Kittson County Inmate Population
The Kittson County inmate population is centered on one official local detention facility: Kittson County Jail, operated by the Kittson County Sheriff's Office. The jail sits in the county courthouse complex in Hallock and functions as a short-term local lockup. People counted in the local jail population may include adults waiting for first appearance, people held on local warrants, short-sentence custody, and local holds. It is not the same population as people sentenced to Minnesota state prison.
The most important local fact is scale. The 2023 Minnesota DOC inspection report lists Kittson County Jail as a 90 Day Lockup with 6 approved secure coed beds and 5.10 operational beds at the 85 percent operating level. A change of one person can shift the apparent Kittson County inmate population a great deal. That makes phone confirmation more useful than broad statewide assumptions.
Kittson County Inmate Population Statistics
Official sources provide capacity, inspection, county population, and one historical average-daily-population point. They do not provide a current public dashboard, live jail count, annual bookings table, demographic split, or online roster count for Kittson County Jail. The figures below therefore use only sourced values from the DOC inspection report, U.S. Census QuickFacts, BJS-derived jail data, and national BJS jail tables.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Approved jail capacity | 6 secure coed beds | Minnesota DOC inspection, 2023 |
| Operational capacity | 5.10 beds at 85 percent | Minnesota DOC inspection, 2023 |
| Facility type | 90 Day Lockup | Minnesota DOC inspection, 2023 |
| Historical average daily population | 2 | Prisoners of the Census / BJS Census of Jails source data, 2013 |
| Kittson County population estimate | 3,992 | U.S. Census QuickFacts, July 1, 2025 estimate |
| National local jail population | 664,200 | BJS Jail Inmates in 2023, midyear 2023 |
Kittson County Jail Trends
Trend data for the Kittson County inmate population is sparse. No official county population dashboard or roster archive was found. The verified trend picture is still useful: Kittson had a 2013 average daily population of 2 in BJS source data and a 2023 approved capacity of 6 beds in the Minnesota DOC inspection report. The DOC archive also lists a 2024 Kittson County Jail inspection report, but the build research did not extract new 2024 findings, so no 2024 compliance conclusions are stated here.
| Year or Date | Kittson Jail Measure | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Average daily population of 2 | BJS Census of Jail Facilities source table reported by Prisoners of the Census |
| 2023 inspection | 6 approved beds; 5.10 operational capacity | DOC inspection of Kittson County Jail |
| 2024 archive | Inspection report listed | Minnesota DOC adult facility inspection archive |
| 2026 online search | No official live count found | No county roster or jail population dashboard located in official sources |
The county's population base also matters. U.S. Census QuickFacts gives a 2025 estimate of 3,992 residents and a 2020 Census count of 4,207. Six approved beds against the 2025 estimate equals about 150 approved beds per 100,000 residents. That is a capacity calculation, not a current incarceration rate.
Kittson County Jail Capacity Rules
The Kittson County inmate population is constrained by the jail's DOC authority and Minnesota local detention rules. The 2023 report identifies the facility as a 90 Day Lockup, not a regional jail or a state prison. Minnesota Rules chapter 2911 governs local adult detention standards, including facility classification, health, records, security, welfare, and sanitation. The report's use of 85 percent operational capacity means the practical population target is lower than the approved bed count.
Key statutes and rules:
Minn. Stat. 641.05 requires sheriffs to keep a permanent jail record for each person committed to the jail.
Minn. Stat. 241.021 gives the DOC inspection and licensing authority over correctional facilities and public inspection reports.
Minnesota Rules chapter 2911 sets local adult detention facility standards, including classification and capacity controls.
Minn. Stat. 13.82 makes many arrest-data categories public at the originating law enforcement agency.
Who Is Counted in Kittson Custody
Kittson County Jail holds local adult custody within the limits approved by the DOC. The Kittson County inmate population can include people booked after a sheriff or police arrest, people held before court, people with local warrants, and people serving short commitments. Juvenile custody is limited by state rules. Long prison sentences move out of the county jail system and into the Minnesota Department of Corrections after commitment.
| Custody Type | Where to Check | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Pretrial or short local custody | Kittson County Sheriff's Office and jail phone | This is the local jail population. |
| Sentenced state prison custody | Minnesota DOC public locator | DOC custody is separate from the county jail. |
| County jail release alerts | Minnesota VINE | VINE can provide release and transfer notifications. |
| Federal custody | Federal BOP locator or U.S. Marshals | Federal prisoners do not appear in county jail records after transfer. |
| Immigration custody | ICE detainee locator | ICE custody uses a separate federal system. |
Kittson County Roster Search Limits
No official Kittson County Jail online roster, inmate search portal, daily booking report, released-inmate list, or mugshot gallery was located in the official-source sweep. That is not unusual for a six-bed 90-day lockup, but it changes the search strategy. A current Kittson County inmate search should start with the sheriff's office rather than a commercial inmate page. If staff cannot confirm the person, the next channel depends on whether the person was released, transferred, sentenced, or moved into federal custody.
The county directory lists the Kittson County Sheriff's Office at 410 5th Street S, Suite 102, Hallock, MN 56728, with phone 218-843-3535 and fax 218-843-2020. The same directory names Matt Vig as sheriff, Dave Thompson as chief deputy, Kelly Kukowski as office manager and jail administrator, and Lori Bothum as assistant jail administrator. Those details make the sheriff's office the practical records-request route when no web roster exists.
Search Kittson County Inmates by Phone
The fastest official route for the Kittson County inmate population is the jail information line. A caller should be ready with the person's full name, date of birth if known, the arresting agency if known, and the approximate arrest date. Ask whether the person is in intake, held at Kittson County Jail, released, transferred, or under another agency hold. If a public record is needed, ask how the sheriff accepts Minnesota Government Data Practices Act requests because no online Kittson sheriff request form was found.
- Call the Kittson County Sheriff's Office and jail at 218-843-3535.
- Ask whether the person is currently held, still in intake, or transferred.
- Ask what public booking or commitment data can be released.
- For a visit, ask for the call-ahead process and officer availability.
- If the person was sentenced, search the Minnesota DOC locator instead.
- For release alerts, use Minnesota VINE and keep the VINE contact number, 877-664-8463.
Minnesota DOC and VINE Search
State prison custody is not part of the local Kittson County inmate population. The Minnesota DOC public locator searches adults committed to the Commissioner of Corrections and still under DOC jurisdiction. Newly sentenced people may take several business days to appear, and DOC name searches use begins-with matching that may return names beyond the exact spelling.
The DOC locator entry screen captured for this project shows the statewide search controls used after a Kittson County case becomes state custody.
Use that state locator for sentenced prison custody, not for people waiting in the Kittson County Jail before first appearance.
| DOC Locator Field | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search method | Radio or tab | Yes | Name or MNDOC Offender ID |
| First Name | Text | Optional | Name search includes conviction name history and begins-with matches |
| Last Name | Text | Optional | Begins-with matching can return broad results |
| MNDOC Offender ID | Text | Required for ID search | Six-digit ID; partial IDs do not work |
Kittson County Inmate Record Fields
Kittson does not publish a sample online inmate profile, so local record fields come from Minnesota law and sheriff contact channels. Minn. Stat. 641.05 requires the sheriff's permanent jail record to include the person's name, commitment authority, residence, commitment date, description if the commitment is for a criminal offense, release authority, and escape details if any. Minn. Stat. 13.85 limits some detention data when release would expose medical, security, safety, or confidential investigation details.
| Field | What It Shows in Kittson County |
|---|---|
| Name | Required in the sheriff's permanent jail record. |
| Authority for commitment | Arrest, warrant, court order, sentence, or hold basis. |
| Date of commitment | When the person was committed to the jail. |
| Release authority | When and by what authority the person was liberated. |
| Booking photo | Generally public under Minnesota law, but not posted online by Kittson in the sources found. |
| Medical or security data | May be private, confidential, or withheld under detention-data rules. |
Court Records and Mugshots
Jail custody and court charges split after booking. Kittson County District Court is part of Minnesota's Ninth Judicial District, and formal criminal cases are searched through Minnesota Court Records Online after accepting the portal terms. Pending criminal cases may not appear by defendant-name search if there is no conviction, so a case number search can be more reliable when the number is known.
The Kittson County jail mugshots page covers booking photographs and Minnesota public-data limits. The court records after jail arrest page covers the arrest-to-charge path, court calendar fields, charging documents, warrants, and the role of Kittson County Attorney Robert Albrecht in filed cases.
Kittson County Detention Facility
The Facility Map identifies one local detention facility in Kittson County. No separate work-release annex, regional jail, state prison, BOP prison, ICE facility, or U.S. Marshals contract facility physically located in Kittson County was found in official sources. Hallock has a police department, but no municipal jail was identified on the city page.
- Kittson County Jail - county jail and 90 Day Lockup for adult local custody, pre-first-appearance detainees, local warrants, short commitments, and approved short-term holds.
- Booking
- Administrative intake after arrest, including identification, property inventory, and record creation.
- Detainer
- A request or hold from another agency that can keep a person in custody after local bond is addressed.
- DOC
- The Minnesota Department of Corrections, which handles sentenced state prison custody and supervision.
- 90 Day Lockup
- A local detention classification tied to short-term custody limits under Minnesota detention standards.
Kittson County Inmate Population FAQ
How large is the Kittson County inmate population?
The only verified local jail capacity figure is 6 approved secure coed beds, with 5.10 operational beds at 85 percent, from the 2023 Minnesota DOC inspection report. The only historical average daily population found was 2 in 2013 BJS source data.
Can the Kittson County inmate population be searched online?
No official Kittson County online jail roster was located in the research. Current local custody checks should start with the Kittson County Sheriff's Office at 218-843-3535, then move to VINE, MCRO, DOC, BOP, or ICE if the person is not in the local jail.
Does Minnesota VINE replace the jail phone line?
No. Minnesota VINE is useful for county jail release and transfer notifications, but the sheriff's office remains the direct local contact for current Kittson custody questions and public booking-data requests.
Where are sentenced Kittson County inmates listed?
People committed to state prison are searched through the Minnesota DOC public locator. That locator is statewide and separate from Kittson County Jail, and newly sentenced people may take several business days to appear.