Columbia County Jail Roster Overview
No official public Columbia County Prison roster was located on the county prison website, Sheriff Timothy Chamberlain's county sheriff page, or the official Columbia County Sheriff CRIMEWATCH portal. That does not mean there is no jail record. It means the public access path is not a live online inmate profile system. Current county custody should be confirmed through Columbia County Prison, while formal records are handled through prison records staff or the county Right-to-Know contact page.
Columbia County Prison is broader than a pretrial-only jail. The county page says it houses male and female pretrial detainees, sentenced inmates up to one day less than five years, male and female federal inmates, and Pennsylvania Act 122 technical parole violators. For that reason, the first question is not only "is the person on a roster?" The first question is which authority holds the person today: county prison, state DOC, BOP, ICE, court warrant, or another agency detainer.
Confirm Columbia County Jail Custody
Use a fallback chain for Columbia County inmate records. Have the person's full legal name, date of birth if known, approximate arrest date, arresting agency, and any docket number, OTN, complaint number, or warrant information. Those details help the prison, courts, and state systems distinguish people with similar names.
- Call Columbia County Prison at 570-784-4815 to ask about current county custody.
- For jail records rather than immediate custody, call the prison Records Department contact listed by the county, Ethan Whitmire, at 570-389-5718.
- For records not posted online, use Columbia County's Right-to-Know process through Open Records Officer David J. Witchey.
- Check Pennsylvania VINE for custody status and notification options.
- Search UJS court records for the charges, bail entries, docket events, and hearings that follow a jail arrest.
- Move to DOC, BOP, or ICE locators when the person is not in county custody.
Columbia County Roster Search Fields
The research did not locate a public Columbia County Prison search form, so this table records the fields and channels that replace an online roster. Treat CRIMEWATCH arrest and warrant posts as official sheriff communications, not as a complete jail roster. A CRIMEWATCH post may show an image, date, charge label, tip instructions, and a public-safety notice, but it does not prove current jail custody.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| No official online roster located | N/A | N/A | The county prison site did not expose a current-inmate search form. |
| Phone inquiry | Phone | Practical fallback | Call 570-784-4815 with full name and date of birth if known. |
| Prison records inquiry | Phone | Practical fallback | Records Department contact is Ethan Whitmire, 570-389-5718. |
| Right-to-Know request | PDF form | Required for formal county request | Columbia County says the RTK form is required. |
| VINE/VINELink | Web or app search | Optional | Use for custody status and notification when available. |
Columbia County Inmate Profile Fields
A public county inmate profile could not be inspected from an official Columbia County roster. For that reason, jail profile fields must stay conditional. A formal booking or intake record may contain the following facts, but public release can depend on the Right-to-Know Law, CHRIA, court orders, security rules, personal identifiers, juvenile confidentiality, treatment information, and other exemptions.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Full name | The primary identifier for prison, court, VINE, DOC, BOP, and ICE searches. |
| Date of birth | Helps confirm the correct person when names match. |
| Arrest or booking date | Connects jail intake to a recent police action or court commitment. |
| Arresting agency | Shows whether the case began with local police, sheriff, PSP, federal, or parole authority. |
| Docket number, OTN, or complaint number | Lets a reader move from jail custody to UJS court records. |
| Bail-setting court or MDJ | Helps identify where weekday daytime bail must be posted for MDJ cases. |
| Inmate ID number | Needed for TextBehind personal mail when known. |
| Custody status | Must be verified with the system holding the person now. |
Find County State Federal Inmates
Columbia County inmate records can shift systems as a case moves. A person may start at Columbia County Prison after arrest, appear in UJS after charges are filed, move to Pennsylvania DOC after a state sentence, or appear in BOP or ICE tools if the custody authority is federal or immigration-based. The county jail rules for visits, mail, money, and phone service do not apply to a state correctional institution unless DOC confirms that same rule.
| Custody | Where to Look | Important Limit |
|---|---|---|
| County jail, pretrial, local sentence | Columbia County Prison phone and records contacts | No official public county roster was located. |
| State-sentenced inmate or parolee | Pennsylvania DOC locator | PA.gov says it does not include county facility inmates. |
| Federal inmate | BOP inmate locator | Shows federal status from 1982 forward, not county jail bookings. |
| Immigration detainee | ICE ODLS | Uses A-number/country or biographical search modes. |
Pennsylvania DOC Locator Fields
The PA.gov DOC locator service page says the locator is updated daily, excludes private information, and is for state-sentenced inmates and parolees. It also says last name or inmate number is needed. The screenshot below is from the official DOC locator service source listed in the image manifest.
The DOC locator is useful after sentencing or parole, but it should not be used as proof that a person is not in Columbia County Prison.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last name | Text | Yes unless using inmate number | Required by PA.gov for name search. |
| First name | Text | Optional | Helpful for common last names. |
| Inmate number | Text | Yes if using number search | Alternative to name search. |
| Browser/device note | Access condition | N/A | PA.gov suggests disabling pop-up blockers or using another device/browser if needed. |
Federal ICE and VINE Searches
Columbia County Prison says it houses male and female federal inmates, but no BOP institution was located inside Columbia County. A federal inmate may be held locally for a time and later move into a BOP facility elsewhere. The BOP inmate locator covers federal inmates from 1982 forward. ICE custody is separate and is searched through ICE ODLS. VINE is a notification and custody-status channel, not a full jail record file.
The official BOP locator screenshot in the image manifest shows the number and name search paths used for federal custody.
BOP results can say released or not in BOP custody, which still leaves open county jail, state DOC, parole, supervised-release, or immigration custody.
| System | Search Fields | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| BOP | Register number, DCDC, FBI, INS, or name, race, age, sex | Federal inmates from 1982 forward |
| ICE ODLS | A-number and country of birth or biographical data | Immigration detainees |
| VINE | Name and custody/case lookup tools | Custody status and notification when available |
Columbia County Prison Contact Points
For Columbia County inmate records, keep the Iron Street prison contacts separate from courthouse and sheriff contacts. The prison handles custody, records, mail, visits, commissary, and local bail routing. The sheriff's office and courthouse offices at West Main Street handle sheriff functions, court records, prosecution, and county records requests.
Columbia County Prison
721 Iron Street
Bloomsburg, PA 17815
570-784-4815
Records Department: 570-389-5718
County Right-to-Know Officer
David J. Witchey
35 West Main Street, Bloomsburg, PA 17815
570-389-5613
dwitchey@columbiapa.org
Booking at Columbia County Prison
Booking and intake at Columbia County Prison depend on proper legal authority. Pennsylvania county prison standards require admission and release policies that verify commitment authority and paperwork, check detainers, handle property, and document release conditions. Local intake can include identification, property storage, medical and mental-health screening, classification, housing assignment, and orientation. The prison visitation page also shows local unit labels such as A, B, B-ISO, C, D North, D South, F, Medical, E/RHU, and Gym.
There is no located public refresh interval for a Columbia County booking because no county online roster was located. For a new arrest, first confirm custody with the prison. Then search UJS for the filed complaint, docket, OTN, bail entry, or hearing date. Court data may trail the arrest if the filing office has not entered recent events.
Columbia County Visitation Records
Columbia County Prison says onsite visitation is non-contact, and video visitation is available through ICSolutions. Adult visitors age 17 and over need photo identification, visitors are searched and metal-detected, cell phones and electronic devices are not permitted inside, and weapons are barred on prison property, including the parking lot. A resident must have the visitor on the visitation list.
| Day | Time | Housing Unit / Type |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday | 9:00 AM-11:00 AM | A Unit onsite non-contact |
| Saturday | 11:00 AM-1:00 PM | D North Unit onsite non-contact |
| Saturday | 1:00 PM-3:00 PM | D South Unit onsite non-contact |
| Sunday | 9:00 AM-11:00 AM | B Unit onsite non-contact |
| Sunday | 11:00 AM-1:00 PM | F Unit onsite non-contact |
| Sunday | 1:00 PM-3:00 PM | C Unit onsite non-contact |
| Appointment | Confirm with prison | Gym and face-to-face scheduling notes |
Columbia County Mail and Funds
Personal mail for Columbia County Prison is routed through TextBehind, not directly to the Bloomsburg street address. The address format is inmate name and inmate ID number, Columbia County Prison, P.O. Box 247, Phoenix, MD 21131. Money deposits use Access Corrections online, by phone at 1-866-345-1884, or at the kiosk in the visitation waiting room during visitation hours. Specific local deposit fees and limits were not located in the county page, so confirm with Access Corrections before sending funds.
Note: Confirm the person's custody status before sending mail, scheduling video, or depositing money.
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