Polk County Jail – Columbus, NC

Polk County Jail is in Polk County and is the correctional facility for this region. Know someone locked up in Polk County Jail? This page gives you about anything you might need to know about Polk County Jail,like the following: Learn how to locate an inmate. Find mugshots. The jail’s phone number and address. Bail and bail bondsmen. Intake procedures. Court records. And more…

The chance of going to jail is a scary and stressful situation, not only for the person who gets arrested, but also their family, friends, and loved ones. The goal of this guide is to give advice and information that you’ll need to make the process easier. If you have specific questions, just ask it, and any tips or comments that might help others will be much appreciated.

Do you have a family member, loved one, or friend that is locked up and need to find them?

Do you know somebody that’s been arrested and you want to find out what jail they’re in?

In order to find out who is in jail at Polk County Jail you have to visit their web site and use the inmate search.

The Polk County Jail Inmate Roster is a list of people who were arrested and are now in jail, including custody status, bail amount (if applicable), and schedule for visitation. Also, you can get information for anyone processed or released within the last 24 hours. Jail inmates are shown in alphabetical order by their last name. You will be able to locate their arrest information faster if you have the arrestee’s full name, birth date, or arrest number.

If your friend or loved one may be in a different jail you should check our North Carolina county jail guide: North Carolina Jails

A mugshot, also called a booking photograph, is the picture that the jail takes when you get booked into jail. They will take one face photo and a profile photo. Your name and booking number will appear on the pictures, and they will be stored at the jail.

Mugshots of inmates can be viewed on the Polk County Jail website, or you can view them at the Polk County Jail. When you search for mugshots online you need to put in the prisoner’s full name, and an arrest date, if you know it.

Want to get your mugshot erased from the Polk County Jail site? This may not be possible, as the mugshot is public record. You must file a Petition to Expunge with the court. Basically, this means that the record of your arrest will be sealed, so no one will be able to access them. Unfortunately, this happens very rarely.

Read our in-depth tutorial about removing your mugshot, the various websites with mugshots, and the websites that offer to remove your mugshot for you: How To Get Your Mugshot Removed

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Obviously, once you are arrested and put in jail, your only thought is about when and how you will get out. After you’ve gone through the booking process, bail is decided either through a preset bail schedule or a magistrate. If no bail is set this may mean that you will either be released, or you are kept in jail until your court date.

If you do bail out of jail you will have to promise to show up for court, and in the meantime you are not allowed to travel out of the county.

In most cases, a prisoner are given time off for good behavior when they respect the rules and area a good inmate while in jail.

If you prove to be trustworthy, you may be granted work release. You will have to stay jail each day when you’re finished at your job, or you could have the chance to move to a halfway house instead of the jail.

Your bail is money that you have to pay to the court system in order to be released from jail pending trial. Your bail amount is determined by how serious your crime is. You will need to pay to the courts 10% of the amount that was set so you can get discharged from jail. If you miss your scheduled court date, that person will lose all of the bail money.

In order to find out how much someone’s bail is, you need to call the jail. If you’ve got the person’s info, like name, address and date of birth, they’ll let you know how much their bail is. You can also see the bail amount on the Polk County Jail website.

Having to get someone out of jail is never a fun thing, but fortunately, it is easy if you have the money. First, you have to find out if they have a Cash Only Bond. If this is the case, you won’t be able to get a Bail Bondsman. Take cash only to the jail – the jail can’t take a personal check. As soon as you’ve posted (paid) bond, the inmate will be released to your care. If the conditions of bail are not violated, the bail money you posted will be returned to you.

If the amount of bail set is large, or you can’t afford it, you should look into the services of a bail bondsman. Bail bondsmen will usually charge a fee of 10 to 15 percent of the total amount of bail set by the magistrate, and in most cases have a minimum charge of $100. The money you pay to the bail bondsman will not be returned to you and the bondsman only accepts cash. If the bail is extremely high, the bail bondsman will in these cases require that they use assets as collateral in addition to the fee they charge.

If you need a local bail bondsman visit our page about: Find a Bail Bondsman in Polk County

Have you ever had to use a bondsman for someone you know or yourself? If you have, post a comment below and tell about it, and let us know how things turned out.

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• Early Release For Good Behavior
• Work Release
• Time Served
• Get Out on a Pre-Trial Release Program
• Get Released on House Arrest
• Own Recognizance

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The intake procedure takes you through these steps:

• You will get put in a holding cell. If there are a lot of arrests, you may not be processed immediately.
• The first step is that you must answer a bunch of questions, such as what is your full name, home address, birthdate and an emergency contact.
• Also, you will also be asked about your psychological and medical history.
• You will be given an inmate ID number.
• You will be fingerprinted.
• They will take your mugshot.
• All of your personal property will get taken away from you and stored until you get released.
• They will allow you to use the telephone to call a member of your family, friend, or bondsman to arrange bail.
• If you are expected to be released quickly, you might be able to keep wearing street clothes, otherwise you will have to change into a jail uniform – the jumpsuit.

Have you ever been arrested and gone through the jail intake procedure? If you have, you should tell your story. How long did it take to get through intake? Were you treated fairly? Do you have any tips that will help others to get through jail intake?

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When you pay your bail, you will be discharged from jail. The discharge process may take anywhere from 15 minutes to many hours. In other words the faster you can pay your bail, the faster you will get released. How quickly you get discharged depends on whether you have a cash bond amount or if the judge still needs to decide on the bail amount. For a minor charge, you will simply be booked and get released without having to post bail. When you have served your sentence and are given a discharge date, you should plan to get discharged that morning.

out against you, or if you have to report to start a sentence, it is highly advisable that you follow the law and turn yourself in. In the case of an outstanding warrant, go down to the jail processing area, and tell the intake officer that think that there is an outstanding warrant for your arrest. They will check to see if you have a warrant, and if they verify that there is a warrant for your arrest, they will ask that you surrender yourself and you will be taken into custody. If you are reporting to serve out your sentence, report to the jail at the time and date that the sentence order states. Be very careful that you aren’t late. Make sure that you only bring things that are allowed with you, for example your driver’s license or state issued ID, prescription medication, as well as a sentencing order.

Inmates must give the name and date of birth of each visitor to the jail before anyone can visit them. Your visitor’s names will be put in the log for the inmate that requested the visitor. Every visitor will be required to provide acceptable photo identification when visiting an inmate. Visitors that gets to visitation or that does not have a visitation order will not be able to attend visitation.
The Polk County Jail visitation procedures change often, so you should review the official Polk County Jail jail site before you go.

Phone calls that inmates are allowed to make from jail are made through a jail approved pre-paid phone account or phone card . These phone calls are much more expensive than phone calls made outside of jail. Phone calls are restricted on when and how often you can use the phone, but you should keep in mind lots of people want to use the phone – so you have to share. If you break the rules and are disciplined, phone calls might get cut back or forbidden.

Phone Number: 828-894-3001

All mall sent to inmates is required to be sent using the US Postal Service. You shouldn’t use any other form of mail delivery. You have to clearly write or type the name, inmate number, and jail address on the letter. Don’t send anything in a package, envelope with padding, bag, or an envelope with metal in it. All mail is opened and read by the jail officers, and the mail will get sent back to the person who mailed it if it can’t be delivered.

The mailing address for Polk County Jail is:

Polk County Jail
40 Ward Street
Columbus, NC 28722

Here is how you should address the letter:

[INMATE’S FULL NAME]
[INMATE ID]
Polk County Jail
40 Ward Street
Columbus, NC 28722

The mail policy at Polk County Jail is always changing, so you should check the the Polk County Jail website when send a letter to someone in jail there.

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If you get arrested, you have rights, one of these being that you have the right to request a lawyer. You only get so many phone calls when you get arrested, so make sure you ask a friend or family member to find a lawyer for you. You may be asking yourself ‘but do I really need an attorney’ You’re not required to have an attorney in all cases, a lawyer will advise you about your rights, look after your best interests and help you navigate through the complicated legal system in your county. The sooner you hire an attorney to represent you and work on your case, the better.

For more detailed information on how to find an attorney, read: How to Find an Attorney

If you cannot afford a lawyer, you will be assigned a public defender. In addition, the Public Defender Office has access to independent investigators, crime scene and forensics experts and social case workers. You will be reassured to know that Public Defenders are full-fledged lawyers that are members of the North Carolina State Bar and are licensed to practice law.

Have you or someone you know used a court appointed attorney? Are you satisfied with how they handled your case and represented you in court?

All court records are a matter of public record. They have a case file containing a docket and each of the documents filed in the case. You are able to access court records using the internet service, or by going to the Clerk of Court’s office.

The Polk County Clerk of Court is an officer of the court that manages the records. They also administer the oath for any court participant who must be under oath, and also read the verdict when the jury makes their final decision. All records, documents, and evidence related to your court case are kept at the office of the Clerk of Court.

Court fees and costs are all costs associated with your court case, for example filing fees, motion fees and various court charges. If you can’t afford to pay these fees and have been assigned a Public Defender, you may get out of having to pay them.

The Polk County magistrate is the person that presides on your case in court. Magistrates are judges that do several different things, like determining how much your bail will be, issuing arrest warrants, and acting as the presiding judge over preliminary court hearings and detention hearings.

A defendant’s pre-sentencing report is put together to include information about your background and information about the defendant’s life and public history, which the magistrate will review when determining the sentence. Information will be requested from the defendant, their family, and if necessary the victim in the crime. Remember you are allowed to ask to see a copy of the report prior to sentencing, so you get the chance to go over it and correct any mistakes in it.

After being convicted of a crime, you will be sentenced. There are several different options for sentencing, including community service and probation, to incarceration in either jail (short term) or prison (long term). Depending on the particulars of your trial, the severity of your crime, and any sentencing guidelines that they judge will use, you could be taken into custody immediately, or given a date to turn yourself into jail to serve your term.

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Want to find out if someone is locked up, or has ever been locked up?

You can you need to query the Polk County jail website and do an inmate search lookup, and search by:

• Their name.
• Birth date.
• Approximate booking date.
• and their jail ID.

If you think this person is in jail, you can also call the jail confirm whether they’ve been arrested or not.

If you believe you have an outstanding warrant for your arrest, you can find out by checking the court records on the website or call the court directly. You have to have their first and last name. You can also go to the local jail and inquire at the information desk. You should know that if you do have an outstanding warrant, you should be prepared to get taken into custody immediately.

If you have a first and last name, and their arrest date, contact the Polk County jail, either by phone, in person, or find out online. Records of arrests are in the public record and this information is available to anyone.

A Civil Process is when you get served with legal papers, like a court order. You can find these civil process orders by getting in touch with the Polk County Sheriff’s office, online or by phone.

All convicted sex offenders must be registered and listed on both a national and state sex offender database. The people on these databases have been convicted in a court of law of a sex crime. You are able to see these listings online, but bear in mind that you can’t get the actual address, but rather the neighborhood block that they live on.

Court Records are public records and available to anyone. These records include a court case file that includes a court docket and all filings and documents filed in the case. You are able to access the court records on the internet, or at the clerk’s office of the court in the jurisdiction where the case was filed.

Each and every state maintains records of a person’s criminal background. These state databases are all connected so you can track criminal histories from another state. You can go to courthouse and make an inquiry, or check the website. It is helpful to know the county, and in the event that it was in a totally different state, you may have to pay for a more comprehensive search.

When you look up someone’s criminal record you are able to get a report detailing any arrests, charges, or convictions that may be on a person’s record for crimes, which include:

• Driving Under the Influence (DUI).
• Drug crimes like possession or trafficking.
• Kidnapping.
• Rape or other sexual assault.
• Violent crimes including assault, battery and murder.
• Theft.

If you do a criminal records check, usually won’t learn if someone has had:

• Speeding.
• Drivers license revoked or suspended.
• Any accidents.
• Moving violations.
• Parking Tickets.

To search for this kind of information, you have to do a search for their driving record.

Have you ever needed to find criminal records? How easy was it? Was your search online or did you call the local courthouse? Was the information correct? There are many reasons that people search for criminal records, and your account may make it easier for others.

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Most Wanted

Everyone knows that the FBI has their list of the Ten Most Wanted Criminals. In Polk County,The Sheriff’s Department has a list of most wanted criminals, too.

FBI Top Ten Most Wanted List


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Life In Jail / What Its Like

Daily Life

Just the thought of serving a jail sentence in Polk County Jail is something you wish you could avoid, in time you will become accustomed to the daily routine there. You should expect a wake-up alarm every morning at 6am, and then you’ll have roll call. You will then get breakfast. When you finish breakfast you will work in the work program that you’ve been assigned to. This could be working in the kitchen, laundry, or some sort of manufacturing job. While this may seem tedious, it may help you when you leave jail, as you are gaining experience in a certain field of work. Other inmates go to school, while some take part in mandated treatment programs. After lunch, there will be another roll call, then back to work. Your evening will be spent either in your cell or a common room. During this time dinner is served and you will be expected to take a shower. After another roll call, it’s lights out. Even though you will be confined to your cell, there may be enough light to read or write letters. Then again, most inmates welcome lights out, and try to get as much sleep as they can.

Most people are frightened at the idea of jail because they don’t know what to expect. If you have spent any time in Polk County Jail, your experiences would be welcomed, if it can help another person to deal with it.

Dress Code

When incarcerated, all inmates are expected to wear the Polk County Jail uniform. This is normally a jumpsuit or scrubs. Of note to anyone visiting an inmate – you must be properly dressed. Any clothing considered inappropriate will not be permitted.

How To Send Money to an Inmate

You will have your own ‘bank account’ while in jail. This money is used to purchase items from the Commissary. Family and friends can deposit money into this account for you, and any money you earn while in prison will also be deposited into your account. Outside money can be paid in to your account via a money order, cash or check. If someone sends a check or money order, make sure that they write your inmate ID on it. The maximum amount you are allowed in your account is $290 per month.

The procedure to send money to someone in jail could change, so we suggest that you visit the the Polk County Jail website before send funds to someone in jail there.


Commissary

The commissary is the jail store. You can purchase a number of things here, such as toiletries, snacks and writing supplies. Bear in mind that you will probably want to use the commissary daily, and any infractions will get that privilege taken away from you.

Inmate Medications

If you are on any type of prescription medication, you will be allowed to continue taking it while in jail. When you are first processed, you will be asked what medication you take. You will then be referred to the jail nurse or doctor who will be in charge of monitoring your health and prescribing your medication.

Meals

You will get three meals a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. As expected, they are very basic, but healthy. A typical breakfast might be cereal, toast, coffee and fruit. Lunch might be spaghetti, salad, bread and milk. Dinner could be chicken casserole, rice, vegetables, dessert and milk. Contrary to popular belief, prison food has greatly improved over the years, and you might find that it’s not much different from what you would eat at home.

Pods / The Yard

The jail is designed in a ‘pod’ layout, with self-contained housing arranged around an outdoor yard. Each pod has a central control station and a common room, and the inmates take turns in using the yard. The jail is designed this way to keep certain inmates together, and others away from the general population.

Gangs

As with life in general, gangs are a part of prison life. Obviously it is best to avoid becoming a part of this environment as it will only lead to trouble. When you first enter prison, you might find yourself being ‘primed’ to join a gang, or worse, you might get their attention in a negative way. The best thing to do is keep your head down and don’t get involved.


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News and Media

News

Photos / Pictures

Videos


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Jobs

Types of Jobs at Polk County Jail

The Deputy Sheriff is the second in command at the Polk County Jail, overseeing the day to day operations and administration of the jail. An inmate is unlikely to have much interaction with the Deputy Sheriff, unless they have committed an infraction. Detention Officers are responsible for the custody and care of the inmates. They maintain order in the jail, and handle security. A Detention Officer is assigned to a certain pod, and therefore is responsible for the same inmates each day. They get to know the inmates on a certain level and are well equipped to handle any problems that may occur.

Apply for a Job at Polk County Jail

Requirements:

• You have to be over the age of 21.
• You have to possess a High School Diploma or GED
• You have to be a US Citizen.
• You have to pass a Criminal, Credit and Driving History background check.
• You have to pass a drug test.
• You have to have a good level of fitness.
• You have to be in good health.
• You have to have a valid Driver’s License
• An applicant for Deputy Sheriff must possess a Law Enforcement Certification.


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Family Resources

There are resources for families of both the perpetrator of the crime and the victim. The social and emotional impact of crime is far reaching, affecting many. Families can receive professional counseling, court related assistance, social services assistance and help in navigating the criminal justice system.

If you are a family member, which resources did you find to be particularly helpful? Please let us know, as this will be helpful to other families in the same situation.

Click here to tell your story


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Victim Resources

Important Note: If you, or someone you know, are in immediate danger, call 911.

Victim’s Rights

The Victim Rights Act grants victims the following rights:

• The right to protection from the accused.
• The right to notification.
• The right to attend proceedings.
• The right to speak at criminal justice proceedings.
• The right to consult with the prosecuting attorney.
• The right to restitution.
• The right to a speedy trial.
• The right to be treated with fairness, dignity and respect.

The definition of victim includes:

• Spouses and children of all victims.
• Parents and guardians of minor victims.
• Parents, guardians and siblings of mentally or physically incapacitated victims or victims of homicide.
• Foster parents or other caregivers, under certain circumstances.

There are a number of services and programs designed to help victims and their families. You can find out about these services by contacting the courthouse, or local law enforcement agency.

Victim Notification

The Department of Justice Victim Notification System (VNS) is a system that provides victims with information pertaining to their case and/or any defendants in the case. You will receive a Victim Identification Number (VIN) and a Personal Identification Number (PIN) that will allow you to access VNS via the internet or by phone. Here, you will find information about future court hearings, historical court events, and detailed information about the defendant. This will include criminal charges filed, the outcome of charges, sentence imposed, custody location, projected release date and any other release information. The VNS website is updated daily. You will also receive any ongoing information by mail or email.

Have you, a family member or friend ever used the Victim Notification System? If so, was it effective? Did you get the information in a timely manner? Was the system difficult to use? We would like to hear from you, so please post any comments here.

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Sex Offender Information and Search

All people registered as sex offenders are registered on either a national or state sex offender database. The people on these databases have been convicted of a sex or kidnapping crime. You can access this information online, but bear in mind that you will not get the exact address, rather the block that they live on.

Domestic Violence

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, there are services to help you. Your county will have a Domestic Violence Services office. They provide free and confidential services, such as emergency shelter information, legal advocacy, support groups and domestic violence education. They will work to help you create a safe and violence-free life, and heal from the trauma of abuse.

Important Note: If you, or someone you know, are in immediate danger, call 911.


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Reviews

Reviews of this Jail

Have you ever been locked up in this jail? Do you know anybody that spent time there? Have you ever been to visit a prisoner at this jail?

If so, then please write your review about it. Tell us about what you experienced so that other people can find out what to expect.

Things you can put in your comment:

• Jail conditions.
• Jail, yard and pod layout and facility
• Jail staff and Guards
• Jail food and commissary
• Visitation Days
• Other Inmates.
• Inmate safety
• Gangs
• Programs and activities


Click here to write your review of Polk County Jail

Tell Your Story

Anyone who’s been in jail has at least one story to tell about it. Why’d you end up in jail? How did the guards treat you? How was day to day life at Polk County Jail? What were the other inmates like? How did going to jail affect your life?

Speak Your Mind

Send a Message to Your Cell Mate

Did you make friends in jail? Do you need to send a message to somebody you met in jail? Send a message to them here.

Say Hello to Polk County Jail


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