Find Whitman County Inmate Population Records
Whitman County inmate population records are published online through a dedicated jail website that refreshes approximately every 10 minutes, making it one of the more frequently updated rosters in eastern Washington. The Whitman County Jail in Colfax shows current inmates with their alleged offenses, bond information, and sentence classification codes. The site also has an archive of inmates released in the past seven days. This page covers how to use both tools, what the data fields mean, and how to find someone who may have moved to state custody after sentencing.
Whitman County Jail Overview
Whitman County Jail Inmate Records
The Whitman County Jail is at 411 N Mill Street in Colfax, the county seat. The County Clerk's office is nearby at 400 N Main Street, Colfax, WA 99111. The jail is operated by the Whitman County Sheriff's Office, which maintains the county's law enforcement operations across a large area of eastern Washington that includes Pullman, the home of Washington State University.
The county runs a dedicated website for jail records at whitmancountyjail.org. This site is separate from the main county government website and is focused entirely on jail population data. The roster refreshes approximately every 10 minutes, which is much faster than the once-daily updates seen at many rural county jails. That near-real-time update frequency means the data is generally current and reflects very recent bookings and releases.
| Facility | Whitman County Jail |
|---|---|
| Address | 411 N Mill Street, Colfax, WA 99111 |
| Online Roster | whitmancountyjail.org |
| Release Archive | whitmancountyjail.org/archive.aspx |
| Sheriff Website | whitmancounty.org |
| County Clerk | 400 N Main Street, Colfax, WA 99111 |
The jail's website includes a standard disclaimer stating that the roster information is arrest and detention data only. It is not conviction data. Appearing on the roster means a person has been booked into the jail. It does not mean they have been found guilty of any crime. This distinction matters when using the information for any purpose beyond a basic custody check.
How to Read the Whitman County Jail Roster
Go to whitmancountyjail.org to see the current inmate list. The roster shows each person's full name with age, inmate number, booking number, booked date and time, alleged offenses with statute citations, bond information including the cash alternative amount, and a sentence class code. Each of these fields gives you different information about the person's status in the system.
The sentence class codes used on the Whitman County roster have specific meanings. SM stands for Simple Misdemeanor. UM stands for Gross Misdemeanor (the U designation is for "unclassified" within the misdemeanor range in local usage). UF stands for Unclassified Felony. FED stands for Federal charge. These codes help you understand the general severity of the alleged offense at a glance, though they are based on the charges at booking and may change as the case proceeds through the court system.
The screenshot below shows the Whitman County jail inmate listing as it appears on the public-facing website, including the charge and bond fields.
Bond information on the roster shows the set bond amount and, where applicable, the cash alternative. If a person posts bond, they are released from custody and will no longer appear on the current roster. They would still show up in the releases archive for up to seven days after they leave the facility.
Note: The roster disclaimer states that this is NOT conviction data. It reflects arrests and detentions only. An arrest does not indicate guilt or any finding by a court.
Recently Released Inmates
The Whitman County jail website has a separate archive page at whitmancountyjail.org/archive.aspx that shows inmates released within the past seven days. This page is useful if you are looking for someone who was in custody recently but no longer appears on the current roster. The archive shows the release date and time along with the reason for release, such as bond posted, sentence served, or charges dismissed.
The screenshot below shows the release archive page as it appears on the Whitman County jail website.
The archive only goes back seven days. If you need older release data, you would need to submit a public records request to the Sheriff's Office or search court records for case outcomes.
Public Records Requests in Whitman County
Washington's Public Records Act at RCW 42.56 requires government agencies in Whitman County to respond to public records requests within five business days. The Sheriff's Office must produce records, give a timeline, or ask for clarification within that window. Booking logs, incident reports, and jail records are generally subject to disclosure under this law, with limited exceptions.
The legal requirement for jails to maintain and publish custody records comes from RCW 70.48.100. This statute is the basis for the publicly accessible roster on the jail website. If you need records beyond what that site shows, contact the Sheriff's Office through whitmancounty.org or write to them in Colfax. For court records, the County Clerk at 400 N Main Street can assist with certified copies and case documents. The Washington Courts portal at courts.wa.gov also covers Whitman County Superior and District Court cases and is free to search.
VINE Victim Notification for Whitman County
Even though Whitman County's roster updates every 10 minutes, manually checking a website is not always practical. VINE (Victim Information and Notification Everyday) sends automatic alerts to victims and concerned parties when an inmate is released, transferred, or has a change in their custody status. Sign up for free at VINELink.com. You can choose to be notified by phone, text, or email, and registration does not require you to disclose your identity.
VINE covers the Whitman County Jail and all Washington State Department of Corrections facilities. If someone moves from county custody to state prison after sentencing, VINE continues to track them. This cross-system coverage is especially useful when a person's legal situation is still active and they could move between facilities.
Note: VINE is anonymous and free. It provides automatic notifications rather than requiring you to check the roster yourself.
State-Level Inmate Search Resources
For individuals not found in the Whitman County jail system, Washington State has tools to continue the search. The Washington State DOC maintains a free incarcerated person search at doc.wa.gov. This covers everyone serving a state sentence in a DOC facility. If someone was convicted in Whitman County Superior Court and sent to a state prison, the DOC search will show their current facility and basic sentence information.
The WATCH system at watch.wsp.wa.gov provides Washington criminal history records. WATCH requires a fee but gives a broader view of someone's arrest and conviction history across Washington State. The courts portal at courts.wa.gov is free and covers case records statewide, which is helpful for checking the outcome of cases that started as jail bookings in Whitman County.
Cities in Whitman County
Whitman County is in the Palouse region of southeastern Washington. Colfax is the county seat. Pullman, home to Washington State University, is the largest city in the county and qualifies for its own page on this site. Other towns include Pullman, Moscow Road area, St. John, Garfield, and Palouse. All jail bookings in the county go through the Whitman County Jail in Colfax.
Nearby Counties
Whitman County borders several other counties in eastern Washington. If you are looking for someone and they are not in the Whitman County system, these neighboring counties may be relevant.