Search the Clark County Jail Roster

Clark County Jail Roster Overview

The Clark County Jail Roster is a public table on the county's official website at clark.wa.gov/jail-services/jail-roster. Jail Services runs it and updates it as inmates are booked and released. The table has six columns: CFN, Name, Book Date, Location, Release Date, and Charges. A filter at the top lets visitors narrow results by booking date. There is no name-search box. You scroll or filter by date to find an entry. The roster is free to use. No account is needed.

CFN stands for Control File Number. That is the unique jail ID assigned when a person is booked. It appears in the roster and also on mail rules, money deposit systems, and visiting records. Keep the CFN handy if you plan to send mail or visit, because several jail services ask for it.

The roster shows only people held at the Clark County Main Jail. If someone was transferred to state prison, released to a federal hold, or moved to another jurisdiction, their entry may disappear from the roster or show a release date. People serving Washington state sentences are tracked separately through the Washington DOC. Federal inmates after transfer appear in the Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

The screenshot below was taken from the official Clark County Jail Roster page on the county website.

The table view confirms the public columns available on the Clark County inmate roster: CFN, Name, Book Date, Location, Release Date, and Charges.

How to Use the Clark County Jail Roster

The roster is a filtered table, not a search form with name fields. To find an inmate, you use the date filter or scroll through the list. The steps below walk through the process from start to finish.

1. Open a browser and go to clark.wa.gov/jail-services/jail-roster.
2. Look for the "Filter records by Book Date" control at the top of the table. Enter a booking date or date range if you know when the person was booked.
3. Scan the Name column. Names appear in Last, First, Middle format. If you are unsure of the exact spelling, browse through nearby entries.
4. Locate the CFN in the first column next to the name you found. Write it down. You will need it for mail, visits, and money deposits.
5. Read across the row to check Book Date, Location code, Release Date, and Charges for that person.
6. If no entry appears for the name you expect, call Jail Records at 564-397-4996. That line runs 24 hours a day and can confirm custody status.

The roster updates as staff process bookings and releases, but there can be a short lag. A person may have been booked within the last few hours and not yet appear. Calling the 24-hour line is the fastest way to verify recent bookings.

Jail Roster Search Fields

The Clark County Jail Roster works differently from many county jail portals. Most jail search tools have a name-entry box. This roster is a public table with a date filter and result columns. The table below shows every column and filter on the roster page, along with notes on how each one works.

Location letter codes cover the different housing areas in the Main Jail. The letters correspond to internal jail sections, but the roster does not publish a public key. If knowing the exact housing area matters for a visit, confirm it through Jail Records by phone.

The screenshot below shows the Jail Services overview page at clark.wa.gov/jail-services, where links to the roster and other inmate services are grouped.

The Jail Services page collects links to visiting, mail, money, and release information in one place for Clark County inmates and their families.

What an Inmate Profile Shows

The Clark County Jail Roster is a flat table, not a clickable profile system. Each row is the full record for one inmate. There are no pop-up profiles or detail pages behind each name. The table below maps each roster column to what it actually shows, and notes the fields that are absent from the roster entirely.

The design is intentional. Washington state law limits what the jail may publish about a person in custody. RCW 70.48.100 makes all jail records other than the roster itself confidential. The lean roster protects privacy while still letting the public confirm who is in custody.

What the Roster Does Not Show

Knowing the gaps in the roster saves time when families and attorneys are looking for specific details. The public table was built to confirm custody, not to replace an attorney's intake report or a court case file.

The roster does not show mugshots. No booking photos are published. It does not show date of birth, age, height, weight, race, or sex. It does not list the arresting agency or the officer who made the arrest. Charge statutes and class levels are absent, so you see "Theft-3" but not whether that is a gross misdemeanor or felony. Bond amounts and court dates are not listed. Warrant numbers are not shown either.

For court case details and charges with statute citations, search the Washington Courts Odyssey Portal or contact the Clark County Clerk for Superior Court files. For active warrants, the Clark County warrant records page has more. For underlying criminal case history, see the Clark County arrest records page.

The screenshot below shows the official Jail Records page at clark.wa.gov/jail-services/jail-records, which explains the confidentiality rules and the public records request process.

The Jail Records page explains that only the roster is public and that all other jail records about a confined person are confidential under state law.

Jail Records Confidentiality

Washington law draws a firm line around jail records. The Clark County Jail Records page states plainly that aside from the public Jail Roster, all records of a person confined in jail are confidential under RCW 70.48.100. That statute covers booking details, medical and mental health records, classification notes, housing assignments, and internal case management documents. None of those are available to the public by simple request.

If you need records beyond the roster, you must go through the formal Public Records Request Portal. Requests are handled by the Jail Records unit, which has two supervisors and fourteen staff covering Jail Records, Reception, Public Disclosure, Identification, and Finance. Response timelines follow the Washington Public Records Act. Some records may still be withheld even after a formal request if they fall under specific exemptions in the Act or under RCW 70.48.100.

Attorneys and parties to a case have different access rules. Defense attorneys and prosecutors can obtain records relevant to an open case through the court process and discovery rules. Those channels are separate from the public records process.

Note: The confidentiality rule applies to all county jail records beyond the roster. Court case records, which are separate from jail records, are governed by GR 31 and are managed by the County Clerk.

The Clark County Jail Facility and Staff

Clark County currently has one inmate housing facility. The Main Jail sits inside the Clark County Law Enforcement Center in downtown Vancouver, directly next to the Clark County Courthouse and across the street from the Public Service Center building. This campus location means attorneys, family members at the courthouse, and jail staff are all within a short walk of each other.

Jail Services is staffed by a Jail Services Director, a Deputy Director of Jail Administration, a Deputy Director of Jail Operations, and five Commanders assigned to different units. The operational staff includes 129 Corrections Officers and 18 Sergeants. Support staff of two supervisors and fourteen employees covers Jail Records, Reception, Public Disclosure, Identification, and Finance. Jail Industries has one manager, two supervisors, and fifteen staff running Food Services, Laundry Services, Day Maintenance, Logistics, and Property.

The email address correctionsecc@clark.wa.gov handles communication and disability concerns, but it is not monitored around the clock. For urgent matters or after-hours custody questions, use the 24-hour phone lines above.

Booking, Bail, and Release Timing

When someone is arrested in Clark County, the arresting agency brings them to the Main Jail for booking. Jail Records staff process the intake, assign a CFN, and enter the booking into the system. The person's name, booking date, location code, and charges then appear on the public roster. Booking time on the roster is not shown, but the date posts once intake is complete.

Release depends on the charges and how bail is handled. Inmates with bail amounts may be released once full bail for all charges is paid. Bail can be paid at the Clark County Courthouse during normal business hours. After hours, bail is paid at Clark County Jail Records. Inmates facing no-bail charges stay in custody until a judge orders release or the sentence is complete. Sentenced inmates release when their sentence requirements are met. Good time credit, inmate worker credit, and court-imposed fines reduced by jail housing rate can all shift the release date.

Release timing has general guidelines. When bail or fines are paid, release usually happens within two to four hours. Court-released inmates processed between 8:00 a.m. and noon may be released in the late afternoon. Those processed between noon and 5:00 p.m. may release in the early evening. Inmates whose day sentence is complete often release between 7:00 and 8:00 a.m. People serving fewer than four days may release at the same time they were booked. Releases are processed in order received within each housing unit. After-hours releases follow the same sequence.

For people recently released from the Clark County Jail, the county also keeps a separate recent releases table. That page and the steps for verifying a release by phone are covered on the Clark County released inmates page.

Visiting an Inmate in Clark County

Clark County Jail treats visiting as a privilege, not a right. An inmate must be in custody for at least 72 hours before any type of visiting is permitted. That processing window lets Jail Services complete intake, assign housing, and establish an inmate's custody profile before visitors are scheduled.

All personal visiting is conducted online only. One person may use a lobby kiosk inside the Main Jail during Jail Lobby hours. At-home video visits are available through GettingOut, which is operated by GTL. You can set up an at-home video visit at www.gettingout.com or by calling 866-516-0115. Each video visit must be prearranged. A fee may apply. Visits can happen from any home computer or device with an internet connection, or from the lobby kiosks at the jail.

Inmate phones are located in housing-unit dayrooms. Phones are available for outgoing calls only. Inmates cannot receive incoming calls. For all Main Jail pods, phones are available daily from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. TTY services are available on request. A three-minute voicemail can be left for a specific inmate for a fee through GettingOut. The inmate receives the message the next time they use the phone system.

The screenshot below shows the visiting rules page at clark.wa.gov/jail-services/personal-visitors.

The visiting page covers the 72-hour eligibility rule, lobby kiosk use, and at-home video visit setup through GettingOut.

Note: Visiting rules depend on the inmate's housing unit and current facility order. Jail Services may restrict visits for inmates with disciplinary or security holds.

Inmate Mail

Incoming personal mail, including letters, pictures, and drawings, is not delivered directly to the Main Jail. Clark County Jail uses a digital scanning vendor. Mail sent to the jail's physical address is returned to the sender. To reach an inmate, send all mail to the scanning vendor's address using this format:

Example format: Clark County Jail, WA, John Smith, #111111, PO Box 247, Phoenix, MD 21131. The CFN is the inmate's Control File Number, which is listed on the public jail roster. The sender's full name and return address must appear on the envelope. Mail missing a return address may be rejected.

Once received at the vendor, mail is digitally scanned and delivered to the inmate through kiosks or tablets inside the jail. There is no volume limit on outgoing mail. Outgoing mail must follow USPS rules and Clark County Jail mail rules. Length, language, and content face no blanket restrictions, but mail may be limited if there is reasonable suspicion it poses a risk to safety, facility order, or security. Paper and envelopes are available to inmates through commissary. A limited quantity can be provided to inmates without funds.

Mail is inspected. Controlled substances, weapons, and criminal activity information may be seized as evidence. Introducing contraband into a correctional facility is a felony under Washington law.

The screenshot below shows the mail rules page at clark.wa.gov/jail-services/mail.

The mail page confirms the Phoenix, MD scanning address and the rules that apply to incoming personal mail for Clark County inmates.

Commissary and Money

Inmates may purchase commissary items once per week. Available items include candy, snacks, hygiene products, clothing, mailing and writing supplies, and other miscellaneous items. Medical, mental health, or disciplinary restrictions may limit commissary access for some inmates.

Money deposited when someone is booked goes directly into their commissary account. Friends and family can add money through four channels. The Main Jail lobby kiosk accepts cash deposits and is available during Jail Lobby hours. Online deposits, phone deposits, and app deposits go through Access Corrections at accesscorrections.com, or by calling 636-888-7004. The lobby kiosk is cash only. Online, phone, and app methods accept other payment types. Service fees apply.

When an inmate is released, remaining funds in the commissary account are returned via a debit card attached to the release paperwork and property. Inmates do not receive cash at release.

For broader data on the Clark County Jail, including staffing levels and population statistics, see the Clark County inmate population page. For recently released individuals, see the released inmates page. For active warrants, visit the Clark County warrant records page. Underlying criminal court cases are searchable through the Clark County arrest records page.