The Clay County Inmate Population
The Clay County inmate population is not one single list. Adult jail custody is handled by the Clay County Correctional Facility, operated by the Clay County Sheriff's Office. Juvenile detention and residential placements are handled by the West Central Regional Juvenile Center, which is nearby but is not an adult jail roster facility. Sentenced prison custody is handled by the Minnesota Department of Corrections, and federal or immigration custody uses separate federal systems. That split matters because a person may leave the county roster after release, sentence, transfer, or court action while still having related records in a court or state system.
The strongest local population facts from Clay County are facility design and capacity. The adult jail is a local pretrial, sentenced, work release, and hold facility for male and female inmates at several custody levels. The juvenile center is a coed secure and non-secure facility for youth and young people in court-ordered or referred programs. Arrests, court release decisions, bond conditions, sentence starts, program release, state prison transfers, and holds from other agencies can all change the Clay County inmate population from one day to the next.
The official Clay County roster page is the practical starting point for adult custody. It also states that roster data is public data but may be incomplete, inaccurate, delayed, or changed for policy and public-safety reasons. That disclaimer should shape every Clay County inmate lookup. Use the roster for current adult jail status, use court records for charges and hearing dates, and use the state DOC locator when the person has moved from county custody into prison or supervision.
Clay County Inmate Population Statistics
Clay County publishes several precise facility figures, but the reviewed official sources did not publish an adult jail average daily population, annual booking count, average length of stay, or full demographic table. Those gaps should not be filled with guesses. The sourced numbers below come from the Clay County correctional facility page, the West Central Regional Juvenile Center sources, and statewide or national context sources named in the research file.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Clay County Correctional Facility rated capacity | 220 beds | Clay County official facility page, accessed June 18, 2026 |
| Adult jail facility size | 75,900 square feet | Clay County official facility page, accessed June 18, 2026 |
| Behavioral Mental Health Unit | 18 beds | Clay County official facility page, accessed June 18, 2026 |
| WCRJC secure capacity | 55 coed secure beds | MNDOC 2024 inspection report and DHS license lookup |
| WCRJC non-secure capacity | 25 coed non-secure beds | MNDOC 2024 inspection report and DHS license lookup |
| National local jail custody count | 664,200 at midyear 2023 | Bureau of Justice Statistics, Jail Inmates in 2023 |
Clay County Inmate Population Trends
The reviewed official pages do not provide a Clay County adult jail trend table. The county does provide a live roster, but a current roster count is not the same as a published annual average. A snapshot may miss releases, transfers, weekend booking flow, self-reporting sentences, and holds. For that reason, the trend record should be read as a research status table rather than a hidden estimate.
The clearest trend signal is structural. Clay County has an established adult jail with a stated rated capacity and a specific behavioral-health unit. It also has a separate juvenile facility with state inspection and licensing documents. No current adult jail consent decree, overcrowding order, or new adult jail construction project was found in the reviewed official material.
| Year | Adult Jail ADP / Population | Research Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Not published in reviewed official sources | County provides a roster, not a public adult jail ADP table. |
| 2025 | Not published in reviewed official sources | No Clay County adult jail annual report was located. |
| 2024 | Not published for adult jail | WCRJC inspection gives juvenile capacity, not adult jail ADP. |
| 2023 | Not published in reviewed official sources | BJS provides national context, not Clay County ADP. |
| 2022 | Not published in reviewed official sources | No county trend table was located. |
Clay County Jail Population Makeup
Clay County's official adult jail page gives broad custody categories rather than a detailed demographic file. It states that the adult jail houses male and female inmates classified at minimum, medium, and maximum custody levels. The research did not locate official Clay County adult jail figures for race, ethnicity, age, felony versus misdemeanor share, pretrial share, or annual booking totals. Those omissions matter because a local roster can show individual records without giving a full population report.
- Adult local custody: Clay County Correctional Facility holds pretrial detainees, sentenced local inmates, work release or program release inmates, and people held for court or other lawful detention.
- Custody levels: the adult jail houses minimum, medium, and maximum custody male and female inmates through a classification system.
- Behavioral-health space: the adult jail includes an 18-bed Behavioral Mental Health Unit for people identified with criminal and behavioral health issues.
- Juvenile custody: West Central Regional Juvenile Center is coed and serves secure and non-secure youth programs, not adult inmate searches.
Clay County Inmate Data Laws
Minnesota law shapes what the Clay County inmate population record can show. Clay County's roster disclaimer names the public-data framework directly. The core rule is that many government records are public unless a state or federal law makes them private, confidential, or otherwise limited. Jail data also has special rules because an inmate record can contain public arrest data beside medical, psychological, safety, or victim-related information that cannot be treated as open public detail.
Key Statutes:
Minn. Stat. 13.03 says government data are public unless another law classifies them differently and allows public data inspection without a copy charge.
Minn. Stat. 13.82 governs law-enforcement data, including arrest data and booking photograph rules.
Minn. Stat. 13.85 governs corrections and detention data and limits release of private, medical, psychological, financial, unrelated, or safety-sensitive details.
Minn. Stat. 641.05 requires sheriffs to keep a permanent jail commitment record with key custody facts.
Minn. R. Ch. 2911 sets Minnesota jail facility standards, and Clay County says the adult jail operates under these rules.
Clay County State Prison Custody
No adult Minnesota Department of Corrections prison is located in Clay County. When a Clay County defendant is sentenced to prison, the person moves from the county jail and district court track into MNDOC custody. The Minnesota DOC public viewer retrieves public information about adults committed to the Commissioner of Corrections and still under DOC jurisdiction, including people in prison and some people released from prison but still under supervision.
Newly sentenced people may take several business days to appear in the DOC locator. A person can also disappear from the Clay County roster after transfer while still having active court records or a later DOC profile. The county jail roster, DOC locator, MCRO court case search, BOP locator, and ICE locator each answer a different custody question.
| System | Covers | Best Use |
|---|---|---|
| Clay County jail roster | Adult local jail custody | Current pretrial, short-sentence, hold, and recent release searches where configured |
| Minnesota DOC locator | Sentenced adults under MNDOC jurisdiction | State prison or supervised release lookup after sentencing |
| BOP inmate locator | Federal sentenced prisoners from 1982 forward | Federal prison lookup, not county booking status |
| ICE detainee locator | Immigration detention | Detainee status by A-Number or biographical search |
Search Clay County Jail Inmates
The Clay County inmate population search starts at the county roster page, which links into a JailTracker/Public Safety Cloud roster interface. The roster is the best public online channel for adult inmates at the Clay County Correctional Facility. It is not a full criminal-history search and it is not the same as the court case file. The county warns that false or incorrect identifying information may appear and that an arrest is not a conviction.
The county-linked JailTracker entry page loads the roster application used for name searches. Search by last name first. Add a first name if results are broad. If search type, released-days, or captcha controls appear, use only the options visible in the current roster screen.
- Open the Clay County inmate roster from the official county site, then follow the roster link into JailTracker.
- Read the county disclaimer before relying on a custody result for travel, bond, or court planning.
- Search by last name and add first name details if needed.
- Open the matching offender detail to review image, booking, charges, bond, holds, court fields, or VINELink links where shown.
- If the person is not listed, check the jail information line, MCRO, MNDOC, BOP, ICE, or a Clay County Data Practices request.
Clay County Roster Search Fields
The roster research found a name-search interface with fields exposed by the JailTracker application. The visible field mix can change by agency configuration, so searchers should use the fields shown on the live roster rather than assume every option is active. The safest first search is usually the last name, then a first name or released-days setting when the screen provides it.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type of Search | Dropdown/select | Unspecified | Options depend on the agency configuration. |
| First Name | Text | Unspecified | Use a full or partial first name to narrow a broad match. |
| Last Name | Text | Likely required for name search | Last name first is the most reliable starting point. |
| Released in Last | Numeric/text or dropdown | Optional where displayed | Use only if the released search control is visible. |
| Captcha Code | Text | Conditional | Enter the case-sensitive code if a captcha appears. |
The Clay County roster disclaimer page shows why the official starting point matters before entering the JailTracker screen.
The county's own wording makes clear that roster data is public information, but users still need official confirmation for legal action, travel, release, or bond decisions.
Clay County Inmate Record Fields
Clay County's current records render through the roster application, so the research captured a partial public record inventory from visible app strings and model fields. A public profile may include booking, charge, bond, image, court, hold, and VINE information when the agency has those fields enabled and public. It may not show sealed, private, medical, juvenile, or safety-sensitive data.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Offender Image | Booking image where shown by the agency. |
| Name | First, middle, and last name fields in the roster model. |
| Booking / Original Book Date Time | Original booking date and time. |
| Charges | Charge description, code, level, count, modifier, and status where public. |
| Court fields | Court name, date, time, case number, warrant number, or control number where enabled. |
| Bond | Bond amount and bond type where enabled. |
| Holds | Hold type, hold date, expiration, reason, or sentence details when public. |
| VINELink | Custody notification linking fields where configured. |
Past Clay County Inmate Records
Released or transferred people may not remain visible on the Clay County roster. The roster application includes released-search controls where enabled, but the research did not confirm a fixed public retention window for every released inmate. If a name is missing, do not assume the person was never booked. The person may have been released, transferred to MNDOC, held under a different name, omitted for policy or public-safety reasons, or listed only in court or records-request channels.
Clay County's Data Practices process is the fallback for booking records, jail records, or public data that is not online. A public requester may inspect public data for free, ask for copies, or both. The county policy says requests can be made by email, postal mail, in person, or online form link and that a public requester cannot be required to identify themselves or explain the reason for the request, though contact information may be needed to send copies or clarify the request.
Clay County Detention Facilities
Clay County has two detention facilities in the Facility Map, and they serve different populations. The adult jail is the roster facility for local inmate searches. The juvenile center is a regional youth facility and should not be treated as an adult jail roster source.
- Clay County Correctional Facility holds adult male and female pretrial detainees, sentenced local inmates, work release/program release inmates, and people held for court or other lawful detention in Clay County.
- West Central Regional Juvenile Center serves youth and young people in secure and non-secure juvenile residential or detention programs, including court-ordered placements.
Clay County Inmate Population FAQ
How large is the Clay County inmate population?
Clay County publishes facility capacity, not a full adult jail average daily population table in the reviewed official sources. The adult correctional facility has 220 beds, and the juvenile center has 80 total licensed or approved beds. Current adult custody should be checked through the jail roster and confirmed with the facility when timing matters.
Where does a Clay County inmate search begin?
Begin with the official county inmate roster landing page, then open the linked JailTracker roster. If the person is sentenced to state prison, use the Minnesota DOC locator instead. If federal or immigration custody is involved, use the BOP or ICE locator.
Does the roster prove a conviction?
No. Clay County warns that an arrest is not a conviction. The jail roster may show booking or arrest charges, but formal court charges, amended counts, dispositions, and convictions must be checked through Minnesota Court Records Online or the BCA criminal-history system when appropriate.
Can juvenile records be searched like adult inmate records?
No. West Central Regional Juvenile Center is a juvenile facility. Youth detention, placement, image, and case information is restricted by juvenile and privacy rules and should not be handled like adult jail roster data.