Lake County Jail Roster Overview
The Lake County Jail sits at the Government Center in Crown Point and is run by the Sheriff's Corrections Division. The jail is rated for 1,085 inmates and is managed by 170 merit correction officers, part of a sheriff's department of more than 500 employees. Warden Todd Wasmer has led the jail since January 2022. The facility holds people awaiting court, serving short sentences, and waiting on transfers.
Unlike some counties, Lake County does not publish a searchable inmate roster on the sheriff's site reviewed here. That means there is no public page where you type a name and see a booking photo or housing unit. Instead, custody is verified by phone, and status changes can be tracked through VINELink, the victim notification and custody service the sheriff links. The sections below explain both routes and the rules that govern contact with an inmate, from visitation and mail to phone calls and commissary deposits.
The Lake County Sheriff and Corrections
Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. leads the department that runs the jail. He is a lifelong Lake County resident, born in Gary and raised in East Chicago, a 1993 Indiana Law Enforcement Academy graduate, and a more than 25-year veteran of the Lake County Sheriff's Department who was elected sheriff in 2017. The department spans county police, corrections, court security, and animal control.
Corrections is only one part of a large agency. The county police side includes 168 merit officers and specialty units such as Traffic, K-9, Warrants, Crime Lab, Gangs, Narcotics, and a Tactical or S.W.A.T. team, plus the only Aviation Unit in Northwest Indiana and a full-time Marine Unit on Lake Michigan. For inmate questions, though, the corrections side and its jail records line are the right contacts.
How to Verify Custody in Lake County
Because there is no online roster, verifying custody is a short, direct process. Start with the jail, then use VINELink for ongoing alerts. Have the full name and, if you can, a date of birth ready before you call.
- Call Jail Booking Information at (219) 648-6300 to confirm a recent arrest or booking.
- Call Jail Records and Pretrial at (219) 755-3421 for custody and records questions.
- Register with VINELink to get alerts when a custody status changes.
- Check Indiana MyCase for the related criminal case once charges are filed.
Warden Todd Wasmer's background and the jail's leadership are described on the jail warden profile page.
The warden's office oversees the corrections operation that handles bookings, housing, and inmate transport.
Custody Search Fields on VINELink
VINELink is the closest thing to a public custody search for Lake County. It is a notification and status tool, not the official jail docket, and what it shows depends on the data the agency feeds it. The fields below are the ones you will use.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| State / Location | Dropdown | Yes | Select Indiana or the agency where offered. |
| Name | Text | Yes for name search | First and last name; exact fields vary by agency. |
| ID / Offender Number | Text | No | Use if you have it. |
| Register for Notification | Button | No | Set up phone, email, or text alerts. |
Note: VINELink reflects custody status, not a full jail record, so confirm anything important with Jail Records and Pretrial.
What a Custody Record Shows
A custody result through VINELink or a state system carries basic identity and status fields. Because Lake County does not host its own roster, do not expect local extras like a booking photo, housing pod, or bond figure online. The table lists what these custody systems typically return.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Name | The person's name as entered by the agency. |
| Offender Number | An ID assigned by the holding agency. |
| Custody Status | Whether the person is in custody or released. |
| Location | The facility or agency holding the person. |
| Age, Race, Sex | Basic descriptors where the agency shares them. |
| Notification Options | Whether you can register for status alerts. |
Lake County Jail Facilities
The county runs two correctional housing operations. The main jail holds the bulk of the population, and a separate work release center houses people the courts allow to keep working during a sentence. Together they account for a stated capacity of about 1,185 beds.
Lake County Jail
2293 N. Main Street
Crown Point, IN 46307
Jail Booking (219) 648-6300
Capacity 1,085; Jail Records (219) 755-3421
Sheriff's Work Release Center
Lake County Sheriff's Corrections
Crown Point, IN 46307
Sheriff Admin (219) 755-3400
Capacity 100 male and female inmates
Booking Process in Lake County
When someone is arrested in the county, they are booked into the jail in Crown Point. The sheriff does not publish a step-by-step booking timeline on the pages reviewed, but the Corrections Division handles intake, housing, and the medical ward, and transports inmates to court, outside hospitals, and state facilities as needed. To confirm whether a booking has happened, the jail booking line is the right call.
After booking, the criminal case drives the next steps. A first appearance and any bond decision happen through the court, and those entries show up in the case record rather than a jail page. Because the jail does not post bond figures online, the case record or a call to the clerk is the way to learn a bond amount. For the charges and hearings, follow the case in Lake County court records, and check the sheriff's main site for the jail's general public-safety links.
Visitation Rules at the Lake County Jail
The sheriff sets clear visitation and commissary rules. Visitors must check in 30 minutes before the end of visiting to be processed, and only people on the inmate's visitor list may visit. A valid photo ID is required. The table sums up the official rules.
| Topic | Official Rule |
|---|---|
| Check-in | Check in 30 minutes before the end of visiting. |
| ID | Valid driver's license, state ID, passport, or military ID. |
| Visitor list | Only visitors on the inmate's list may visit. |
| Commissary money orders | Money orders only; Mon-Fri 8:00 AM-9:00 PM; Saturdays during visiting hours. |
| Commissary kiosk | 24-hour jail lobby kiosk takes cash and credit cards. |
| Books | Softback books only, through Amazon.com. |
| Magazines and newspapers | Accepted only through the publishers. |
The sheriff posts the full visitation and commissary rules on the inmate visitation page.
Visiting hours follow the jail's normal operating schedule, and the sheriff points to the video provider for more detail.
How to Contact a Lake County Inmate
The jail contracts with Telmate, also branded GettingOut, for inmate calling. Calls come in a few forms. Collect calls are paid by the person who answers, but they cannot go to cell phones, business lines, or blocked numbers. Prepaid accounts fix that and work for cell phones, offices, and other lines that normally refuse collect calls. Inmates can also buy debit phone time through commissary.
Family and friends set up prepaid accounts by calling Telmate at 1-866-516-0115 or through the GettingOut site. The same number lets you leave an inmate a voicemail up to three minutes for $1.25, and it handles blocking or unblocking a number.
The full phone-service rules sit on the inmate phone services page.
That page explains collect, prepaid, and debit calling so you can pick the option that fits.
Commissary and Inmate Funds
Money for an inmate moves through commissary. The sheriff accepts money orders only at the counter, on weekdays from 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM and on Saturdays during visiting hours. For around-the-clock deposits, the jail lobby kiosk takes cash and credit cards at any hour. Family and friends can also add money to an inmate trust account online, by phone, or at the kiosk, which the inmate can then use for debit phone time and commissary items.
Work Release in Lake County
Not everyone in custody is held in the main jail. The Sheriff's Work Release Center houses up to 100 male and female inmates whom the courts allow to keep working during a sentence. They leave for work and return to the center after their shifts, supervised by a staff of 25 custody officers. Work release is a court-ordered status, so eligibility comes from the sentencing judge, not from the jail.
For someone trying to locate an inmate, work release matters because that person may not be in the main jail population at all. If a custody check comes back unclear, ask Jail Records and Pretrial whether the person is housed at the jail or assigned to work release. The county also runs Community Corrections, which connects to reentry programs covered on the released inmates page.
Mail and Packages for Lake County Inmates
The jail limits what can be sent and how. Softback books are allowed only when they ship directly from Amazon.com. Magazines and newspapers are accepted only when they come straight from the publisher. These rules exist for security, and items that arrive any other way are usually refused.
Because the published rules focus on books, publications, money, and phone service, anything outside those categories should be confirmed with the jail before you send it. A quick call to Jail Records and Pretrial saves a wasted shipment and helps an inmate actually receive what you mail.
Medical Care and Inmate Transport
The Lake County Jail runs a medical ward and provides other healthcare needs for people in custody. When care goes beyond what the jail can offer, the Corrections Division transports inmates to outside medical facilities. The same division moves inmates to and from court hearings and to state Department of Correction facilities when a court orders it.
That transport role is part of why an inmate's location can shift during a case. Someone may be at the jail one day and at a hearing or a medical appointment the next. If you cannot reach or locate an inmate on a given day, transport is a common reason, and Jail Records and Pretrial can confirm the current status. Court days in particular can move an inmate out of the jail for hours at a time.