants.
- Visitors cannot smoke, drink, or eat in the visiting area.
- Any visitor under 18 must be accompanied by an adult, etc.
Visitors must also adhere to a conservative dress code, which includes:
- No hats, skull caps, ball caps, or du-rags.
- All visitors must wear their shirts and shoes at all times.
- Visitors must be able to tuck in their shirts and blouses. Spaghetti straps, tank tops, tube tops, and sleeveless shirts are prohibited.
- Visitors cannot wear clothing with sexually explicit, profane, or derogatory language.
- Short shorts or miniskirts are prohibited. Further, underwear should be fully concealed.
The weekday and weekend visiting hours, registration hours, complete visiting rules, and dress code are published on the Metro's website.
Inmate Visitation at the Henderson Detention Center
The Henderson Jail provides onsite and video (remote) visits for inmates. Each inmate at the jail is allowed two onsite visits per week and up to three visits per day for remote visitors. However, each visit is limited to 20 minutes.
Anyone visiting a Henderson City inmate onsite must come to the jail within the established onsite visitation hours with a valid government-issued ID. On the other hand, remote visitors must schedule an appointment via a video visitation system 24 hours in advance. The ID card requirement also applies to remote visitors at the time of approval.
Regardless of the selected mode of visit, all visitors must dress appropriately (for example, no sexually suggestive or see-through clothing) and follow jail regulations. Failure to adhere to the visitation rules can result in a suspension of the visit or termination of the privilege to visit an inmate.
The complete visiting procedures, hours, dress code, and rules are available on the Henderson Jail's visitor information site.
Inmate Visitation at the Las Vegas Detention Center
Individuals (except attorneys and persons accompanying attorneys) must schedule via a video visitation system to visit a person held at the Las Vegas City Detention Center. All video visits must be scheduled 48 hours in advance; each visit has a 20-minute limit.
On the other hand, attorneys and their companions should call (702) 229-1786 during traditional business hours from Monday to Thursday to schedule an appointment. Legal visitors require a photo ID for admittance.
More information about video visits (including a link to the visitation scheduling system) can be obtained from the Detention Services page by clicking "Visitation".
Inmate Visitation at the North Las Vegas Detention Center
One should call the jail at 702) 633-1400 to obtain visiting rules and procedures.
How to Send Jail Mail in Clark County
A person can send postal mail to an inmate at the Clark County Detention Center using the following address:
[Inmate Name] [Inmate ID Number]
Clark County Detention Center
330 South Casino Center Boulevard
Las Vegas, NV 89101
All incoming non-legal mail is searched for contraband. Prohibited items include obscene literature, colored paper, greeting cards, currency, devices that can store electronic media, pornographic material, etc. Unacceptable mail items are returned to the sender or stored for the inmate until their release. A complete list of contraband (as well as an alternative mailing option) is available on the CCDC's inmate mail web page.
Below is the address for sending packages to persons incarcerated in the Henderson Jail.
[Inmate Name]
Henderson Detention Center
P.O. Box 95050
Henderson, NV 89009
Senders should note that the corrections staff searches all incoming mail except legal mail for contraband (cash, stamps, musical cards, stickers, etc.). Inmates at the jail can receive a small number of appropriate photographs and softcover books sent from a bookstore or publisher. However, no sexually explicit items, items inciting or promoting violence, or materials referencing the assembly or purchase of weapons are permitted. The jail's mailing guidelines are on the Detention Center FAQ page.
The mailing address to send letters to persons in custody at the Las Vegas Detention Center is thus:
[Inmate Name]
[Inmate ID Number]
City of Las Vegas Detention Center
3300 Stewart Avenue
Las Vegas, NV 89101
Note that only letters (written correspondence) are accepted. The inmates at the Las Vegas Jail cannot receive packages or photographs.
Finally, persons who want to send mail to their loved ones incarcerated at the North Las Vegas Detention Center should contact the jail for the mailing address and guidelines.
Clark County Jails and Prisons
The names, addresses, and contact information of jail and prison facilities in Clark County, Nevada, are listed below.
Local jail facilities
Clark County Detention Center
330 South Casino Center Boulevard
Las Vegas, NV 89101
Phone: (702) 671-3900
Henderson Detention Center
18 East Basic Road
Henderson, NV 89015
Phone: (702) 267-5245
City of Las Vegas Detention Center
3300 Stewart Avenue
Las Vegas, NV 89101
Phone: (702) 229-6444, option 3
North Las Vegas Detention Center
2332 Las Vegas Boulevard North
Suite 120
North Las Vegas, NV 89030
Phone: (702) 633-1400
State prisons in Clark County
Florence McClure Women's Correctional Center (FMWCC)
4370 Smiley Road
Las Vegas, NV 89115-1808
Phone: (725) 216-6150
Southern Desert Correctional Center (SDCC)
20825 Cold Creek Road
Indian Springs, NV 89070
Phone: (725) 216-6500
High Desert State Prison (HDSP)
22010 Cold Creek Road
Indian Springs, NV 89070
Phone: (725) 216-6789
Presently, Nevada has no federal prison facilities.
