Lincoln County Inmate Population
Lincoln County's custody map has one adult county jail and two state-operated juvenile correctional facilities. The adult Lincoln County inmate population is held at the Lincoln County Jail in Merrill, operated by the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office. That jail holds adult male and female offenders, pretrial detainees, sentenced county jail inmates, Huber inmates, approved electronic-monitoring candidates, boarders or holds, and people awaiting transfer.
Lincoln Hills School and Copper Lake School are physically in Lincoln County, but they are not county jail facilities. They are Wisconsin DOC Division of Juvenile Corrections Type 1 secure juvenile correctional facilities in Irma. Lincoln Hills serves male youth in DOC custody, and Copper Lake serves female youth in DOC custody. Adult county-jail detainees should not be searched through those facilities.
Lincoln County Inmate Population Statistics
Population figures depend on the source and date. The county jail page says the 2008 renovation raised official capacity from 53 beds to 188 beds. A July 3, 2026 public roster API check returned 132 records for the In Custody On date. That is a live roster count, not an audited average daily population. County ADP reports and Vera trend data give better year-over-year context.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Date |
|---|---|---|
| Official Lincoln County Jail capacity | 188 beds | Lincoln County jail page; 2008 renovation |
| Current roster count | 132 records | Public roster API checked July 3, 2026 |
| Roster occupancy estimate | 70.2% | 132 roster records divided by 188 official beds |
| June 2023 ADP | 93.17 | Lincoln County ADP report |
| June 2022 ADP | 125.35 | Lincoln County ADP report |
| Vera 2025 county jail population | 85 | Vera incarceration trends dataset, March 2026 release |
Lincoln County Population Trends
Lincoln County's inmate population fell from the higher 2019 Vera figure into lower 2020-2025 levels, with monthly county ADP reports showing large year-to-year differences. June 2022 ADP was 125.35, while June 2023 ADP was 93.17. Vera's 2025 count was 85, and the dataset rated capacity was 182, which should be labeled as a dataset figure because the county page states 188 official beds.
| Year | Total jail population | Male | Female | Vera capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 85 | 74 | 11 | 182 |
| 2024 | 69.5 | 55.75 | 13.75 | 182 |
| 2023 | 83.5 | 63 | 20.5 | 182 |
| 2022 | 75.75 | 58.97 | 16.78 | 182 |
| 2021 | 69.75 | 56.61 | 13.14 | 182 |
| 2019 | 132.5 | 110.15 | 22.35 | 171 |
Who Makes Up Lincoln County Custody
Local demographic detail is limited. The June 2023 ADP report lists 66.80 male and 26.37 female. The June 2022 ADP report lists 83.48 male and 41.81 female. Public roster rows currently hide sex, race, age, cell block, and held-for agency even though backend options exist. No official local race or ethnicity breakdown was found for the county jail.
- Adult jail custody includes pretrial detainees, county-sentence inmates, Huber inmates, and people awaiting transfer.
- Boarders and holds can affect the jail count; June 2023 listed 42.63 boarders.
- Electronic monitoring is separate from a jail bed count; June 2023 listed 0.43 EMP/home monitor.
- Juvenile DOC custody is counted through DOC sources for Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake.
Lincoln County Jail Capacity
The county's strongest capacity fact is the 2008 renovation. The county says the existing facility was remodeled into a Huber section and a constant-supervision POD was added, raising capacity from 53 to 188. With 132 roster records on July 3, 2026, the live roster count was below official capacity, but a live count can rise or fall quickly and should not be treated as audited ADP.
No official recent Lincoln County jail overcrowding lawsuit, consent decree, closure, or new jail construction project was located. A March 10, 2025 Wisconsin DOJ press release announced charges against a former Lincoln County correctional sergeant for an alleged February 2025 assault. That is a dated allegation, not a conviction, and should be read separately from population capacity.
The Irma juvenile facilities have a separate monitoring history. An April 18, 2025 DOC release on the 22nd federal monitor report for Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake covered October 2024 through February 2025 and reported improved atmosphere and substantial compliance with 45 of 50 consent-decree provisions. That context belongs to the DOC juvenile facility pages, not to adult Lincoln County Jail crowding.
Lincoln County Jail Access Laws
Wisconsin law supports public access to many jail and government records while allowing redaction or denial when specific limits apply. For Lincoln County inmate population work, the practical order is current roster first, WCCA for filed charges, jail phone for real-time custody or bond questions, and sheriff records request for reports, booking records, or mugshots not visible online.
Key Statutes:
Wis. Stat. 19.31 declares Wisconsin's broad public-records policy.
Wis. Stat. 19.35 governs inspection, copying, request descriptions, timing, and fees.
Wis. Stat. 165.83 covers criminal identification records and law-enforcement photographs.
Wis. Admin. Code DOC ch. 350 sets minimum jail standards for design, operation, and management.
Lincoln County State Prison Custody
No adult Wisconsin DOC prison was found in Lincoln County. The adult DOC locator is still important because a person arrested in Lincoln County may leave the county jail after sentencing and become part of the Wisconsin DOC population. Use the Wisconsin DOC Offender Locator for convicted adult offenders sentenced to DOC incarceration or supervision.
Lincoln Hills School and Copper Lake School are state juvenile facilities in Irma. DOC's juvenile population report lists CY 2022 ADP of 57.4 for Lincoln Hills and 11.6 for Copper Lake. Those figures should not be mixed into the adult county-jail roster count.
Search Lincoln County Inmates
The county jail roster is the best first path for current adult custody. It is public, free, and linked from the official jail page. It works by Name and In Custody On date. The public columns are narrow, so a successful roster hit may still require WCCA, the jail phone, VINE, JailATM, or records staff for the next question.
- Open the Lincoln County Current Inmates roster.
- Search by Name, or leave the name blank to review the current list for the selected date.
- Use In Custody On to check whether someone was held on a particular date.
- Read the mugshot, name, and arrest date columns.
- For charges after booking, search WCCA or contact the Clerk of Courts.
The official jail page is the county source for the jail facility and current-inmates link.
That county page also provides the capacity and renovation facts used for the population discussion.
Current Lincoln County Inmate Lookup
The active roster configuration exposes only two public search fields, while the result columns show mugshot, name, and arrest date. Backend fields such as race, sex, cell block, held-for agency, DOB, hold reasons, and release date were not active in the sampled public rows.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Text | Unspecified | Active Lincoln County filter. |
| In Custody On | Date | Unspecified | Active date filter that defaults to the current date. |
| Arrest Date | Date/result | No | Public result column, not an active filter. |
| Held For Agency | Backend dropdown | No | Not active on the public UI. |
| Release Date | Backend date | No | Not exposed publicly. |
Past Lincoln County Records
The roster is a current-inmates system, not a complete historical booking archive. For released people, older booking records, report attachments, or booking photos not shown online, use the Sheriff's Office public-records process. Requests may be oral or written, and the county says to allow 7 to 10 working days. Standard copies are $0.15 unless another fee applies, with possible charges for actual transcription, photos, postage, and location costs.
WCCA is the better source for the court side after an arrest. It may show filed charges, case events, bond orders, dispositions, and sentencing. If the person was sentenced to adult DOC custody, the DOC locator becomes the correct inmate lookup channel.
What Lincoln County Records Show
The public roster shows only a small set of fields, so users should avoid assuming that missing details do not exist. A charge may exist in court even though the roster does not show it. A bond may be payable through the jail, Clerk, Stellar kiosk, or JailATM even though the roster does not display the amount.
| Field | Public roster treatment |
|---|---|
| Mugshot | Shown if available, or replaced by a placeholder icon. |
| Name | Shown as the person's roster name. |
| Arrest Date | Shown as the date tied to the custody event. |
| Charges | Not shown; search WCCA or ask the jail/records office. |
| Bond | Not shown; check JailATM, the jail, or the Clerk. |
| Release Date | Not active in public columns. |
County Jail Versus State Prison
Lincoln County Jail is for local adult custody. Wisconsin DOC is for adult state incarceration or supervision after sentencing, and federal systems cover federal or immigration custody. This distinction prevents a common search error: a person may disappear from the county roster because they were released, moved to another county, transferred to DOC, or placed in a separate federal process.
| County Jail | State DOC | Federal/ICE | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who is held | Pretrial and county sentence adults | Sentenced adult offenders | Federal prison or immigration custody |
| Local system | Lincoln County roster | Wisconsin DOC locator | BOP or ICE locator |
| Photos | Roster mugshot if available | DOC-specific records | No county-style federal gallery |
Lincoln County Detention Facilities
The facility map has three pages. The adult jail is first because it is the main custody point for county arrests. The two Irma schools are state juvenile facilities and should be read through DOC juvenile-corrections context.
- Lincoln County Jail holds adult pretrial, sentenced county jail, Huber, electronic monitoring, boarder, hold, and transfer populations.
- Lincoln Hills School is a DOC Type 1 secure juvenile facility for male youth in Irma.
- Copper Lake School is a separate DOC Type 1 secure juvenile facility for female youth on the same campus.
Lincoln County Inmate FAQ
How large is the Lincoln County inmate population?
The jail page lists 188 official beds. The public roster returned 132 records on July 3, 2026, while June 2023 ADP was 93.17 and Vera's 2025 county jail population was 85. Each source measures a different thing.
Where do Lincoln County inmate searches start?
Current adult county-jail searches start with the Lincoln County Current Inmates roster. Use the jail phone, WCCA, VINE, DOC, BOP, ICE, or sheriff records requests when the roster is not enough.
Does Lincoln County publish charges on the roster?
No. The current public roster shows mugshot, name, and arrest date. Filed charges are tracked through WCCA after the District Attorney files a case.
Can VINE replace the jail roster?
No. Wisconsin Statewide VINE is useful for custody notifications and status alerts, and Lincoln County lists the 888-868-4631 phone number. It does not replace the roster, WCCA, the jail information line, or a public-records request when a record copy is needed.
Is there a sheriff mobile app?
No official Lincoln County Sheriff, Merrill Police, or Tomahawk Police app was found. HOMEWAV and Securus apps are vendor tools, not sheriff roster apps.
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