Beaufort County Detention Center Overview
The Beaufort County Detention Center is the official local jail for Beaufort County and is operated by the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office. It is a county jail, not a state prison. The sheriff's official facility page describes it as a direct-supervision detention center located in the basement of the Beaufort County Courthouse in Washington. The jail primarily holds pretrial detainees charged with felony and misdemeanor offenses, along with inmates sentenced to shorter local terms of confinement.
The jail opened in 1969 and remains tied to the downtown courthouse complex rather than a detached jail campus. That local detail matters for families, attorneys, and visitors because court traffic, courthouse security, and downtown parking can affect arrival time. Official research found no separate Beaufort County work-release annex, city jail, regional jail, state prison, BOP prison, ICE facility, or USMS contract facility physically located in Beaufort County.
The sheriff's command structure also anchors the facility. Sheriff Scott Hammonds leads the office. The official command-staff page names Major Jeremy Hewitt as responsible for overseeing all operations of the Beaufort County Detention Center, and Melissa Satchell is listed as Captain of Detention.
Beaufort County Detention Center Population
The facility has a documented rated capacity of 85 beds. The sheriff's Detention Center page gives that number, and the 2024 Beaufort County Sheriff's Office jail food-service RFP repeats it. The same RFP says the current jail has no on-site kitchen and describes an approximate food-service population range of 50 to 85 inmates, with an average of 59 inmates served three meals a day. Sheriff accomplishments reported an average daily population of 60 in 2023 and 58 in 2024.
The food-service records add rare detail about daily operations. Breakfast is scheduled for 6:30 a.m., lunch for 11:00 a.m., and dinner for 5:00 p.m. Vendor rules require at least three meals in each 24-hour period, two hot meals, no more than 14 hours between the evening meal and breakfast, dietitian or nutritionist consultation, and modified diets when medically prescribed or reasonably possible for religious needs. These facts do not create an inmate roster, but they show how the jail supports a changing local custody population.
Search Beaufort County Detention Center Inmates
The official inmate lookup for this facility is app-only. The sheriff's Detention Center Services page lists Inmate Search as an app-only feature and also lists Bail Bonding as app-only. No official web roster, daily booking PDF, or public recent-bookings web page was located. That means a browser search that fails to find a public roster should not be treated as proof that a person is not in the jail.
- Open the official sheriff site and use the app links for Beaufort County Sheriff NC.
- Use the app's Inmate Search feature for current local jail status.
- Use the app's Bail Bonding feature if the question is bond or release processing.
- Call the sheriff's 24-hour main line at (252) 946-7111 if the app is unclear or a booking is very recent.
- Search NC DAC if the person has been sentenced to state prison rather than held locally.
The detention services page is the local source for the app-only search path.
The facility page confirms that the jail is the local custody center, while the separate services page explains how current inmate search and bail bonding are reached.
Beaufort County Detention Center Address
Use the jail's main phone line for current custody, visitation, attorney scheduling, and jail-record routing questions. The sheriff's front office is listed as open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., while the main phone is labeled 24-hour. Attorney appointments have a separate detention-services contact and require advance notice.
Beaufort County Detention Center
210 N Market Street
Washington, NC 27889
(252) 946-7111
24-hour main sheriff phone
Attorney Visit Scheduling
Lt. Tina Coward
Detention services
(252) 946-7113
Monday-Friday appointments, 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Beaufort County Jail Visitation
The researched official pages document attorney visits, professional or special visits, and family or friend video visitation. They do not publish a complete public in-person schedule, dress code, visit-length table, or holiday schedule. Because the Beaufort County Detention Center is a working jail inside the courthouse complex, visitors should confirm the current visit method before travel.
| Visit Type | Schedule / Access | Rules / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Attorney visits | Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. | Appointment only; 24-hour advance notice; contact Lt. Tina Coward at (252) 946-7113. |
| Professional or special visits | Scheduled in advance | Professional visitors may include law enforcement, legal representatives, or religious persons; special visits need Jail Administrator approval. |
| Family/friend video visits | HomeWav kiosk in housing blocks | Valid ID required; inappropriate behavior during video visitation can cause blocked visits. |
| Public in-person visits | Full schedule not located | Official page heading references in-person visits, but visible source did not publish a full schedule. |
Note: Valid ID is required, and visitors without valid ID can be blocked from visiting.
Mail Money and Phones
Non-legal jail mail does not go to the street address. The sheriff's jail services page says incoming non-legal mail is inspected for contraband and scanned to tablets. The mail must include full sender name and return address, the inmate's first and last name, inmate ID number, and Facility ID 5013. Privileged mail goes to the physical detention center address and is opened and inspected for contraband in the inmate's presence.
| Service | Provider / Detail | Important Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Non-legal mail | Beaufort County Detention Center, inmate name and ID, Facility ID 5013, PO Box 18247, Greensboro, NC 27419 | Scanned to tablets; full return name and address required. |
| Privileged mail | Beaufort County Detention Center, 210 N Market St, Washington, NC 27889 | Opened and inspected for contraband in the inmate's presence. |
| Phones | Pay Tel Communications, 8:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m. | No incoming inmate calls; Pay Tel customer service is 1-800-729-8355. |
| Deposits | team3.inmatecanteen.com | Select Beaufort County Jail and search by last name or ID number. |
Deposits through Team3 Inmate Canteen carry a 10% transaction fee. Money orders may be accepted only from people who live outside Beaufort County, and accepted money orders are deposited into the inmate account and receipted.
Property Drop Off Rules
The property rules are unusually specific. The jail accepts personal property for inmates Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and ID is required. Socks, boxers, briefs, T-shirts, and bras must be new, factory-sealed, white, and limited to a maximum of seven of each item. The jail accepts property only one time after incarceration. No property other than whites or cream thermal underwear is accepted.
Important: Confirm custody status and property rules with the detention center before buying or bringing items.
Booking at Beaufort County Detention Center
Booking starts when a person is arrested or committed on a warrant, order, indictment, probation matter, or other lawful custody authority. Jail staff identify the person, check commitment papers, collect property, screen for medical and mental-health needs, classify housing, and set up communication and account access. North Carolina law also governs photographing and fingerprinting arrested persons in covered circumstances.
New bookings may not appear in the app immediately. A person may also be absent from the local app because they were released, transported to court or medical care, transferred to state prison, held by another county, or moved into a federal or immigration process. Formal court dates and charge status belong in the court system, especially the NC eCourts Portal and the Beaufort County Clerk of Superior Court.
Beaufort County Jail Standards
The sheriff publishes a PREA zero-tolerance policy and third-party reporting options. Reports may be made to staff, volunteers, medical staff, or through inmate grievance to the PREA coordinator. Friends and family may report to a confidential PREA coordinator mailbox at (252) 946-7113 ext. 217, and messages may be anonymous.
State oversight also applies. The NC DHHS Jails and Detention Section conducts semiannual inspections of local confinement facilities under jail rules and statutes. The 2024 food-service RFP references NCDHHS jail standards, ACA, state, and federal correctional food-service standards in vendor expectations. That procurement language should not be overstated as facility accreditation, but it does show the standards the county expected its jail food vendor to meet.
The NC DHHS Jails and Detention Section page is one statewide source for local jail inspection context.
State jail oversight is separate from the sheriff's app, but both sources help explain how local custody information is created and checked.