Access Jonesboro Criminal Records

Criminal records in Jonesboro are held by Craighead County agencies, including the sheriff's office, the Circuit Clerk, and the Craighead County Detention Center. As the fifth-largest city in Arkansas and the county seat of Craighead County, Jonesboro is where the county's main courthouse and detention facility are located. Whether you need booking records from a recent arrest, felony case files, warrant information, or a formal background check, this page covers where to go and what to expect in Jonesboro.

Craighead County Sheriff and Jonesboro Inmate Roster

The Craighead County Sheriff's Office operates two district offices. The Western District, which covers Jonesboro, is at 901 Willett Road, Jonesboro, AR 72401, phone (870) 933-4551. The Eastern District is at 107 Cobean Blvd., Lake City, AR 72437, phone (870) 237-4511. The sheriff's official site at craigheadso.org has department contact information and an online inmate roster for current detainees held at the Craighead County Detention Center.

The Craighead County Detention Center is at 901 Willett Road, Jonesboro, AR, phone (870) 933-4556. The facility has a maximum capacity of 62 beds: 32 male, 28 female, and 2 isolation. The average stay is 45 days for pre-trial detainees and 90 to 180 days for sentenced misdemeanants. The Jonesboro Public School system supervises educational programs for longer-term detainees at the facility. Medical and programming services are provided on-site.

Booking records at the Craighead County Detention Center include the arrested person's full name, booking photo, age and demographics, city of residence, booking date and time, specific charges with Arkansas statute numbers, bond amount and bond type, and case numbers. The arresting agency is also listed. Common charges referenced in Jonesboro-area booking records include drug offenses under A.C.A. § 5-64-419, obstructing governmental operations under A.C.A. § 5-54-102, fleeing under A.C.A. § 5-54-125, possession of firearms by certain persons under A.C.A. § 5-74-124, and similar charges. The online inmate roster at craigheadso.org shows current detainees and basic custody data.

For inmate mail to the Craighead County Detention Center, use Smart Communications and include the person's full name and ID number. Contact the detention center at (870) 933-4556 for mail address details. For statewide searches covering people in Arkansas Department of Corrections custody, use the free ADC Inmate Search, which is separate from county-level booking records.

The City of Jonesboro's official site at jonesboro.org provides police department contact information and city resources for Jonesboro criminal record requests and police report access.

Craighead County Circuit Clerk and Court Records

The Craighead County Circuit Clerk is at 511 Union Street, Suite 107, Jonesboro, AR 72401, phone (870) 933-4520. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4:30 PM. The clerk's office holds all court records for cases filed in Craighead County Circuit Court, including felony criminal cases, civil matters, divorce and custody cases, probate records, and juvenile case files. Criminal cases from both Jonesboro Police Department arrests and Craighead County Sheriff arrests are filed here.

Plain copies of court documents cost $0.25 per page. Certified copies are $5 per document. To request records in person, visit the clerk's office during business hours. Mail requests should include payment and a clear description of the case or person you're looking for. If you have the case number, include it to help staff locate the file faster. If you don't have the case number, use the free CourtConnect system to search by name before going to the clerk's office.

CourtConnect is the Arkansas Judiciary's statewide case search tool. It's free and shows party names, case status, docket entries, hearing dates, and attorney information for all participating Arkansas courts, including Craighead County. For CourtConnect technical support, call the Administrative Office of the Courts at 501-410-1900 or 866-823-5778.

Craighead County Circuit Court records are also accessible via the county-level resources described on the Craighead County criminal records page, which covers all county agencies and access procedures in detail.

Jonesboro Police Department Records

The Jonesboro Police Department handles all municipal law enforcement within Jonesboro city limits. The city's official portal at jonesboro.org has the police department directory and contact details for records requests. When Jonesboro Police officers make an arrest, subjects are booked at the Craighead County Detention Center. That booking record then appears in the county's inmate data. Police report requests and FOIA submissions go directly to the Jonesboro Police Department for incidents where city officers were the responding agency.

For incidents that cross jurisdictions or involve both city and county officers, the key distinction is which agency made the arrest. The agency that made the arrest will hold the initial police report. The Craighead County Circuit Clerk holds the court case file once charges are filed. The two records are separate: the police report is an investigative document held by the law enforcement agency, and the court file is the official legal record held by the clerk.

The VINE victim notification service at 1-800-510-0415 lets crime victims register for automatic alerts when a specific person's custody status changes at the Craighead County Detention Center or elsewhere in Arkansas. Registration is free and available 24 hours a day.

FOIA and Public Record Access in Jonesboro

Arkansas FOIA at Ark. Code Ann. § 25-19-101 et seq. governs access to criminal records in Jonesboro. Written requests can go to the Jonesboro Police Department, the Craighead County Sheriff's Office, or the Circuit Clerk's office. The agency has 24 hours to decide whether records can be released, then three more days to produce them. Fees are limited to copying costs: $0.25 per page for plain copies, $5 for certified copies.

Records that are public under A.C.A. § 12-12-1506(d) include felony conviction records, misdemeanor conviction records, and felony arrest records. Pending felony arrests from the last five years are accessible without the subject's consent. Records not available to the public include dismissed charges that didn't result in a conviction, records expunged under A.C.A. § 16-90-901, juvenile records protected by A.C.A. § 9-27-309, and files tied to active investigations. If a Jonesboro or Craighead County agency denies your FOIA request, the Arkansas Attorney General's Office at 800-482-8982 handles disputes and enforcement.

Requests can be submitted in person at the relevant agency, by mail, or by email when the agency accepts that method. For requests that are time-sensitive, calling ahead to confirm the agency's preferred submission format can save time.

What Jonesboro Criminal Records Contain

Booking records from the Craighead County Detention Center contain the arrested person's full legal name, booking photo, date of birth, physical description, city of residence, booking date and time, arresting agency name, all charges with specific Arkansas statute citations, bond amount, bond type, case number, and any warrant reference if the arrest was warrant-based. For Jonesboro Police arrests, the arresting agency listed will be the Jonesboro Police Department. For sheriff arrests, the Craighead County Sheriff's Office will be listed. Both types show up in the same detention center booking data.

Court records from the Craighead County Circuit Clerk contain the complete case file. That means the charging document, arraignment record, plea agreement or trial documents, verdict, and sentencing order. Post-conviction filings are also part of the case file. If the case resulted in an expungement under A.C.A. § 16-90-901, the clerk's staff can tell you what parts of the sealed file remain public. Certified copies of sentencing orders and conviction records are used in other legal proceedings and can be obtained for $5 per document.

A state background check from the Arkansas State Police pulls from ACIC's centralized database, which aggregates records from all Arkansas counties including Craighead. This type of check shows a broader picture than a single county search, particularly for people who have cases in more than one county. The state check also confirms sex offender registration status, which is a separate registry maintained by ACIC.

Background Checks and Legal Resources in Jonesboro

The Arkansas State Police Online Criminal Background Check System is the official source for formal background checks. Online checks cost $22. Mail-in requests using form ASP-122 cost $25. Volunteer organizations pay $11. Results can include conviction records for felonies and misdemeanors statewide, felony arrest records, pending felony charges from the last five years, and sex offender registration status. Records sealed under state law won't appear. Mail requests go to the Identification Bureau at One State Police Plaza Drive, Little Rock, AR 72209, phone 501-618-8500.

The sex offender registry at acic.arkansas.gov can be searched by name or location. Searching Jonesboro will show registered offenders with current Jonesboro addresses, including their photo, conviction offense, and registration tier. ACIC's phone number is 501-682-2222.

Legal Aid of Arkansas serves low-income residents statewide at 1-800-952-9243 and can help with expungement petitions under A.C.A. § 16-90-901 and challenges to inaccurate criminal history reports. If your criminal history record has errors, you can request a review from ACIC under A.C.A. § 12-12-1013. ACIC must respond within 30 days. The State Bar of Arkansas runs a lawyer referral service at 501-375-4606 for people who need private legal counsel for Jonesboro criminal record matters.

The CourtConnect system provides free public access to Craighead County criminal case dockets, including Jonesboro cases, showing case status, docket entries, and hearing dates for circuit and district court matters.

Nearby Cities

Cities near Jonesboro in surrounding counties use their own county agencies for criminal records. Paragould is in Greene County to the north. Searcy and Cabot are south of Jonesboro in White County and Lonoke County respectively.