Facility Information

The Sedgwick County Detention Facility is Sedgwick County’s local jail facility and it is operated by the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office.  The Sedgwick County Sheriff is Jeff Easter.  It is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  However, many of its services are only available during business hours.  It is an adult-detention facility, which means that it only holds adult offenders and adjudicated persons.

While the Sedgwick County Detention Facility is the county’s designated local jail facility, from time-to-time, inmates may be housed at different facilities, located outside of the county.  If they are, then the rules applicable to that facility will govern the conditions of the inmate’s confinement.

Sedgwick County offers limited activities and programming for the inmates incarcerated at the facility.  One of the services it does offer is religious programming.  Christian Ministries to Offenders, Inc. operates under the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office’s authority and is the detention center’s approved ministry for all religious and spiritual programming.

Veterans who are incarcerated at Sedgwick County Detention Facility may be eligible for extra programming.  Current or former inmates who served in the military may be able to access medical, mental health, and substance use treatment and services through the VA healthcare system.  For more information about the services and treatments available through the Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center, you can contact Rita Sniders LSCSW, the Veteran Outreach Coordinator, at 316-634-4047.

Sedgwick County Detention Facility Addresses

Physical Address

Sedgwick County Detention Facility
141 West Elm
Wichita, KS 67023

Mailing Address

Sedgwick County Detention Facility
141 West Elm
Wichita, KS 67203

Inmate Mailing Address

Inmate Name
c/o Sedgwick County Detention Center
141 West Elm
Wichita, KS 67203

Sedgwick County Detention Center inmates are permitted to receive mail, but the mail must be properly addressed to the inmate in custody.  Mail cannot be sent to multiple inmates in the same envelope, and mail will be returned to sender if the information on the envelope is not sufficient to determine the intended recipient.

Inmates cannot receive mail from other inmates at the Sedgwick County Jail.  Letters that have inmate to inmate mail will be returned to sender.  Furthermore, if it seems like inmates are trying to circumvent the mail policy, then one or both of the inmates may lose their mail privileges.

Mail has to follow specific guidelines.  The envelope can only have the recipient’s name and address and the sender’s name and address.  Any extra markings or drawings on the envelope will result in the envelope being returned to sender.

Inmates cannot receive any type of money through the mail.  This includes cash, cashier’s checks, and money orders.  Mail containing any of those items will be returned to the sender.

If the inmate is no longer in custody at Sedgwick County Jail, mail will be returned to sender, stamped with a notice that the inmate is no longer in custody.  This is true whether the inmate has been released from jail or has been sent to another facility.

If you send mail with unacceptable items or contraband, it will be returned with a note of explanation about why it has been refused. However, if you attempt to send so some prohibited items to an inmate, the inmate may be subject to penalties and you may be committing a crime.

Legal mail is privileged, but it must be marked privileged mail or legal mail with official markings on the outside of the envelope.  This mail will be opened in front of the inmate and checked for contraband, but it will not be censored.

Individuals cannot mail books or other publications to inmates.  However, inmates are able to receive publications in paperback form, including books, magazines, newspapers, and newsletters.  However, they must be mailed directly from a publisher or authorized retailer/merchant.  In addition, inmates cannot receive material that has nudity or partial nudity, sexually explicit content, obscenity, or subversive material.  Subversive material is a subjective category, which is left to the discretion of the jail personnel.  Some examples of subversive material might be gang-related materials, violent materials, racist material, material that could be used to create weapons or other dangerous items, and publications that could be used to help plan an escape.

Inmates cannot receive packages, and packages that are mailed to an inmate will not be accepted.  Instead, those packages will be unopened and returned to sender.  Items that are sent to inmates and that cannot be inspected without destruction, such as greeting cards or items containing glue, will be returned to sender.

All non-privileged (non-legal) mail will be opened and checked for contraband prior to delivery to an inmate.  Mail may also be checked for content.

While the jail may choose to prohibit other times, the jail’s current contraband list includes the following items: art supplies, ribbon, blank writing paper, tape, blank greeting cards, tissue paper, calendars, plastic or laminated items, spiral notebooks, cash, check, money orders, white out correction fluid, subversive material, catalogs, credit cards, foil, cigarettes, drugs, foam, envelopes (plain or stamped), felt, fabric, foam, musical cards, metal, glitter, hair, lipstick, lip gloss, keys, jewelry, food items, gang-like pictures, gang signs, smelly items with excessive odors, pens, pencils, playing cards, stains on paper, stamps, stickers, Polaroid or other instant photos, string, twine, and any unknown substances.

Other items that may be considered contraband includes any item that could be seen as threatening the order of the security or the safety and security of any of the inmates, deputies, or staff in the facility.  In addition, any materials that could encourage criminal activity in the jail are prohibited.  The jail may exclude any items if they are considered a security risk.

Mail may only be sent in regular envelopes; bubble wrap and padded mailers are prohibited and will be returned to sender.

Unacceptable items will not be separated from the rest of the mail.  Instead, the entire envelope and its contents will be returned to the sender.  Packages containing multiple books will be returned to sender if the package contains any of the following: spiral notebooks, plastic disks, art supplies, or hardback books.

Phone Numbers

The Sedgwick County Detention Facility’s phone number is: 316-660-5245.  Inmates cannot receive incoming phone calls.

Inmate Jail Roster

The Sedgwick County Detention Facility maintains the Sedgwick Sheriff’s Office Inmate Search, an online inmate roster.  You can check the online roster by searching for inmates by first name or last name.  You can also call the jail at 316-660-5245.  At that number, the jail can provide information about bond amounts and how to gain an inmate’s release.  There may be some delay in between an inmate being incarcerated and showing up in the inmate roster, because it can take two or three hours for an inmate to be processed.  If you select an inmate’s name, you see a more complete record, which includes the inmate’s name, race, sex, age, height, weight, facility, pod, booking date and time, arrest ID, date arrested, statute violated, charge, status of each charge, warrant number, bond amount, and type of amount.

The Sedgwick Sheriff’s Office Inmate Search contains public record information on people currently in custody at the jail.  While it is updated regularly, the information may not be complete or accurate.  The information on the roster is not the same as a criminal history.  Inmates are considered innocent of crimes unless they have been convicted in a court of law. 

Sedgwick County Inmate Search

The Sedgwick County Detention Facility maintains the Sedgwick Sheriff’s Office Inmate Search, which is an up-to-date inmate roster.  It should have information on inmates who have been processed within the last few hours.  If you cannot find an inmate on the roster, you can also call the jail at 316-660-5245.  To search all inmates in the facility, simply hit “search” without entering first or last names.  It will pull up a complete jail roster, which has the inmate’s first name, last name, middle name, race, and sex. 

Mugshots

Sedgwick County Detention Facility does not have online booking photos/mugshots.

Visitation

The Sedgwick County Detention Facility offers video visitation, which includes both on-site and remote visitation.  It uses Securus Technology to provide these services.  Every inmate gets one hour of free on-site visitation per week.  Inmates can have additional on-site visits, but those visits are charged at the same rate as remote visitation.

First-time remote visitation users must be approved by the jail’s staff.  Approvals are only done Monday through Friday. 

Adults must accompany any visitors who are under the age of 18.  All visitors must produce a valid government issued ID including: Driver’s License (DL), state ID card, passport, or Military ID.  Children age 12 or older have to show a school ID or birth certificate.

Visitors must be properly dressed and cannot behave in a disruptive manner.  If visitors behave in a disruptive manner, the visit may be stopped or refused.

All visits are video visits, and must be scheduled at least 24 hours in advance.

The onsite visitation schedule is Monday-Friday, from 1:00PM to 5:30PM and from 7:00PM to 9:00PM.  Visits cannot be scheduled during shift changes or at meal times (2:30PM to 3:30PM and 5:30PM to 7:00PM).

Remote visitation hours are seven days a week, from 9:00AM to 10:00PM.  Visits cannot be scheduled during shift changes or at meal times (2:30PM to 3:30PM and 5:30PM to 7:00PM).

There are different procedures for professional visitation than for friend and family visitation.  Professional visits are contact visits.  Professional visitors are warned that any injuries or damages to personal equipment are not the responsibility of the jail, jail workers, or the sheriff’s office.  Professional visitation hours are Monday through Thursday from 8:00AM to 11:00AM, 1:00PM to 5:00PM, and 7:00PM to 10:00PM; Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00PM; and Sunday from 1:00PM to 10:00PM.  Visitation is closed from 11:00AM to 1:00PM and 5:30PM to 7:00PM for meal service.

While professional visits are not as supervised as personal visits, they do have rules.  For example, professional visitors cannot bring electronics such as tape recorders, cameras, laptop computers, or similar devices into the facility without prior authorization.  Professional visitors are only allowed to bring in the following items in a visit: an intern, legal documents, pens, pencils, and writing materials.  If a professional needs to bring additional equipment into a visitation, they must get prior approval.

Professional visitors are not limited to attorneys, but the register of approved persons and agencies are maintained by jail professionals who are lieutenants or higher ranked.  These professionals include: attorneys licensed to practice in Kansas; out-of-state attorneys who are accompanied by local attorneys or representing a defendant in federal court; persons who are licensed to serve process; Kansas law enforcement officers; out of state commissioned law enforcement officers; Kansas licensed private investigators working directly with defense attorneys for the inmate; federal law enforcement agencies; investigators with the federal or state public defender’s office; probation or parole officers with the State of Kansas, the federal government, the 18^th Judicial court District, or the municipal courts; mental health professionals who are visiting inmates pursuant to a court order; bond agents authorized by the 18^th Judicial Court District; case managers from federal, state, or local agencies; and any persons approved by the Watch Commander or people of higher authority in the jail.

Inmate Phone Privileges

Sedgwick County Detention Facility uses Securus Technologies to provide phone services to inmates.  Inmates can place outgoing calls, but cannot receive incoming calls.  All outgoing telephone calls are collect calls.  The Sedgwick County Jail has a liberal emergency message policy.  If you have an emergency and need to get a message to an inmate, you can contact the jail.  A supervisor will take the call, and, if the supervisor determines that an emergency exists, the inmate will be informed of the emergency and told to return the caller’s call.  If an inmate’s family member passes away, the inmate will be notified by the facility chaplain after the family member’s death is verified.

Inmate Trust Accounts / Commissary / Send Money

The Sedgwick County Detention Facility inmates have access to trust accounts. Money can be placed in an inmate’s account in several ways: using cash or a credit card or bank debit card to deposit money using the kiosk in the jail lobby.  Kiosks are available 24 hours a day, and deposited funds become available for the inmate’s use immediately.  You can also make deposits online at www.jailatm.com using a debit or credit card.  The website also allows you to directly purchase commissary items for inmates.

For deposits, there is a transaction fee of at least $3.25, but it could be as much as 10% of the deposit.   Money deposited for inmates who are housed in out-of-county facilities will be held for the inmate until the inmate returns to the Sedgwick County Detention Center.

Bail Information

You can call the jail at 316-660-5245 or visit the Sedgwick County Jail Roster website to find out bond information for each inmate.   Calling that phone number will allow you to find out bond information and basic information on how to get an inmate released.  There are two ways to post bond in Sedgwick County.  For cash only bonds, which means that you are paying cash for the full amount of the bond, you can use the kiosk in the secured lobby.  The kiosk generates a receipt for the cash.  The cash posted might be subject to court fines and costs, but is otherwise fully refundable as long as the inmate appears at scheduled court appearances.  If the inmate needs to use the services of a bail bondsman to post bond, the jail is not allowed to recommend a bail bondsman.

Conclusion

The Sedgwick County Detention Facility is run by the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office.  It is the local jail for Sedgwick County, Kansas.  It is located at 141 West Elm in Wichita Kansas, and its main phone number is 316-660-5245.

Sedgwick County Detention Facility has a bit of a negative reputation.  It is known for being understaffed, which makes it difficult for the jail to provide any type of programming for the inmates.  In addition, the understaffing can lead to a more dangerous situation for inmates and guards.