The Forest County Inmate Population
The Forest County inmate population is reported through a small rural jail profile, not through a large network of local detention centers. The Facility Map resolves one Forest County facility page: Forest County Jail. The jail is operated by the Forest County Sheriff's Office and serves local arrest custody, pretrial detention, short local sentences, and contract housing. The sheriff's jail page says the building also houses Oconto County inmates, so a head count inside the jail can include people whose criminal case or hold belongs outside Forest County.
That distinction matters for lookup work. The county jail list is the local custody path, but it is not the same as the Wisconsin Department of Corrections locator, federal Bureau of Prisons records, ICE custody records, or the circuit court docket. A person arrested in Forest County may appear first in the jail, then later appear in Wisconsin Circuit Court Access when charges are filed, and then move to Wisconsin DOC if a prison or supervision sentence follows.
Custody flow: Arrest and booking at the jail, first court appearance, prosecutor charging decision, local jail custody or release, then possible DOC, federal, or immigration custody if another system takes over.
Forest County Inmate Population Statistics
Two source families define the Forest County inmate population numbers. The sheriff's jail page describes an 80-bed facility completed in 1997. Vera Incarceration Trends reports an 85-person rated capacity for recent county rows and a 2025 total jail population of 41. Both figures are useful because they come from different source types: one is the sheriff's public building description, and the other is a county-level jail data set used for trend work.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Forest County Jail stated facility size | 80 beds | Forest County Sheriff's jail page, captured 2026 |
| Rated jail capacity | 85 | Vera Incarceration Trends, 2020-2025 rows |
| Total jail population | 41 | Vera county CSV, 2025 |
| Male jail population | 31.5 | Vera county CSV, 2025 |
| Female jail population | 9.5 | Vera county CSV, 2025 |
| Annual admissions | 228 | Vera county CSV, 2019, last populated extracted admissions row |
Forest County Jail Population Trends
The Forest County jail population was lower in the 2020-2025 Vera rows than it had been in several earlier extracted years. The 2025 count of 41 and 2024 count of 47.25 sit below the sheriff's 80-bed statement and the Vera 85-rated-capacity figure. The older 2017 row is different. Vera reports 74 people against a rated capacity of 71.33 that year, which points to historical capacity pressure even though no current consent decree, jail-construction project, or Forest County jail overcrowding litigation source was located.
| Year | Total Jail Population | Rated Capacity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 41 | 85 | Vera county CSV; male 31.5, female 9.5. |
| 2024 | 47.25 | 85 | Vera county CSV; jail rate 876.3 per 100,000 age 15-64. |
| 2023 | 50.25 | 85 | Vera county CSV; jail rate 931.94 per 100,000 age 15-64. |
| 2022 | 34.5 | 85 | Lowest extracted 2020-2025 total. |
| 2021 | 36.25 | 85 | Below recent rated capacity. |
| 2020 | 50.5 | 85 | Higher than 2021-2022, still below recent capacity. |
| 2017 | 74 | 71.33 | Highest extracted recent total and above the Vera capacity row. |
Who Is Counted in Forest County Custody
Forest County custody is not limited to one kind of case. The sheriff's materials describe a county jail that houses Forest County inmates and Oconto County inmates. Vera data also separates local jail population from county-origin prison data in some older rows. For search purposes, the important split is practical: current local jail custody belongs in the sheriff inmate-list path, court charges belong in WCCA/CCAP, and state sentenced custody belongs in the Wisconsin DOC locator.
Recent Vera rows include sex breakdowns but do not populate all race and ethnicity fields in the extracted 2025 and 2024 rows. Older extracted rows do include more demographic detail. In 2019, Vera reports total jail population 53.5, pretrial custody 50, sentenced custody 15, and county-origin prison data of 93. Those rows should be treated as historical data, not as a current roster.
- Pretrial
- Custody before a conviction or sentence. The jail list and VINE are the main current-status channels.
- Sentenced
- Custody after a court sentence. County jail sentences can stay local, while prison or supervision cases move to DOC lookup.
- Detainer
- A hold from another county, state, federal agency, immigration authority, or supervision officer.
Forest County Jail Capacity and Contract Housing
The Forest County Jail was completed in 1997 and is described by the sheriff as an 80-bed facility. Vera's recent capacity rows use 85. The difference should not be blended into a single invented number. The best reading is source-specific: the sheriff's public jail page gives the building's local description, while Vera provides county-level rated-capacity rows for population analysis.
Contract housing is the local nuance that affects real searches. The jail page says the facility houses Oconto County inmates along with Forest County inmates. If a person appears to be physically held in Crandon but the charge, warrant, or bond issue does not appear under Forest County in WCCA, the next step may be the issuing county's court or sheriff record. This is one reason the jail phone line and VINE matter when a roster result is unclear.
Readers should not infer that the 2025 Vera count of 41 means all 41 people had Forest County cases. It is a building population measure. A current custody check still needs the sheriff inmate list, the jail information line, and the court docket that matches the case.
Laws Governing Forest County Jail Records
Wisconsin public-record law supplies the access framework for Forest County jail records and inmate population material. The same framework also explains why some records are released only after review. Forest County's open-records form states that requests can take up to 10 business days, that all records are subject to review and redaction, and that pending incidents or investigations are not released without a court order or District Attorney permission.
Key statutes and rules:
Wis. Stat. 19.31 states Wisconsin's broad public-record policy.
Wis. Stat. 19.35 gives requesters the right to inspect or copy records, subject to exceptions.
Wis. Stat. 19.36 lists limits that can restrict release even when a record exists.
Wis. Admin. Code DOC 350.16 provides jail classification and housing context.
Wis. Admin. Code DOC 350.20 covers well-being checks in jail operations.
Search the Forest County Jail List
The official Forest County inmate-list channel is a SharePoint-hosted link reached from the Forest County Sheriff's Office and county-government sheriff pages. Static capture did not expose a live searchable form, profile pages, booking-number field, charge table, or mugshot gallery. For that reason, the Forest County inmate population search should be described as an official list path, not as a confirmed vendor database with search fields that may not exist.
The Forest County Sheriff's Office home page links to the inmate list, warrant list, jail division, open-records form, fee schedule, and Wisconsin VINE. The county-government sheriff page also links to the inmate list and VINE while naming Sheriff Jeffery Marvin. If the SharePoint list fails to load, is out of date, or does not show a recent arrest, call the jail at 715-478-3331 before assuming the person is not in custody.
- Open the official inmate-list link from the sheriff or county sheriff page.
- Review the list without assuming hidden search fields or profile pages.
- Call 715-478-3331 when the arrest is recent, the name is missing, or the custody status is unclear.
- Check Wisconsin VINE or call 888-868-4631 for notification and custody-status support.
- Use WCCA/CCAP for filed charges and DOC, BOP, or ICE locators when custody has moved outside the county jail.
Forest County Roster Search Fields
The roster field inventory is intentionally limited because the static capture did not reveal the internal Forest County SharePoint list. That limitation is useful to state plainly. It prevents a reader from wasting time looking for a last-name box, booking-number search, date filter, or mugshot tab that was not documented in the captured source material.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not visible in static capture | SharePoint-hosted official list or file link | Not visible | No search fields, dropdowns, reset buttons, pagination, or sample profile entries were exposed. |
| Wisconsin VINE search | State custody-status portal | Portal dependent | Use for custody notification when Forest County jail custody may be involved. |
| DOC locator acceptance | Legal/privacy acknowledgement | Required before DOC search | DOC downstream fields were not captured; DOC covers sentenced incarceration or supervision, not county-jail-only custody. |
Forest County Inmate Records Requests
Past booking records, incident reports, accident reports, photos, and body-camera material are handled through the Forest County Sheriff's open-records process when they are not available from the current inmate list. The request form asks for the date of request, date of incident, location and type of incident, the specific information sought, the people involved, and the preferred delivery method. The form says to return it to Chris at ckatsma@forestcountysheriff.org.
| Record Item | Published Fee |
|---|---|
| Electronic data | $21.01 per hour |
| Body camera on DVD | $20.00 plus hourly rate |
| Accident report, printed or electronic | $6.00 |
| Reports under 10 pages | $5.00 for first 10 pages |
| Reports 10 pages or more | $5.00 for first 10 pages, then $0.15 per page plus hourly rate |
| Electronic photos | $10.00 plus hourly rate |
The sheriff's fee schedule is effective 05/01/2026. Prepayment can apply, and pending investigations may need court or prosecutor approval before release.
Forest County Jail vs State Prison Search
Forest County's local jail and Wisconsin's state prison system answer different questions. The jail list is the place to start for a recent Forest County arrest, local hold, pretrial detainee, short jail sentence, or boarded inmate held in Crandon. The DOC locator is the correct system after a person is sentenced to DOC incarceration or supervision. Federal and immigration custody use separate federal tools.
| Custody Type | Best Lookup Path | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Forest County jail custody | Sheriff inmate list, jail phone, VINE | Current local custody, recent bookings, short local jail terms, and contract holds. |
| Wisconsin DOC custody | Wisconsin DOC Offender Locator | Convicted offenders sentenced to incarceration, supervision, or both with DOC. |
| Federal custody | BOP inmate locator | Federal prison custody, not Forest County local jail population. |
| Immigration custody | ICE Online Detainee Locator | Current ICE detention or qualifying recent immigration custody. |
Forest County Jail Source Screens
The sheriff's jail page is the strongest official source for the building description, inmate housing note, sentenced-inmate fees, lobby kiosk, property limits, and VINE reference. The captured page can be checked at the Forest County Jail page.
The page supports the local facts used here: the jail is the mapped Forest County detention facility, it houses Forest County and Oconto County inmates, and records or custody questions should stay tied to the sheriff's official channels.
Forest County Detention Facilities
The final Facility Map creates one Forest County detention facility page. No separate work-release annex, municipal jail, regional jail, state prison, BOP institution, or ICE detention center was confirmed inside Forest County. State, federal, and immigration locator coverage remains part of the inmate lookup chain because people arrested locally can be transferred later.
- Forest County Jail - county jail in Crandon holding pretrial detainees, short local sentences, Forest County inmates, and contract inmates from Oconto County.
Forest County Inmate Population FAQ
How large is the Forest County inmate population?
Vera Incarceration Trends reports a 2025 total jail population of 41 for Forest County and a rated capacity of 85 in recent rows. The sheriff's jail page describes an 80-bed facility. The two numbers should be cited by source rather than forced into one figure.
How do I search the Forest County inmate population?
Start with the official inmate-list link from the Forest County Sheriff's Office or county-government sheriff page. If the list is unclear, call the jail at 715-478-3331, use Wisconsin VINE for custody notification, then check WCCA/CCAP, DOC, BOP, or ICE if another system may hold the person.
Does the Forest County inmate population include Oconto County inmates?
The sheriff's jail page says the Forest County Jail houses Forest County inmates and Oconto County inmates. That means a person can be held in the Crandon building even when the court case or warrant path points outside Forest County.
Where are court charges after a Forest County arrest?
Court charges are searched through WCCA/CCAP and the Forest County Clerk of Circuit Court. The jail list may help with custody, but the court record tracks formal charges, bond entries, dates, dispositions, and sentencing.
Are Forest County mugshots online?
No separate official mugshot gallery or recent-booking photo page was confirmed in the research. The inmate list exists, but static capture did not show whether booking photos appear. Use the sheriff's records request for a booking photo that is not public online.