Ouachita County Inmate Population
The local detention map resolves to one jail: the Ouachita County Detention Center, operated by the Ouachita County Sheriff's Department. That facility holds people arrested in Camden and other Ouachita County communities, people waiting on first appearance or court action, some sentenced local detainees, and state-custody groups when they are listed by the county roster. Sheriff David Norwood's office also links the public to warrants, bail bonds, banking, visitation, victim resources, and sex-offender tools from the same detention landing page.
The Ouachita County inmate population is not just one number. A live roster count changes as arrests, releases, transfers, bond decisions, and court holds move people in and out of local custody. A person on a first appearance hold or pretrial felony case may still be searched through the jail roster. A sentenced state prisoner usually belongs in the Arkansas DOC locator after transfer. Federal and immigration custody use separate systems, so the best search path depends on where the person is held now.
Ouachita County Inmate Population Statistics
The sheriff site did not publish an official current rated capacity or average daily population during the research pass. The strongest historical capacity source captured for Ouachita County is Vera's BJS-based county trend series, while the strongest live local source is the public iSOMS roster observed on May 29, 2026. The live roster count is a dated public observation, not an official annual average.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Date |
|---|---|---|
| Visible current roster entries | 176 | iSOMS current roster observed May 29, 2026 |
| Last 72-hour intake/release entries | 7 | iSOMS 72-hour page observed May 29, 2026 |
| Last 24-hour intake/release entries | 0 | iSOMS 24-hour page observed May 29, 2026 |
| Rated capacity | 198 | Vera Incarceration Trends, 2018-2021 Q1 series |
| County population estimate | 21,731 | U.S. Census QuickFacts, July 1, 2025 |
Ouachita County Inmate Population Trends
Vera's long-run series shows a jail population that grew from a small 1970 count to much higher figures by the 2010s. The series reported 135 in 2013, 163 in 2014, and 202 in 2019. It also shows a pandemic-era drop to 87 in 2020 Q2 before later quarterly growth. Because the sheriff does not publish an official county dashboard, these historical figures should be read as trend context rather than a substitute for the current roster.
| Year / Date | Figure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 5 | Vera jail population series |
| 2010 | 69 | Vera jail population series |
| 2017 | 189 | Vera series, capacity 199 |
| 2019 | 202 | Vera series, capacity 198 |
| 2021 Q1 | 145 | Vera quarterly series, capacity 198 |
| May 29, 2026 | 176 | Dated public roster observation |
The Arkansas DOC county jail fiscal summary also makes state backup relevant to the local jail count. Ouachita County entries included backup-list invoices and Act 309 jail references in fiscal year 2024-2025. That does not mean every person on the jail roster has a state sentence, but it does explain why ADC commit and 309 inmate labels can appear beside local arrest records.
Ouachita County Inmate Makeup
Roster entries publish individual race and sex codes, custody class labels, intake dates, arresting agencies, charges, and bonds. They do not publish a current aggregate demographic dashboard. Vera's county data gives older summary context: in 2019, the jail population count included 96 White people and 86 Black people, while the female jail population was 24. Census QuickFacts reports Ouachita County's 2025 population estimate at 21,731 and a local resident population that is 55.7 percent White alone and 40.5 percent Black alone.
- Pretrial and sentenced split: Vera reported 98 pretrial and 104 sentenced jail detainees in 2019.
- Current roster classes: observed labels included first appearance hold, pretrial felon, ADC commit, order of arrest, and 309 inmate.
- Arresting agencies: records showed Ouachita County Sheriff's Office, Camden Police Department, Arkansas State Police, and Arkansas DOC entries.
- Demographic limits: the roster shows codes by person, but no live county-level demographic totals.
Ouachita County Jail Capacity
Official sheriff-site capacity was not located. Vera reported rated capacity of 200 for 2013 and 2014, 199 for 2015 through 2017, and 198 from 2018 through 2021 Q1. A non-government architecture source described a 2012 detention complex as a 130-bed design with expansion capacity, but that is construction background rather than an official current capacity statement. The safer local phrasing is that historical Vera capacity sits near 198 to 200 beds, while the sheriff site should be checked for any later official capacity statement.
Capacity context: a live roster can exceed or fall below a historical rated-capacity figure because transfers, state backup, releases, and booking timing change the count.
Laws Governing Ouachita County Jail Records
Arkansas law treats many existing public records as open to inspection and copying, but access still depends on the kind of record. Jail booking data and a jail log are different from a court filing, a sealed case, a juvenile matter, or a state DOC custody record. The sheriff is the starting point for county detention records; Search ARCourts and local clerks handle filed court records.
Key access rules:
Ark. Code ยง 25-19-105 generally opens public records to Arkansas citizens unless a law exempts the record.
Arkansas detention standards require detention facilities to maintain jail logs, intake records, and population records.
Administrative Order 19 guidance explains why some court-case information is not public online.
Arkansas Rule of Criminal Procedure 9.2 controls money bail decisions after a judicial officer considers other release conditions.
Ouachita County and State Custody
Sentenced state prisoners from Ouachita County move into the Arkansas Department of Corrections system after transfer. The county roster may still show ADC commit or Act 309 categories when a person is physically held or processed through the jail, but long-term state custody belongs in the Arkansas DOC inmate population search. The DOC locator supports searches by ADC number, county, name, facility, gender, offense category, age, and race after disclaimer acceptance.
Research found no Arkansas DOC prison physically in Ouachita County. The similarly named Ouachita River Correctional Unit is in Malvern, Hot Spring County, and should not be confused with the Ouachita County Detention Center in Camden. Statewide DOC context still matters because Arkansas reported FY2025 average daily population of 16,663 and county-jail backup pressures can keep state-sentenced people in county facilities while they await transfer.
Search Ouachita County Inmates
The official inmate lookup route starts on the sheriff roster menu, which points to current inmates, 24-hour intake/release, 72-hour intake/release, and Search By Name. The current roster has alphabet filters and pagination. On May 29, 2026, the roster displayed six public pages. The search form accepts first name, last name, and a Released checkbox, which is important when the person is no longer on the current roster.
- Open the sheriff roster menu and choose the time frame that matches the search.
- Use the current roster for someone believed to be in custody now.
- Check the 24-hour or 72-hour intake/release page for recent bookings and releases.
- Use Search By Name when browsing alphabet filters is too broad.
- Call the Detention Center at 870-231-5300 x2 when the online roster does not match what the court or family has been told.
The official iSOMS current roster screenshot shows the county jail roster layout, including alphabet filters, photos, pagination, and public roster fields.
That layout is useful because it makes the Ouachita County inmate population browsable even when only a last-name initial is known.
Ouachita County Roster Fields
The Search By Name page is narrower than the current-roster browse view. It uses first name, last name, and the Released checkbox. The current roster itself is broader because it can be browsed by alphabet filter and page controls. Together, those tools cover current custody and at least some released-person searches.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Name | Text input | Unspecified | Can be used alone or with last name. |
| Last Name | Text input | Unspecified | Best starting point when the full name is known. |
| Released | Checkbox | No | Includes released people in search results when checked. |
| Alphabet filters | Roster browse links | No | Available on current and time-frame roster pages. |
The roster record can show mugshot, name, age, class, race/sex, intake date, city, arresting department, arresting officer, release date, charges, and bond. It did not show booking number, date of birth, height, weight, housing unit, court date, or projected release date in the public snippets reviewed.
Past Ouachita County Inmate Records
Released-person searches should start with the same iSOMS system, not with a commercial people-search site. The 24-hour page can be empty at a given time, while the 72-hour page may show recent intake and release activity. Search By Name also has a Released checkbox. The sheriff site does not publish a fixed retention period for how long released entries or photos remain searchable, so a missing result does not prove no booking happened.
For booking records not visible online, Arkansas FOIA provides the fallback. Call or visit the Ouachita County Sheriff's Department and ask for the custodian or records process for an existing jail booking record. If the request is about a filed charge, disposition, judgment, or hearing, use Search ARCourts or the Ouachita Circuit Clerk instead of treating the jail roster as the final court record.
Ouachita County Jail vs Prison Lookup
Readers often search the wrong system after a court case changes stage. The Ouachita County jail roster covers local custody and recent jail intake or release. Arkansas DOC covers sentenced state custody. BOP and ICE are separate federal channels, and USMS pretrial custody may not appear in BOP's locator until the person is sentenced and designated.
| Custody Type | Where to Look | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Local jail / pretrial | Ouachita iSOMS roster | Current county detainees, recent intakes, local holds, some ADC/309 entries |
| State prison | Arkansas DOC locator | Sentenced state prisoners and state custody records |
| Federal prison | BOP inmate locator | Federal inmates from 1982 to present |
| Immigration detention | ICE detainee locator | ICE civil immigration custody by A-number or biographical search |
Ouachita County Custody Terms
The public class field can be more useful than it first appears. It signals why the person may be held and which agency or court step may be next.
- First appearance hold
- A person is being held for an early court appearance after arrest.
- Pretrial felon
- A felony case is pending before conviction or final disposition.
- ADC commit
- The person has a state-custody connection and may later move to Arkansas DOC.
- Act 309 inmate
- A state inmate assigned through an Arkansas correctional program that can involve local jail placement.
- Detainer
- A hold from another agency or jurisdiction that may prevent release even when local bond is listed.
Ouachita County Detention Facilities
Research found one local detention facility for this county site. Camden, Bearden, Chidester, East Camden, and Stephens appear in court and police contexts, but no separate official municipal jail roster was found for those communities. The sheriff detention page points local custody searches to the county iSOMS roster.
- Ouachita County Detention Center holds current county jail detainees, recent intakes and releases, local arrests, pretrial felons, first appearance holds, ADC commits, and Act 309 inmates when listed on the public roster.
Ouachita County Inmate Population FAQ
How big is the Ouachita County inmate population? The best live public count from the research pass was 176 visible current roster entries on May 29, 2026. Vera's historical trend series reported 202 in 2019 and 145 in 2021 Q1. These are different kinds of measures, so they should not be treated as the same statistic.
Can released people be searched? Yes, the county iSOMS Search By Name page includes a Released checkbox. The sheriff also links recent intake/release pages for the last 24 and 72 hours. No fixed online retention period was published.
Are booking photos part of the roster? Many Ouachita County roster records display an inline mugshot. Booking-photo details are handled more fully on the Ouachita County jail mugshots page.
Where do court charges appear after arrest? Jail charges appear in the roster, but filed charges and dispositions are court records. Search ARCourts and local clerks are the better sources for court records after a jail arrest.