The Augusta County Inmate Population
The live local jail for Augusta County is Middle River Regional Jail, a regional jail operated by the Middle River Regional Jail Authority. It serves Augusta County, Staunton, Waynesboro, Harrisonburg, and Rockingham County. That regional setup is the main reason a search for an "Augusta County jail" leads to a roster branded for Middle River Regional Jail rather than a single-county sheriff jail. The jail holds men and women, local pretrial detainees, local sentenced inmates, and state-responsible inmates who have not yet moved into the Virginia Department of Corrections.
The second named facility in Augusta County is Augusta Correctional Center near Craigsville, but it is a former VADOC prison, not a current jail. VADOC announced that the prison closed on July 1, 2024, and that affected inmates and CCAP probationers were relocated based on security level and classification. Current jail custody belongs in the Middle River Regional Jail roster. Sentenced state prisoners belong in the VADOC locator once VADOC receives them.
Augusta County Inmate Population Statistics
Published figures show a jail that has often held far more people than its rated bed count. The official MRRJ history lists a rated capacity of 396, a design assumption of up to 600 inmates per day at times, a 212,020-square-foot building on 28 acres, and about 196 employees. The same official history says recent average daily population has exceeded 900 inmates per day. A Virginia Jail Capacity Report excerpt for 2023 listed Middle River Regional Jail at 909 ADP against the 396 rated capacity.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| MRRJ rated capacity | 396 inmates | MRRJ official history, inspected July 2026 |
| MRRJ 2023 ADP | 909 | Virginia Jail Capacity Report 2023 excerpt |
| Recent official high | Exceeded 900 ADP | MRRJ official history |
| MRRJ facility size | 212,020 square feet on 28 acres | MRRJ official history |
| VADOC FY2025 average housed population | 23,325 | VADOC FY2025 Management Information Summary |
Augusta County Inmate Population Trends
The strongest local trend is capacity pressure at Middle River Regional Jail. MRRJ was built after overcrowding at the former Augusta County Jail pushed inmates into other facilities. The current regional jail opened April 1, 2006, and later added Rockingham County and Harrisonburg as full member jurisdictions on July 1, 2015. Official capacity never rose to match the recent high counts reported by the jail history.
A June 2025 local-news account said MRRJ officials did not plan to revive an expansion proposal because the population had fallen from a prior comparison point. That report listed 601 people on May 27, 2025, compared with 740 in May 2024. Treat those news figures as background, not as the controlling official table. They still help explain why the Augusta County inmate population can look different from year to year even when the underlying jail remains the same regional facility.
| Year or Date | ADP / Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Recent years | Exceeded 900 ADP | MRRJ official history |
| 2023 | 909 ADP | Virginia Jail Capacity Report excerpt |
| May 2024 | 740 population | Local-news comparison |
| May 27, 2025 | 601 total | Local-news report, 493 men and 108 women |
| July 2024 | 461 ADP | Augusta Correctional Center closure-period VADOC summary |
Who Counts in Augusta County Jail Custody
The Augusta County inmate population is not limited to people arrested by the Augusta County Sheriff's Office. Middle River Regional Jail receives local inmates from Augusta County and the cities of Staunton, Waynesboro, Harrisonburg, and Rockingham County. The MRRJ record may list the arresting agency and the jail agency as Middle River Regional Jail, while the court case may belong to Augusta County or another member locality.
- Pretrial detainees: People held after arrest while bond, counsel, arraignment, or court dates are pending.
- Local sentenced inmates: People serving a local jail sentence remain under the regional jail system.
- State-responsible inmates: Some sentenced people stay at MRRJ while awaiting VADOC transfer.
- Former state-prison population: Augusta Correctional Center inmates were relocated after the July 1, 2024 closure.
The official sources did not publish an Augusta County-specific incarceration rate, annual bookings, average length of stay, felony/misdemeanor breakdown, or county-only pretrial/sentenced split. Those figures should not be inferred from roster profiles because the regional jail serves multiple jurisdictions.
Laws for Augusta County Jail Records
Virginia law shapes what can be inspected, what can be withheld, and how jail capacity is studied. The practical rule is simple: start with the MRRJ JailTracker roster for active custody, use the MRRJ FOIA Officer for jail records that are not visible online, use the sheriff for crime or incident reports, and use court systems for case disposition. Some records can be delayed, redacted, sealed, or withheld when release would compromise an investigation.
Key Statutes:
Virginia Code § 2.2-3704 gives the public-records request and inspection procedure.
Virginia Code § 2.2-3706 governs criminal and law-enforcement record release and limits.
Virginia Code Title 53.1, Chapter 3 covers local correctional facilities and board oversight.
6VAC15-81-220 requires jail planning needs assessments to include a jail population forecast.
Augusta County and VADOC Inmates
The Virginia Department of Corrections Inmate and Supervisee Locator is the statewide path for sentenced prisoners, probationers, parolees, institutional hospital assignments, people in local or regional jails under VADOC authority, and CCAP participants. VADOC says the locator is updated daily, but it also warns that displayed information may be inaccurate or outdated. That warning matters when a person has just moved from a county jail into VADOC intake.
Augusta Correctional Center once made Augusta County a state-prison location. That changed when VADOC officially closed it on July 1, 2024. Current searches for someone formerly held there should use the statewide VADOC locator, the VADOC facilities directory, or VINE notifications, not a local jail roster.
Search the Augusta County Inmate Population
The official current-custody roster for local jail inmates is the Middle River Regional Jail JailTracker public roster. It is free, and public search did not require a login during research. A login link exists for official JailTracker users, but public list and detail viewing use the roster after the disclaimer is accepted. The public setup is configured for active inmates, with images enabled.
- Open the MRRJ JailTracker roster and accept the disclaimer if it appears.
- Search by first and last name, or use Offender Id or Permanent Id when known.
- Use gender or intake date fields to narrow a common name.
- Open the row for a public profile with charges, bond, status, and photo when available.
- If the person was sentenced to state custody, search VADOC instead of the local roster.
The roster is strongest for current MRRJ custody. If a person is missing, call MRRJ, check the court case system, search VADOC, and use federal or immigration locators when the facts point outside local custody.
Augusta County Roster Search Fields
JailTracker exposes several fields, but not every supported field is visible in MRRJ's current-only configuration. Released-date and type controls are supported by the platform but hidden in the public setup because active custody is the default. The agency metadata listed released retention as 400 days, yet the public interface shows current offenders only, so released-person searches should not rely on the roster alone.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Name | Text | Optional | Enter key can run a search. |
| Last Name | Text | Optional | Most useful starting point for name searches. |
| Middle Name | Text | Optional | Helps separate common names. |
| Gender | Dropdown | Optional | Blank, F, or M. |
| Offender Id | Text | Optional | Numeric agency offender ID. |
| Permanent Id | Text | Optional | Longer-term local identifier. |
| Intake Date Range | Date | Optional | Filters by booking or intake dates. |
The roster screenshot below comes from the official JailTracker public roster source. The search screen is the reader's starting point for active Middle River Regional Jail custody.
Use the roster result as a lead, then verify custody status with MRRJ before traveling, posting bond, or sending funds.
Augusta County Inmate Record Details
A public MRRJ profile can show enough detail to identify a booking, but it is not the same as a final court record. The public data may include name, gender, status, Offender Id, Permanent Id, intake date, agency, a frontal mugshot when enabled, charge rows, bond type, bond amount, control number, and demographic fields. Birth date, Social Security number, driver's license number, and state ID were null or redacted in inspected public samples.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Mugshot/photo | Frontal image when the public profile has an image. |
| Intake Date | Booking date and time in the jail system. |
| Status | Active for inspected current records. |
| Criminal Offenses | Offense, statute, charge description, status, case number, control number, bond type, and bond amount. |
| Additional Info | Age, race, height, weight, citizenship flag, hair and eye color, arresting agency, city, state, and zip. |
County Jail vs State Prison
Reader confusion is common because one arrest can touch several systems. The jail roster covers local custody. The court system tracks charges and dispositions. VADOC tracks sentenced state custody and supervision. Federal BOP, U.S. Marshals, and ICE systems cover separate custody paths that may not appear in a county roster unless the person is housed locally under a hold.
| System | Who It Covers | Where to Search |
|---|---|---|
| Middle River Regional Jail | Local pretrial, local sentenced, and some state-responsible inmates awaiting transfer | MRRJ JailTracker roster |
| Virginia Department of Corrections | Sentenced prisoners and supervised people under VADOC authority | VADOC Inmate and Supervisee Locator |
| Federal Bureau of Prisons | Federal inmates from 1982 to present | BOP inmate locator |
| ICE | ICE detainees and CBP custody over 48 hours | ICE Online Detainee Locator System |
Augusta County Detention Facilities
The facility map has one active local jail and one former state prison. MRRJ should be the first stop for current local custody. Augusta Correctional Center should be treated as a closure and relocation topic.
- Middle River Regional Jail holds local and regional inmates from Augusta County and member jurisdictions, including pretrial and local sentenced custody.
- Augusta Correctional Center was a VADOC prison near Craigsville and closed on July 1, 2024.
State, Federal, ICE, and VINE Searches
For state custody, use the VADOC locator and expect a delay when a person moves from MRRJ into state intake. For federal custody, use the BOP inmate locator for sentenced federal inmates. For immigration custody, use the ICE detainee locator, which USA.gov describes as searchable by A-number or by name, country of birth, and date of birth. Virginia VINE is useful for custody and case notifications, but it should not replace the jail roster or VADOC locator.
The Virginia VINE portal can help track changes after a booking, transfer, or release. The Augusta County Sheriff VA app also exists on Google Play and the Apple App Store for tips, public-safety information, crime reporting, and news, but app-store text did not confirm an inmate roster function. Use MRRJ JailTracker for jail custody.
Augusta County Inmate Population FAQ
How large is the Augusta County inmate population?
MRRJ's official history says the jail has exceeded 900 average daily inmates in recent years, and the 2023 Virginia Jail Capacity Report excerpt listed 909 ADP against 396 rated capacity. A later local-news report listed 601 people on May 27, 2025. Because MRRJ is regional, the total is not an Augusta County-only head count.
Where do current Augusta County inmates appear?
Current local custody appears in the Middle River Regional Jail JailTracker public roster. Search by name, Offender Id, Permanent Id, gender, or intake date. If the person is not listed, call MRRJ, check court records, use Virginia VINE, or search VADOC, BOP, and ICE as the custody facts require.
Can released inmates be searched online?
MRRJ metadata included a released-retention setting, but the public roster is configured as current-offenders-only. Released or older booking records should be requested through the MRRJ FOIA Officer, the Sheriff's Office records channel for sheriff reports, the county NextRequest portal for county records, or the proper court clerk for case files.
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