Charlottesville Jail Mugshots

Charlottesville jail mugshots and arrest records are kept by the Charlottesville Sheriff's Office and the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail. Charlottesville is an independent city in central Virginia, home to the University of Virginia. People arrested in the city are taken to the regional jail on Peregory Lane. To search for an inmate, get a recent booking photo, or look up an arrest, you start with the local sheriff. Most jail mugshots from Charlottesville can be pulled by name or by booking number once intake is done.

Charlottesville Sheriff's Office

The Charlottesville Sheriff's Office is the city record holder for jail mugshots and arrest data. Sheriff James E. Brown leads the office. The team handles court security and civil process for the city. You can reach the office at 434-970-3771. The Virginia Sheriffs' Association directory lists Sheriff Brown as the official record custodian.

Booking photos taken at intake are public for adult arrests under Virginia Code § 2.2-3706. The sheriff has five working days to reply to a written FOIA request. To learn more about the office and its work, see the Charlottesville Sheriff's Office page.

The sheriff works in partnership with the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail Board. The jail board sets policy for the regional facility that holds Charlottesville inmates. The Charlottesville Police Department also keeps its own arrest records for cases its officers make in the city.

Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail

The Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail is at 160 Peregory Lane, Charlottesville, VA 22902. The jail serves Albemarle County, Nelson County, and the City of Charlottesville. It houses adult male and female inmates from the three member jurisdictions. For more, see the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail page.

The jail handles intake, booking, classification, and release. Each inmate gets a mugshot, prints, and a basic file at intake. The jail then holds the person until release, transfer, or court action. The facility is run by the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail Board. Visits and commissary services are managed through the jail.

Below is the official VADOC Inmate Locator search page, which is used for state inmates from Charlottesville who have been sent to a Department of Corrections facility. The locator does not show people held at the regional jail, only those in state prison.

To use the tool, go to the VADOC Inmate Locator and enter the first letter of the first name plus the full last name, or the seven-digit ID number.

How to Get Charlottesville Booking Photos

To get Charlottesville jail mugshots, send a FOIA request to the sheriff or the regional jail. State law gives the office five working days to reply. The full FOIA rules are in Chapter 37 of Title 2.2. Your letter should name the person, the date of arrest if you know it, and the type of record you want.

Adult booking photos must be released under § 2.2-3706. Some details may also fall under § 2.2-3706.1. Juvenile records are not public. Files tied to an open felony case may be held back if release would harm the case.

The fee for copies must match the actual cost of the search and the copy work. Plain copies are cheap. Certified copies cost more. You can pick up the records in person or have them mailed to you.

Charlottesville Court Records

After an arrest in Charlottesville, the case goes to the General District Court or the Circuit Court. You can search for case info through the Virginia Judicial System case info portal. The portal lets you search by name, case number, or hearing date.

The court file shows the charge, the judge, the next court date, and the result. The booking photo is not in the court file. Felony cases from Charlottesville are also added to the state Central Criminal Records Exchange under § 19.2-392.2. Some old records can be sealed by court order under § 19.2-392.3.

Charlottesville Arrest Process

An arrest in Charlottesville starts with a warrant or a probable cause stop. State law in § 19.2-82 sets out how the person must be brought before a magistrate after the arrest. For minor offenses, an officer may give a summons under § 19.2-74 and skip the booking step.

If the case calls for booking, the person is taken to the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail. There the staff take a mugshot, prints, and a file. Bond is then set by a magistrate. The mugshot becomes part of the public record once intake is done.

The state sex offender registry under § 9.1-913 is also open to the public and lists offenders who live in Charlottesville. Both the sheriff and the police reply to records requests within five working days.

Nearby Cities

These nearby Virginia cities also keep their own jail mugshots and arrest records.