Houston County Inmate Population Overview
The Houston County inmate population is housed locally at Houston County Jail, a county jail operated by the Houston County Sheriff's Office. County and state sources identify that jail as the only detention facility physically located in Houston County. It sits inside the County Justice Center in Caledonia, where the sheriff, jail, District Court, Court Administrator, County Attorney, Victim Services, Emergency Management, and local corrections offices operate in the same justice complex.
That local setup matters. A person arrested by the sheriff or a city police department may be booked into the jail, but formal court charges are handled through the prosecutor and District Court. A person sentenced to state prison is not searched through the county jail roster after transfer. The Minnesota Department of Corrections locator becomes the right tool for state custody, while BOP and ICE systems cover federal criminal and immigration detention.
Houston County Inmate Population Statistics
The best official population source located for Houston County is the Minnesota Department of Corrections 2024 jail inspection report. It lists approved capacity, operating capacity, compliance status, and licensing dates, but it does not publish a current daily head count, annual booking count, average daily population, average length of stay, or demographic table for the jail. Those missing values should not be guessed from the roster or copied from third-party sites.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Approved secure coed capacity | 40 beds | Minnesota DOC inspection archive, Houston County Jail report inspected 2024 |
| Operational capacity | 36 beds | 2024 DOC inspection report, 90 percent of approved capacity |
| Opening license count | 30 male and female prisoners | Houston County Sheriff jail history, current Justice Center opened 2011 |
| Unit-cell construction detail | 41 unit cells with double-bunk capability | Houston County Sheriff jail history |
| Historic jail capacity before closure | 14 adult male beds | Houston County Sheriff jail history |
| County population context | 18,843 residents | MnDOT 2024 Houston County map, 2020 population |
Houston County Inmate Population Trends
Houston County's trend record is stronger for capacity and facility status than for daily population. The county's jail history gives the path from the 1875 historic jail to the modern Justice Center. The DOC inspection report gives the current license capacity and inspection term. No official county dashboard found during research gave a year-by-year average daily population trend.
| Year or Date | Capacity or Status | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1875 | Historic jail built | County history says it housed male and female prisoners and the sheriff's family lived there into the 1970s. |
| Before October 2011 | 14 adult male beds | The historic jail was described by the county as Minnesota's oldest operating jail before it closed. |
| October 31, 2011 | Current Justice Center opened | County history says the facility was licensed for male and female prisoners. |
| September 1, 2016 | 40 approved secure coed beds | Effective capacity date used in the 2024 DOC inspection report. |
| October 10, 2024 | DOC biennial inspection | Facility type Jail, substantial compliance, 40 approved beds, and 36 operational beds. |
| December 1, 2024 to November 30, 2026 | Authority to operate | Approval term stated in the DOC inspection report. |
Houston County Jail Capacity
The 2024 DOC inspection is the main official record for Houston County jail capacity and conditions. The report listed 126 mandatory Chapter 2911 rules, with 123 applicable to the facility. It found one noncompliance item and two compliance-with-concerns items in that group, for 99.21 percent compliance. It also reviewed 98 essential rules, with 97 applicable, one noncompliance item, and 98.98 percent compliance.
The overall compliance rating was substantial compliance. The report said the jail continued to operate at a high level and stayed on biennial inspection status. The listed corrective action was not an overcrowding order. It involved written emergency plan and annual drill documentation, volunteer agreement documentation, and food service documentation concerns that were addressed or scheduled for correction.
Capacity note: The research found official capacity numbers, but no official current daily inmate count or average daily population table.
Laws Governing Houston County Inmate Population
Minnesota law controls which jail, arrest, court, and corrections records are public. Houston County Sheriff's Office records text says public access is provided under Minnesota Statutes Chapter 13, and that incident reports, arrest information, jail records, calls for service, accident reports, and other releasable law enforcement data may be requested. Private, confidential, and protected nonpublic data may be withheld or redacted.
Key Statutes:
Minn. Stat. 13.03 makes government data public unless a law classifies it otherwise.
Minn. Stat. 13.82 governs law enforcement data, including arrest data and booking photographs.
Minn. Stat. 241.021 gives the Commissioner of Corrections inspection and licensing authority over correctional facilities.
Minn. Rules ch. 2911 sets minimum standards for local adult detention facilities such as Houston County Jail.
Search Houston County In-Custody Roster
The official county route starts at the Houston County In Custody page. During research, that page displayed a county disclaimer and embedded a custody roster frame, but the direct embedded roster endpoint returned a 404 response on June 18, 2026. Because no live roster entry was visible, the research could not verify public fields such as booking number, bond, housing unit, charge list, mugshot, booking date, or release status.
Use the roster first because it is the county's official online path. If the embedded frame fails, use the sheriff and records channels instead of relying on a commercial jail-search site for current custody. The main sheriff and jail number is 507-725-3379, and Jail Administrator Rachel Meyer is listed at extension 4120.
- Open the official Houston County In Custody page.
- If the embedded roster loads, review only current entries shown by the county.
- If the roster does not load, call the Houston County Sheriff's Office or Jail for custody verification.
- For a copy of arrest information or jail records, use the Sheriff's records request process.
- If the person has been sentenced to state prison, switch to the MNDOC Locator.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| No visible field on host page | N/A | N/A | The county page embeds a roster frame rather than native search controls. |
| Embedded custody roster | Iframe | N/A | The inspected endpoint returned 404, so fields, filters, buttons, and sample profiles were not captured. |
Houston County Inmate Record Limits
A Houston County inmate record can exist even when the public roster does not display it online. Jail booking records, arrest information, calls for service, and accident reports may be requested through the Sheriff's records process when they are public under Minnesota law. The Sheriff's Office may redact protected data, private data, confidential data, juvenile information, or active-investigation material.
| Record Field | Status From Research |
|---|---|
| Name | Not captured from a live roster entry because the embedded endpoint failed. |
| Booking number | Not captured from the official public roster during research. |
| Booking date or time | Not captured; request the booking record if needed. |
| Mugshot | Not verified on the county roster, although Minnesota law treats adult booking photos as generally public unless an exception applies. |
| Charges or bond | Not captured; filed court charges should be checked through MCRO and Houston County District Court. |
| Housing or release status | Not captured; call the jail for current status when the roster fails. |
Note: A booking entry is not the same as a conviction, and a jail roster is not the same system as District Court records.
Houston County Jail vs State Prison
Lookup systems split by custody type. Houston County Jail handles local adult detention, pretrial detainees, local sentences, and holds. Minnesota DOC handles people committed to the Commissioner of Corrections, including prison custody and some post-prison supervision. Federal criminal custody and immigration detention use BOP and ICE systems rather than the Houston County roster.
| Custody Type | Where to Look | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| County jail custody | Houston County In Custody page or jail phone line | Local booking, pretrial detention, short local sentences, and holds. |
| State prison or supervision | MNDOC Locator | Adults under Minnesota DOC jurisdiction, searched by name or MNDOC Offender ID. |
| Federal criminal custody | BOP Inmate Locator | Federal sentenced prisoners and some BOP custody records. |
| Immigration detention | ICE Online Detainee Locator | Immigration detainee search by A-number or biographical details. |
Houston County Jail Records Requests
The Houston County Sheriff's records request page is the official path for public law enforcement data when the roster is unavailable or too limited. The page says the county provides public access under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act. It lists incident reports, arrest information, jail records, calls for service, accident reports, and other law enforcement data that may be public.
The records page says a request form can be submitted by email, mail, or in person during business hours. It also says the Sheriff will respond in a reasonable amount of time depending on request size and complexity. Fees may apply for copies, staff time when allowed by law, mailing, electronic media, and other authorized costs. The linked data request form returned a 404 body during research, so the records page itself is the safer official starting point.
The manifest image below shows the official records request page used for Houston County jail and arrest information. Open the Sheriff records request page before submitting a request.
That page is the right source when the public roster does not expose enough detail to confirm a past booking or request releasable jail records.
Houston County Custody Notifications
Minnesota VINELink is available for custody search and notification registration. The Sheriff's page also links victims to VINE by phone at 1-877-MN-4-VINE or 1-877-664-8463. VINELink is not a court record search and is not a warrant database. It is used for custody status and notification when the participating jail or detention system reports a qualifying custody event.
DOC-sentenced notification is different. The Minnesota Department of Corrections uses HAVEN for notification about people in DOC custody or supervised release, including transfers, custody reduction, release notices, and escape or apprehension notices. A Houston County case can start in jail, but after a state prison sentence the custody record belongs to MNDOC.
The official Minnesota VINELink page is a separate notification resource, not a substitute for calling the jail about immediate release or bond status.
Use VINELink for alerts, then verify custody, release, or bond questions with the sheriff, jail, court, or DOC system that controls the record.
Houston County Arrest to Court
Arrest, booking, charging, and court records are related but not identical. The Houston County Attorney page says law enforcement officers investigate crimes, gather evidence, and submit evidence to the County Attorney for review and a charging decision. The County Attorney's Office serves as chief prosecutor for felony, gross misdemeanor, and juvenile offenses in Houston County, and for certain misdemeanor and petty misdemeanor matters in unincorporated areas and contracting municipalities.
After charges are filed, use Minnesota Court Records Online and Houston County District Court for public case information. MCRO includes Case Search, Document Search, Hearing Search, and Judgment Search, but the MCRO FAQ says pending criminal cases cannot be searched by defendant name until conviction. A case number, citation number, public court calendar, or court counter may be needed for a fresh case.
Houston County Custody Terms
Several terms appear across jail, court, and corrections records. The key is knowing which office controls each status.
- Booking
- The jail intake record created after arrest.
- Formal charge
- The charge filed by the prosecutor in court, which may differ from an arrest allegation.
- Detainer
- A hold or request from another agency that may block release even if local bond is paid.
- Classification
- The jail housing and security decision made after intake.
- Expungement
- A Minnesota court process that seals eligible criminal records from public view.
Houston County Detention Facilities
Official facility sources identify one local detention facility in Houston County. No Minnesota state prison, BOP institution, ICE detention center, or separate U.S. Marshals detention facility was found in the county. Local custody is searched through the county jail process, while prison, federal, and immigration custody move to their own locator systems.
- Houston County Jail - County jail and local adult detention facility operated by the Houston County Sheriff's Office for pretrial detainees, local sentences, work release, inmate workers, and approved holds.
Houston County Inmate Population FAQ
How large is the Houston County inmate population? The research found official capacity numbers, not a live head count. The 2024 DOC inspection lists 40 approved secure coed beds and 36 operational beds at 90 percent capacity. Current daily population, average daily population, and annual bookings were not located in official county or DOC sources.
Where does a Houston County inmate search start? Start with the official county in-custody page. If the embedded roster fails, call the Houston County Sheriff's Office or Jail at 507-725-3379, then use the Sheriff's records request page for releasable booking or jail records.
Does Houston County have a state prison? No state prison was located in official Houston County or Minnesota DOC facility sources. People sentenced from Houston County to state prison are searched through the MNDOC Locator, not the county roster.
Are Houston County mugshots online? The research could not verify whether the county roster currently displays booking photos because the embedded roster did not return visible records. Minnesota law generally treats adult booking photographs as public law enforcement data, subject to exceptions and redactions.
Is there a Houston County Sheriff app? No official Houston County, Minnesota sheriff or police app with an inmate roster, warrant search, most-wanted list, or records portal was located during research.