Clark County Inmate Population
Clark County's local custody count is centered on the Clark County Jail Services system in Vancouver. The active housing site is the Clark County Jail in the Law Enforcement Center, next to the courthouse campus. It holds people booked after arrest, people waiting for court, people held on court orders, people with no-bail holds, sentenced local-jail inmates, and some warrant or fugitive matters. The Clark County Jail Work Center remains part of the facility map, but county remodel material says it has been closed for housing since 2020.
The Clark County inmate population rises and falls with arrests, court release orders, bail decisions, sentence calculations, transfers, and jail-space limits. A person may appear on the public jail roster after intake, then disappear after release, transfer to another county, transfer to Washington DOC, or movement into federal or immigration custody. That is why a custody search should not stop with one database. The county roster is the first local source, but public records, WA VINE, DOC, BOP, and ICE each cover different custody paths.
Clark County Inmate Statistics
Clark County's published jail figures show a system with changing capacity definitions. The main jail opened with 300 beds, later operated with added bunks, and now depends on current assumptions about usable beds, staffing, and housing limits. The county's 2025 assumptions review lists 491 as the current maximum Clark County Jail capacity, while the 2024 county financial report lists a 2024 average daily jail population of 462.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Current maximum Clark County Jail capacity | 491 inmates | Clark County Jail Assumptions Review, April 2025 |
| Main jail opening capacity | 300 beds | Jail remodel page |
| 2024 average daily jail population | 462 | Clark County 2024 CAFR |
| 2025 booking-base estimate | 7,780 bookings | ECHO presentation, June 2026 |
| County population | 536,300 | Clark County 2024 CAFR |
Clark County Jail Population Trends
The Clark County inmate population trend is tied to both demand and usable housing. In 1994, the county double-bunked medium-security cells and reported a capacity of 461 with an average daily population of 462. The 2019 Correction Facility Advisory Commission report listed 590 available beds across the main jail and Work Center, with 644 average daily population in 2018. After the Work Center stopped housing inmates in 2020, current planning shifted back to the downtown jail and future pod additions.
| Year | Population or Capacity Measure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 462 ADP, 461 capacity | Jail history page after added bunks |
| 2018 | 644 ADP | CFAC report with 590 available beds |
| 2020 | Work Center housing closed | Remodel page operating change |
| 2024 | 462 ADP | County financial report table |
| 2026 | 64 planned J Pod beds | Work Center project target |
The county's jail remodel and expansion page is the best official source for current construction context.
The project page matters because the Clark County inmate population is shaped by real housing space, not just arrests or court filings.
Clark County Jail Capacity
Clark County's capacity picture is not one fixed number. The 2025 assumptions review says 491 requires full use of available beds and double or triple bunking in some cells. The ECHO material uses a 519-bed planning figure for medical and substance-use need estimates. The county also identifies future H Pod and J Pod additions, with H Pod planned for 56 minimum-security jail beds and J Pod at the Work Center planned for 64 medium-security beds.
Needs data is part of the population story. The ECHO presentation estimates 64 percent current medical need and 74 percent substance-use-disorder need under a 519-bed planning model. A February 2025 renovation presentation estimates that 25 percent of average daily population, or 110 people per day, reported homelessness before arrest. Official sources did not locate a complete current public race, sex, or age-band table for Clark County Jail.
Clark County Inmate Laws
Washington law separates the public jail register from broader inmate records. The roster is public because local jails keep register information, but medical, classification, and many other records about a confined person are not open just because the person is in custody. That legal split is the main reason the Clark County roster is a table, not a full inmate profile with every field.
Key Washington rules:
RCW 42.56 makes identifiable public records available unless an exemption or other law applies.
RCW 70.48.100 governs the jail register and treats most confined-person records as confidential.
RCW 70.48.510 requires review and corrective-action analysis after unexpected deaths in local jails.
Chapter 10.97 RCW governs criminal-history records and correction or dissemination rules.
Search Clark County Inmates
The official Clark County Jail roster is the starting point for current local custody. It is free and no login was visible during the research inspection. The roster is a public table headed by a book-date filter and shows CFN, name, book date, location, release date, and charges. It does not behave like a full vendor profile search, so browser find may be useful for a last name when the page is long.
The county roster source shows the public jail register fields used for Clark County inmate population lookup.
The roster screenshot shows why CFN, book date, location, and charge wording should be checked together before assuming a match.
- Open the official Clark County Jail roster rather than a third-party inmate site.
- Use the book-date filter or browser find to locate a name.
- Compare the CFN, full name, book date, location, and charge line.
- Call 564.397.4996 if a new booking, release, or transfer may not appear on the roster.
- Use DOC, BOP, ICE, or WA VINE when the person is no longer in local jail custody.
Clark County Roster Fields
The roster is important because it is the public register. It does not show a booking photo, birth date, bond amount, court date, arresting agency, height, weight, or a detailed profile link in the inspected public table. Those missing fields are not small details. They change what a person should expect from a Clark County inmate search.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filter records by Book Date | Page filter/control | Optional or unspecified | Appears above the roster table. |
| CFN | Roster column | Not a search field | Jail control file number, also needed for mail. |
| Name | Roster column | Not a search field | Last-name-first format in uppercase. |
| Book Date | Roster column | Not a search field | M/D/YYYY format. |
| Location | Roster column | Not a search field | Often a letter code, sometimes agency text such as SKAMANIA. |
| Charges | Roster column | Not a search field | May use abbreviations such as DUI -GM- or OUT OF COUNTY WARRANT. |
Clark County Inmate Records
When a person is not on the current roster, the next channel depends on the record needed. The Jail Records unit processes court orders, calculates sentences, and processes releases for incarcerated people. For public records beyond the jail register, use the jail public-record portal or the Sheriff's Public Disclosure Unit. Requests should include the person's full name, CFN if known, booking date, incident agency, and the exact record sought.
The Jail Records unit page explains the current roster, records-unit role, and the 24-hour jail information number.
The records page is the practical bridge between the public roster and requests that may be limited by RCW 70.48.100.
Public disclosure also has boundaries. Vancouver Police Department reports route to the City of Vancouver when that city agency owns the report, and 911 or dispatch records route to CRESA. Court charges and filed case documents are not jail records, even when the arrest started the case.
County Jail vs DOC
Clark County Jail covers pretrial custody, local jail sentences, and court holds. Washington DOC covers sentenced state prison custody. Federal and immigration custody use separate systems. Mixing those systems causes many failed searches, especially after a person is sentenced, transferred, released, or held on a federal matter.
| Custody Type | Best Lookup Channel | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Current local jail custody | Clark County Jail roster and 564.397.4996 | People housed in Clark County Jail Services custody |
| Sentenced state prison custody | Washington DOC Incarcerated Search | DOC number, name, age, and location fields |
| Federal custody | BOP Inmate Locator | BOP custody from 1982 to present |
| Immigration detention | ICE Online Detainee Locator | ICE custody search by A-number or biographical data |
| Custody notification | WA VINE | Release, transfer, escape, death, and data-feed notifications |
Clark County Detention Facilities
The Clark County inmate population is tied to two county Jail Services facilities, but only one is currently the active local housing facility. The same roster and jail information number are the correct channels for Clark County jail custody unless the county later publishes a separate Work Center roster.
- Clark County Jail holds current local jail inmates, pretrial detainees, court-order holds, and sentenced local-jail inmates in downtown Vancouver.
- Clark County Jail Work Center is a Lower River Road work-center and planned restored housing site that county materials say has been closed for housing since 2020.
No active Washington DOC prison, BOP facility, or ICE detention facility was found inside Clark County. Larch Corrections Center near Yacolt was a state prison, but DOC closure materials describe it as closed.
Clark County Custody Terms
Several short terms appear across the roster, mail rules, court records, and DOC tools. Reading them correctly helps distinguish a jail record from a court case or prison record.
- CFN
- Clark County jail control file number. It appears on the roster and is needed for inmate mail addressing.
- Booking
- Administrative jail intake after arrest or a court order, including identification and initial processing.
- Detainer
- A hold or request from another agency that can affect release after a local case is resolved.
- Classification
- The jail process for assigning housing and security level after intake.
- DOC
- Washington Department of Corrections, the state prison system for sentenced prison custody.
Clark County Inmate FAQ
How large is the Clark County inmate population?
The best official recent figure in the research is the 2024 average daily jail population of 462 from the Clark County 2024 CAFR. Capacity is not identical to population. The 2025 assumptions review lists 491 as the current maximum Clark County Jail capacity.
Does the Clark County roster show mugshots?
The inspected roster did not show booking photos. It showed CFN, name, book date, location, release date, and charges. Booking photos are sensitive under Washington jail-record rules. Clark County mugshot lookup should be separated from the jail roster search.
Who should be called for current custody?
Call the jail information line at 564.397.4996 for general or current custody information. For safety, communication, or disability concerns, Jail Services lists 564.397.2207 as a 24-hour number.
What if the person is not on the roster?
Check spelling, look for a recent release or transfer, and call the jail line. If the person was sentenced to state prison, use DOC. For federal or immigration custody, use BOP or ICE. For notification, use WA VINE.