Search Central Regional Jail Inmates

Central Regional Jail Custody

Central Regional Jail and Correctional Facility is operated by the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation, often shortened to WV DCR. It is a regional jail and correctional facility in the Sutton and Flatwoods area of Braxton County, not a Webster County courthouse jail. DCR lists it as serving Braxton, Calhoun, Clay, Gilmer, Lewis, Nicholas, Roane, and Webster Counties. That regional setup matters. A Webster County arrest that leads to jail custody is generally routed to the state regional jail system, while the Webster County Sheriff's Department remains the local law-enforcement office for sheriff reports, process, transport duties, and other county matters.

The Central Regional Jail inmate population includes pretrial felons, pretrial misdemeanants, sentenced felons, sentenced misdemeanants, and other jail custody handled through WV DCR for the eight-county service area. A pretrial detainee is a person held before the case is resolved. A sentenced inmate is serving a court-ordered jail sentence or awaiting later placement. DCR does not publish a public housing-unit list, pod count, medical-unit description, or separate security-level detail on the facility page. Public lookup work should start with the regional jail search and then move to court records or WV DCR prison search when the person's legal status changes.

The DCR facility page says Central Regional Jail formally opened on February 22, 1993. It also describes Central as the prototype for the podular regional jail design used across West Virginia. The superintendent listed for the facility is Harvey Hawkins.

Central Regional Jail Population

The WV DCR FY2025 Annual Report lists Central Regional Jail with a rated population of 312. That figure is the current rated-population number identified in the research file. Older Regional Jail Authority reporting listed 345 total beds for Central Regional Jail, so the 345 figure belongs in historical capacity context, not as the current rated figure. Prior DCR annual reports also reported Central Regional Jail population figures above 312, with 447 in FY2021, 401 in FY2022, and 362 in FY2023. Those older numbers show recent pressure on the Webster County serving jail, but they do not prove a current 2026 headcount.

Admissions and releases also give a useful picture because Central Regional Jail serves Webster County and seven other counties. DCR's FY2025 report lists 2,214 admissions and 2,018 releases for FY2022, 2,290 admissions and 2,089 releases for FY2023, 2,163 admissions and 1,994 releases for FY2024, and 2,189 admissions and 2,121 releases for FY2025. Those are facility-level counts, not Webster-only booking totals. A Webster County inmate population search should not treat those figures as the number of Webster County residents held in jail. They describe the shared regional jail through which Webster County detainees pass.

Central Regional Jail Lookup

Current jail custody for Webster County is searched through the WV Regional Jail Offender Search. The search accepts at least the first three letters of the last name and can be narrowed with a first name. It uses a captcha, so a search may require a live browser check before results appear. The related WV Daily Incarcerations page is useful when the exact spelling is uncertain or when a reader wants a county or institution view of new daily custody entries.

1. Open the WV Regional Jail Offender Search for a name search, or open Daily Incarcerations for a county or facility search.
2. Enter at least three letters of the last name. Add the first name if the result list is too broad.
3. Complete the captcha and review whether the institution is Central Regional Jail or another WV DCR facility.
4. Use the custody result for jail status, then verify formal charges and case outcomes with the court record.

State prison cases are different. Once a Webster County defendant is sentenced and transferred from jail custody into prison or supervision status, use the WV DCR prison and supervision offender search. That locator searches by Offender ID number or by first and last name, and it covers active prison, parole, or supervision cases. It is not the same as the regional jail search. For release notifications and custody-status alerts, West Virginia also supports VINELink.

The broader Webster County jail records workflow is covered on the Webster County jail inmate records page when a search result needs to be checked against records requests, court files, or non-jail custody systems.

Central Regional Jail Contact

Call Central Regional Jail for facility custody, visitation, and inmate-service questions tied to a person housed there. The Webster County Sheriff's Department may be the better starting point for sheriff-created arrest reports or local law-enforcement questions, but the custody facility for Webster County regional jail inmates is Central Regional Jail in Sutton. WV DCR central office can also route broader state corrections questions.

Central Regional Jail Visits

Central Regional Jail visitation is non-contact and inmate-scheduled. The official DCR facility page states that all visits will be scheduled by the inmates. That means a visitor from Webster County should not assume that an open time on the public table is enough by itself. Confirm the scheduled slot, identification rules, visitor approval, item limits, and current facility status before driving to Sutton or Flatwoods. The official page did not publish a dress code, locker policy, child-visitor rule, holiday rule, or public lobby hours in the research reviewed.

Note: Call 304-765-7904 before travel because lockdowns, staffing, weather, or facility needs can change a scheduled visit.

Central Regional Jail Mail

WV DCR uses a central scanning process for letter mail. The WV DCR offender mail page says letters must be sent to the inmate's first and last name and OID number, the full facility name with no abbreviation, PO Box 336, Phoenix, MD 21131. The sender must list a full return address with complete first and last name, not initials. Photos are not allowed, letters to multiple offenders are returned, and attachments or enclosures are not allowed. Handwritten or typed letters are scanned for the offender when they comply with DCR rules.

No Central Regional Jail-specific commissary order schedule, spending cap, or deposit fee table was found in the official DCR text reviewed. Use the WV DCR banking page and ConnectNetwork channels for current trust-fund deposit instructions rather than assuming a local jail kiosk or Webster County payment desk exists.

Central Regional Jail Intake

Webster County booking should be understood as a two-part path. Local law enforcement may make the arrest, serve a warrant, or transport a person, but Central Regional Jail handles jail custody when the person is lodged in the regional system. Intake can include identity checks, property handling, search, booking documentation, health screening, and classification. Classification means the facility's process for assigning custody level and housing based on safety, medical, security, and operational factors.

WV DCR warns that regional jail information is public but can change quickly, and that location, release date, status, and other details may not always reflect the latest custody fact. The same warning matters for charges. Jail search results may show arrest or custody information, but formal criminal case details belong to the court of jurisdiction. A Webster County first appearance, bond decision, dismissal, indictment, plea, or sentence may appear in magistrate or circuit records rather than in a jail profile.

Central Regional Jail Source

The screenshot below comes from the official WV DCR Central Regional Jail facility page, which is the source for the facility address, phone and fax numbers, superintendent, counties served, directions, opening history, and visitation schedule.

The DCR page is the strongest public source for facility facts, while the WV Regional Jail Offender Search and Daily Incarcerations pages remain the active lookup channels for Webster County jail custody.

About Central Regional Jail

Central Regional Jail is important for Webster County because there is no separate county jail roster on the official Webster County sources reviewed. The state regional jail system is the public custody channel. The facility sits outside Webster County, so visitors should plan for travel to the Sutton and Flatwoods area and verify entry rules before leaving. DCR directions route visitors through I-79 Exit 67 and the local Dyer Hill Road approach. The official research did not locate a public transit route, visitor parking policy, ADA entrance procedure, or overflow parking rule for Central Regional Jail.

For records access beyond the online roster, the right custodian depends on the record. WV DCR or Central Regional Jail is the logical custodian for facility custody records. Webster County Sheriff's Department is the local source for sheriff-created reports. Court clerks handle formal court filings. West Virginia FOIA gives a route for reasonably specific public-records requests, but security, privacy, juvenile, investigation, and DCR facility-record exemptions may limit release.