Find an Inmate at the Mercer County Jail

Mercer County Jail Overview

The Mercer County Jail is operated by the Mercer County Sheriff's Office at 906 SW 3rd Street in Aledo. It is a local pre-trial and short-sentence facility, not a state prison. The sheriff's jail page says the building holds all sentenced and arrested county inmates, plus Cook County and federal inmates moving through or awaiting trial. The 2024 state inspection adds that it houses detainees for the U.S. Marshals Service and for other Illinois and Iowa counties, so the population is a mix of local and outside custody.

The facility has a clear capacity story. The current jail opened in 1989 with 30 beds, then a later addition added 72 more for a total of 102. It was last renovated in 2011 and holds 47 double detention rooms and two four-bed dormitories. The bed split is 90 male and 12 female, and the capacity sheet lists no juvenile beds. Jail Administrator Justin Hartman oversees the building under Sheriff Dustin Terrill.

Mercer County Jail Capacity and Population

Capacity is the firmest figure on record. The jail is rated for 102 beds, and every recent state inspection found it running well under that limit. The count was 39 on March 5, 2024, with 35 men and 4 women. Earlier inspections counted 41 in 2022 and 44 in 2021. These are single-day snapshots from the Illinois Department of Corrections, not a yearly average, which the county does not publish.

The jail's information page covers the capacity history, visitation, mail, money, and the state inspection link in one place.

Because the jail also holds detainees for other jurisdictions, a low one-day count does not mean the facility is empty across the year, only that it had room on the dates the state checked.

Who Is Held at the Mercer County Jail

The population here is more varied than the small size suggests. Most people are held on local matters, either waiting for court or serving a short county sentence after a Mercer County arrest. The jail also takes custody from outside the county under several arrangements, which is part of what keeps a rural facility busy.

• Local detainees arrested by the sheriff, Aledo Police, or other agencies, both pre-trial and short-sentence.
• Cook County and federal inmates moving through or awaiting trial, per the sheriff's jail page.
• U.S. Marshals Service detainees, so a federal defendant can be held here while the case stays federal.
• Detainees for other Illinois counties and for Iowa counties, noted in the 2024 state inspection.

Men make up the large majority every inspection year, in line with the 90 male and 12 female bed split, and the jail is not set up to hold juveniles long term.

How to Look Up an Inmate at the Mercer County Jail

The Mercer County Jail does not publish an online roster, so the lookup runs through the sheriff's office and a few official channels. The jail phone is the fastest way to confirm a current booking. For anything the phone cannot answer, a written records request fills the gap.

1. Call the jail at (309) 582-5020 or (309) 582-5158 to confirm a current booking.
2. Have the person's full name, date of birth, and rough arrest date ready.
3. Use Illinois VINE for release and custody-change alerts after that first call.
4. File a sheriff FOIA request for a booking record or photo not shared by phone.
5. If the person was sentenced to prison, switch to the Illinois Department of Corrections locator.

The full set of lookup channels, including the state, federal, and immigration locators, is laid out on the jail inmate records page.

Mercer County Jail Address and Contact

The jail shares its building with the sheriff's office on SW 3rd Street, southwest of central Aledo. Keep it separate from the courthouse on SE 3rd Street, which handles court files and dates. Jail visits, inmate money, legal mail, and bond payments happen at the address below.

The Illinois Sheriffs' Association profile gives the clearest route and confirms the 102-bed count along with the sheriff and staff.

From the junction of IL Route 97 and IL Route 17, head west on Route 17 to SW 3rd Street to reach the jail and sheriff's office.

Visiting Someone at the Mercer County Jail

Visits run three days a week and are scheduled through the jail's vendor rather than at the door. The sheriff lists Sunday, Wednesday, and Saturday in two daily blocks, booked through Combined Public Communications, also called Inmate Sales, or by phone at 1-877-988-5678. Staff can cancel a visit for policy reasons, so confirm before a long drive.

• Adult visitors must be at least 18 and show a valid state-issued ID.
• Two adults maximum per visit; children may visit with a parent or guardian.
• A shirt and shoes are required, with no revealing, gang-related, or non-religious headwear.
• No food or drinks in the visitation room, and no items may be dropped off for inmates.

Mail, Phone, and Money at the Mercer County Jail

Mail uses two addresses, and sending to the wrong one causes delays. Since July 5, 2023, regular non-legal mail goes to a Kentucky processing address, while legal mail and money orders go straight to the jail in Aledo. Money also splits by purpose, so match the tool to the task before sending anything.

A commissary deposit and a bond payment both run through JailATM but are not the same action, so pick the right one before paying. The lobby kiosk takes cash or card, but lobby hours were not published, so confirm before traveling.

Booking and Intake at the Mercer County Jail

Intake follows the standard Illinois county-jail steps that the state inspection reviews. After an arrest, the person is brought to the jail unless they need medical care first. A receiving officer checks the legal authority to hold them, verifies identity, and runs a pat-down search. Staff then photograph and fingerprint the person under current law and inventory their property on a signed receipt.

Screening comes next, covering medical conditions, medications, mental health, self-harm risk, and pregnancy where it applies. The person is allowed phone calls, which are logged, and records are opened for booking, medical, property, visitors, and the court case. Meals come from Bridges Catering, served on insulated trays. Because nothing posts online, a fresh booking is confirmed by calling the jail after transport and intake are complete.

About the Mercer County Jail

The 2024 state inspection paints a detailed picture of the jail. Reviewers found it clean and well organized, said staff knew their policies, and reported that detainees voiced no concerns about conditions or treatment that day. Medical and mental-health care comes from Advanced Correctional Healthcare, with on-site mental-health professional and LPN hours each week. Programs include a Family Resources life-skills course, an eight-week Blue Tree Counseling mental-health program, a Lutheran Social Services parent-child visitation program for female detainees, weekly services through Jail Ministry for Jesus, and an Xbox in the library. The jail also added a computer for Zoom court and attorney visits.

The inspection logged one noncompliance, a documentation gap on 30-minute observation checks that were about 95% recorded, and asked the county to tighten supervision. A 2021 review had recommended adding security staff. The jail runs a zero-tolerance PREA policy on sexual abuse, with a reporting line at (309) 582-5020.

The jail's PREA page sets out its zero-tolerance policy and how to report sexual misconduct.