The Jefferson County Inmate Population
Jefferson County does not operate a separate county jail with its own sheriff roster. The county is served by Eastern Regional Jail and Correctional Facility, a West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation facility in Martinsburg. The jail serves Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan counties, so the public count at that facility is a regional count, not a Jefferson-only head count. That local fact matters. A Charles Town, Ranson, Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown, Shepherd University, state police, or sheriff arrest may become a Jefferson County case, but the custody lookup still runs through the state regional jail system.
The Jefferson County inmate population changes for several reasons. New arrests move from the arresting agency into booking and intake. A magistrate may set bond or other release terms. Some people leave custody after posting bond, dismissal, time served, or transfer. Others remain at Eastern Regional Jail while a case is pending or while serving a short jail sentence. A sentenced person may also move from the jail population to the state prison or supervision locator. For same-day status, use the live jail search and the Daily Incarcerations page before relying on older figures.
Jefferson County Inmate Population Statistics
The strongest official numbers in the research come from WVDCR annual reports and DCR facility material. The FY2025 annual report lists Eastern Regional Jail as serving Berkeley, Morgan, and Jefferson counties and gives the facility a rated population of 448. That is a capacity-style figure, not a same-day inmate count. The same source lists Jefferson County with 132 adult prison offender IDs by county on or around June 30, 2025. Those prison IDs are separate from the current regional jail roster.
| Measure | Figure | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Regional Jail rated population | 448 | WVDCR FY2025 Annual Report, around June 30, 2025 |
| Eastern Regional Jail service area | Berkeley, Morgan, Jefferson | WVDCR facility page and FY2025 Annual Report |
| Jefferson County adult prison offender IDs | 132 | WVDCR FY2025 Annual Report |
| West Virginia local jail bookings | At least 34,000 each year | Prison Policy Initiative West Virginia profile, accessed July 2026 |
The WVDCR annual report screenshot source was captured for this project, but the PDF itself did not produce a page image in the manifest. For a visual source that does match the facility, the WVDCR Eastern Regional Jail facility page shows the address, phone, service counties, superintendent, and directions.
Jefferson County Inmate Population Trends
The annual facility trend should be read with care. Older WVDCR annual reports listed Eastern Regional Jail population figures, while FY2025 lists a rated population. The research found a drop from 626 in FY2021 to 506 in FY2022 and 193 in FY2024, with FY2025 listing 448 as rated population rather than actual population. Because the facility serves three counties and has been merged with Martinsburg Correctional Center-Male Classification Intake Facility, those trend figures are useful regional context, not a count of Jefferson County residents in jail.
| Year or source | Eastern Regional Jail figure | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| FY2021 WVDCR Annual Report | 626 | Facility population figure located in the annual report source stack. |
| FY2022 WVDCR Annual Report | 506 | Search-result source text identified an Eastern Regional Jail population figure. |
| FY2024 WVDCR Annual Report | 193 | Search-result source text identified a facility population figure. |
| FY2025 WVDCR Annual Report | 448 rated population | Capacity/rated population, not a same-day head count. |
No official Jefferson-only average daily population, booking total, race or sex breakdown, or average length of stay was found in the source stack. That gap should not be filled with estimates. The live Daily Incarcerations tool is the better place to check current admissions by county or institution.
Who Counts in Jefferson County Jail Data
Eastern Regional Jail holds a mixed jail population. WVDCR describes the facility as detention for pretrial felony and misdemeanor cases and sentenced felony and misdemeanor cases for Berkeley, Morgan, and Jefferson counties. A pretrial detainee is a person held before the case is resolved. A sentenced inmate is serving a sentence after a plea or conviction. Those two groups may be held in the same regional facility, but they do not mean the same thing for court status, bond, or record searches.
- Pretrial detainee
- A person held after arrest while the court case is still pending.
- Sentenced inmate
- A person serving a jail or prison sentence after a court disposition.
- Classification
- Jail intake review used to assign housing, security, and facility placement.
- Detainer
- A hold or request from another agency that can affect release.
The county identity and jail location also differ. Courts and the prosecutor are in Charles Town, the sheriff's business office is in Kearneysville, and the jail is in Martinsburg. That three-location path is normal for Jefferson County because custody is regional. The "Old Jail Annex" in Charles Town is a court-record location for the Circuit Clerk, not the current jail for inmate lookup.
Laws Behind Jefferson County Inmate Records
West Virginia public-record law and criminal procedure rules shape how Jefferson County inmate records are searched, requested, and corrected. The online jail search is public, but it carries a disclaimer that location, release date, status, and other offender information can change quickly. Court records should be used for the underlying criminal case, because the jail roster is a custody source rather than the final court record.
Key statutes:
W. Va. Code §29B-1-1 states the policy that people are entitled to information about government affairs unless law says otherwise.
W. Va. Code §29B-1-3 gives the right to inspect or copy public records, subject to lawful limits.
W. Va. Code §29B-1-4 lists exemptions that can affect law-enforcement and privacy-sensitive records.
W. Va. Code §62-1-6a limits some law-enforcement social-media posting of booking photos and creates a removal route in listed situations.
How to Search Jefferson County Inmates
The main Jefferson County inmate search channel is the WV Regional Jail Offender Search. It is a WVDCR public portal, not a Jefferson County Sheriff's Office roster. Use it for people in current regional jail custody. If the name is common or the booking is new, also check Daily Incarcerations, which can be filtered by county or reviewed by institution.
- Open the WV Regional Jail Offender Search.
- Enter at least the first three letters of the last name.
- Add the first name when the result list is too broad.
- Complete the reCAPTCHA and submit the search.
- If no result appears, check Daily Incarcerations, call Eastern Regional Jail, and search the prison locator if the person may have moved to state custody.
| Field label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Name | Text | Yes | Minimum three letters, full or partial last name accepted. |
| First Name | Text | No | Optional field that narrows common-name results. |
| reCAPTCHA | Captcha | Yes | Required before the search submits. |
| Search | Button | Yes | Pressing search accepts the DCR disclaimer. |
The regional jail offender search page screenshot shows the search fields and disclaimer used for Jefferson County jail custody.
Jefferson County Inmate Record Details
The public field inventory is limited because live inmate detail pages can be blocked by reCAPTCHA or active-result behavior. The daily admissions table still shows the kind of booking data readers can expect to verify: name components, birth date, gender, admission time, institution, county filter, and a details link when available. Do not treat the jail search as a final court history. DCR warns that status and location can change quickly.
| Field | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Last, first, middle name | Name components used in admissions and search results. |
| Birth date | Shown in daily admission summaries observed during research. |
| Gender | Shown in daily admission summaries. |
| Time | Admission time on Daily Incarcerations. |
| Institution | The regional jail or facility tied to the admission listing. |
| Disclaimer | Notice that location, release date, and status may not be current. |
For formal charges and dispositions after a booking, use Magistrate Case Record Search, WVPASS, and the clerk offices. Jail data answers custody questions. Court records answer what the prosecutor filed and how the case ended.
County Jail vs State Prison
A Jefferson County inmate lookup can fail when the person is in the wrong system for the search being used. Regional jail records cover current jail custody and recent admissions. The WVDCR prison and supervision search covers people in prison, on parole, or under active WVDCR supervision. The BOP inmate locator covers federal custody from 1982 forward, while ICE ODLS covers immigration detention.
| Custody type | Where to search | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Regional jail | WV Regional Jail Offender Search | Current pretrial or sentenced jail custody for the regional system. |
| Daily admission | WVDCR Daily Incarcerations | Same-day admissions by county or institution. |
| State prison or parole | WVDCR prison offender search | Active prison, parole, or supervision status. |
| Federal prison | BOP inmate locator | Federal custody, not local jail custody. |
| Immigration detention | ICE ODLS | Immigration custody, which may follow or overlap with a criminal hold. |
The WVDCR offender-search hub groups the jail search, prison search, daily incarcerations, and absconder links in one place.
Jefferson County Detention Facility
The Facility Map resolves one detention facility for this site. Eastern Regional Jail and Correctional Facility is the primary jail facility for Jefferson County arrests after booking. No state prison, BOP facility, ICE facility, or separate city jail was found inside Jefferson County in the official source stack. Municipal arrests should still be checked through the regional jail once the person is booked.
- Eastern Regional Jail and Correctional Facility - regional jail and correctional facility serving Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan counties for pretrial felony and misdemeanor detainees and sentenced jail inmates.
Important: A Jefferson County arrest may lead to a Martinsburg jail address because the county uses West Virginia's regional jail system.
Jefferson County Jail and Court Contacts
Different offices answer different parts of an inmate search. Eastern Regional Jail handles custody and visitation questions. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office handles sheriff incident and accident reports when that office was the responding or arresting agency. Magistrate Court and Circuit Clerk records show court charges, case status, and filed documents. The Prosecuting Attorney handles state-law prosecutions in Magistrate and Circuit Courts.
Eastern Regional Jail and Correctional Facility
94 Grapevine Road
Martinsburg, WV 25405
(304) 267-0045
Jefferson County Sheriff's Office
102 Industrial Blvd
Kearneysville, WV 25430
304-728-3205
Jefferson County Magistrate Court
110 North George Street
Charles Town, WV 25414
304-728-3233
Jefferson County Visits and Money
Eastern Regional Jail visitation is scheduled by phone during posted scheduling windows. The official PDF says visits must be scheduled at least one day ahead, each visit lasts 30 minutes, and each inmate may receive one visit per week. The same PDF lists accepted photo identification, child-visitor paperwork, a detailed dress code, and banned items. Money and phone account services are routed through WVDCR's ConnectNetwork channels, with Eastern Regional listed for AdvancePay and Trust services.
| Topic | Confirmed detail |
|---|---|
| Visit scheduling | Call (304) 267-0045 or (304) 267-0048 at least one day before the visit. |
| Visit days | Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday visit windows are listed in the ERJ visitation PDF. |
| Deposits | WVDCR offender banking lists phone, web, and app deposit options. |
| Service provider | ConnectNetwork lists WV DCR Site ID 179 and Eastern Regional services. |
Jefferson County Inmate Population FAQ
Is there a Jefferson County jail roster? Current custody uses the WV Regional Jail Offender Search because the county is served by Eastern Regional Jail, a WVDCR regional facility. The Sheriff's Office does not publish a separate county-only roster in the sources reviewed.
How large is the Jefferson County inmate population? No official Jefferson-only jail ADP was found. The best sourced facility number is Eastern Regional Jail's FY2025 rated population of 448, while WVDCR listed 132 Jefferson County adult prison offender IDs in FY2025.
Where are Jefferson County inmates held? Most local jail custody routes to Eastern Regional Jail and Correctional Facility in Martinsburg. State prison cases move to WVDCR prison search, and federal or immigration cases use BOP, USMS, or ICE tools.
What if the jail search has no result? Try Daily Incarcerations, call Eastern Regional Jail, search the state prison locator, check West Virginia VINE, and review court records if the question is about charges rather than custody.