Lorain, Ohio Inmate Search
An inmate search is the process of locating information about individuals currently incarcerated in jails, prisons, or other correctional facilities. In Lorain, persons arrested by the Lorain Police Department and remanded in custody are often transported to the Lorain County Sheriff's Office and Correctional Facility (County Jail).
The Lorain County Sheriff's Office offers an online Inmate Inquiry tool for locating people held in the county jail. Searches on the platform typically yield custody information, including an inmate's demographic information (e.g., name, subject number, date of birth, age, gender, race, height, and weight), booking details, and a description of charges. Inquirers may also obtain bond information, case details, and custody or release status on the search portal.
For information about individuals who have not yet been transferred to the county jail, interested parties may contact the agency at:
Lorain Police Department
100 West Erie Avenue
Lorain, OH 44052
Phone: 440-204-2100
How to Find an Inmate in Lorain Jail
Lorain does not have a city jail or an online roster. Individuals arrested in the city (by the Lorain Police Department) and kept in custody are often transferred to the Lorain County Jail, operated by the County Sheriff's Office.
Requesters may locate someone held in the Lorain County Sheriff's Office and Correctional Facility (Lorain County Jail) by visiting the Sheriff's website to use the Inmate Search tool. Alternatively, they may visit the County Jail to search for someone after a Lorain arrest. To search for an inmate, the requester must provide the person's full name and, where available, a subject number or booking number.
The Lorain County Sheriff's Office and the County Jail are located at the same address:
9896 Murray Ridge Road
Elyria, OH 44035
Main telephone: 440-329-3709
How to Use the Lorain Jail Roster
Since Lorain does not provide an online jail roster for individuals arrested and detained by the Lorain Police Department, requesters are expected to search for city arrests through the County's online roster.
Inquirers may conduct an inmate search via the County's online roster by following the steps below:
- Visit the Lorain County Sheriff's Office, click on the Jail section, and scroll down to "Inmate Search/Bond Information" to open the search page.
- To search by name, enter an inmate's first name and last name in the relevant field and click "Search."
- Click on the relevant record to reveal available booking and custody details. Searches typically return information, such as an inmate's demographic information (e.g., name, subject number, date of birth, age, gender, race, height, and weight), booking details, and a description of charges. Other details include bond information, case information, and custody or release status.
What Information is Included in the Lorain Inmate Roster
The Lorain County inmate roster usually offers inmate information, such as:
- Full name: The inmate's official name registered during the booking process.
- Subject number: A unique number used by the county to identify the individual.
- Booking number: A tracking number assigned to an arrestee for a specific jail booking.
- Physical description: Personal identifying traits, such as gender, race, height, and weight.
- Booking photograph: A photographic image (also known as a mugshot) of the inmate taken during the booking process for identification.
- Age and date of birth: Inmate's age as at the time of the arrest and full birth date.
- Booking date: The date and time the person was admitted to the jail. This may differ from the arrest date.
- Release information: Inmate's actual or scheduled release date, when available.
- Booking origin: This refers to the police department, sheriff’s office, or other agency responsible for a specific booking.
- Housing facility: The facility where the person is held.
- Charge description: A brief description of an alleged offense someone was arrested for, including the count, offense date, offense classification, and docket number.
- Bond or bail information: Information on the bond type, bond amount, and whether a bond has been posted.
Note: The Ohio Public Records Act (Ohio Revised Code § 149.43) restricts public access to juvenile records, mental or medical health records, ongoing investigations, sensitive court-sealed or expunged records, or information that may endanger an inmate, victim, witness, or officer.
Contact Details for Lorain County Jail or Sheriff’s Office
Individuals seeking official information about someone held in custody after being arrested in Lorain should contact the Lorain County Sheriff's Office and Correctional Facility. The Sheriff’s Office and county jail operate from the same address in Elyria.
Since the Sheriff's Office does not publish a separate booking or visitation phone number, callers may call 440-329-3709 (main telephone number) and ask to be connected to the jail division. When calling, information seekers are often expected to provide the inmate’s full name, date of birth, booking number, or subject number to help expedite the record search.
If an individual arrested in Lorain does not appear in the county roster, call the Lorain Police Department to confirm whether the person has been transferred to the county jail.
| Agency or service | Address | Telephone or access information |
|---|---|---|
| Lorain County Jail | 9896 Murray Ridge Road, Elyria, OH 44035 | 440-329-3709 |
| Lorain County Sheriff’s Office | 9896 Murray Ridge Road, Elyria, OH 44035 | 440-329-3709 |
| Booking and visitation enquiries | Same county facility | No separate public line listed. Call 440-329-3709 |
| Online inmate directory | Sheriff’s Office website | Select Inmate Search/Bond Information |
| Lorain Police Department | 100 W. Erie Avenue, Lorain, OH 44052 | 440-204-2100 |
| Emergency assistance | — | 911 |
How to Send Money to an Inmate in Lorain County Jail?
As of September 2026, the Lorain County Sheriff's Office offers friends and families the following options for sending money to inmates in the Lorain County Jail:
Jail Kiosk
Friends and families may fund inmates' accounts through the Access Corrections payment kiosk in the lobby of the Lorain County Sheriff's Office (jail lobby) at 9896 Murray Ridge Road in Elyria. The kiosk is available during lobby hours (typically 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily), and depositors may pay using cash, debit, or credit cards.
Interested parties may carry out a deposit after locating the inmate using a name or identification number, confirming the right person, and following the payment instructions. Card and kiosk transactions may carry a service fee.
Online Deposits
The Lorain County Sheriff's Office has suspended the Access Corrections account deposit system since July 2026 after an investigation into illegal credit card transactions. Given that the status of the service may change, depositors are advised to check the Sheriff’s Deposit Money page or call 440-329-3709 before attempting an online payment. Please note that Access Securepak, which also appears on the Sheriff’s website, is mainly used to order approved commissary packages, not an inmate cash-deposit portal.
Phone Deposits
Depositors may call the authorized third-party service provider at (638) 888-7004 to fund an inmate's trust account. To carry out the transaction, they will be expected to provide an inmate's information (name or booking number) and a debit/credit card.
General Limits and Restrictions
- Transaction fees may apply.
- Deposits may take time to appear in the account.
- Commissary purchases are limited to items approved by the jail.
- An inmate’s spending privileges may be restricted for security or disciplinary reasons.
- Depositors should confirm custody status of inmates before sending money.
Inmate Search by Jail Facility
The Lorain County Sheriff’s Office, through its Corrections/Civil/Court Division, operates the Lorain County Jail, the county’s only adult jail facility. This facility is searchable under a single online Inmate Search tool. Therefore, inmates' information for individuals arrested in Lorain and other municipalities in the county is stored in the same database (Lorain County Sheriff’s Inmate Inquiry). The Lorain County Sheriff's Inmate Search tool does not cover juveniles, residents of the Lorain/Medina Community Based Correctional Facility, or people held in Ohio state prisons.
For juveniles, the Lorain County Juvenile Detention Home houses minors under the county juvenile court's authority. Because juvenile records are typically protected, no official public “jail roster” style search page is listed for finding youths in the county’s Juvenile Detention Facility. A parent, legal guardian, attorney, or other authorized person seeking information is expected to contact the detention home or Lorain County Domestic Relations and Juvenile Court. Staff may require proof of identity and the caller’s relationship to the child.
The state prisons situated in Lorain County operate separately from the County Sheriff's Office. Therefore, requesters may locate individuals held at the Lorain Correctional Institution or Grafton Correctional Institution through the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction’s Offender Search, not the Lorain County Jail roster.
| Facility | Separate search option? | Where to find or request information |
|---|---|---|
| Lorain County Jail | Yes | Use the Lorain County Sheriff’s Inmate Inquiry. Search using a name, subject number, booking number, custody status, or booking dates. |
| Lorain County Juvenile Detention Home | No public roster | Contact the detention home or Lorain County Domestic Relations and Juvenile Court. Access may be limited to authorised persons. |
| Lorain/Medina Community Based Correctional Facility | No public resident roster located | Contact the facility directly through its official website or main office. |
| Lorain Correctional Institution | Yes, through the state | Use the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction Offender Search. |
| Grafton Correctional Institution | Yes, through the state | Use the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction Offender Search. |
| County work-release placement | No separate roster identified | Contact the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office. |
Lorain Visitation Rules and Schedules
As of September 2026, the Sheriff’s public visitation page does not publish fixed days, hours, or session lengths. Visitors may view these details through the ICSolutions scheduling system after selecting the Lorain County Jail and the inmate.
Mailing and Commissary Information | Lorain Jail
Sending Mail to an Inmate
As of September 2026, the Lorain County Jail uses a third-party service provider (TextBehind) to scan and upload personal mail to inmates through a tablet or housing-area kiosk. Therefore, friends and families must send personal correspondence to the jail's mail-processing address, not directly to the jail facility. They are expected to adopt the following address format for personal mail:
Lorain County Sheriff’s Office
Inmate’s Full Name
Inmate Number
P.O. Box 247
Phoenix, MD 21131
Acceptable Mail
Items the Lorain County Sheriff's Office and Correctional Facility may generally accept for scanning include:
- Normal personal letters
- Greeting cards without electronic or decorative attachments
- Common family pictures that contain no prohibited content
- Printed documents that comply with jail rules
Items Not Allowed
- Cash
- Checks
- Cashier’s checks or money orders
- Packages without prior written approval
- Magazines, newspapers and other periodicals
- Pornographic or sexually explicit material
- Content promoting criminal activity, violence, or racial unrest
- Information on how to make or use weapons, explosives, or illegal drugs
- Unlawful gambling or lottery material
- Items that could threaten security or create a hostile environment
- Contraband or any material prohibited by law
Depositing Money for Commissary Use
The available methods for sending money to an inmate's account are as follows:
- Lobby kiosk: Depositors may use the jail lobby kiosk at 9896 Murray Ridge Road, Elyria, to fund an inmate's account. The kiosk accepts cash, debit cards, and credit cards and is usually available daily during lobby hours from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- Online deposit: Depositors must use the Lorain County Sheriff's approved online payment service to send money online. They must provide the inmate's name and identification number to complete a transaction.
- Telephone deposit: Friends and family may call the designated line (866-345-1844) to make a deposit.
Please note that the Lorain County Sheriff's Office and Correctional Facility does not accept any funds by mail. Personal mail and commissary funds follow separate procedures.
Transaction charges and deposit limits may apply. Depositors should verify the inmate’s identity, review the amount carefully, and retain the receipt.