The Knox County, Illinois jail roster is a public resource that allows you to find out who is currently in custody at the county jail. KnoxILCourt.us provides access to publicly available information about current and recent inmates. Additionally, information can be obtained through the official website of the Knox County Sheriff, in person at the jail's reception, or by calling the main line of the facility. A search in the roster allows you to check the detention status of a specific individual, see the charges filed, and the booking date. The roster is maintained by the Knox County Sheriff's Office; data is updated periodically throughout the day and posted on the sheriff's website.
Search Current Inmates in Knox Jail
To find information about current inmates in the Knox County Jail, use one of the methods below.
Online Search
- Go to KnoxILCourt.us to search publicly available court and jail records.
- Enter the full legal name of the person (last name and first name) or the booking number, if you know it.
- Review the results — typically, the name, booking date, charges, and detention status are displayed.
If the official sheriff's roster is published as a list without a search field, use the browser function Ctrl+F (or Cmd+F on Mac) to quickly find the desired last name on the page.
For individuals transferred to state facilities, a search is available through the Illinois Department of Corrections database. You can check the sex offender registry on the Illinois State Police Offender Registry website.
By Phone
Call the jail directly and provide the full name of the person. The dispatcher will confirm whether this person is in custody. Juvenile offenders are not included in the public roster, and information about them is not provided over the phone.
In Person
Visit the jail's reception during business hours. Have the name and last name of the person you are looking for.
Knox County Jail
Knox County court cases are heard at the Knox County Courthouse, located at 200 South Cherry Street, Galesburg, IL 61401. Court hours: 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM, phone (309) 345-3847.
Find Knox Jail Booking Records Online
A booking record is created at the moment a detained person is officially registered in the jail. It is the first document that records a person's custody.
During booking, the following data is generated:
- Unique booking number
- Date and time of admission
- List of charges filed
- Name of the agency that made the arrest
- Mugshot and demographic information
Booking records for individuals currently in Knox County Jail are usually available through the sheriff's online roster. If you need a record that no longer appears in the roster (for example, after an inmate's release), submit a written request for public records to the Knox County Sheriff's Office. According to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140), the agency is required to respond within five business days.
To search for a criminal history at the state level, contact the Bureau of Identification at the Illinois State Police. Statewide public records are also available through the Illinois public records portal.
Search the Knox Jail Roster by Last Name or Booking Number
The roster supports two main search methods.
By Last Name
Enter the last name in the appropriate field or find it manually on the roster page. If you know the first name, add it to narrow down the results — this is especially useful for common last names like Smith or Johnson.
Practical tips:
- Check the spelling — even one incorrect letter can yield no results.
- Try spelling variations: hyphenated last names, suffixes (Jr., Sr., III) are sometimes entered differently.
- If the system supports partial search, enter the first few letters of the last name.
By Booking Number
This method is the most accurate. The booking number is a unique identifier assigned during registration. It eliminates confusion between individuals with the same last name.
If the search returned no results, it could mean several things: the person has already been released, transferred to another facility (for example, to Hill Correctional Center in Galesburg), or the name was entered incorrectly. Call the jail to clarify the status.
Jail Roster Updates and Search Limitations in Knox
The Knox County Jail roster is updated periodically throughout the day, but it does not happen instantly. Several hours may pass between the actual booking and the appearance of the record on the site — especially on weekends or at night when administrative staff is limited.
Main limitations to be aware of:
- A record may appear in the roster only after the booking procedure is completed, including photographing and fingerprinting.
- After an inmate is released, their record disappears from the roster — sometimes within a few hours.
- The roster only displays the current inmate population. It is not an archive of all past bookings.
- Information about minors, as well as some records related to ongoing investigations, is not published.
To obtain archival records or information about individuals who have already been released, submit a request in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act directly to the county sheriff. Court records related to inmate cases can be searched through the eFileIL system, which provides access to electronic materials of Illinois county courts. If the case was heard in federal court, use the PACER system for the Central District of Illinois.
Remember: the roster is a snapshot of the current state, not a complete criminal history. For comprehensive information on a specific individual's criminal record, contact the Bureau of Identification at the Illinois State Police.