Hillsdale County Jail Roster Overview
The Hillsdale County Sheriff's Office keeps a public list of people currently held in the county jail. That list runs on JailTracker, an online roster used by many county jails. It shows who is in custody now, and it updates as people are booked in and released. The sheriff, not the courts, controls the jail and the data behind the roster.
The county jail services page ties the roster together with the other tools families need, from visitation to deposits. You can reach it through the Hillsdale County jail services page, which links the roster, video visitation, calling, bond, and deposit systems in one place.
That page is the hub for everything below, so it is worth bookmarking before you start. The roster has limits, though. It only covers the county jail. People held in Michigan state prison, in federal custody, or in immigration detention will not appear, because those systems keep their own separate records and rosters.
How to Use the Hillsdale County Inmate Roster
The roster is built for a name search, and the steps are simple once you know the layout. The public page loads a search shell with a set of tabs across the top and a name search below. You do not need an account to look someone up, though signing in unlocks deposit and account features.
Open the Hillsdale County JailTracker inmate roster and work through the search in order.
- Select the agency in the roster's agency dropdown so you are searching the county jail.
- Open the Detainee tab, which is the section that lists people in custody.
- Enter a last name or alias, and add a first or middle name to narrow a common name.
- Review the results list for a match on name and booking detail.
- Click the person's name to open the full profile with booking details and court appearances.
The screen also carries tabs for Inmate Activities, Print, Utilities, Mugshot Lineup, External Applications, and Victim Notification. Most families only need the Detainee tab, but the Victim Notification tab connects to alert tools worth knowing about.
Hillsdale County Jail Roster Search Fields
Knowing which fields the roster accepts helps you get a clean result on the first try. The search works best with a last name, then filters down from there. A booking or release date can help when a name is common or when you are checking whether someone has already been let go.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agency selector | Dropdown | Yes | Choose the county jail agency before searching |
| Last Name / Alias | Text | Yes | Primary search field for the Detainee tab |
| First Name | Text | No | Narrows a common last name |
| Middle Name | Text | No | Further narrows a match |
| Book Date | Date | No | Filter by when the person was booked in |
| Release Date | Date | No | Filter by when the person was released |
| All agencies | Checkbox | No | Expands the search beyond a single agency |
Note: JailTracker states that inmate data is controlled by the facility, so a fresh booking may take time to appear and an empty result does not always mean the person is not in custody.
What a Hillsdale County Inmate Profile Shows
Clicking a name opens the detail view, which is where the useful information lives. The county jail page confirms that a profile reveals booking details and court appearances once you open it. The fields below are what a listing is built to show, and together they tell you why the person is held and what happens next.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Name | The inmate's full legal name and any listed alias. |
| Booking details | The booking number and date that opened the custody record. |
| Charges | The offenses the person is being held on. |
| Court appearances | Scheduled hearing dates tied to the case. |
| Custody status | Whether the person is still held or has been released. |
The court-appearance field is the one families often overlook. It can tell you when a first hearing or bond review is set, which shapes how fast a release might come. For the full charge and case history behind a booking, the Hillsdale County arrest records and charges page follows the charges from filing through the case.
Inside the Hillsdale County Jail
The county jail is run by the sheriff and sits at the sheriff's office in the city of Hillsdale. It is a working county facility, which means it holds people awaiting court dates as well as those serving short sentences. Sheriff Scott B. Hodshire leads the office that operates it.
The jail's size shapes who is held there. It houses 67 inmates in general population, plus 13 holding cells used for people in pre-arraignment status right after an arrest. Those holding cells explain why a very recent arrest may not appear on the roster right away, since the person may still be in the intake stage before a formal booking.
Hillsdale County Sheriff's Office and Jail
165 W. Fayette St.
Hillsdale, MI 49242
(517) 437-7317 / toll free (800) 437-7317
Mon-Fri 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
The administrative line is the number to call with questions the roster cannot answer, such as how to arrange a visit or confirm a booking. For emergencies, the county still directs the public to call 911 rather than the office line.
Booking and Custody in Hillsdale County
Booking is the process that turns an arrest into a jail record. When deputies bring a person in, staff record identity, log the charges, and place the person in a holding cell if the arrest is fresh. That pre-arraignment stage happens in the 13 holding cells before someone moves into general population.
Custody does not last forever without a court step. A first appearance or arraignment sets bond and the initial conditions, and the roster profile shows the scheduled court appearances tied to that case. A person may post bond and leave, stay held until a hearing, or move to another facility if the case calls for it.
Because custody status can change quickly, the roster is a snapshot rather than a promise. Checking it again later, or setting up an alert, is the reliable way to track a fast-moving booking.
Visiting a Hillsdale County Inmate
Visits at the county jail run mostly through video rather than a glass-and-phone visiting room. The county publishes the tools and the rules, but it does not post a day-by-day visitation schedule on the jail page. Rather than invent set hours, treat the facts below as the confirmed rules and call the jail to confirm current visiting windows.
Video visitation is handled by an outside vendor, and you can reach it through the Hillsdale County jail video visitation provider at cpcjail.com, which links to the deposit system tied to visits.
That provider handles the online video visits and the account behind them. An on-site kiosk in the sheriff's lobby is also available for people who prefer to visit in person at the facility. One firm rule applies across the board.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Video visitation | Online through the cpcjail.com provider |
| On-site kiosk | Located in the sheriff's office lobby |
| Age rule | No one under 17 may visit without a parent or guardian present |
| Day-by-day schedule | Not published on the county jail page; confirm hours with the jail |
Note: Because the county does not post fixed visiting hours, calling the jail's administrative line before you plan a visit is the safest way to avoid a wasted trip.
Adding Money and Making Calls
Money and phone time run through a set of online vendors rather than a single jail cashier. Families can fund an inmate account, buy phone time, or post bond through the same web tools the county links from its jail page. Each task points to a named provider, so it helps to know which one does what.
Inmate deposits and phone accounts flow through two providers, with a phone option and a lobby kiosk as backups.
- Deposit online through eXpressAccount.com
- Deposit online through inmatesales.com
- Deposit by phone at 866-422-6833
- Deposit at the lobby kiosk in the sheriff's office
You can review the deposit and calling system through the Hillsdale County inmate deposit and sales provider at inmatesales.com, which supports funds tied to calls and video visits.
Inmate calling is handled through eXpressAccount.com and inmatesales.com, where you buy phone time in advance. Bond payments are made online through eXpressAccount.com, so a family can post bond without a trip to the jail. Reading the vendor pages first tells you which fees apply before you send any money.
Hillsdale County Jail Programs
The county jail runs programs that go beyond simply holding people. These services support inmates during custody and help the court process move, and the jail services page lists them plainly. They range from faith-based support to health treatment to the video hearings that connect the jail to the courtroom.
- Religious services, including church and pastor visits and group study
- Mental health programs
- Substance abuse programs
- Inmate visitation
- Video arraignments
Video arraignments are worth a closer look. They let an inmate appear before a judge from inside the jail, which speeds up the early court steps and cuts down on transport. For families, that means a first hearing can happen sooner, and the roster's court-appearance field is where those dates show up.
Custody Alerts Through VINELink
Watching the roster by hand is not the only way to track a person in custody. Michigan runs a free notification service, VINELink, also branded as MI-VINE, that sends alerts when a custody status changes. The sheriff's services page links it alongside the office's other public tools.
Registration is free and works statewide, so an alert follows a person even if custody moves between facilities. You pick how you want to be notified, and the service pings you on a booking, a transfer, or a release. For a victim or a worried family member, it removes the need to refresh the roster over and over.
The Victim Notification tab on the JailTracker screen connects to the same idea, tying the roster to the alert system that keeps you informed after the initial search.
The Hillsdale County Sheriff App
The sheriff's office promotes a free mobile app that adds tools the website alone does not offer. It carries public-safety news, road closures, and missing-person alerts, plus a channel for crime, warrant, and drug tips. The app is a companion to the roster, not a replacement, and it keeps county alerts on your phone.
You can install it from the Hillsdale County Sheriff app on Google Play for Android devices.
Android users get the alert feeds and tip tools straight from that listing. Apple users have a matching option, and the Hillsdale County Sheriff app on the Apple App Store carries the same public-safety features for iPhone.
Both listings show active updates and the same alert and tip features tied to the local sheriff. The app does not replace the jail roster for finding an inmate, but it keeps county public-safety news close at hand.
What the Hillsdale County Jail Roster Leaves Out
The roster is strong for current county custody, but it is not a full criminal history. It shows who is in the county jail now, along with the booking and court detail behind that stay. It does not track a person once they leave county custody or move into another system.
People held in Michigan state prison, in federal custody, or in immigration detention are not on the county roster, because each of those systems keeps its own records. Juvenile custody is handled through the county's separate juvenile process and is far more restricted than the adult roster. If a warrant rather than a booking is what you are chasing, the Hillsdale County warrant records page lays out the channels for that.
Note: The jail roster is a live snapshot of county custody, so it is not proof of a full record and should be paired with court files for the complete picture.