Lookup DeKalb County Jail Inmates

DeKalb County Jail Overview

DeKalb County Jail is part of the Public Safety Building and is operated by the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office. County and sheriff sources identify it as the primary local detention facility for adult pretrial detainees, sentenced county jail detainees, people awaiting bond call or court order, and people connected to work release or Electronic Home Monitoring alternatives. The current sheriff named by county government is Andrew Sullivan.

The 2018 expansion is the defining modern facility fact. The sheriff's Corrections page says the expansion raised total capacity from 89 to 140 beds and added extra holding cells in the new booking area. The expanded facility is described as more than 81,000 square feet and includes a dedicated booking area, drive-through sallyport, kitchen, storage areas, receiving dock, laundry, medical rooms, master control, program rooms, and inmate housing.

DeKalb County Jail Capacity and Population

The sheriff's 2024 annual report gives the most useful jail capacity and population figures. It lists technical capacity as 140 beds and explains that an 80 percent jail-industry guideline creates a functional capacity benchmark of 112. The same report lists a 2024 average daily population of 128, with a highest daily count of 138 and a lowest daily count of 112.

How to Find Someone Held Here

No official public DeKalb County Jail current-inmate roster was located in the official county and sheriff sources reviewed. For this facility, the correct lookup route starts with the jail phone for current custody, VINE for custody-status notifications, the Sheriff's FOIA form for booking and arrest records, and Circuit Clerk records for filed charges. Use IDOC only after a state prison sentence and transfer.

1. Call DeKalb County Jail at 815-895-4177 for current custody, bond, release, or transfer questions.
2. Use VINELink or 866-566-8439 for release, transfer, or escape notifications.
3. File the Sheriff's FOIA form for booking records, arrest reports, custody dates, or booking photos.
4. Search Circuit Clerk online records for filed charges, court dates, and dispositions.
5. Use IDOC, BOP, USMS, or ICE ODLS only when custody has moved out of ordinary county jail custody.

DeKalb County Jail Address and Contact

The jail and sheriff's office are on the downtown Sycamore government campus. County government lists Public Safety Building office hours as 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bond posting is handled at the jail 24 hours a day, seven days a week under the sheriff's bond page. Call before traveling for release, property, bond, or visit questions because service windows and custody status can change quickly.

Visiting at DeKalb County Jail

The sheriff's visitation page currently states that visitation is temporarily remote. It says visitation time can be purchased and visits scheduled through Inmate Sales or by calling 866-340-7879. The page still includes older posted non-contact schedule blocks, but the current remote notice controls. Adult visitors need valid photo identification, and food, beverages, cameras, and cell phones are not allowed.

The posted schedule uses category labels such as male, female, and WR. Because the page also says visits are temporarily remote, confirm current rules with the jail before relying on any on-site schedule.

Mail, Phone, and Money at DeKalb County Jail

Mail should be addressed with the inmate's first and last name, DeKalb County Jail, 150 N. Main Street, Sycamore, IL 60178. A return address is required. Incoming and outgoing mail is handled Monday through Friday, with no mail service on weekends or holidays. The sheriff's mail page bars cash, personal checks, stamps, blank envelopes, unauthorized photos, ornamented cards, stickers, glitter, unapproved books or publications, and packages without prior approval.

Booking and Bond at DeKalb County Jail

The 2022 sheriff annual report states that everyone entering the jail with charges must be booked and searched, that all property is logged and taken from the new arrestee, and that booking requires time-consuming computer entry. Housing assignment is handled internally after booking and classification. Public sources reviewed did not list jail pod or cell-block names.

For first appearance and release, DeKalb County uses bond call by closed-circuit television when an inmate cannot make bond or no bond is set. Public attendance is at the courthouse, 133 W. State St., Room 220. Bond call is Monday through Friday at 1:00 p.m. and Saturday at 11:00 a.m. Bond can be posted at the jail 24/7 by accepted methods, with posted processing and credit-card fees.

DeKalb County Jail Programs and Oversight

Official sources describe EHM, PREA reporting, medical screening, TB screening, sick call five times weekly, onsite dental, x-ray, CT, lab, and EKG contracts, mental-health counseling, crisis support, and group counseling. Commissary-funded welfare materials include hygiene items, reading materials, games, law-library kiosk access, religious materials, computers for Zoom counseling and court-document viewing, and other program supplies.

IDOC's Jail and Detention Standards Unit provides state oversight of county jail standards. The IDOC jail standards page explains that county jails are reviewed for compliance.

That oversight role is separate from custody lookup. IDOC inspects county jails and runs state prisons, but DeKalb County Jail remains a sheriff-operated county jail.

DeKalb County Jail History

The sheriff's 2025 annual report gives a local jail timeline. DeKalb County's first jail was built in 1856 near Sycamore and Main Street after earlier prisoners were held and guarded at sheriffs' and deputies' residences. A second jail was built or reconstructed on the same site in 1912. The 1980 Public Safety Building and jail replaced the old jail with a 61-person capacity. The 2018 expansion brought the modern facility to 140 technical beds.

Historical notes also mention earlier federal prisoner housing and later rented space for State of Illinois prisoners, but those are historical facts only. Current DeKalb County federal, state-prison, and immigration lookup questions should still use BOP, USMS, IDOC, or ICE channels rather than assuming the county jail is a current state or federal facility.