The Webster County Inmate Population
Webster County's jail custody count is tied to Central Regional Jail and Correctional Facility, a state-operated regional jail in Sutton and Flatwoods that serves Webster County along with Braxton, Calhoun, Clay, Gilmer, Lewis, Nicholas, and Roane Counties. The facility is operated by the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation, so the Webster County inmate population is not counted on a Webster sheriff-run roster. The county sheriff may make arrests, serve court process, and transport prisoners, but public jail custody is searched through WV DCR's regional jail tools.
The count can change for several reasons. A person may be booked after a Webster County arrest, released on bond, moved because of a hold, sentenced to state prison, or transferred within the WV DCR system. Jail data answers the custody question first: whether a person is in regional jail custody and where. Court records answer the charge and case-status question. That split matters in Webster County because Central Regional Jail is outside the county, while local court and sheriff offices remain clustered around Webster Springs.
Webster County Inmate Population Statistics
Official DCR material gives the best current population context for the Webster County inmate population because Central Regional Jail is a WV DCR facility. The FY2025 WV DCR Annual Report lists Central Regional Jail with a rated population of 312. Older Regional Jail Authority reporting listed 345 total beds, but that older figure should be read as historical capacity context. DCR annual reports also provide facility population trends and admissions/release totals that show how busy the Webster-serving jail has been over time.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Webster-serving jail facility | Central Regional Jail and Correctional Facility | WV DCR facility page, inspected July 2026 |
| Current rated population | 312 | WV DCR FY2025 Annual Report |
| Historical total bed capacity | 345 | RJA FY2018 annual report |
| Webster County prison offenders | 56 | WV DCR FY2025 Annual Report, around June 30, 2025 |
| Statewide adult prison/jail demographic table total | 5,966 | WV DCR FY2025 Annual Report |
Webster County Inmate Population Trends
Central Regional Jail's recent DCR population figures show a decline from FY2021 through FY2023, while the FY2025 annual report gives a rated-population figure rather than the same type of headcount. The careful reading is that reported Central Regional Jail population figures in FY2021, FY2022, and FY2023 were above the FY2025 rated population of 312, but the captured sources do not establish a current 2026 headcount. The WV Daily Incarcerations tool can show daily admissions by county or institution, but it is not a full current population census in the captured text.
| Year / Report | Population or Rated Figure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| FY2021 | 447 | DCR annual report figure for Central Regional Jail |
| FY2022 | 401 | DCR annual report figure for Central Regional Jail |
| FY2023 | 362 | DCR annual report figure for Central Regional Jail |
| FY2025 | 312 | Rated population, not a current daily headcount |
The same FY2025 report gives admissions and releases for Central Regional Jail. These totals are facility-wide, not Webster-only counts, because Central serves eight counties. They still help explain the pace behind the Webster County inmate population: the jail processes thousands of admissions and releases each fiscal year, so a name that appears in custody one day may be released, transferred, or reclassified soon after.
| Fiscal Year | Admissions | Releases | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2022 | 2,214 | 2,018 | WV DCR FY2025 Annual Report |
| FY2023 | 2,290 | 2,089 | WV DCR FY2025 Annual Report |
| FY2024 | 2,163 | 1,994 | WV DCR FY2025 Annual Report |
| FY2025 | 2,189 | 2,121 | WV DCR FY2025 Annual Report |
Who Is Counted
The Webster County inmate population includes people at different points in the criminal process. Some are pretrial detainees, which means they have not been convicted in the pending case and are held while court proceedings continue. Others may be serving short jail sentences, held on warrants, detained because of a capias, or waiting on transfer after sentencing. DCR statewide admissions data includes convicted felons and misdemeanants, DCR inmates, federal sentenced and pretrial offenders, and pretrial felons and misdemeanants, so the facility-level numbers should not be read as Webster-only demographics.
WV DCR's FY2025 statewide adult prison/jail demographic table lists 5,966 people. The largest age groups were 30 to 39 and 40 to 49. The same table reports race and gender totals statewide, including White male, Black male, White female, Black female, Hispanic/Latino, multi-racial or other, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander categories. Those figures are useful for state context, but they are not a Central Regional Jail-only or Webster County-only breakdown.
- Pretrial
- Held while a case is pending, before conviction or final disposition.
- Capias
- A court order that can lead to arrest, often after failure to appear or comply.
- Detainer or hold
- A separate agency or case that may block release even when one bond issue is resolved.
- DOC custody
- State corrections custody, searched through WV DCR tools rather than a Webster sheriff roster.
Webster County Jail Capacity
Central Regional Jail's FY2025 rated population is 312. The older 345-bed figure from RJA reporting should not replace that current rated figure, but it helps show how capacity language has shifted across sources. The available FY2021, FY2022, and FY2023 DCR population figures for Central Regional Jail were above 312. That supports careful capacity discussion, but it does not prove a specific current crowding level for July 2026 or any later date.
West Virginia's regional jail billing law also connects population to county costs. W. Va. Code §15A-3-16 governs regional jail county billing, including county pro rata inmate-day calculations and a base per-day inmate rate set at $54.48 effective July 1, 2023, subject to adjustment. For Webster County, that means jail population is not just a roster issue. The number of county inmate days can affect local cost exposure even though the jail is operated by the state.
Webster County Inmate Laws
West Virginia law controls how records, facility operations, jail costs, and booking-photo issues are handled. The public can inspect or copy many public records, but the request must go to the right custodian and must describe the record with enough detail. In Webster County, sheriff-created arrest records may start with the Webster County Sheriff's Department, jail custody records may belong with WV DCR or Central Regional Jail, and court case records belong with the appropriate magistrate or circuit clerk.
Key Statutes:
W. Va. Code §29B-1-3 requires public-record requests to be reasonably specific and gives custodians a maximum response deadline of five business days, excluding weekends and legal holidays.
W. Va. Code §15A-4-8A protects certain DCR incident, security, witness, audio, and video records when release would jeopardize safety, security, investigations, or other protected interests.
W. Va. Code §25-5-11 requires covered correctional facilities to provide core services such as health care, food, mail, phone use, visitation, legal access, programs, counseling, and sanitation.
W. Va. Code §61-12-8 requires reporting or investigation of certain deaths, including deaths of inmates of public institutions.
The booking photograph statute also matters for Webster County jail roster mugshot questions. It defines a booking photograph and limits some law-enforcement social-media sharing of booking photos for minor offenses, with exceptions and removal provisions. The statute is not a blanket promise that every DCR regional jail profile will display a photo.
Webster County Prison Population
Once a Webster County defendant is sentenced to state prison custody, the lookup path changes. The person may leave the regional jail search and appear in the WV DCR prison and supervision search. The FY2025 annual report lists 56 Webster County prison offenders around June 30, 2025, while the statewide prison-offender county table total was 5,966. No state prison was found in Webster County in the official facility map sources.
The state prison count is not the same as the Webster County inmate population held at Central Regional Jail. Jail custody usually covers recent arrests, pretrial detention, short sentences, and temporary holds. State prison custody covers people under longer sentenced custody, parole, or active supervision records that are listed in the DOC search. A person may move from jail to state prison after sentencing and classification, so a failed jail search should be followed by a DOC search when the case is older or the sentence is known.
The WV DCR offender search hub shows how the state separates these channels. It links daily incarcerations, the regional jail offender search, the prison offender search, and other DCR offender resources. The hub is a useful starting point when a Webster County name might be in more than one WV DCR system.
The WV DCR offender search hub links the jail and prison tools from one official page.
For Webster County, that separation keeps regional jail custody, daily admissions, and prison supervision records from being treated as one list.
Search Webster County Inmates
The main current custody search for Webster County is the WV Regional Jail Offender Search. It is the official regional jail name search and covers Central Regional Jail when a person is in that system. The search page tells users to begin with at least the first three letters of the last name. A first name can narrow a broad result list, and a captcha may be required before results return.
The regional jail search should be read as a custody tool, not as the final court record. WV Regional Jails states that the information is public and updated regularly, but it can change quickly and may not reflect the true current location, release date, status, or other offender details. The same warning says sentencing information should not be treated as the underlying criminal case record.
- Open the WV DCR offender search hub or the direct regional jail search.
- Enter at least the first three letters of the person's last name.
- Add the first name if the result list is too broad.
- Complete the captcha if the page prompts for it.
- Submit the search and review the facility, status, and available detail fields.
- If the person was sentenced or is on supervision, search the WV DCR prison/supervision locator next.
Webster County Roster Lookup
A Webster County roster lookup uses WV DCR fields rather than a Webster County sheriff app or sheriff-hosted inmate page. No official Webster-specific sheriff mobile app or app-only inmate roster was verified in the county, DCR, Secretary of State, or court sources reviewed. Central Regional Jail can be contacted at 304-765-7904 for facility custody and visitation questions, and the Webster County Sheriff's Department can be contacted at 304-847-2006 for sheriff-created arrest or report questions.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Name (Partial or Full) | Text | Yes | Minimum 3 characters, maximum 100; search page says to enter at least the first three letters. |
| First Name (Optional) | Text | No | Maximum 100 characters; helps narrow common names. |
| Captcha | Captcha | Yes for submission | Google reCAPTCHA is visible in the search page HTML. |
| Search | Button | n/a | Submit button label is Search. |
The Daily Incarcerations page is a second official channel. It lets a user select a county, including Webster, or review admissions by institution. A July 2, 2026 captured Central Regional Jail admissions result showed four admissions and fields such as Inmate Details, Time, Last Name, First Name, Middle Name, Birth Date, and Gender.
The Daily Incarcerations tool provides a separate official way to check Webster County or Central Regional Jail admissions.
That daily channel is useful when a name search is difficult or when the user needs an admission-oriented view rather than a general roster search.
The WV regional jail search page is the official name-search path for current Webster County regional jail custody.
The last-name requirement and captcha are part of why a partial or misspelled search may need a second try through Daily Incarcerations or a phone call.
Past Webster County Inmates
Released or transferred people may not remain easy to find in the current regional jail search. The captured sources did not identify a Webster County archive page, a sheriff booking archive, or a fixed retention period for released regional jail records. If a current search fails, use the date of arrest, court name, case number, or full legal name to search court records and to make a public-record request to the correct custodian.
WV FOIA is the fallback for records that are not online. A request should be specific enough to identify the person, date range, agency, and type of record. For a sheriff arrest report, the Webster County Sheriff's Department is the likely starting point. For facility booking or custody records, WV DCR or Central Regional Jail is the likely starting point. For court filings, the Webster County magistrate clerk or circuit clerk is the right route. Some records may be withheld or redacted for privacy, juvenile, investigation, or facility-security reasons.
The West Virginia FOIA inspection and copying statute sets the request framework for non-online records.
For Webster County jail records, FOIA works best when the request is routed to the agency that actually created or keeps the record.
Webster County Inmate Records
The public search and daily admissions pages confirm several record fields, but full live profile inspection was limited by captcha-backed access. The available information supports a restrained field inventory. A regional jail result may help identify custody status and facility placement, but DCR's own disclaimer says location, release date, status, and other information may change quickly.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Inmate Details | A link or detail column for opening a person-specific entry when available. |
| Time | Admission time or posting time in the daily admissions view. |
| Last, First, Middle Name | Name fields used to identify the person in the listing. |
| Birth Date | Birth date shown in the admissions summary when available. |
| Gender | Gender shown in the admissions summary. |
| Institution / Facility | The DCR facility, such as Central Regional Jail. |
| Charges or Sentencing Information | May appear in some records, but court records should be used for the formal criminal action. |
| Mugshot / Booking Photo | Referenced by DCR disclaimers, but photo display for every Central Regional Jail profile was not confirmed. |
Jail vs Prison Lookup
The fastest way to avoid a false negative is to choose the right custody system first. Central Regional Jail is the Webster-serving regional jail for recent arrests, pretrial custody, short jail sentences, and temporary holds. WV DCR prison search is for sentenced prison custody, parole, or active supervision. Federal and immigration custody use different tools altogether.
| Regional Jail | State Prison / DOC | |
|---|---|---|
| Who Is Held | Pretrial detainees, short jail sentences, local holds, and regional jail custody | Sentenced prisoners, parole, or active supervision cases |
| Run By | West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation | West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation |
| Where to Look | WV Regional Jail Offender Search and Daily Incarcerations | WV DCR prison/supervision offender search |
| Webster Link | Central Regional Jail serves Webster County | No state prison is physically located in Webster County |
State and Federal Search
The state prison search uses either an Offender ID number or a first and last name. The OID path requires at least four numeric characters. Name search requires at least three characters for both the first and last name, plus captcha completion. It covers active prison, parole, or supervision records and does not show people who have discharged from WV DCR custody.
Federal custody is separate. The Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator covers federal inmates incarcerated from 1982 to the present and can search by number or by name. Federal pretrial defendants may be in U.S. Marshals custody and housed in federal, state, local, or private facilities, but no public USMS inmate locator was found. Immigration detainees are searched through the ICE Online Detainee Locator System, by A-number and country of birth or by biographical data. No ICE detention facility was found in Webster County.
Search order: Use the regional jail search first for a recent Webster County arrest, the DOC prison search for a sentenced person, the BOP locator for federal prison custody, and ICE ODLS for immigration custody.
Webster County Detention Facility
The facility list for Webster County has one jail facility because official sources did not identify a separate Webster County jail building, municipal jail, federal detention center, or ICE facility in the county. Central Regional Jail is physically in Braxton County but is the main custody facility serving Webster County jail matters.
- Central Regional Jail and Correctional Facility - WV DCR regional jail in Sutton and Flatwoods for Webster County pretrial detainees, short jail sentences, and regional jail custody.
Webster County Inmate FAQ
Does Webster County have its own jail roster?
No official Webster County sheriff-run jail roster was found. Webster County jail custody is searched through WV DCR's regional jail tools because Central Regional Jail and Correctional Facility serves Webster County.
Where is the Webster County jail facility?
The Webster-serving jail is Central Regional Jail and Correctional Facility at 1255 Dyer Hill Road, Sutton, WV 26601. DCR describes the facility as being in Flatwoods, just off Interstate 79.
How large is the Webster County inmate population?
The best current facility figure is Central Regional Jail's FY2025 rated population of 312. Older DCR annual reports listed Central population figures of 447 in FY2021, 401 in FY2022, and 362 in FY2023, but those are facility-wide numbers for all counties served.
Can a released inmate be searched?
A released person may not appear in the current regional jail search. Use court records, Daily Incarcerations when relevant, or a WV FOIA request to the right custodian if a historical booking or custody record is needed.
Are Webster County mugshots always online?
No. DCR materials reference booking photographs, but the captured research did not confirm that every Central Regional Jail profile displays a mugshot. No Webster sheriff mugshot gallery was found.
Who should be called for custody questions?
Call Central Regional Jail at 304-765-7904 for facility custody or visitation questions. Call the Webster County Sheriff's Department at 304-847-2006 for sheriff-created arrest or report questions.