The St. Lawrence County Inmate Population
The local jail count centers on the St. Lawrence County Correctional Facility in Canton. That jail is operated by the St. Lawrence County Sheriff's Office and holds adults awaiting court, adults awaiting sentencing, people serving local jail terms up to one year, state-ready prisoners waiting for transfer, parole violator categories, civil detainees, and other classifications reported to the State Commission of Correction and DCJS. The state reports jail population figures as average daily census numbers. In the monthly report prepared June 1, 2026, the St. Lawrence County jail census for May 2026 was 123, with 122 people housed in-house and one person boarded out.
The St. Lawrence County inmate population also includes two state prisons inside the county: Gouverneur Correctional Facility and Riverview Correctional Facility. Those prisons are run by New York State DOCCS, not by the sheriff. They hold sentenced male state-prison incarcerated individuals and are searched through the statewide DOCCS lookup. A person arrested in Canton, Massena, Potsdam, Gouverneur, or Ogdensburg may start in the county jail, but a state-prison sentence shifts the record trail from county custody to DOCCS custody.
St. Lawrence County Jail Statistics
The county's own correctional history page and the DCJS/SCOC reports give the strongest local figures. The jail has 164 single cells and may hold 186 people when double-cell authorization is granted by the New York State Commission of Correction. The current building is about 93,000 square feet on 22.5 acres. For May 2026, the official monthly report showed a census well below both the single-cell number and the double-cell ceiling.
The SCOC population statistics page links the monthly and annual jail reports used for these figures. The screenshot below shows that state population statistics are a separate official source from the county jail's custody and visitation pages.
That distinction matters because the jail can answer current custody questions, while SCOC and DCJS explain population trends over time.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Date |
|---|---|---|
| Average daily census | 123 | DCJS/SCOC Monthly Jail Population Trends, prepared June 1, 2026 |
| In-house population | 122 | DCJS/SCOC Monthly Jail Population Trends, May 2026 |
| Sentenced jail population | 56 | DCJS/SCOC Monthly Jail Population Trends, May 2026 |
| Other unsentenced population | 59 | DCJS/SCOC Monthly Jail Population Trends, May 2026 |
| Rated capacity | 164 single cells; 186 with double-cell authorization | St. Lawrence County Correctional About page, captured June 2026 |
| 2025 annual average daily census | 150 | DCJS/SCOC Annual Jail Population Report, prepared January 29, 2026 |
St. Lawrence County Population Trends
The St. Lawrence County inmate population moved in two different directions depending on the time window. The annual report showed a rise from 116 in 2024 to 150 in 2025, a 29 percent increase. The monthly report then showed a sharp drop from May 2025 to May 2026, from 164 to 123. The state-ready count is part of that change. State-ready means a person has been sentenced to state prison but is still waiting in the county jail for transfer to DOCCS.
| Period | Average Census | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 annual | 74 | COVID-era low in the annual report. |
| 2024 annual | 116 | Gradual increase after the 2020 low. |
| 2025 annual | 150 | Annual census rose 29 percent over 2024; state readies averaged 12. |
| May 2025 monthly | 164 | Near the single-cell capacity, with 28 state-ready people. |
| May 2026 monthly | 123 | Down 25 percent from May 2025, with one state-ready person. |
Vera's St. Lawrence County jail fact sheet adds a different research lens. It reported a May 2019 average daily population of 138 and a May 2022 average daily population of 102, a 26 percent drop over that span. Vera also reported that the pretrial share fell from 70 percent to 56 percent between those May snapshots. Those figures should be read as policy and trend context, while the DCJS/SCOC reports remain the official jail population source for current state reporting.
Who Counts in St. Lawrence Jail Data
The May 2026 monthly report shows how the St. Lawrence County inmate population breaks down inside the jail count. Sentenced inmates and other unsentenced people were nearly equal, with 56 sentenced and 59 other unsentenced. Other unsentenced includes people awaiting arraignment, trial, or sentencing and certain parole-related re-arrests. The same monthly report showed three civil detainees, two technical parole violators, one state-ready person, no federal custody category, and one boarded-out person.
- Sentenced jail inmates were serving local jail terms or related county custody time, not state-prison sentences.
- Other unsentenced people were awaiting court action or sentencing, which is why jail status and court records should be checked together.
- State-ready people had been sentenced for state-prison transfer but had not yet moved into DOCCS custody.
- Federal custody was reported as zero in every monthly St. Lawrence row from May 2025 through May 2026.
Note: Demographic figures for sex, race, and charge severity come from Vera's research file support, not the live county custody system.
St. Lawrence Jail Capacity
The St. Lawrence County Correctional Facility opened in May 2009 after replacing the older Judson Street jail in the Village of Canton. The county describes the building as a direct-supervision jail designed by SMRT Architects, with about 93,000 square feet on 22.5 acres and a construction cost of roughly $32.5 million. Capacity needs careful wording because the county gives two numbers: 164 single cells and 186 when double-cell authorization is granted by SCOC.
May 2026 in-house population was 122, which was 42 below the single-cell capacity. August 2025 was much tighter. The monthly report showed 164 in-house that month, matching the single-cell capacity while still below the double-cell authorized ceiling. The research did not locate a current federal consent decree, DOJ investigation, or new jail construction project for the county jail. The stronger local capacity story is the swing between a 2025 rise, the state-ready transfer issue, and the lower monthly census reported in spring 2026.
Laws Governing St. Lawrence Jail Data
New York law explains why some St. Lawrence County inmate population records are public while other details are limited. Jail registers, public-record requests, correctional oversight, mortality review, and sealing rules come from separate statutes. A public lookup can show custody status, but it is not a full court file, a medical record, or a complete criminal-history report.
Key Statutes:
New York Correction Law section 500-f requires jail keepers to keep a daily record of commitments and discharges and makes that record public and permanent.
New York Public Officers Law section 87 is the FOIL access rule for agency records, subject to exemptions for privacy, safety, investigations, and sealed matters.
New York Correction Law section 45 gives SCOC inspection and oversight duties for correctional facilities.
New York Correction Law section 47 covers Medical Review Board investigation and review of deaths in custody.
New York Criminal Procedure Law section 160.50 governs sealing and return or destruction of photographs and fingerprints after a favorable termination.
St. Lawrence State Prison Custody
DOCCS custody is a different part of the St. Lawrence County inmate population picture. The DOCCS handbook states that the agency is not responsible for people in city or county correctional facilities or local police lockups. It holds sentenced state-prison incarcerated individuals and supervises community release. The county has two active DOCCS prisons, Gouverneur Correctional Facility and Riverview Correctional Facility, both medium-security male facilities.
Someone can be arrested in St. Lawrence County, held at the county jail, sentenced, and then moved into DOCCS custody. Once DOCCS receives that person, the DOCCS incarcerated lookup becomes the right search tool. The person is not necessarily assigned to a prison in St. Lawrence County just because the case began there.
Search St. Lawrence County Inmates
St. Lawrence County did not publish a static county-hosted roster page in the official county pages inspected for the research file. The official public custody route is VINE/VINELink, backed by the county's correctional victim information page and the SCOC county-jail route. The county says VINE information is free and available around the clock. The sheriff app also advertises corrections tools, including an inmate search provided by Appriss Safety and VINE change-of-status notification signup.
The county VINE information page is a useful source for the public notification path.
VINELink is a custody-status and notification tool, so court charges and official case outcomes still need court sources.
- Open VINELink or use the VINE route from the county correctional pages.
- Select New York and search by the person's full legal name. Add a date of birth if available.
- Check whether the result is tied to the St. Lawrence County Correctional Facility or a different New York custody source.
- If the person may be a victim-notification subject, use NYSID, DIN, or date of birth when those identifiers are available.
- If no match appears, call the jail or use the sheriff records/FOIL route for current custody or document access.
- If the person has been sentenced to state prison, search DOCCS instead of the county jail route.
St. Lawrence Current Inmate Lookup
The public lookup fields depend on the VINELink interface version, but the county research captured the fields and identifiers most likely to help. A complete name is the first route. Date of birth reduces false matches. NYSID and DIN can help when supplied through a prosecutor or state-custody record. Registration for notification is separate from a basic lookup and uses a phone number plus a four-digit PIN when the telephone route is used.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| State / location | Dropdown or location selector | Yes implied | Select New York for county jail custody. |
| Search category | Tab or route | Yes implied | Person, offender, or custody wording may vary. |
| Name | Text | Usually yes | Use full legal name where possible. |
| Date of birth | Date or text | Varies | The county VINE page says full name and DOB may be used. |
| NYSID / DIN | Identifier | Optional | Helpful for state custody or when the DA provides an identifier. |
| Phone number and PIN | Notification fields | Only for registration | Used to receive release or status alerts. |
Past St. Lawrence Inmate Records
VINELink is strongest for current custody and notification. It should not be treated as a complete archive of every past booking. For released people, older jail records, booking photos, jail logs, or documents not visible in a public locator, use a focused FOIL request. The county's FOIL policy says requests may be oral or written, public records are available during normal business hours, and the records access officer must make the record available, deny the request, or acknowledge it within five business days after receiving a reasonably described request.
FOIL requests work best when they include the person's full name, date of birth if known, booking or arrest date, arresting agency, and the exact record wanted. St. Lawrence County's policy says inspection has no fee, search has no fee, and paper photocopies up to 9 by 14 inches may not exceed 25 cents per page. Larger media and requests requiring more than two hours of preparation may involve actual-cost rules.
What St. Lawrence Jail Records Show
A county jail status result may show less than the complete statutory jail record. Correction Law section 500-f lists a broad daily commitment and discharge record, while VINELink focuses on status and notification. Court-filed charges, formal dispositions, and sealed-case access are separate issues. Use custody tools for where someone is held, court tools for what charges were filed, and FOIL when a document copy is needed.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Name | The person's public custody name, subject to spelling and alias limits. |
| Custody status | Whether the person appears in custody, released, transferred, or under another listed status. |
| Facility | The jail or DOCCS facility if the public feed displays it. |
| NYSID / DIN | Identifiers that help distinguish people with similar names. |
| Charges | May appear in some custody feeds, but formal charges should be checked through court sources. |
| Mugshot | Not confirmed as a guaranteed St. Lawrence County VINELink field in the official research. |
County Jail vs DOCCS Prison
A St. Lawrence County inmate search fails most often when the wrong custody system is used. The county jail covers local arrest, pretrial, local sentence, bail, and short-term custody questions. DOCCS covers sentenced state-prison custody. BOP and ICE cover separate federal and immigration systems. A release from one system does not always mean the person is free from every hold, detainer, warrant, or transfer order.
| County Jail | State Prison | Federal / ICE | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who is held | Pretrial detainees, local sentenced inmates, state readies, civil and parole categories. | Sentenced state-prison incarcerated individuals. | Federal prisoners, USMS pretrial custody context, or immigration detainees. |
| Run by | St. Lawrence County Sheriff's Office. | New York State DOCCS. | BOP, USMS, or ICE depending on status. |
| Where to look | VINELink, VINE phone line, jail phone, sheriff app, FOIL. | DOCCS incarcerated lookup. | BOP inmate locator or ICE detainee locator. |
| Best for | Current local custody and jail status. | Current state facility assignment and sentence-related records. | Federal or immigration custody outside the county jail roster. |
State and Federal Inmate Search
The DOCCS lookup can be searched by last name alone or with birth year, or by DIN or NYSID alone. The DOCCS handbook says each admitted incarcerated individual receives a DIN and that the lookup shows current facility assignment. Youthful Offender status is not listed. During transfers, location may not appear until the person reaches the next facility.
For federal custody, use the BOP inmate locator for people in BOP custody and the U.S. Marshals Northern District of New York for federal process context. For immigration detention, use the ICE Online Detainee Locator. The research found no active BOP prison or ICE detention center inside St. Lawrence County, so those searches are separate from the local facility list.
St. Lawrence Detention Facilities
Three facilities define the St. Lawrence County detention map. One is the sheriff-operated local jail. Two are state prisons physically located in the county. Each uses a different public lookup route and serves a different population.
- St. Lawrence County Correctional Facility - the county jail for local arrests, pretrial custody, short jail sentences, state readies, civil categories, and other SCOC jail classifications.
- Gouverneur Correctional Facility - a medium-security DOCCS prison for sentenced male state-prison incarcerated individuals.
- Riverview Correctional Facility - a medium-security DOCCS prison in Ogdensburg for sentenced male state-prison incarcerated individuals.
St. Lawrence Inmate Population FAQ
How large is the St. Lawrence County inmate population?
The May 2026 DCJS/SCOC monthly report showed a St. Lawrence County jail average daily census of 123. The 2025 annual average daily census was 150. Those figures count the county jail population, not the full DOCCS state-prison population at Gouverneur and Riverview.
How do I search the St. Lawrence County inmate population?
Start with VINELink or the VINE route linked from the county correctional pages. Use the jail phone for current custody confirmation if the online result is unclear. Use DOCCS for sentenced state prisoners, BOP for federal custody, and ICE for immigration detention.
Does St. Lawrence County publish a static jail roster?
The official county pages inspected did not show a county-hosted static roster. The researched public routes are VINELink, VINE by phone, the sheriff app's advertised Appriss inmate search, the jail information line, and FOIL for records not posted online.
What is a state-ready inmate?
A state-ready inmate is a person sentenced to state prison but still held in the county jail while waiting for DOCCS transfer. St. Lawrence County had 28 state readies in May 2025 and one in May 2026, according to the monthly report.