Tensas Parish Inmate Population

Tensas Parish inmate population records are held by the sheriff's office and the detention center in Waterproof. This is a small rural parish in northeast Louisiana with limited online tools for checking who is in jail. The LA VINE roster is the main way to look up current inmates without making a phone call. If you need more details on a specific person held at the Tensas Parish Detention Center, calling the jail or the sheriff's office is the most direct path. Booking data, charges, and bond details are all part of what staff can share over the phone when you give them a name and date of birth.

Tensas Parish Sheriff and Inmate Data

Sheriff Rickey A. Jones leads the Tensas Parish Sheriff's Office. The main office sits at 212 Hancock Street, Suite B, Saint Joseph, LA 71366. You can reach staff by phone at (318) 766-3961 during business hours or fax at (318) 766-3498. The sheriff's office does not have an official website. This means you will not find a web page with links to jail info or arrest logs like you would in larger parishes across Louisiana.

The sheriff's team handles law enforcement, inmate records, and court services for the whole parish. When someone is booked at the Tensas Parish Detention Center, the sheriff's office keeps the file. These records show the person's name, date of birth, charges, bond amount, and booking date. Staff can share basic booking data over the phone if you call and give them the full name and date of birth of the person you are looking for. Under Louisiana's Public Records Act, R.S. 44:1, most booking records are open to the public. The sheriff's office may charge a small copy fee as allowed under R.S. 44:32 if you need printed copies.

Note: The sheriff's office mailing address is P.O. Box 138, St. Joseph, LA 71366 for written records requests.

Tensas Parish Detention Center Population

The Tensas Parish Detention Center is at 8606 Highway 65, Waterproof, LA 71375. Call (318) 749-5810 for direct jail inquiries. Fax is (318) 749-5811. This is the main holding spot for all arrests made in Tensas Parish.

The inmate population at this facility is small compared to most parishes in Louisiana. Tensas is one of the least populated parishes in the state, so the jail count stays low most days. People held here include those waiting for trial, serving short local sentences, and some state inmates held on contract with the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. The mix can shift from day to day as new bookings come in and others get released or moved to state prisons. If you need to check on someone who may have been moved to a state facility, call the DPS&C at (225) 383-4580 with the person's name and date of birth.

The jail tracks each person from the time they are booked until they leave. That could be a few hours for someone who posts bond fast, or it could be weeks or months while a case moves through court. The booking process logs the person's full name, physical details, charges, arresting agency, and bond amount. All of this feeds into the records the jail keeps on file.

Search Tensas Parish Inmates Online

The LA VINE roster is the main online tool for checking the Tensas Parish inmate population. This system pulls data from the jail's booking records and updates on a regular cycle. You can search by first name, last name, or both. Results show who is in custody right now. Once a person is released, their name drops off the active list.

The Tensas Parish LA VINE roster page shows the name, booking number, charges, and bond details for each person held at the detention center. This is tied to the Louisiana Automated Victim Notification System. If you want to get alerts when an inmate's status changes, you can sign up through VINELink and get calls or texts sent to you. That service is free and runs all day, every day.

Here is the LA VINE roster page for Tensas Parish inmate population searches, available at tensas.lavns.org.

The roster lists all current inmates held at the Tensas Parish Detention Center with their booking details and charges.

Tensas Parish Inmate Lookup by Phone

Since Tensas Parish does not have a sheriff's website, calling is the best backup to the LA VINE system. The detention center line at (318) 749-5810 is the most direct way to ask about a specific person in custody. Have the full name and date of birth ready when you call. Staff can confirm if someone is there and share basic charge and bond info.

You can also try the sheriff's office main line at (318) 766-3961. Ask for records or inmate information. They can pull up booking files and let you know the status of a case. If you need copies of records mailed to you, send a written request to the sheriff's office at P.O. Box 138, St. Joseph, LA 71366. Include the inmate's full name, date of birth, and what records you need. The office may charge a fee for copies, but they cannot deny access to records that the law says are public.

The DPS&C offender information page is also worth checking if you think the person has been moved to a state prison. State-level records cover people serving longer sentences at facilities run by the Louisiana Department of Corrections.

Booking Records in Tensas Parish

Every arrest in Tensas Parish creates a booking record at the detention center. The process logs key details about the person and the case. This data feeds into the LA VINE system and the sheriff's internal files.

A typical booking record includes:

• Full name and date of birth
• Physical description and photo
• Charges and arresting agency
• Bond amount and type
• Booking date and time

You can get copies of these records by calling the jail at (318) 749-5810 or by sending a written request to the sheriff's office. Some records are also available through the DPS&C public information office if the person has been transferred to state custody. The victim services division can help if you are a registered victim in the system.

Inmate Records and Louisiana Law

Louisiana law sets clear rules on what inmate data the public can see. The current roster of people in custody is public. Booking photos are public. Charges and bond amounts are public. But medical records, mental health notes, and certain investigation files are off limits. R.S. 15:574.12 spells out what stays confidential. Pre-sentence reports, parole files, and clemency records fall under this shield.

The Louisiana Public Records Act gives you the right to ask for records from any public body, including the Tensas Parish Sheriff's Office. They must respond to written requests. They can charge fees for copies but cannot block access to records that the law says are open. If you get turned down, you can file a complaint or seek a court order to get the records released. The Tensas Parish Clerk of Court also holds court records tied to criminal cases in the parish.

Note: Juvenile inmate records are sealed under Louisiana law and are not part of the public roster.

Nearby Parishes

These parishes border Tensas Parish. If you are not sure which parish handles a case, check the arrest location. The booking goes through the parish where the arrest took place.