The Cowlitz County Inmate Population
The adult Cowlitz County inmate population is centered at the Cowlitz County Jail Division, which the county identifies as the only detention center in Cowlitz County. It serves Longview, Kelso, Castle Rock, Kalama, Woodland, and the smaller county communities. City police agencies still appear in jail records as arresting agencies, but the public adult custody point is the county jail rather than separate city jail rosters. The jail is operated through the Cowlitz County Corrections Department, and the county roster is hosted by Cowlitz County.
Different sources count different things. A live roster count is a point-in-time view of people in custody. An average daily population is a yearly measure. Booking and release counts show movement through the jail, not the number of people held all year. The juvenile detention center on First Avenue is also a custody facility, but youth records are handled under juvenile court rules and are not searched through the adult roster. Sentenced state prisoners from Cowlitz County move to Washington State Department of Corrections custody and stop being part of the local jail count.
Cowlitz County Inmate Population Statistics
The most useful Cowlitz County inmate population figures are dated and source-specific. The live jail roster inspected on July 2, 2026 at 7:40 a.m. showed 192 current inmates, 22 bookings in the last 24 hours, and 26 releases in the last 48 hours. The county jail page states that the jail averages around 325 residents at any given time. A 2013 county video-visitation RFP described a 356-bed Jail Annex capacity and a 277 average daily population for that year.
| Measure | Figure | Source / date |
|---|---|---|
| Current adult jail roster | 192 inmates | Cowlitz County Jail roster, 2026-07-02 07:40 a.m. |
| Bookings in last 24 hours | 22 bookings | Cowlitz County Jail roster, 2026-07-02 07:40 a.m. |
| Releases in last 48 hours | 26 releases | Cowlitz County Jail roster, 2026-07-02 07:40 a.m. |
| County-page average | Around 325 residents | Cowlitz County Jail Division page |
| WASPC 2023 average daily population | 215 ADP | WASPC 2023 jail statistics snippet |
| Jail Annex capacity | 356 beds | County RFP snippet, 2013 |
Cowlitz County Inmate Population Trends
Cowlitz County does not publish a clean five-year public jail dashboard in the sources reviewed, so the local trend has to be read from separate data points. The 2022 WASPC snippet reported 186 ADP. The 2023 WASPC snippet reported 215 ADP. The county jail page gives a broader current statement of around 325 residents, while the live roster snapshot on July 2, 2026 showed 192 current inmates. Those numbers should not be blended into one trend line because they use different methods.
| Year / date | ADP or count | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 277 ADP | Jail Annex figure from county video-visitation RFP snippet. |
| 2022 | 186 ADP | Annual average from WASPC jail statistics snippet. |
| 2023 | 215 ADP | Annual average from WASPC jail statistics snippet. |
| Current county page | Around 325 residents | County narrative average, not a timestamped roster count. |
| 2026-07-02 | 192 current inmates | One live roster count, not an annual average. |
The safest reading is that Cowlitz County has several valid custody measures. Average daily population shows jail load over time. The current roster shows who is physically listed now. Bookings and releases show how fast people move through intake, court, bail, release, sentence, or transfer.
Who Is Held in Cowlitz County Jail
The Cowlitz County Jail population includes adult pretrial detainees, people held on misdemeanor or felony court matters, sentenced local inmates, city police bookings, and Washington DOC supervision violators held by contract. Roster examples show courts and agencies such as Cowlitz County Superior Court, District Court, Kelso Municipal Court, Longview Municipal Court, Drug Court, Other - Out of County, and DOC Contract Court. The roster also shows arresting agencies such as CCSO, LVPD, KEPD, CCCD, and DOC.
- Adult local custody: Current adult county jail records are searched through the county roster.
- DOC supervision holds: Some people are in the county jail on DOC hold or probation/parole violation entries.
- Municipal cases: Longview and Kelso bookings can still appear on the county jail roster.
- Juvenile custody: Youth detention is separate from the adult jail roster and has privacy limits.
- Federal or ICE custody: No mapped federal prison or ICE adult detention center was found in Cowlitz County.
Published local demographic detail is limited. The WASPC 2023 snippet reported 215 ADP, with 159 males and 56 females. The 2022 snippet reported 186 ADP, with 157 males and 29 females. Race, age, pretrial status, and charge-level demographic breakdowns were not found in the official county pages reviewed.
Cowlitz County Jail Capacity
The older 2013 RFP capacity figure gives a useful benchmark, but it is not the same as a current rated-capacity page. The county jail page says the jail averages around 325 residents, while the 2013 RFP reported a 356-bed Jail Annex capacity. Since the sources use different dates and descriptions, the better statement is that Cowlitz County publishes a current average and older capacity material, not a current overcrowding declaration.
Cowlitz County also uses population-management tools. The Work Crew program is described as an alternative sentencing option for minimum-risk offenders and is designed to reduce jail overcrowding by letting eligible people complete work tied to fines, program fees, community service, and jail sentences. The jail FAQ also describes good-time rules and inmate worker opportunities that can affect release-date calculation for eligible sentenced inmates.
Laws Governing Cowlitz County Jail Records
Washington law controls what the public can see from the Cowlitz County inmate population. The county roster makes current adult custody information available, but jail records and booking photos do not follow a simple all-public rule. Court records are separate from jail records, and sheriff records are requested through the county's public disclosure process. The Washington Public Records Act sets the general access rule, while local jail statutes and court rules define important limits.
Key statutes and rules:
Chapter 42.56 RCW is Washington's Public Records Act for state and local agency records unless an exemption applies.
RCW 42.56.520 generally requires a prompt agency response to public-records requests.
RCW 70.48.100 governs local jail records and restricts booking photograph disclosure.
RCW 70.48.510 requires review after certain unexpected jail deaths.
CrR 3.2.1 governs procedure after warrantless arrest in Superior Court, including counsel and release issues.
Cowlitz County and WA DOC Custody
State prison custody is not the same as the Cowlitz County inmate population shown on the jail roster. The Washington State Department of Corrections incarcerated search covers people in state DOC custody after sentencing or other DOC custody status. No DOC prison was found on the official prison map inside Cowlitz County. A person can leave the county jail count after sentencing and later appear in the statewide DOC search under a DOC number rather than a county jail inmate number.
| Custody system | Who it covers | Search route |
|---|---|---|
| Cowlitz County Jail | Adult local jail custody, current roster, recent bookings, recent releases | County jail roster |
| WA DOC | Sentenced state prisoners and DOC custody records | DOC incarcerated search |
| Federal BOP | Federal sentenced prisoners | BOP Inmate Locator |
| ICE | Immigration detainees | ICE Online Detainee Locator |
Search Cowlitz County Jail Roster
The official roster at Cowlitz County Jail roster is the starting point for current adult jail custody. It is free and did not require login during inspection. It shows current inmates, last-24-hour bookings, last-48-hour releases, and a View All Charges page. The profile and charge details open in modal windows rather than separate profile pages.
- Open the current Cowlitz County Jail roster and check the updated timestamp.
- Use the current roster for people in jail now, the bookings page for last-24-hour intake, and the releases page for last-48-hour exits.
- Filter or scan by name, inmate number, booked-at time, or location code.
- Click Profile / Charges to view the inmate number, booking time, jail location, bond total, arresting agency, and charge table.
- Use the VINE registration link for custody-status notification when it appears on the row.
- If no county record appears, check releases, WA DOC, BOP, ICE, or the Sheriff's GovQA records process.
The Cowlitz County roster page shown in the screenshot displays the live current-inmate count, updated timestamp, profile/charge controls, and VINE registration links.
The roster image shows why exact names, booking times, and inmate numbers matter when matching a person to a Cowlitz County inmate record.
Cowlitz County Inmate Lookup Fields
The Cowlitz roster is table-driven rather than a traditional last-name-only form. Search behavior depends on the visible DataTables filter, browser find, sort controls, and row buttons. Copy the number and warrant/citation values exactly because the same jail number can feed the VINE link and court numbers may be needed for case searches.
| Field label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| DataTables search/filter | Text | No | Filters visible roster rows by name, number, location code, or visible table text. |
| Name column | Sortable column | No | Names appear in uppercase last-name-first format. |
| Number column | Sortable column | No | Numeric inmate number also appears in the VINE offenderID parameter. |
| Booked At | Sortable timestamp | No | Uses full date and time, such as YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS. |
| Location | Table column | No | Public housing or intake code used with visitation scheduling. |
| Profile / Charges | Button | No | Opens modal tabs for profile and charge details. |
| Victim Notification | Link | No | Registers through VINELink for custody notification. |
Cowlitz County Inmate Record Fields
A Cowlitz County inmate record is useful because it combines booking, housing, court, bond, and notification fields. It is not the same as a full criminal-history report, and it omits sensitive details such as date of birth, full physical description, fingerprints, medical data, and detailed classification. Booking photos did not appear in inspected public profile modals.
| Field | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Name and Inmate # | Public roster name and local numeric jail identifier. |
| Booked At / Book Date | The booking timestamp that starts the public jail record. |
| Jail Location | Housing or intake code used for custody and visit scheduling. |
| Visitation | Public visit blocks or temporary-housing no-visitation status. |
| Bond Total | Aggregate public bond amount tied to the profile. |
| Charges tab | Charge description, court, warrant/citation number, disposition, billing agency, bond type, and amount. |
| VINE registration | Custody notification link tied to the listed inmate number. |
Past Cowlitz County Inmate Records
Past jail records require a fallback chain because the public roster is current and short-window focused. Cowlitz County provides a current roster, bookings from the last 24 hours, and releases from the last 48 hours. If a person is outside those windows, use the Sheriff's public disclosure process through GovQA and provide a full name, date, arresting agency, inmate number if known, and any court or citation number copied from the roster.
The Cowlitz County bookings page is a separate official roster view for recent intake.
Recent bookings help bridge the gap between a fresh arrest and the full profile details that may be needed for court, bond, or records requests.
For records held by the Sheriff's Office, the Cowlitz County Sheriff's Records page links to GovQA. The records page also states that copies of reports 30 pages or longer cost $0.15 per page, or $0.10 per page for scanned materials, with actual postage charged if mailed.
Cowlitz County Detention Facilities
The mapped Cowlitz County inmate population has one adult jail facility and one juvenile detention facility. They are both in Longview, but they serve different groups and use different record rules. Adult jail custody is searched through the county jail roster. Juvenile detention is part of Superior Court and is not covered by the adult roster.
- Cowlitz County Jail holds adult county detainees, city police bookings, local sentenced inmates, and some DOC supervision violators.
- Cowlitz County Youth Services Center / Juvenile Detention serves youth under 18 in juvenile court matters, with privacy limits and separate visitation rules.
Cowlitz County Custody Terms
Roster and court terms can be read more clearly when the custody system is identified first. A booking term on the jail roster may not mean the prosecutor filed the same charge in court. A jail location code may affect visiting but does not identify a final sentence. A hold can keep a person in custody even when one charge lists a bond amount.
- Booking
- The jail intake event after arrest that creates a roster record.
- Jail roster
- The public county list for current adult custody and short-window bookings or releases.
- DOC number
- A Washington State Department of Corrections identifier, separate from a Cowlitz jail number.
- Bond total
- The public amount tied to a profile, which still must be checked with the jail before posting.
- VINE
- A victim notification service linked from Cowlitz roster rows.
Cowlitz County Inmate Population FAQ
How big is the Cowlitz County inmate population?
The answer depends on the source. The live roster showed 192 current inmates on July 2, 2026 at 7:40 a.m. The county jail page says the jail averages around 325 residents. WASPC snippets reported 186 ADP for 2022 and 215 ADP for 2023.
How do I search Cowlitz County inmates?
Use the county jail roster for current adult custody, recent bookings, recent releases, and charge profiles. If the person has been sentenced to state prison, search WA DOC instead. Federal and immigration custody use BOP or ICE systems.
Does the roster include mugshots?
Inspected Cowlitz County profile modals did not show booking photos. Washington RCW 70.48.100 restricts booking-photo disclosure, so the roster should be used for custody and charges rather than as a mugshot gallery.
Can I register for release alerts?
Yes. Cowlitz roster rows include VINE registration links. VINELink can be used for custody-status notification, but the roster and jail should still be checked for time-sensitive travel or bond decisions.
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