The Buchanan County jail roster is a public record that lists individuals currently held in the county jail in St. Joseph, Missouri. BuchananCourt.us can help you find publicly available information about current and recent inmates. You can also access jail roster information through the Buchanan County Sheriff's Office website, by calling the jail directly, or by visiting in person. A jail roster search lets the public verify whether someone is in custody, view current charges, and find booking details. The Buchanan County Sheriff's Office maintains the roster, which is updated regularly and hosted online as a transparency tool for the community.
Search Current Inmates in Buchanan Jail
There are several ways to look up someone currently held in the Buchanan County Jail.
Online Search
- Visit BuchananCourt.us to search publicly available court and inmate information for Buchanan County.
- You can also check the Buchanan County Sheriff's Office website for a current inmate roster. The roster typically displays a browsable list of inmates that you can scroll through or search using your browser's find function (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F).
- For individuals who have been transferred to state custody, the Missouri Department of Corrections Offender Search tool can confirm whether someone is in a state facility.
- The Missouri State Highway Patrol arrest reports search allows you to look up arrest records by name and county, including Buchanan County.
To begin a search, you will need the individual's full legal name. A booking number, if known, can help narrow results.
By Phone
Call the Buchanan County Jail directly to ask whether a specific person is currently in custody. Staff can confirm basic booking information over the phone.
In Person
You can visit the jail lobby during regular business hours to inquire about an inmate.
Juvenile offenders are excluded from the public jail roster. If you need information about a juvenile case, contact the Buchanan County juvenile court through the Missouri Courts system.
Find Buchanan Jail Booking Records Online
A booking record is created each time an individual is processed into the Buchanan County Jail. This happens after an arrest, when jail staff document the person's identity, photograph, and the circumstances of their detention.
A typical booking record includes:
- Booking number
- Date and time of booking
- Charges at the time of intake
- Arresting agency (Buchanan County Sheriff's Office, St. Joseph Police Department, Missouri State Highway Patrol, etc.)
- Bond amount, if set
- Mugshot (when published)
Current booking records are generally viewable on the jail roster. If you need a copy of a booking record that is no longer displayed online, you can submit a records request to the Buchanan County Sheriff's Office. The St. Joseph Police Department Records Unit handles requests for records generated by city police arrests; fees may apply at a rate of $30 per hour for research and $0.10 per page for copies.
For formal criminal history checks, the Missouri Automated Criminal History Site (MACHS) processes fingerprint-based background checks for a fee of $43.50.
Search the Buchanan Jail Roster by Last Name or Booking Number
The Buchanan County jail roster supports two primary search approaches:
| Search Method | What You Need | Tips |
|---|---|---|
| Last name | Inmate's last name (first name optional) | Use exact legal spelling; try alternate spellings if no results appear |
| Booking number | The number assigned at intake | This returns a single, specific record |
Practical Tips
- If the roster is displayed as a full list rather than a search form, use your browser's built-in find function (Ctrl+F on Windows, Cmd+F on Mac) to locate a name quickly.
- Try searching by last name only first. Adding a first name can cause missed results if the name was entered differently (e.g., "Robert" vs. "Rob").
- Double-check spelling. A single wrong letter can prevent a match.
- Hyphenated or compound last names may be entered inconsistently — try each part separately.
No Results?
If your search returns nothing, the person may have already been released, transferred, or may not have been booked into the Buchanan County Jail. Consider these next steps:
- Call the jail at (816) 236-8840 to ask if the person was recently released or transferred.
- Search the MODOC Offender Search to check whether the individual is in state prison custody.
- Check Missouri State Highway Patrol arrest reports to see if an arrest was logged under a different jurisdiction.
Jail Roster Updates and Search Limitations in Buchanan
The Buchanan County jail roster is updated on a regular basis, but there is typically a delay between the time someone is booked and when their name appears online. Processing, data entry, and system synchronization can cause a lag of several hours.
Key Limitations to Keep in Mind
- Delay after booking: A newly arrested person may not show up on the roster immediately. If you believe someone was just arrested, call the jail to confirm.
- Removal after release: Once an inmate is released, bonded out, or transferred, their record is usually removed from the active roster within hours. The roster reflects current custody status, not a historical archive.
- Not a complete criminal history: The roster shows only individuals currently detained in the Buchanan County Jail. It does not include past bookings, resolved cases, or records from other facilities.
- Data entry variations: Names, charges, or booking details may contain minor discrepancies due to manual data entry.
- Restricted records: Certain records — including those involving juveniles, sealed cases, or sensitive investigations — will not appear on the public roster.
For court case information tied to a booking, search the Missouri Courts case lookup system, which covers Buchanan County circuit court filings. Historical judicial records may also be available through the Missouri State Archives judicial records collection.