Pennington County Released Inmates

Pennington County released inmate records are available through the Pennington County Sheriff's Office in Thief River Falls, which operates a modern jail facility licensed to hold up to 92 inmates. The county uses a relatively new facility that achieved 98.41% compliance on mandatory state inspection requirements in 2023, and both the county's official tools and statewide Minnesota resources give the public access to current and recent custody information.

Pennington County Sheriff and Jail

The Pennington County Sheriff's Office is at 102 1st Street West, Thief River Falls, MN 56701. The main phone is (218) 681-6161. The county's official website at co.pennington.mn.us has information about the Sheriff's Office and jail services. For current inmate roster information, contact the Sheriff's Office directly or check the county website for any online roster tools they may have available.

The Pennington County Jail is a relatively modern facility that was built approximately 7 years before the 2024 inspection cycle. The State of Minnesota licenses it to hold up to 92 inmates. The jail uses 7 housing units and employs indirect supervision for both sentenced and pretrial adult male and female offenders. This is a standard approach for facilities of this size, allowing staff to monitor multiple housing areas without being stationed inside each one at all times.

State inspection records from 2023 show the Pennington County Jail achieved 98.41% compliance on mandatory state requirements and 98.04% on essential requirements. These are high scores. The facility earned recognition for ensuring equal programming opportunities across genders, including participation in the Sentence to Service (STS) program. The jail also provides religious services and counseling access for inmates.

Pennington County participates in regional community corrections programming for probation and supervised release services. If someone from Pennington County is under supervision in the community rather than in jail, they may be linked to the regional corrections office. Contact the Sheriff's Office at (218) 681-6161 for direction on how to reach the right office for supervision-related questions.

Minnesota DOC Offender Locator

When someone from Pennington County is convicted of a serious felony and sentenced to state prison, they move out of the county jail system and into a Minnesota Department of Corrections facility. The MN DOC Public Viewer tracks these individuals separately from the county roster.

Search by name or offender ID at coms.doc.state.mn.us/PublicViewer. Results show current facility, release dates, and supervision type. If someone is not showing up on the county jail roster, checking the DOC viewer is a useful next step. Both tools together cover the full range of people who have moved through the Pennington County justice system.

The DOC viewer is free and available at any time without an account.

VINE: Custody Status Notifications

VINE (Victim Information and Notification Everyday) is a free service available to anyone who needs to track an inmate's custody status. It covers the Pennington County Jail and all Minnesota state correctional facilities. You can use it to check current status or register for automatic alerts when a specific person is released, transferred, or escapes.

Search the database or register for alerts at vinelink.com, or call 877-664-8463. The phone line operates 24 hours a day. Notification alerts can be delivered by phone, text, or email. This is helpful for crime victims, family members, attorneys, and others who need timely notice of custody changes at the Pennington County Jail. You do not need a specific reason or status to use VINE.

Predatory Offender Registry

Minnesota's Predatory Offender Registry tracks people required to register their address after a qualifying conviction. This is not the same as the jail roster. Many registrants live in the community and are not currently in custody. In Pennington County, registered offenders may be in Thief River Falls or in rural parts of the county.

Search at coms.doc.state.mn.us/PublicRegistrantSearch by name or location. Registration is required under Minnesota Statute 243.166. Risk levels are assigned under Minnesota Statute 244.052 and range from Level 1 (low) to Level 3 (high). Level 3 offenders are subject to active community notification. Levels 1 and 2 can be found through the registry search but do not trigger the same public alerts. The Pennington County Sheriff's Office at (218) 681-6161 can answer questions about specific registrants in the area.

Court Records via MCRO

The Minnesota Court Records Online system (MCRO) covers district court records statewide, including Pennington County cases. Search by name, case number, or date at publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us. Criminal records show charges, court dates, verdicts, and sentences. MCRO is a good place to look if you want background on a specific case that led to someone being held at the Pennington County Jail.

Some records are free to access; certified copies or document downloads may carry a fee. Juvenile records are not available through the public MCRO portal. Pennington County is part of the 9th Judicial District, which covers a large portion of northwestern Minnesota. For formal criminal history background checks, use the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) at dps.mn.gov/divisions/bca.

Minnesota Data Privacy Law

Access to Pennington County inmate records is governed by state law. Minnesota Statute 13.82 sets out what law enforcement data is public, including basic arrest and booking records. Minnesota Statute 13.85 covers corrections and detention data, specifying what the jail must make available.

Under these statutes, names, arrest dates, charges, and bail information are generally public. Active investigation records, informant data, and juvenile records are protected. Booking records do not indicate guilt. An arrest means someone was taken into custody. What happens after that depends on the courts, not the jail. Minnesota law limits how employers and landlords can use arrest records that did not result in conviction.

If you need data beyond what is publicly available, a formal data request to the Pennington County Sheriff's Office is the right route. Minnesota's Government Data Practices Act governs the process and sets deadlines for county responses.

Cities in Pennington County

Thief River Falls is the county seat and the largest city in Pennington County. No cities in Pennington County meet the 100,000 population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site.

Nearby Counties

These counties are near Pennington County. Each has its own released inmate records.