Find Inmates in New Kent County

The New Kent County inmate population is managed by the Sheriff's Office based in New Kent, Virginia. People arrested in the county are booked at the local jail and can be searched through Virginia VINE or by contacting the Sheriff directly. State-sentenced offenders from New Kent move into VADOC custody and can be tracked through the VADOC Offender Locator. This page explains how to search the New Kent County inmate population, what records the Sheriff holds, how the Eastern Region VADOC facilities relate to New Kent, and how to request records under Virginia's open records law.

New Kent County Jail and Sheriff's Office

The New Kent County Sheriff's Office runs the county jail and is the legal custodian of all local inmate records. Virginia Code § 53.1-31 places that responsibility squarely with the sheriff. That means booking sheets, arrest charges, bond amounts, and release records all go through the Sheriff's Office. If you want to know whether someone is currently in the New Kent County jail, the Sheriff's Office is your first call.

The facility holds pre-trial detainees and people serving local sentences of twelve months or less. Most inmates there are waiting on a court date or serving a short sentence for a misdemeanor conviction. New Kent is a relatively small county east of Richmond, so the jail population is modest compared to larger urban facilities. That said, the Sheriff's records are as complete and accessible as anywhere else in Virginia. You can visit the New Kent County government website to find current contact information for the Sheriff's Office.

Once someone receives a sentence over twelve months, they leave the county facility and move into VADOC custody. That transfer typically completes within sixty days of sentencing. After the transfer, the Sheriff's records still exist but the person no longer appears in local custody. Use VADOC tools from that point forward.

New Kent Inmate Population Search via VINE

Virginia VINE covers every local jail in the Commonwealth, including New Kent County. To search, go to vinelink.com or vavine.org, pick Virginia, select New Kent County Jail, and enter the person's name. You get back a current custody status that shows whether the person is still held, has been released, was transferred, or has escaped. The service is anonymous. No login is needed for a basic search.

VINE also supports notification registration. If you want alerts, you sign up with a contact method, either a phone number, an email address, or both. When the custody status changes, VINE pushes a notification out automatically. This is especially useful for crime victims who want to know when someone is released from the New Kent jail without having to check manually. VINE can also send TTY notifications for hearing-impaired users. For phone-based checks, call 1-800-467-4943 any time.

VINE does not carry over into the VADOC state prison system. If a New Kent County inmate has already transferred to a state facility, check the VADOC Offender Locator instead. VINE is for local and regional jail searches only.

New Kent County and VADOC Eastern Region Prisons

New Kent County sits in the VADOC Eastern Region. People sentenced to more than twelve months in New Kent courts typically land in one of the Eastern Region facilities. Those prisons include Caroline Correctional Unit at (804) 994-2161, Deerfield Correctional Center at (434) 658-4368, Greensville Correctional Center at (434) 535-7000, Haynesville Correctional Center at (804) 333-3577, Indian Creek Correctional Center at (757) 421-0095, Lawrenceville Correctional Center at (434) 848-9349, St. Brides Correctional Center at (757) 421-6600, Sussex I State Prison at (804) 834-9967, and Sussex II State Prison at (804) 834-2678. Classification and security level determine the actual assignment.

VADOC Probation and Parole also operates in the region. New Kent County falls under a nearby district office. You can find the specific office address and phone number on the VADOC facilities and offices page. People released from state custody on supervision report to their assigned district office. If someone from New Kent is on probation or parole after a state sentence, that is where their records sit.

To search for any state inmate from New Kent, use the VADOC Offender Locator. Enter the last name and a first initial. The search returns current facility, inmate ID, and projected release date.

Court Records for New Kent County Inmates

Court records and inmate records are separate. The Clerk of Court holds the case file. The Sheriff holds the custody record. Both are public under Virginia law. You often need to look at both to get the full picture on someone in the New Kent County inmate population.

The Virginia Judiciary Online Case Information System covers Circuit Court and General District Court cases statewide. New Kent County is in the 9th Judicial Circuit. You can search by name, case number, or hearing date. Results show charges, hearing dates, and dispositions. Most searches are free. Certified copies cost a small fee, payable to the Clerk of Court.

For criminal history records, the Virginia State Police manages the Central Criminal Records Exchange under § 19.2-389. You can request a personal record check through the Virginia State Police records page. Mail requests go to P.O. Box 85076, Richmond, VA 23261-5076.

Requesting New Kent Inmate Records Under FOIA

New Kent County jail records are public under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. § 2.2-3700 et seq. of the Code of Virginia gives state residents the right to ask for booking sheets, jail logs, charge records, and custody status without having to explain why. Public bodies have five business days to respond, plus up to seven extra days if the request is complex or involves a large volume of records.

Some records are exempt. Active investigation files, personnel records, and attorney-client documents cannot be released. Under § 2.2-3703(C), people incarcerated in state or local facilities cannot use FOIA to get records. If you run into a problem, the Virginia FOIA Advisory Council handles disputes and provides free guidance at (804) 698-1810 or toll-free 1-866-448-4100. Email is foiacouncil@dls.virginia.gov.

Submit your FOIA request in writing to the New Kent County Sheriff's Office. Name the specific records and the date range you are asking about. The clearer your request, the faster you will get a response. The Sheriff's Office will confirm receipt and estimate the response date.

Victim Notification for New Kent County Inmates

If you are a crime victim who needs custody alerts for someone in the New Kent County jail, register through VINE at vavine.org or call 1-800-467-4943. VINE sends automatic notifications for release, transfer, escape, and death. The service is free. Your personal information stays private throughout.

When a New Kent County inmate transfers to a VADOC state prison, the VINE system no longer applies. VADOC's NAAVI program takes over. NAAVI sends 30-day advance release notices and updates on parole hearings and other custody events. Register for NAAVI through the VADOC Victim Services page or by calling 1-804-674-3243. These two systems do not share registrations. If you want alerts at both stages, sign up for both.

Cities in New Kent County

New Kent County has no independent cities within its boundaries. The county seat is New Kent Courthouse. No localities in New Kent County meet the qualifying population threshold for separate city pages on this site. Use the resources listed here or the statewide tools linked throughout for any inmate population search in the area.

Nearby Counties

New Kent County sits between Richmond and the Hampton Roads area in eastern Virginia. Nearby counties with their own inmate population pages include the following.