Carbon County Booking Releases and Arrest Records
Carbon County booking releases are processed at the Carbon County Correctional Facility, also known as the Jim Thorpe Jail, located at 331 Broad Street in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. The facility handles arrests made throughout Carbon County and generates records that include booking photographs, charges, bail amounts, arresting agency, and court dates. Anyone can search Carbon County booking releases to confirm custody status, verify charges, or review information about a recent arrest. These records are public under Pennsylvania law and are accessible through the facility and online tools.
Carbon County Correctional Facility Quick Facts
Carbon County Correctional Facility Overview
The Carbon County Correctional Facility is located at 331 Broad Street in Jim Thorpe, PA 18229. The facility's main phone number is (570) 325-2211. The jail has a limited capacity of 23 beds, which makes it one of the smaller county correctional facilities in Pennsylvania. Because of this limited capacity, many Carbon County inmates are housed in jails in neighboring counties after booking.
Despite the small local facility size, Carbon County has seen a dramatic increase in its incarceration rate over the past 45 years. The county's incarceration statistics show that males are incarcerated at a rate of 621 per 100,000 residents, while females are incarcerated at 134 per 100,000. These figures reflect the volume of arrests and court-ordered detentions relative to the county's total population.
In 2023, Carbon County recorded 523 total arrests. Of those, 360 were arrests for violent offenses and 163 were for property crimes. The breakdown of violent crime arrests included 0 murder cases, 2 rapes, 3 robberies, 64 aggravated assaults, and 291 simple assaults. Property crime arrests included 30 burglary cases, 126 larceny cases, 6 motor vehicle thefts, and 1 arson case. These figures give context to the volume and nature of bookings processed through Carbon County each year.
The Carbon County inmate search tool allows the public to search by last name, first name, or booking number to locate individuals in the county's system.
The Carbon County inmate search tool returns current custody status, booking photos, charge information, and bail amounts for individuals in the Carbon County correctional system.
What Carbon County Arrest Records Contain
A Carbon County booking record captures a standard set of information at the time of arrest. Public arrest records include personal details such as the individual's full name, date of birth, and physical description. The booking photograph, also called a mugshot, is taken at intake and is part of the public record. The arrest date, time, and location are also documented, along with the name of the arresting agency.
Charge information is central to the booking record. Each charge is listed with the applicable statute, the grade of the offense, and a plain-language description. The bail or bond amount is noted along with the type of bond set at the preliminary arraignment. Scheduled court dates are included and reflect the dates assigned at the time of booking.
Several categories of information are exempt from public disclosure. These include juvenile records, which are protected under separate rules. Information about ongoing investigations is also exempt if releasing it would compromise law enforcement activity. Sensitive personal identifiers such as Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, and home addresses of private individuals are not included in the public portion of a booking record. Sealed and expunged records are not available to the public.
Adult arrest records in Carbon County are retained for a period of seven years. This means that historical booking data going back up to seven years may be available through a formal records request. After the retention period ends, records may be subject to destruction per the county's records management schedule.
Carbon County Inmate Housing Arrangements
Because the Carbon County Correctional Facility has only 23 beds, a large portion of the county's detainees are housed in facilities operated by neighboring counties. This arrangement is common among Pennsylvania counties with limited local jail capacity. Individuals who are booked by Carbon County law enforcement and cannot be housed locally are transported to a neighboring county jail, where they remain until their case is resolved or they are sentenced.
Being housed in a neighboring county does not affect the jurisdiction of the case. Carbon County retains jurisdiction over all arrests made within its borders. The charges, court dates, and legal proceedings remain in Carbon County's court system. The physical location of the detainee for housing purposes is separate from where the case is handled.
When searching for a Carbon County inmate, it is worth checking neighboring county rosters if the person does not appear in Carbon County's own records. Monroe, Luzerne, Schuylkill, Northampton, and Lehigh counties all border Carbon County and may hold individuals whose cases are being processed in Carbon County courts.
Note: The VINE system tracks custody status across facilities. If you register for VINE notifications for a Carbon County case, you will receive alerts regardless of which county facility holds the person at any given time.
Accessing Carbon County Booking Releases
The Carbon County inmate roster is searchable online through the state courts inmate search portal. Searches can be conducted by last name, first name, or booking number. Results show current custody status, charge information, bail amounts, and booking photographs where available.
For arrest records not available online, including historical data or certified copies, written requests may be submitted under Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law. Requests should be directed to the appropriate Carbon County agency. Include the full name of the subject, date of birth, and the approximate date of the arrest. The standard copy fee is $0.25 per page, and the agency must respond within five business days.
Court case information is available through the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System portal. The UJS portal covers all 67 Pennsylvania counties and shows docket filings, scheduled hearings, and case dispositions for cases in Carbon County's Court of Common Pleas and magisterial district courts.
Additional arrest record information for Carbon County is also available through Pennsylvania court record resources, which aggregate publicly available data from state and county sources.
Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law and Carbon County
Carbon County booking releases are governed by 65 P.S. § 67.101 et seq. This statute establishes that records held by Pennsylvania government agencies are presumed public. The burden is on the agency to justify any denial. Written requests must receive a response within five business days. The agency may provide the records, deny the request with a stated reason, or notify the requester that more time is needed.
If a request is denied, the requester has 15 business days to appeal to the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records. The appeals process is free. The Office will review the denial and issue a binding decision. This oversight ensures that agencies cannot improperly withhold public booking and arrest records.
Inmate record creation at Carbon County's facility also follows requirements under 61 Pa.C.S. § 4103. This provision sets baseline standards for the information that must be captured at booking and how that information is stored. These standards apply to all county correctional facilities in Pennsylvania.
Victim Notification and State Support Services
Crime victims in Carbon County can register with the VINE system to receive automatic alerts about custody status changes. VINE tracks releases, transfers, and new bookings. Because Carbon County inmates are often held in neighboring county jails, VINE is especially useful. It sends notifications based on the case, not the physical location of the facility.
The Pennsylvania DOC Inmate Locator covers individuals sentenced to state prison. Carbon County inmates who receive sentences longer than two years are transferred to a state facility. The PA DOC locator can confirm where they are housed and provide basic custody information.
For a complete Pennsylvania criminal history check, the PATCH system maintained by the Pennsylvania State Police provides statewide criminal history data. A Carbon County arrest that resulted in a conviction will appear in PATCH if it was reported to the statewide repository. PATCH searches are available to individuals checking their own history and to authorized organizations.
Record Correction and Expungement in Carbon County
Errors in a Carbon County booking record can be corrected by contacting the county directly. Clerical mistakes, such as an incorrect date or a misspelled name, can often be resolved through a written request to the correctional facility or the records department. Supporting documentation may be required to verify the correct information.
Expungement is a separate legal process that seals or removes a criminal record. It is not handled by the jail or the Sheriff's Office. An expungement petition must be filed with the Court of Common Pleas and, if granted, results in the record being sealed from public access. Until an expungement is granted and processed, the booking record remains visible in public databases.
Even after an expungement is granted, third-party databases may continue to display older copies of the record. If this happens, contact those services separately and provide proof of the expungement order. Carbon County court records reflecting the expungement can be obtained through the Clerk of Courts office and used as documentation for these removal requests.
Nearby Pennsylvania Counties
Neighboring counties also maintain booking release records under Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law.