Whitman County Inmate Population Overview
The Whitman County inmate population is held locally at Whitman County Jail in Colfax. The jail is operated by the Whitman County Sheriff's Office, led on the county page by Sheriff Brett Myers. The research found one detention facility in Whitman County for page-building purposes: the county jail at 411 N Mill Street. No separate Pullman city jail roster, state prison, BOP prison, or ICE detention facility was identified inside the county.
The local count changes as arrests, court holds, bonds, sentences, and transfers move people in and out of the jail. Whitman County says the jail holds all levels of offenders before conviction, from felony arrests down to misdemeanors. After conviction, the county keeps only people sentenced to one year or less. A person sentenced to more than one year goes to prison, so that person should be tracked through the Washington State Department of Corrections incarcerated search rather than the county roster.
Whitman County Inmate Population Statistics
Whitman County publishes its strongest local jail population numbers on the official Jail Statistics page and on the roster site's About Us page. Those sources state that the jail was built in 1984 and that bed space was increased in 2014. The county statistics page reports that the jail population is usually in the low-to-high thirties, with higher counts at points during the year. The numbers below use only sourced figures from the research file.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Jail built | 1984 | Whitman County Jail Statistics and roster About Us, inspected 2026 |
| Bed space | 62 beds after 2014 increase; temporary bunks possible | Whitman County Jail Statistics, inspected 2026 |
| Typical population | About 32 to 38 on most days; roster About page says about 30 to 35 | County statistics and roster About Us, inspected 2026 |
| Peak note | Population can swell over 50 many times during the year | Whitman County Jail Statistics |
The county's public bunk table separately lists 28 maximum-security bunks, 16 male work-release bunks, 4 female work-release bunks, and 2 special-housing bunks. Because the same official page also states that bed space increased to 62, those facts should be read together rather than forced into a single invented unit count.
Whitman County Jail Population Trends
Long-term Whitman County inmate population trend data is not published as a full dashboard on the county jail site. The usable trend line is narrower: the jail was built in 1984, bed space rose in 2014, the county now reports a normal daily count below rated bed space, and higher counts over 50 still occur many times during the year. A WASPC annual jail statistics spreadsheet row was visible in search results, but the spreadsheet download was blocked during research, so it should not be treated as a verified local data table here.
| Year | Population or Capacity Figure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Jail built | County and roster About Us identify the jail's build year. |
| 2014 | 62-bed capacity after increase | Official county statistics page gives the bed-space increase. |
| 2026 | Typical 32-38, with over-50 surges | Official county page inspected during research. |
The strongest practical point is capacity pressure during surges, not a published overcrowding order. On normal days, the county's typical range is below the stated 62 beds. When the jail rises over 50, the population is much closer to rated bed space, and the county notes temporary bunks can be added if needed.
Whitman County Inmate Population Makeup
Whitman County does not publish a detailed public dashboard showing race, sex, age bands, pretrial status, charge level, or length of stay for the jail population. The public roster shows age, offense text, bond or hold information, sentence class, and goodtime release dates when present. It does not show race, sex, date of birth, height, weight, housing unit, or arresting agency. That makes the roster useful for custody checks, but limited for demographic analysis.
- Pretrial custody: Whitman County says the jail holds all levels of offenders before conviction.
- Short county sentences: After conviction, only sentences of one year or less stay in the county jail.
- Work release: County statistics list male and female work-release bunk counts and the jail offers work, school, and community-service release programs.
- Other holds: Roster examples include DOC holds, out-of-county warrants, federal court holds, and other-court holds.
Those labels matter because the Whitman County inmate population is not made up only of new local arrests. A person can be physically held at Whitman County Jail while the legal authority comes from District Court, Superior Court, another county, DOC, Federal Court, or another court. The roster's bond line and offense list are often the best clues.
Whitman County Jail Register Laws
Washington law explains why some Whitman County jail information is public and other inmate material is not. RCW 70.48.100 requires a public jail register with the name of each person confined, the hour and date of confinement, cause of confinement, and discharge information. The same law states that other records of a person confined in jail are confidential unless a statutory exception applies.
Key Statutes:
RCW 70.48.100 makes the jail register public while protecting most other inmate jail records.
Chapter 42.56 RCW governs identifiable public records held by Washington agencies, subject to exemptions.
RCW 36.28A.040 supports statewide jail booking and reporting duties administered through WASPC.
RCW 70.48.510 governs unexpected fatality reviews for city and county jails and public posting with redactions.
The practical result is a two-step records path. Current custody and many booking facts are checked on the jail roster or by calling the jail. A jail administrative record that is not online may require a Whitman County public records request, but court records after an arrest use the court clerk and court portals rather than the county Public Records Act form.
Whitman County State Prison Search
Whitman County does not have a state prison in the county based on the DOC prison map and public prison contact list reviewed in the research. The county's own offender-level page is the key rule: people sentenced to more than one year go to prison rather than staying at Whitman County Jail. Once that transfer happens, the county roster may stop being the right source for custody status.
The WA DOC incarcerated search uses DOC number or first and last name. DOC results show the DOC number, name, age, and current location. They do not show Whitman County booking number, local bond amount, jail charge text, or county goodtime release fields. WA VINE can send custody-status notifications, but it is not a court docket and does not replace the jail roster for immediate local custody.
Search Whitman County Inmates
The public Whitman County Jail inmate listing is a sortable list, not a typed search form. It is free, requires no login, and states that it is updated about every 10 minutes. The roster also warns that the information is arrest and detention data, not conviction data. A person can appear more than once when two causes are active at the same time, so booking numbers should be compared before drawing conclusions.
- Open the county roster or start from the county Who's in Jail? page.
- Scan by name, or choose a sort link such as booking date, release date, age at arrest, or pre-sentence class.
- Read the entry on the roster page. Whitman entries are visible without opening a separate profile page.
- Compare booking numbers if the same person appears more than once.
- Call 509-397-5585 if the roster does not answer a time-sensitive custody, charge, or bail question.
For a sentenced prison transfer, switch to the WA DOC locator. For a sentenced federal inmate, use the BOP inmate locator. For immigration detention, use ICE ODLS. Whitman County did not have an official sheriff or police mobile app with an app-only roster in the research.
Whitman County Roster Controls
The Whitman County inmate population roster has controls that behave more like sorting tools than search fields. Booking Date is useful for recent arrests. Release Date can help when goodtime release dates are listed. Age at Arrest can separate similar names. Pre-sentence Class groups entries by the jail's custody-class abbreviations, which the public page does not define.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inmate's Name | Sort link | Optional | Default name sort; no typed name box was observed. |
| Booking Date | Sort link | Optional | Sorts entries by booked date and time. |
| Release Date | Sort link | Optional | Useful when goodtime release dates appear. |
| Age at Arrest | Sort link | Optional | Helps distinguish similar names. |
| Pre-sentence Class | Sort link | Optional | Observed values include FED, SM, UM, UF, and SF. |
The live roster screenshot source shows the RCW notice, update statement, sort links, and visible inmate entries. The image below reflects the text-list format users should expect.
Because entries are displayed as a public list, the best workflow is to scan and sort first, then use the jail phone line when the question is urgent.
Whitman County Inmate Record Fields
A Whitman County inmate record on the public roster is a jail-register view. It shows enough to check custody, booking, alleged offenses, and bond or hold status. It is not a full police report, criminal history, court docket, medical file, or jail housing record.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Name, age, inmate number | Identity line shown in the entry heading. |
| Booking number | Local booking identifier, such as a two-digit year plus J format. |
| Booked date/time | When the jail entered the person into custody. |
| Alleged offenses | Charge labels, RCW references, warrants, DOC holds, or federal holds when listed. |
| Bond information | Cash, bond, no-bail, court authority, federal court, other court, or DOC hold language. |
| Goodtime release date | Appears for some sentenced entries, not all bookings. |
Whitman County Jail vs Prison
The county jail and the state prison system answer different questions. Whitman County Jail handles local booking, pretrial detention, short county sentences, work release, and some holds. WA DOC handles sentenced state custody after a longer prison sentence. Federal and immigration systems are separate again, though the Whitman roster can show a federal hold if the person is physically housed in Colfax.
| Custody Type | Where to Look | What It Usually Shows |
|---|---|---|
| Pretrial or short county sentence | Whitman County Jail roster | Booking number, alleged offenses, bond or hold, class, release date when available. |
| State prison sentence | WA DOC incarcerated search | DOC number, name, age, current prison or DOC location. |
| Federal prison sentence | BOP inmate locator | Federal register data, age, race, sex, location, release information. |
| Immigration detention | ICE ODLS | Current ICE or qualifying CBP custody by A-number or biographical search. |
The WA DOC search source uses a different field set from the county roster, which is why a county booking number will not serve the same purpose after a prison transfer.
Use the DOC locator only after state custody is likely. New Whitman County bookings and local bonds remain county jail questions.
Whitman County Detention Facility
The facility map for this project contains one local detention facility. City police agencies in the county, including Pullman, route custody questions to Whitman County Jail rather than publishing a separate city jail roster. Federal and DOC holds may appear in the jail population, but they do not create separate federal or state facility pages for Whitman County.
- Whitman County Jail - the county jail in Colfax for pretrial detainees, short county sentences, work release, and listed holds for other agencies.
Note: A federal hold on the Whitman roster means federal legal authority may exist, not that the jail is a federal prison.
Whitman County Inmate Population FAQ
How large is the Whitman County inmate population? County sources say the jail usually holds about 32 to 38 people on most days, while the roster About page gives a typical range of about 30 to 35. The county also states the count can rise over 50 many times during the year.
How do I search the Whitman County inmate population? Use the Lobo-hosted Whitman County Jail roster first. It is a sortable list, not a name-search form. If the person does not appear and the question is urgent, call the jail information line at 509-397-5585.
Does the Whitman County inmate population include state prisoners? Not after transfer to prison. The jail can hold people before conviction and for sentences of one year or less, but longer sentences move to WA DOC custody.
Are booking photos part of the roster? No booking photos were observed on the public Whitman County roster. The roster publishes jail-register text, and Washington law protects most other inmate jail records unless an exception applies.
Can VINE replace the jail roster? WA VINE is useful for custody notifications. It does not replace the roster for booking facts, and it does not provide the court record for a criminal case.