The Lewis County Inmate Population
Lewis County does not have a separate county jail facility or a county-only jail roster in the official sources reviewed for this build. County-level detention for Lewis County is served by Central Regional Jail and Correctional Facility, a West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation regional jail in Sutton/Flatwoods. DCR lists Central Regional Jail as serving Braxton, Calhoun, Clay, Gilmer, Lewis, Nicholas, Roane, and Webster counties. That regional setup is the first fact to check when a search for a Lewis County inmate population, jail roster, or booking record seems to miss a person.
The Lewis County inmate population is therefore part of a multi-county jail count, not a stand-alone Lewis County jail count. People arrested by the Lewis County Sheriff's Office, Weston Police, State Police, or another local agency may be committed to Central Regional Jail after arrest and intake. If a person is later sentenced to a state prison term, the search shifts to the WV DCR prison offender locator. Federal and immigration custody use separate systems, so a jail roster search alone does not cover every possible custody path.
The official Lewis County sheriff page identifies Sheriff Mickey Metz and lists prisoner transportation among the sheriff's duties. That local duty helps explain the handoff from a Lewis County arrest to DCR custody at Central Regional Jail.
Lewis County Inmate Population Statistics
The best current population figures for Lewis County jail custody come from DCR facility reports for Central Regional Jail. The WV DCR FY2025 Annual Report lists Central Regional Jail with a rated population of 312 and an average daily count of 351. Because the jail serves eight counties, the facility count should not be read as a Lewis-only count. It is still the official detention population source for Lewis County jail custody because DCR operates the facility that serves the county.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Central Regional Jail rated population | 312 | WV DCR Annual Report, FY2025 |
| Central Regional Jail average daily count | 351 | WV DCR Annual Report, FY2025 |
| Central Regional Jail counties served | 8 counties | DCR facility page and FY2025 report |
| Lewis County prison offenders by county | 70 | WV DCR Annual Report, around June 30, 2025 |
Lewis County Jail Population Trends
DCR reports show that Central Regional Jail has stayed above its rated population in recent fiscal years. The average daily total was 362 in FY2023, dipped to 337 in FY2024, and rose to 351 in FY2025. Against the FY2025 rated population of 312, the FY2025 average equals about 112.5 percent of capacity. The trend is not a simple rise or fall. It shows continuing capacity pressure at the regional jail that handles Lewis County inmate custody.
| Fiscal Year | Central Regional Jail Average | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| FY2023 | 362 | DCR jail statistics listed CRJ average daily total. |
| FY2024 | 337 | DCR average daily count, with capacity shown as 312. |
| FY2025 | 351 | DCR average daily count, with rated population 312. |
Who Counts in Lewis County Jail Data
The FY2025 Central Regional Jail table separates the facility population by custody category. The largest group was pretrial felony detainees, followed by DCR Division of Corrections inmates. The same table also counted federal pretrial inmates, federal sentenced inmates, pretrial misdemeanants, convicted misdemeanants, and convicted felons. These categories matter because a roster entry may reflect a booking, a short sentence, a hold, or a transfer point, not one single case type.
- Pretrial felony custody had a combined Central Regional Jail count of 151 in the FY2025 average daily table.
- DCR inmates accounted for 86 people at Central in the same FY2025 table.
- Misdemeanor categories included 39 pretrial misdemeanants and 24 convicted misdemeanants.
- Federal custody categories included 12 federal pretrial inmates and 7 federal sentenced inmates.
- Lewis-only limits remain important because no official source in the research published a Lewis County-only jail sex, race, age, or booking-count table.
Lewis County Jail Capacity Pressure
Central Regional Jail's rated population of 312 is the benchmark for the Lewis County inmate population housed through the regional system. DCR's FY2024 and FY2025 data both show average counts above that rating. The FY2023 total was also above the FY2025 rated population. No official Lewis County-specific jail construction plan, county jail closure, consent decree, or local detention litigation was found in the reviewed source set. The official capacity story is narrower and stronger: Lewis County relies on a regional jail, and that jail has recent DCR-reported average counts above its rated population.
Capacity note: Central Regional Jail population data describes a regional facility serving eight counties, so it should not be converted into a Lewis-only incarceration rate.
Laws for Lewis County Inmate Records
West Virginia law supplies the public-record framework for Lewis County jail population data, booking records, and court copies. The law does not mean every field is online or that every record is released without review. It means the request should go to the custodian that holds the record: DCR for regional jail custody and booking material, the Lewis County Sheriff's Office or arresting agency for agency reports, and the Magistrate or Circuit Clerk for court documents.
Key Statutes:
West Virginia Code § 29B-1-3 gives people the right to inspect or copy nonexempt public records and requires a custodian response within five business days, excluding weekends and legal holidays.
West Virginia Code § 15A-3-16 requires jail facilities or units to keep date and time incarceration records for county per diem billing.
West Virginia Code § 15-2-24 addresses fingerprints, photographs, criminal-identification records, and related arrest information in defined circumstances.
West Virginia Code § 15A-8-1 transfers regional jail operational powers to DCR while preserving limited Regional Jail Authority board powers.
Lewis County State Prison Population
A person in the Lewis County inmate population may leave the jail roster after sentencing and enter state prison custody. The DCR prison locator covers offenders under active supervision, in prison, or on parole, but it does not list people who have discharged from DCR custody. The FY2025 DCR Annual Report reports 70 prison offenders for Lewis County in the adult prisons custody-by-county table around June 30, 2025. That is a county-of-commitment or custody-by-county statistic, not proof that a state prison is physically located in Lewis County. No state prison was mapped in Lewis County from the official facility sources reviewed.
Search the Lewis County Inmate Population
The official current jail lookup path is the WV Regional Jail Offender Search. It is not branded as a Lewis County-only roster because DCR runs regional jails statewide. A person arrested in Lewis County may also appear through Daily Incarcerations when Lewis County is selected from the county dropdown. The DCR pages use CAPTCHA, so searches must be completed in a live browser session.
- Open the WV Regional Jail Offender Search for a current regional jail name search.
- Enter at least the first three letters of the last name. Add the first name if common names return too many matches.
- Complete the CAPTCHA and submit the search.
- If the name search fails, open Daily Incarcerations and select Lewis County from the county dropdown.
- Confirm whether the person is at Central Regional Jail, another DCR facility, state prison, federal custody, or ICE custody.
Lewis County Roster Search Fields
The regional jail search is simple by design, but it still has strict field rules. A last-name search requires at least three letters. First name is optional on the jail form, while the prison locator requires both first and last name when searching by name. Daily Incarcerations works differently because it starts with a county dropdown and can be useful when the exact spelling is uncertain.
| Portal | Field Label | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regional Jail Offender Search | Last Name | Yes | Minimum 3 letters, maximum 100. |
| Regional Jail Offender Search | First Name | No | Maximum 100 letters, useful for narrowing common names. |
| Regional Jail Offender Search | CAPTCHA | Yes | Google reCAPTCHA appears before search submission. |
| Daily Incarcerations | County | Yes | Lewis is one of the county dropdown options. |
Past Lewis County Inmate Records
Released and past inmates are harder to confirm through the jail search because DCR's regional jail tools are built for current custody and daily incarceration views. For a past Lewis County booking, first check whether the person has moved to the DCR prison locator, parole, or supervision. If the online custody tools do not answer the question, a West Virginia FOIA request should be routed to the custodian that holds the record. DCR or Central Regional Jail is the best route for regional jail custody records. The Lewis County Sheriff's Office is the route for sheriff-created arrest reports, and court filings belong with the clerk for the court where the case was filed.
The Lewis County Sheriff's Office page lists Sheriff Mickey Metz and notes law-enforcement duties that include powers of arrest and prisoner transportation. That local role matters, but it does not make the sheriff the jail operator. Detention operations are DCR's lane once the person is accepted into regional jail custody.
Lewis County Inmate Record Fields
Live profile fields could not be fully inspected in the research because DCR search submissions use CAPTCHA. The public search and DCR disclaimer still support a cautious field inventory. The roster is the official starting point for current regional jail custody, but court records should be used for formal charge status and disposition. DCR warns that information can change quickly and may not show true current location, release date, status, or other offender information.
DCR's disclaimer also warns that the presence of a person's information is not an indication of guilt or innocence. That warning is important for Lewis County inmate population searches because booking status can appear before a prosecutor has reviewed the case, before a first appearance has been completed, or before a court has changed bond or charge wording.
| Field or Topic | How to Read It |
|---|---|
| Name and identity | Use spelling carefully and compare with court records when common names appear. |
| Facility assignment | Confirms whether the person is assigned to Central Regional Jail or another DCR site. |
| Booking or admission status | Shows jail custody context if available, but timing can lag after arrest or transfer. |
| Charge or sentence text | Treat as roster information only. Court filings control the actual case record. |
| Booking photo | May be displayed in DCR systems, but bulk reuse is limited by DCR's disclaimer. |
Lewis County Jail vs State Prison
Lewis County jail custody and state prison custody answer different questions. Central Regional Jail covers the regional jail side, including pretrial and sentenced felony or misdemeanor populations assigned to the jail. State prison search covers offenders in prison, on parole, or under active supervision. BOP and ICE locators are federal systems and should not be treated as substitutes for the regional jail search.
| Custody Type | Who It Covers | Where to Search |
|---|---|---|
| Regional jail | Pretrial and short-sentence jail custody for Lewis County and other served counties. | WV Regional Jail Offender Search or Daily Incarcerations. |
| State prison or parole | Sentenced prison, active supervision, and parole cases. | WV DCR prison offender locator. |
| Federal custody | Federal inmates from 1982 to present. | BOP Inmate Locator. |
| Immigration detention | ICE detainee lookup when immigration custody is involved. | ICE Online Detainee Locator System. |
Lewis County Detention Facilities
Only one adult detention facility was mapped for Lewis County inmate-population pages. Central Regional Jail is outside Lewis County, but DCR explicitly lists Lewis County among the counties it serves. No separate municipal jail, state prison, BOP prison, ICE detention center, or Lewis County-operated adult jail was found in the official facility sources reviewed.
- Central Regional Jail and Correctional Facility - the WV DCR regional jail serving Lewis County arrests and jail commitments.
Lewis County Inmate Population FAQ
How large is the Lewis County inmate population?
The county does not publish a Lewis-only jail count in the reviewed official sources. DCR's FY2025 report lists Central Regional Jail, the regional jail serving Lewis County, with a 351 average daily count and a rated population of 312.
Where is the Lewis County jail roster?
Lewis County custody is searched through WV DCR regional jail tools, not a county-only roster. Use the regional jail name search first, then Daily Incarcerations with Lewis County selected if the name search is not enough.
Can a Lewis County inmate be in state prison?
Yes. After felony sentencing or a custody change, the person may move from regional jail custody to the DCR prison locator. The jail search and the prison locator cover different custody stages.
Who keeps Lewis County court copies after a booking?
Lewis County Magistrate Court and Circuit Court clerks handle court-file copies. The regional jail can confirm custody, but it is not the source for complaints, indictments, disposition orders, or certified court records.
Does Lewis County have a sheriff app for inmates?
No Lewis County, West Virginia sheriff app was confirmed in the official source set. DCR vendor apps exist for GettingOut calling and video services and ConnectNetwork deposits, but those are not sheriff roster apps.