Union County Jail

The Union County Jail (also known as the Union County Detention Center) is located in El Dorado, Arkansas and is operated by the Union County Sheriff's Office. 

This jail houses adult male and female inmates who have been arrested by local county or city law enforcement,and it has an average daily inmate count of 210. Inmates are held at the Union County Jail 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. 

Pretrial confinement at the Union County Jail 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 Union County Jail as punishment for their offense.

To find out if your loved one is being held at the Union County Jail, click here to see the inmate roster.

Personal Property

With only a few exceptions that are approved by the jail administrators, family and friends are not allowed to bring in items to the detention center for detainees. All detainees are given basic personal hygiene items every week. Any other items that a detainee wishes to have must be purchased through the commissary. Commissary items are ordered and distributed once a week.

Family members may bring prescription medications, eyeglasses, dentures, or a soft-cover religious text (Bible, Quran, etc) to the sheriff's office for an inmate. Prescription medications must be in the properly labeled bottle and be approved by medical staff before they are dispensed. 

All other items must be brought to the jail during business hours and approved by jail administration before it will be given to the detainee.

With the detainee's authorization, the jail will release personal property to an individual that the detainee specifies. You will need to bring a state issued photo ID to pick up the property. However, clothing and money will not be released. Those items will remain at the jail for the inmate to take with them when they are released from detention.

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

Visitation is a privilege offered to all inmates. Visitation rules are available at the front window of the Sheriff’s Office. Visiting hours at the Union County Jail are daily between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm., and visitation must be set up by the inmate.

Visitation is conducted through a video-chat style interface using a kiosk in the lobby of the Sheriff’s Office. Visits may also be conducted remotely by laptop or smart-phone by visiting

https://unioncountyar.citytelecoin.com/

Contact visits are generally not allowed at the Union County Jail. Exceptions to this policy can be made in advance by jail administration or the sheriff. However, they are generally granted for emergency situations only.

Visitation Schedule for lock-down pods (B,D,F pods) and booking:

Saturday

• Cell 1 8am – 9am
• Cell 2 9am – 10am
• Cell 3 10am – 11am
• Cell 4 12pm – 1pm
• Cell 5 1pm – 2pm
• Cell 6 2pm – 3pm

Sunday

• Cell 6 8am – 9am
• Cell 5 9am – 10am
• Cell 4 10am – 11am
• Cell 3 12pm-1pm
• Cell 3 1pm – 2pm
• Cell 1 2pm – 3pm

Schedule for nurses station:

Saturday

• Cell 1 1pm – 2pm
• Cell 2 2pm – 3pm
• Cell 3 3pm – 4pm

Sunday

• Cell 3 1pm – 2pm
• Cell 3 2pm – 3pm
• Cell 1 3pm – 4pm

Attorneys and Clergy

Attorneys may visit detainees at the Union County Jail at any reasonable time, but they are encouraged to make prior arrangements for security reasons. Identification may be requested in the form of an Arkansas Bar Card and driver’s license or other state identification. All attorney's will be required to sign in at the front lobby before visiting a detainee.

Clergy may visit detainees during business hours only. Pre-approved religious services may be held after hours at the discretion of the jail administrator.

Detainees at the Union County Detention Center may only receive 3x5 or 4x6 postcards as incoming mail.

All postcards must be properly addressed and also have a full return address. Restrictions for the postcards include: sexually explicit photographs, security threat group affiliations, and inciting literature. Letters made out to inmates will not be opened and will be returned to the sender.

Friends and family are not allowed to send any items through the mail to an inmate at Union County Jail. All items sent through mail will be returned or destroyed. 

ACT 309 inmates may receive certain items through the mail with approval from jail administration. Money orders for inmate commissary accounts must be addressed to the Sheriff's Office, see details below.

How to Call an Inmate

Detainees at the Union County Jail may not receive phone calls or messages. They may call out either by calling collect, having an account through the inmate phone company, or by purchasing calling cards off of commissary.

For questions regarding the jail's phone service or to have your phone number blocked, contact City TeleCoin at 1-800-682-0707.

How to Send Money

An account is maintained by detention center personnel for each detainee at the Union County Jail. Deposits to a detainee's account may be made either by a USPS money order (accepted through the mail only), or by using the kiosk in the forward lobby of the Criminal Justice Facility. 

The Union County Jail no longer accepts deposits for detainee accounts at the front window. Please note that there is a small processing fee, charged by the commissary provider, for using the electronic deposit services.

Money Orders

Anyone can add funds to an inmate’s commissary account at the Union County Jail with a money order. Money orders are accepted by mail only and should be made out in the inmate's name. The envelope must be addressed to:

Union County Sheriff's Office
ATTN: Commissary Accounts
250 American Rd
El Dorado, AR 71730

If the envelope is addressed in any other manner, the money order will be returned to you. It could also be used as a payment to be placed on another account (such as fines or ticket payment).

Cash, Debit, Credit Deposits

You may also use the kiosk in the forward lobby of the Criminal Justice Facility (across from district court) for cash, debit, or credit deposits.

Programs For Inmates

This information is not publicly available.

Pictures of Union County Jail

Careers at Union 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 Union County Jail, click here.