Kewaunee County Inmate Population Overview
The official Kewaunee County detention map is compact. Research located one adult detention facility in the county: the Kewaunee County Jail, operated by the Kewaunee County Sheriff's Department. City of Kewaunee Police and Algoma Police can arrest people in the county, but their official pages do not publish separate jail rosters or lockup rules. For most local arrests, the custody question routes back to the Kewaunee County Jail unless the person has been released, moved to another county, or transferred to a state, federal, or immigration system.
The Kewaunee County inmate population should not be read as one live number. The research file found no current public daily population dashboard and no official sheriff-hosted online roster. The best local population figures are historical and planning records from the county's jail and public-safety facility studies. Current custody is handled through the jail phone, WI VINE, and sheriff records channels, while filed charges move through Wisconsin Circuit Court Access.
Kewaunee County Inmate Population Statistics
Kewaunee County's strongest sourced figures come from the 2016 Jail and Justice System Assessment and 2020 public-safety facility reports. Those records describe an older jail that opened in 1968, a rated capacity well below recent planning counts, and a replacement-jail plan meant to address crowding and classification limits. These figures are planning and historical data, not a live roster count.
| Measure | Figure | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Current jail rated capacity | 22 beds | 2016 jail assessment; 2020 Phase 2 report |
| Design capacity planning threshold | 18 beds at 85% | 2020 Phase 2 safety facility report |
| 2014 average daily population | 33.43 inmates | 2016 Jail and Justice System Assessment |
| 2020 planning average daily population | 41 inmates | 2020 Phase 2 report |
| 2014 jail admissions | 436 admissions | 2016 assessment trend table |
| 2014 incarceration rate | 163.52 per 100,000 | 2016 assessment trend table |
| Proposed replacement capacity | 52 beds, expandable to 85 | 2020 planning materials; July 2022 WLUK report |
Kewaunee County Inmate Population Trends
The county assessment found that overall county population was relatively stable, so population growth alone did not explain jail use. The more important driver was length of stay. From 2009 to 2014, average daily population increased from 25.47 to 33.43 while average length of stay rose from 6 to 10 days. That pattern matters because a small county jail can move above capacity even when admissions do not surge sharply.
| Year | Jail admissions | ADP | ALOS | Incarceration rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 349 | 25.47 | 6 days | 125.38 |
| 2010 | 500 | 24.67 | 6 days | 119.91 |
| 2011 | 478 | 24.91 | 6 days | 120.82 |
| 2012 | 456 | 29.31 | 7 days | 142.16 |
| 2013 | 423 | 27.13 | 6 days | 132.51 |
| 2014 | 436 | 33.43 | 10 days | 163.52 |
By the 2020 Phase 2 report, planners used an average daily population of 41. County materials also noted that female inmates were housed out of county at times because the old building lacked enough separation space and female supervisory staffing. Note: a historical ADP is useful for capacity context, but it is not today's count.
Kewaunee County Inmate Population Makeup
The 2016 assessment gives a one-day snapshot that helps define who made up the Kewaunee County inmate population in local planning records. Sentenced inmates made up 51% of that snapshot, pretrial inmates 28%, and holds 21%. The report separately found probation and parole holds were about 25% of a March 3, 2016 snapshot, which is important because a hold can block release even when a bond question appears simple.
- Custody status: the 2016 snapshot reported 51% sentenced, 28% pretrial, and 21% holds.
- Sex: the same snapshot reported 92% male and 8% female.
- Race and ethnicity: the snapshot reported 89% White, 8% Latino, and 3% Black.
- Residence: the assessment reported 71% in-county residents and 29% in-state but outside Kewaunee County.
- Housing limits: female housing and special-needs separation were recurring problems in county planning documents.
Kewaunee County Jail Capacity
Kewaunee County's jail-capacity story is one of the clearest local facts in the research. The older jail opened in 1968 and was described as clean and orderly, but its layout limited observation, classification, ADA access, program space, and expansion. The 2020 Phase 2 report identified 22 rated beds, 18 design-capacity beds at an 85% planning level, and an average daily population of 41. The report recommended a new free-standing public safety building with a 52-bed jail expandable to 85 beds.
County planning records tie crowding to real operating choices. Holding cells were used for intake, suicide watch, administrative segregation, medical needs, and other special-management cases because the building lacked enough specialized housing. The 14-bed dormitory also served as the Huber Unit. In July 2022, WLUK reported that the county board approved a new jail plan, a $25.6 million facility, and a $21 million bond, with the new jail planned for 52 beds.
Kewaunee County Inmate Record Laws
Wisconsin law starts with a strong public-access policy, but jail records are not the same as a public web roster. The sheriff may hold booking, jail-register, arrest, custody, and photo records while still applying juvenile, safety, investigative, privacy, sealing, and balancing rules. For Kewaunee County, that distinction matters because the research found no official online roster, so the lawful access route is often a phone call or public-records request rather than a search screen.
Key Wisconsin rules:
Wis. Stat. sec. 19.31 states Wisconsin's public-records policy and presumption of access.
Wis. Stat. sec. 19.35 gives the inspection and copy right, subject to legal limits.
Wis. Admin. Code ch. DOC 350 sets minimum standards for Wisconsin jails.
Wis. Admin. Code DOC 350.10 requires each jail to keep a register of inmates.
Wis. Stat. ch. 969 governs bail, release conditions, forfeiture, and related release rules.
Kewaunee County and DOC Custody
Sentenced state-prison custody is outside the Kewaunee County Jail count. The Wisconsin DOC Offender Locator covers convicted offenders sentenced to incarceration, supervision, or both with DOC. DOC also warns that information can change quickly and may not reflect the true current location, status, or release date. A person serving a county jail sentence, held only on a local booking, or newly arrested in Kewaunee County may not appear there.
No Wisconsin DOC adult institution or correctional center was identified inside Kewaunee County. That means the Kewaunee County inmate population is mainly a county-jail population for local detention purposes, while DOC locator results represent people in state custody or supervision. If a case started in Kewaunee County and later resulted in a prison sentence, the lookup may shift from jail and WCCA records to DOC records after transfer.
Search Kewaunee County Inmates
Because no official Kewaunee County online jail roster was located, the best current-custody workflow is a fallback chain. Start with the jail phone for current custody, visit eligibility, and bond direction. Use the sheriff non-emergency line for routing to records or civil process when needed. Use the sheriff records email for a narrow written request when the question is a booking record, booking photo, jail-register entry, release record, or arrest report that is not online.
- Call the Kewaunee County Jail at 920-388-7108 for current custody and visit eligibility.
- Use 920-388-3100 if the jail line needs to route the call to records, civil process, or other sheriff staff.
- Email recordsrequest@kewauneeco.org with the full name, date of birth if known, arrest date range, record type, and contact details.
- Check WI VINE County Jails or VINELink Wisconsin for custody-status checks and notifications.
- Search WCCA, DOC, BOP, or ICE only when the case stage points to court, prison, federal, or immigration custody.
Kewaunee County Current Custody
The sheriff's public pages publish jail information, visitation, bail, deposits, Huber, mail, and contact routes, but no official public inmate-search form was found. That absence should guide the search. Do not assume that charges, bond, housing unit, release date, or a booking photo can be viewed online for a Kewaunee County inmate. Ask the jail or submit a records request for sheriff-held booking details, and use WCCA for filed court case information.
| Field label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not available | Not available | Not available | No official Kewaunee County online jail roster or search form was located. |
The official sheriff contact page is the practical local fallback because it lists jail, Huber, records, civil-process, and staff routing details. The sheriff homepage also confirms that the department handles correctional and court-security resources for the county.
Kewaunee County Past Inmate Records
Released Kewaunee County jail records are not handled by a public archive found during research. A past booking may need a sheriff records request, WCCA search, or DOC search depending on what happened after release. If the goal is proof that a person was booked or released, the sheriff records channel is the local route. If the goal is the formal charge, disposition, warrant, bond, or judgment, Wisconsin Circuit Court Access is the court route.
For older or transferred custody, the agency changes. A sentenced state prisoner belongs in the DOC locator. A sentenced federal inmate from 1982 to present belongs in the BOP inmate locator. An immigration detainee belongs in the ICE Online Detainee Locator System. Those systems do not replace the county jail for ordinary local custody.
Kewaunee County Inmate Record Fields
No official Kewaunee County public roster profile was available for sample inspection. The following fields are described from jail operations and Wisconsin jail-register requirements as items the sheriff or court system may hold or route, not as fields confirmed on a public Kewaunee roster page.
| Field | What it shows or where to verify |
|---|---|
| Name | Identifying name in jail, booking, or court records. |
| Booking date and time | When the person was received and booked, if released through a records request. |
| Arresting agency | Sheriff, city police, state patrol, DNR, warrant authority, or another agency. |
| Charge or hold | Booking basis, warrant, probation or parole hold, sentenced commitment, or Huber status. |
| Bond or bail | Confirm through jail, clerk, or WCCA because holds can limit release. |
| Custody status | In jail, released, transferred, out of county, DOC, federal, or ICE path. |
| Booking photo | Not published in an official county gallery found during research; request through sheriff records if needed. |
Kewaunee County Jail vs Prison
The same person can move through several systems after a Kewaunee County arrest. The jail handles the booking and local custody stage. WCCA handles the court case if charges are filed. Wisconsin DOC handles state prison and supervision after sentencing. Federal and immigration custody use separate national locators.
| Question | Kewaunee County Jail | Wisconsin DOC | Federal or ICE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who is covered | Pretrial detainees, county sentences, Huber, local holds | DOC-sentenced or supervised offenders | Federal sentenced inmates or immigration detainees |
| Who runs it | Kewaunee County Sheriff's Department | Wisconsin Department of Corrections | BOP or ICE |
| Best first search | Jail phone, sheriff records, WI VINE | DOC Offender Locator | BOP locator or ICE ODLS |
| What it is not | Not a state prison locator | Not a county booking roster | Not a state court case search |
Kewaunee County Detention Facilities
Only one public adult detention facility was resolved from the Kewaunee County facility map. Municipal police pages in Kewaunee and Algoma are useful for law-enforcement context, but they did not publish separate detention-facility rules or inmate lookup pages.
- Kewaunee County Jail - the county jail for adult local detainees, pretrial defendants, county sentences, Huber/work-release participants, and probation, parole, warrant, or other holds.
The official jail-information screenshot in the research manifest comes from the Kewaunee County jail information page, which publishes the local jail phone and visitation categories.
That source is especially important here because it supplies jail contact and visiting rules in a county where no official online inmate roster was located.
Kewaunee County Inmate Population FAQ
How large is the Kewaunee County inmate population?
The research found historical and planning figures rather than a live public dashboard. The 2016 assessment reported a 2014 average daily population of 33.43 inmates, and the 2020 Phase 2 report used an average daily population of 41 for planning. Those numbers should be treated as sourced planning context, not today's count.
Can I search the Kewaunee County inmate population online?
No official county online jail roster was located in the sheriff or county sources reviewed. Start with the jail phone, sheriff records request email, and WI VINE for current custody. Use WCCA for filed charges and DOC, BOP, or ICE only when the custody stage fits those systems.
Does Kewaunee County publish jail mugshots?
No official Kewaunee County jail mugshot gallery, recent-bookings page, or public roster profile with booking photos was located. A booking photo may be requested through sheriff records, but Wisconsin public-records limits, safety concerns, juvenile rules, sealing, and investigative needs may affect release.
Where are court records after arrest?
After booking, formal charges are handled by the prosecutor and the Clerk of Circuit Court. Search WCCA for filed Kewaunee County criminal cases, then contact the clerk if a public case entry does not answer a court-record question.