St. Francis County Jail

The St. Francis County Detention and Dispatch Center is located in Forrest City, Arkansas and is operated by the St. Francis County Sheriff's Office. 

This long-term facility houses adult male and female inmates who have been arrested by local county or city law enforcement. Inmates are held at the St. Francis County Detention and Dispatch Center after they are arrested for crimes ranging from violations to misdemeanors to felonies. 

The facility houses those who have been charged with a crime and are awaiting trial, those who have been arrested on warrants, people placed on hold by the Arkansas Department of Probation and Parole, people sentenced by county and municipal courts, and state inmates awaiting transfer to the Arkansas Department of Corrections. 

The center is designed to hold 120 inmates, including 100 males, eight females, and six felony juvenile males. 

Pretrial confinement at the St. Francis County Detention and Dispatch Center is not for punishment purposes. Instead, detainees who haven't been convicted and who haven't made bail are being held at the facility to make sure that they appear in court. Sentenced inmates are held at the St. Francis County Detention and Dispatch Center as punishment for their offense.

To find out if your loved one is being held at the St. Francis County Detention and Dispatch Center, click here to see the inmate roster.

Posting Bond

The purpose of a bond is to make sure that an arrested person will appear at their scheduled court date when they are released from jail. Judges usually determine the amount of bond, while the sheriff determines the sufficiency of the bond. If a person is arrested with a warrant, it will generally have the bond amount listed. 

Cash Bond: The person who is arrested (or someone acting on their behalf) may post the entire bond amount in cash, which will be held by the sheriff or the court pending disposition of the criminal case.

Surety Bond: Secure release from Dispatch Center through a professional licensed bail bonding company, aka a “surety bond.” The bonding company will charge non-refundable fees that are not applied to any fines, costs, or restitution that may later be ordered by the court. 

OR Bond: Releasing someone on their “own recognizance” is simply a promise to re-appear at a later date for further judicial proceedings. These are usually used for minor offenses.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Visiting hours at the St. Francis County Detention and Dispatch Center are on Saturdays at the following times: 

• Females: 9:00 am to 9:15 am
• Juveniles: 9:15 am to 9:30 am
• Males 9:30 am to 11:00 am
• Males: 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
• DOC inmates: 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm

How to Call an Inmate

You can't call an inmate who is housed at the St. Francis County Detention and Dispatch Center, but they do have access to phones and can make outgoing collect calls.

How to Send Money

Anyone may add funds to an inmate’s commissary account at the St. Francis County Detention and Dispatch Center using one of the following methods:

• Visit the lobby of the St. Francis County Detention and Dispatch Center and drop off cash, money order, or cashier's check for your inmate. 
• Mail a money order or cashier's check directly to the Detention and Dispatch Center, that is made payable to the inmate.

Programs For Inmates

The St. Francis County Detention and Dispatch Center participates in the state's ACT 309 program. This is a program where inmates from the Arkansas Department of Corrections -- who are being held at St. Francis -- assist in maintenance of the jail, cooking, gardening, and laundry.

This facility also participates in a work release program, which allows misdemeanor charged inmates to work off their fines by cleaning roadways in the county.

Pictures of St. Francis County Jail

Careers at St. Francis County Jail

If you are interested in a career with the Sheriff's Department and would like more information about the job openings at the St. Francis County Detention and Dispatch, click here.