Multnomah County Jail – Portland, OR

Multnomah County Jail is in Multnomah County, Oregon and is the primary jail for the region. Do you know someone in jail at Multnomah County Jail? This guide tells you about anything one might want to know about Multnomah County Jail,like the following: How to do a jail inmate search. Find mugshots. The jail’s address and phone number. How to post bail. Intake procedures and booking. Court records. And lots more.

The thought of going to jail is a scary idea, not only for the person who gets arrested, but also that person’s friends and family. The goal of this guide is to offer information you need to make helping someone get out of jail less stressful. If you have a specific question, feel free to ask it in the comment section below, and also any tips or comments that could be beneficial to other people in the same situation is welcome.

Do you know someone that is in jail and need to contact them?

Has a friend or family member that has been arrested and you need to find them?

To look up who is in jail at Multnomah County Jail you need to visit their website and use the inmate lookup.

The Multnomah County Jail Inmate Locator is a list of people who have been arrested and are in custody, including status, how much their bail is, and schedule for visitation. You can also find the same information for anybody arrested and booked or discharged within the last 24 hours. Prisoners are listed in alphabetical order by their last name. You’ll be able to locate their inmate information more quickly if you enter the arrestee’s full name, date of birth, or inmate ID.

If the person you are looking for might be locked up at a different jail you can look here: Other County Jails in Oregon

A mugshot, also known as a booking picture, is a photograph taken by the police when you are processed at the jail intake. They take one full face and a side photo. Your name and jail booking number will be on the pictures, and they will be kept on file.

Mugshots of inmates can be viewed on the Multnomah County Jail website, or you can view them at the Multnomah County Jail. When viewing mugshots online you have to put in the prisoner’s first and last name, and a booking date, if you have one.

Do you want to have your mugshot removed from the Multnomah County Jail site? This will be difficult, since your mugshot is public record. You must file a ‘Petition to Expunge’. This means that all of your arrest records will be sealed, so no one will be able to access them. Unfortunately, this happens very rarely.

Read our in-depth tutorial about getting your mugshot taken down, the many different websites with mugshots, and the mugshot removal services: How To Get Your Mugshot Taken Down

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If you’re arrested and put in jail, your main thought is when and how to get out. After you’ve gone through the booking process, your bail amount is set using the bail schedule or the magistrate will decide it. If you don’t get a bail set this might mean that you will either get released, pending trial, or you have to stay in jail until your trial.

If you are released you must promise to show up for court, and until that date you must not go out of town.

Usually, an inmate at Multnomah County Jail are given early release in exchange for good behavior when they follow the rules and don’t cause any problems while incarcerated.

If you do exhibit good behavior and the jail believes you can be trusted, you may be allowed to do work release. Either you will have to return to jail every day when you’re finished working, or you could have the chance to live in a halfway house instead of jail, so it is kind of like an early release.

Your bail is how much money that you have to pay to the court system to get out of jail pending trial. The amount you will be required to pay depends on the crime you’ve been charged with. You will need to put up 10 percent of the total amount that was set in order to be released. If you fail to show up for court, the person that bailed you out of jail won’t get their money back.

You will need to call the Multnomah County Jail or the County Courthouse. If know the pertinent information, such as name, address and date of birth, they will be able to let you know the bail amount. You can also check their bail amount and status on the jail website.

Having to bail someone out of jail is no fun, but most of the time, its very simple to do. To start with, you have to find out if their bail is a Cash Only Bond. If so, you will not be able to use the services of a bail bondsman. Take cash only to the jail – they won’t take a check. Once the cash bond has been paid, the person will be released. If they don’t violate the terms of their bail, you’ll get the bail money back.

If the bail amount is too high, or you can’t afford it, you should try a bail bondsman. Bondsmen generally charge a fee of 10 to 15 percent of the total bail amount, and usually charge a minimum of $100. The money you pay to the bail bondsman is non-refundable and has to be paid in cash. If the bail has been set really high, the bondsman will in these cases use assets as collateral in addition to the fee they charge.

To talk to a bail bondsman visit our page about: Find a bail bondsman

Have you ever had to find a bondsman either for yourself, a family member or friend? If you have, leave a comment below and tell your story, and let us know how things turned out.

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• Get Time Off For Good Behavior
• Get Out on Work Release
• Released For Time Served
• Pre-Trial Release Programs
• Get Released on House Arrest
• Be Released on Your Own Recognizance

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The intake procedure takes you through each of these steps:

• They’ll put you in a holding cell. If there are a lot of arrests, you will have to wait a while to get processed.
• First, must answer a bunch of questions, like what is your legal name, address, date of birth and contact person.
• You will also be asked about your medical and psychological history.
• You will be issued an inmate ID number.
• You will get fingerprinted.
• You will have your mugshot taken.
• Any personal property you have will get taken away from you and stored until you get released.
• You will then be allowed to make a telephone call to contact a family member, friend, or bail bondsman.
• If they expect that you will make bail and be released quickly, you might be allowed to skip the jumpsuit and keep wearing your own clothes, otherwise you will have to change into a jail uniform – the jumpsuit.

Have you ever been booked into jail? If so, please tell your story so other people can learn from your experience. How long did you have to wait in the holding cell? What was your treatment like? Do you have any tips that will help others make it through jail intake?

Click here to share your story

When you finally post bail, you will be discharged from jail. This process takes anywhere between 10 minutes to all day long. In other words the faster you can pay your bail, the faster you will be freed. How quickly you get discharged can depend on whether or not you’ve been given a cash bond or if the judge needs to determine the bail amount. For a minor charge, you will get booked and released on your own recognizance. When you have served your sentence and know the date of your release, plan to be discharged in the morning.

out against you, or if you must start a jail sentence, you should follow the rules and turn yourself into the authorities. If you have a warrant, go to the jail intake center, and tell them that believe that there could be an outstanding warrant for your arrest. A record check will be run, and if you do, they will take you into custody. If you have a jail sentence to serve, report on the date and time that the sentence order states. Be very careful that you aren’t late. Be sure to only bring things that are allowed when you turn yourself in, like your driver’s license or your ID, prescription medication, and the official sentencing order.

In order to have visitors, inmates have to list the name and date of birth of each visitor to the jail before anyone can visit them. Your visitor’s names will go in a Visiting log as an approved visitor. Each and every visitor will have to provide identification. Anyone that gets to visitation or that is not on the visitation list will not be allowed to attend visitation.
Visitation procedures at Multnomah County Jail are always changing, so you should check the official site before you try to go to visitation.

Phone calls that inmates are allowed to make from jail are collect calls or through a pre-paid phone account. Phone calls made in jail are much more expensive than regular phone calls. There are certain restrictions about when and how often you can use the phone, but inmates must keep in mind that there are a limited number of phones, so all the inmates must share phone time. If you are under any sort of disciplinary procedure, an inmate’s ability to use the phone may be limited or eliminated altogether.

Phone Number: (503) 988 – 4300

All inmate mail has to be sent via the actual US Postal Service. You cannot use any other method of mail delivery. Clearly write the prisoner’s name, prisoner number, and the jail address on the letter. Do not send anything in a box or package, envelope with padding, plastic or paper bag, or an envelope with metal in it. All mail sent to inmates will be opened and read and examined by the jail staff, and will get sent back if deemed inappropriate.

The address that you should use if you are sending a letter to an inmate at Multnomah County Jail is:

Multnomah County Jail
501 Se Hawthorne Blvd., Suite 350
Portland, OR 97214

Here is how you should address the letter:

[INMATE’S FULL NAME]
[INMATE ID]
Multnomah County Jail
501 Se Hawthorne Blvd., Suite 350
Portland, OR 97214

The inmate mail policy at Multnomah County Jail changes often, so be sure to check the official website when you send a letter.

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When you’ve been arrested, you need to be aware that you still have rights, the first of which is that you have the right to request an attorney. You won’t get many phone calls in jail, so make sure you get a friend or family member to locate an attorney when you talk to them. You might be asking yourself ‘why do I need a lawyer?’ While you are not required to have one, a criminal attorney will advise you about your rights, protect your interests and help you find your way through the court system in your county. The quicker you hire an attorney to represent you and work on your case, the better your chances.

For more info on how to find a lawyer, visit: Find a Lawyer

If you cannot afford an attorney, a Public Defender will be assigned to you. In addition, the Public Defender has access to independent investigators, forensics experts as well as case workers. You should be reassured that Public Defenders are licensed attorneys that are members of the Oregon State Bar and are licensed to represent you in court and practice law.

Have you ever had to use a Public Defender? Do you think they properly handled your case?

All court records are public and available to anyone who requests them. They contain a court case file with a docket and every documents that have been filed. You are able to access court records using the Multnomah County website, or by going to the Clerk of Court’s office where the case was filed.

A Clerk of Court is an officer and clerk of the court that manages access to court records. They also administer the oath for anyone testifying in court, and also read the verdict when the jury makes their final decision. All records and documents related to your case are maintained at the Multnomah County Clerk of Court.

Court fees and costs are the fees and charges associated with your court case, for example filing charges, motion and claim fees, and court appearance fees. If you don’t have the money to pay these fees and have court appointed legal counsel or a Public Defender, you may not have to pay the fees.

The Multnomah County magistrate is the person that rules on your court case. Magistrates are judges that do different tasks, which include setting your bail amount, issuing warrants, and presiding over preliminary and procedural court proceedings and detention hearings.

Your pre-sentencing report is completed to include background information and details of the arrestee’s life history, which the magistrate judge will review when determining a sentence. Information and personal details will be gathered from the defendant, his or her family members, and in some circumstances the victim of the crime. Remember you can request to get your own copy of the report prior to sentencing, so you have the opportunity to correct any inaccurate information.

After being convicted of a crime, you will be sentenced. There are a number of different options, which include community service, house arrest, and probation, to even incarceration in either jail (short term) or prison (long term). Depending on sentencing guidelines and the severity of your crime, you might get immediately taken into custody, or you could get a date that you are supposed to go to jail to serve your jail time according to your sentence.

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Want to find out if somebody you know is incarcerated, or has gone to jail in the past?

You can just visit the Multnomah County jail website and do an inmate search lookup, and search using:

• The inmate’s name.
• Birthdate.
• Their booking date if you know it.
• and their jail ID.

If you think that they are currently in jail, you can also call the jail find out if they’ve been arrested.

If you have a warrant out for your arrest, you can check the arrest warrants on the Multnomah County jail website or you are able to call the jail. You have to have their first and last name. Or, you can just go the jail in person and inquire at the information desk. Bear in mind that if you do have an outstanding warrant, they will take you into custody immediately.

If you know the person’s name, and possibly an arrest date, contact the Multnomah County jail, by phone, go there in person, or look online. Arrest records are in the public record and these records are accessible to anyone.

A Civil Process is when someone has been served with papers, such as warrants. You can find these by getting in touch with the Multnomah County Sheriff’s office, on their website or by phone.

All registered sex offenders are required to be listed and registered on both a national and state sex offender database. The people on these databases have been convicted of a sex offense. You are able to see this information on the internet, but keep in mind that you will not be able to see the street address, just the neighborhood block that they live on.

Court Records are public, and are accessible by anyone. Court Records include a court case file that includes a docket sheet and any of the filings and documents filed in your court case. You are able to access court records on the website, or at the clerk’s office of the court in the county where the case was filed.

Each state maintains a record of a person’s criminal background. These databases are linked together and you can track criminal backgrounds from other states. You are able to go to the Multnomah County Courthouse and inquire, or you can check online. It is helpful to know the county the crime was committed in, and in the event that the crime was in a totally different state, you might have to pay a fee for a more complete search.

When you look up someone’s criminal record you can find out if a person has ever been arrested, charged or convicted for any crimes, which can include:

• DWI or DUI.
• Drug crimes like possession or trafficking.
• Kidnapping.
• Rape or other sexual assault.
• Violent crimes like assault or murder.
• Theft, breaking and entering.

But, when you do a criminal records check, in most cases won’t learn if they have had any infractions like moving violations:

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

To get driving histories, you must do a driving history search.

Have you ever tried to search for someone’s criminal records? How hard was it? Did you do your search online or did you make a phone call to the courthouse? Was the information you received correct? There are plenty of reasons that people look up criminal records and backgrounds, and your account may make it easier for others.

Click here to share your story

Most Wanted

The FBI has their list of the Top Ten Most Wanted Criminals. In Multnomah County, the Sheriff keeps their own list of most wanted criminals and fugitives.

FBI Ten Most Wanted List


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Life In Jail / What Its Like

Daily Life

While the prospect of being incarcerated in the Multnomah County jail is no fun, in time you will settle into the routine that is set for you in jail. Prisoners get an alarm to wake up every morning at 6am, and then roll call. Then you will eat breakfast. When you finish eating breakfast you will have to 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 Multnomah 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 Multnomah 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 process for sending funds to Multnomah County Jail inmates could change, so we suggest that you review the site when you send any funds.


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 Multnomah County Jail

The Deputy Sheriff is the second in command at the Multnomah 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 Multnomah 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 post a comment


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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:

• You have the right to protection from the accused.
• You have the right to notification.
• You have the right to attend proceedings.
• You have the right to speak at criminal justice proceedings.
• You have the right to consult with the prosecuting attorney.
• You have the right to restitution.
• You have the right to a speedy trial.
• You have 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 an inmate at Multnomah County Jail? Do you know anybody that is a prisoner there? Have you ever been to visit an inmate there?

If your answer is yes, then we would like you to write a review about it. Write down your experience because other people can learn what to expect.

Things you can put in your comment:

• Conditions at the jail.
• Jail, yard and pod layout and facility
• Jail staff and Guards
• Food and commissary
• Visitors
• The other inmates – what are they like?
• Inmate safety
• Gangs
• Prisoner activities and programs


Let Everyone Know

Tell Your Story

Anybody that’s ever been locked up has a story about it. Why were you locked up? Did you get fair treatment? How was day to day life at Multnomah County Jail? What about the other inmates? How did it affect you to go to jail?

Tell your story about when you did time at Multnomah County Jail

Send a Message to Your Cell Mate

Did you meet some cool folks in jail? Want to send a message to a person you met in jail? Post a message to them below.

Post a message to people incarcerated at Multnomah County Jail


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