Howard County Jail Overview
The Howard County Sheriff's Office operates the Howard County Criminal Justice Center at the sheriff's complex in Kokomo. Local sources use both "Howard County Criminal Justice Center" and "Howard County jail" for the same primary detention facility. The jail is the county-level custody point for most people arrested by the sheriff, Kokomo Police Department, or another local agency after they are accepted into county booking. The sheriff site also links jail information, bond information, inmate information, commissary, inmate communication, mail and messaging, warrants, daily bulletin entries, and a public-records request route.
County government describes the building as a direct-supervision jail. In a direct-supervision setting, officers work closer to housing units and daily jail activity than in older indirect-supervision layouts. The official county project page says the jail was built in 1992, opened in 1993, and began with 256 beds. Later expansions added 108 beds, which brought the current official capacity to 364 beds. Those details matter because Howard County is planning a new jail after years of capacity pressure and a federal settlement context.
The Howard County new-jail project page is the official source for the building history and project status. It states that the existing jail no longer fits current population, operational, or safety needs. The county bought about 48 acres near Dixon Road and Markland Avenue, west of the current jail site, for the new jail project.
The county project page documents the jail building and capacity details for Howard County Criminal Justice Center.
That source is useful when a custody question also involves crowding, housing limits, or the county's plan to replace the current jail.
Howard County Jail Capacity
Howard County's sourced jail figures show why the Criminal Justice Center appears often in local custody and jail-population research. The official capacity is 364 beds. Historical inspection data cited in the research shows the jail was near capacity in 2015, over capacity in 2016, and well over capacity in 2018. The current average daily population was not published in the inspected official sources, so no current inmate count should be inferred from the capacity number alone.
| Source Snapshot | Howard County Jail Figure | Context |
|---|---|---|
| County project page | 364 beds | Current official capacity after expansions |
| ICJI 2015 inspection data | 344 inmates / 364 beds | 94.5 percent use |
| ICJI 2016 inspection data | 369 inmates / 364 beds | 101.4 percent use |
| ICJI 2018 inspection data | 437 inmates / 364 beds | 120.1 percent use |
The population figures are dated snapshots, not a live count. A live Howard County inmate search should use the sheriff's current-inmates page or the jail phone line. Capacity data explains the building and policy background, while the roster answers who is in jail now.
Howard County Jail Roster Lookup
The official starting point is the Howard County Sheriff's Current Inmates page. It is a current custody roster, not a release archive. The public page has a "Type to Search" box, public inmate cards, mugshot image areas, "View More" links, and pagination. Research also found the sheriff-linked Justice Public Safety Cloud / JailTracker roster, which the bond page uses as an alternate roster and bond lookup route.
The roster can show the name, image, profile link, arresting agency, charges, and bond information where available. A record may use an arresting-agency label such as Kokomo Police Department even though the person is being held in the county jail. That means the arresting police agency and the housing facility are not always the same thing. For a broader explanation of jail fields, use the Howard County jail inmate records page.
- Open the sheriff Current Inmates page and type the person's last name, first name, or known text fragment into the search box.
- Review the public cards. If the person appears, select "View More" or the linked profile.
- Check the profile and the sheriff-linked JailTracker route if bond or charge details are needed.
- If the person is not listed, call 765-457-1105 and ask whether the person is still in processing, released, transferred, or held under another agency.
- Use MyCase, IDOC, BOP, ICE, or a public-records request when the county roster does not cover the custody status.
The sheriff current-inmates page is the best visual match for current Howard County jail roster searches.
Use the image cards as a starting point, then confirm custody before travel, bond payment, or a visit.
Howard County Jail Bond
The sheriff's bond information page says bond amounts, when present, appear near the bottom of the inmate profile next to charges. People housed in processing may bond 24 hours a day. People housed outside processing may bond from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Those time limits are operational rules from the sheriff source, not a promise that release will occur at once.
Bond can be delayed by paperwork, court orders, other holds, identity checks, or a no-bond status. A no-bond hold means payment alone will not release the person. A surety bond means a licensed bail agent posts the bond. A cash bond means money is posted directly through the proper court or jail payment path. The sheriff's page links PayGOV.us for online bond payment, so payment instructions should be followed from the official page, not from a third-party ad or search result.
| Bond Question | Howard County Source |
|---|---|
| Where is bond shown? | Near charges on the current-inmate profile when a bond exists |
| Processing housing | Bonding available 24/7 |
| Outside processing | Bonding available 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. |
| Online payment | PayGOV.us route linked by the sheriff |
Note: Confirm bond status with the jail before payment if a court hearing, detainer, or warrant may affect release.
Howard County Jail Contact
The Criminal Justice Center and Sheriff's Office share the Markland Avenue address. The main line is the public phone fallback for current custody questions, records routing, bond clarification, and visitor questions when the online roster or jail pages do not answer the issue. The sheriff also publishes a public-records request page for records that are not posted online.
Howard County Criminal Justice Center
1800 W. Markland Ave.
Kokomo, IN 46901
765-457-1105
Main sheriff and jail contact line
Howard County Jail Visits
A complete current official visitation schedule was not located in the text-accessible sheriff pages inspected for Howard County Criminal Justice Center. The sheriff site has inmate communication and mail or messaging sections, but the schedule details were not available in the research text. For that reason, the accurate approach is to treat visitation as a direct-confirmation item. Visitors should call the jail before travel and ask about current in-person or video options, valid ID, dress rules, arrival time, age rules for minors, and whether a person is eligible for visits.
| Visit Topic | Howard County Status | What to Do |
|---|---|---|
| Published schedule | Not located in text-accessible official pages | Call 765-457-1105 before travel |
| Video or messaging | Sheriff has inmate communication and mail/messaging pages | Check current jail instructions |
| Visitor ID | Specific current rule not confirmed in research | Ask before arriving at the jail |
| Eligibility | May depend on housing, discipline, or court status | Confirm by inmate name |
Note: Do not rely on old social posts or third-party listings for Howard County jail visiting hours.
Howard County Jail Mail and Money
The sheriff's inmate-information rules state that people in the Criminal Justice Center cannot keep cash in the facility. Funds must go into an inmate account. Inmates order commissary on Monday, and orders are delivered Thursday. Money must be in the account by midnight Sunday for the next week's order. Commissary may include hygiene items, food items, clothing items, and writing materials.
Official deposit options include a mailed money order, the lobby kiosk, and online deposits through Access Secure Deposits / Access Corrections. A mailed money order may not exceed $50, and cash or checks are not accepted through the mail. The lobby kiosk accepts credit card, debit card, and cash, with a $5 minimum. Staff no longer accept inmate-account payments directly.
| Service | Provider / Detail |
|---|---|
| Mail Address | Use the sheriff inmate mail and messaging page, then confirm the current format before mailing. |
| Phone / Video | Use the sheriff inmate communication page and jail phone fallback for current options. |
| Money Order | Money orders up to $50 may be mailed for an inmate account. |
| Lobby Kiosk | Credit, debit, and cash accepted, with a $5 minimum. |
| Online Deposits | Access Corrections / Access Secure Deposits route linked by the sheriff. |
The sheriff inmate-information page is the source for Howard County jail account, meal, medical, program, and clothing rules.
That page is most useful for practical rules after a person has been confirmed in county jail custody.
Howard County Jail Programs
Howard County jail rules include daily and weekly services that affect people in custody. Meals are served three times daily, including weekends and holidays, and the menu is described as meeting registered dietary allowance with a daily average of at least 2,100 calories. Meals are not withheld as discipline. Doctor call and dentist call are weekly, nurse call is daily, and indigent inmates are not denied treatment. Only prescription medication is accepted, and it is reviewed by medical staff or the jail physician.
Religious services are held in part of the Criminal Justice Center. Volunteer ministers from area churches conduct weekly services, with rotating units so each unit can attend at least every other week, except disciplinary and protective custody units. Programs listed in the research include substance-abuse counseling, Seeking Safety, Recovery, and Board of Health programs, subject to instructor and jail-administrator approval.
- Classification
- The jail process that assigns housing and rules based on risk, charges, health, and behavior.
- Detainer
- A hold or notice from another agency that may delay release from Howard County custody.
- Work Release
- A separate community-corrections custody program, not the same as a standard county jail housing unit.
Howard County Custody Channels
Howard County Criminal Justice Center does not cover every possible custody status. A person sentenced to Indiana Department of Correction custody may leave the sheriff roster after transfer and should be searched through the IDOC offender locator. Indiana SAVIN can be used for custody and release notification, but it is not a substitute for the sheriff roster or IDOC record. Federal prisoners are searched through BOP, and immigration custody is searched through ICE ODLS. No BOP, ICE, or state prison facility was found inside Howard County.
City arrests can add one more step. Kokomo Police Department has a jail line, but no separate public Kokomo Police roster was found in official sources. Once a city arrest is booked into the county jail, the sheriff roster is the practical public lookup. Before county booking, the Kokomo jail line or records division may be the better contact.
The sheriff also advertises the Howard County Sheriff's Office mobile app through iOS, Google Play, and an OCV share page. The app is a public outreach tool and may surface sheriff features such as current inmates, warrants, daily bulletin entries, tips, and public alerts. App results should still be checked against the official source before bond, travel, or court decisions.