Find Charleston County Bookings Through the Official Jail, Sheriff & Court Record Route
For a recent Charleston County arrest or booking photo, start with the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office inmate search for the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center. The same official search can also be switched to past bookings. Use the court Public Index for what happened after the arrest, and use the Sheriff’s Records or FOIA process when you need the underlying report or another public record.
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Quick Answer: Where to Search Charleston Mugshots
Charleston County operates an official inmate-search system for people booked into the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center. It supports current-inmate searches and a separate Show Past Bookings option, making it the best starting point for both a recent detention and many older Charleston County booking searches.
The official form currently accepts first name, last name, booking-date range, arrest-date range and inmate number. It also offers a “Sounds Like” option for name variations. A reCAPTCHA must be completed before a live search.
Search the detention system
Use the official Charleston County inmate search when you are trying to confirm a recent booking, custody entry or associated booking photo.
Turn on “Show Past Bookings”
Do not assume a released person will appear in the current-inmate results. Use the past-booking option when the arrest is no longer current.
Move to the court record
The booking page is not the final case history. Use Charleston County’s Public Index when you need later filings, hearings, court status or disposition information.
Which Charleston County Record Should You Use?
“Charleston mugshots” can mean several different things. The jail booking record, an incident report, a Sheriff’s Office criminal-history check, a warrant record and a court docket answer different questions.
| What you need | Best official starting point | What it helps confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Recent booking or mugshot | Charleston County Inmate Search | Current detention booking information and available booking imagery. |
| Older Charleston County booking | Inmate Search with “Show Past Bookings” | Prior detention-center booking entries available through the official search. |
| Current jail status | Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center / inmate search | Whether the person appears in the county detention system now. |
| Underlying incident or Sheriff’s record | CCSO Records Division or FOIA | The report or public record maintained by the Sheriff’s Office, subject to applicable restrictions and redactions. |
| Your own CCSO-jurisdiction arrest history | CCSO Criminal Records Check form | Up to 20 years of arrest data held for offenses within CCSO jurisdiction. |
| Later criminal case | Charleston County Public Index / Clerk of Court | Case status, filings, court events and disposition where public. |
| Statewide South Carolina criminal history | SLED CATCH | A name-based South Carolina criminal-history report. |
| Active-warrant information | Charleston County Sheriff’s Warrants Search | Public warrant information released by CCSO, subject to the Sheriff’s disclaimer. |
How to Search Official Charleston County Bookings
The county search provides more controls than a simple recent-arrest gallery. Use the smallest amount of identifying information that produces a reliable match, then compare the available booking details before assuming you found the correct person.
Open the official Sheriff’s Office inmate search
Go to inmatesearch.charlestoncounty.org. This is the county’s official search for people booked into the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center.
Choose current or past booking records
Start with the normal current-inmate search if the arrest is recent. If the person was released or the arrest happened earlier, enable Show Past Bookings.
Search by name, dates or inmate number
The current form supports first name, last name, booking-date range, arrest-date range and inmate number. If spelling is uncertain, the form also provides a “Sounds Like” option.
Compare the complete booking entry
Use more than the photograph. Compare available name, booking or arrest dates, charges and other identifiers before treating a record as a match.
Use the court index for what happened next
If your question is about prosecution, hearings, later charges or disposition, leave the booking database and search the Charleston County court record.
What a Charleston County Booking Record Does — and Does Not — Prove
| Booking information | What it can help show | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| Mugshot / booking image | A photograph associated with a detention intake. | Guilt, conviction or the final result of the case. |
| Booking date | When the jail recorded a booking event. | When the criminal case was resolved. |
| Arrest date | The recorded date associated with the arrest. | The final charge filed by a prosecutor. |
| Initial booking charge | The allegation recorded during the booking process. | That the same charge resulted in conviction. |
| Past booking result | That the county system retains an accessible prior booking entry. | That the person remains incarcerated today. |
| Bond information | A bond-related record at a particular stage of the case. | That conditions, amount or custody status have not changed. |
The Charleston County Sheriff’s FOIA materials specifically warn that information supplied by an arresting agency or arrestee may contain inaccuracies. For anything consequential, compare the booking information with the responsible agency and the court record.
Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center
The Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center is Charleston County’s principal county detention facility and the facility connected to the official inmate-search system.
Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center
3841 Leeds Avenue
North Charleston, SC 29405
Main detention-center phone: 843-529-7300
Video visitation
The current detention information says a resident must generally have been incarcerated for at least 72 hours before receiving a visit. The jail uses video visitation and publishes current scheduling information on its official site.
Because visitation rules and schedules can change, check the live detention page before traveling or creating an account with a jail-service vendor.
Detention statistics displayed on the live county website change over time and are therefore intentionally not copied into this article as a fixed population number.
Need an Arrest Report, Incident Report or Sheriff’s Record?
A booking page and an incident report are different records. The detention search is usually faster when your question is simply “Was this person booked?” The Sheriff’s Records Division or FOIA process is more appropriate when you need an actual report or broader public record.
Copies of Sheriff’s reports
CCSO lists its Records Division for people who need a copy of a report.
Phone: 843-554-2450
Victim incident-report copy
CCSO states that a victim is entitled to a copy of the incident report relating to the victim’s case without a fee. Contact the responsible Sheriff’s Office unit for the current procedure.
The online reporting system currently covers selected non-emergency matters and says an accepted online report may take up to three business days to produce the report information and case number. Emergencies should go to 911, while the Sheriff’s published non-emergency number is 843-202-1700.
Requesting Your Own Charleston County Sheriff’s Arrest History
CCSO publishes a separate Criminal Records Check form for someone requesting a criminal-history check on themselves. This is narrower than a statewide SLED report.
CCSO jurisdiction only
The form says the result contains arrest data for offenses committed within Charleston County Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction. It is not represented as a complete statewide criminal history.
Up to 20 years
CCSO currently states that it will provide up to a 20-year criminal arrest history through this service.
$5
The official form currently lists a $5 fee payable at the time of the request.
The form asks for identifying information and a signature. Because submission and pickup procedures can change, use the current official form and contact the Records Division before traveling.
Charleston County Sheriff’s Office FOIA Requests
Use FOIA when you need a Sheriff’s Office public record that is not available through the simpler inmate, Records Division or self-history routes. CCSO directs FOIA requests to its Public Information Office at 3691 Leeds Avenue in North Charleston or to [email protected].
Before sending a formal request, the Sheriff’s Office recommends contacting the public Records office because some information can be provided without a formal FOIA request. If a formal request is required, it must be made in writing.
Information that helps CCSO locate a record
- Specific document or record requested.
- Agency case number, if known.
- Date or date range.
- Subject’s name and date of birth or approximate age.
- Incident address or location.
- Names of other people involved, when known.
- Your current contact information.
Published FOIA cost details
Fees depend on the work required. The current CCSO form says charges may not exceed the actual cost of research, retrieval and redaction. Its published schedule includes the following potentially applicable charges:
| Published item | Current listed amount |
|---|---|
| Staff research beyond normal duties | Minimum $25/hour; lowest-paid qualified employee; billed in 1/10-hour increments |
| Photo / video / audio / data disk | $20 per disk |
| Email search | $70 per search; keywords, names and date range are required |
| Off-site retrieval for cases 3 or more years old | $5 per case requiring retrieval |
| Postage when requested | $8.50 flat rate |
If estimated searching, retrieval, redaction and reproduction costs are $75 or more, CCSO says a 25% deposit may be required before research begins. The remaining balance must be paid when the records are produced.
The Sheriff’s current FOIA form also directs requests for 911 or dispatch recordings to the Charleston County Consolidated 911 Center rather than the Sheriff’s FOIA route.
Check the Charleston County Court Record After a Booking
If you need to know whether a booking led to a filed criminal case, what the later court status is or how the matter was disposed, use Charleston County’s court Public Index rather than relying on the original jail entry.
Public Index case pages can show information such as case number, court agency, filed date, status, disposition, court events, parties and bond information when those fields are public and available. Not every document or case detail is necessarily available online.
Charleston County Public Index
Use the Public Index to follow the case after the booking stage. The system warns users not to rely blindly on online information and prohibits automated scraping.
General Sessions
100 Broad Street, Suite 106
Charleston, SC 29401
Phone: 843-958-5000
Fax: 843-958-5020
Published office hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m., excluding county holidays.
When the Charleston County Search Is Not Enough
SLED CATCH
CATCH is the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division’s name-based criminal-history service. It searches South Carolina criminal-history information rather than only Charleston County detention bookings.
The current standard report fee is $25. SLED’s current site also describes additional online convenience/service charges, including a $1.43 service fee effective July 1, 2026 for a standard $25 CATCH report. Check the displayed checkout total before paying.
Name search has limits
SLED explains that CATCH is name-based and that fingerprint-based searches are more reliable. A name match should therefore be treated cautiously when identity has serious legal, housing, employment or personal consequences.
For a broader explanation of county-jail searches versus state criminal history and state-prison records, see the site’s South Carolina mugshots and jail records guide.
Charleston County Warrant Search
CCSO also provides a public Warrants Search. This is a separate tool from the inmate search: a warrant search asks whether CCSO has publicly released warrant information, while an inmate search asks about detention bookings.
Warrants Unit: 3841 Leeds Avenue, North Charleston, SC 29405 · 843-529-7391
No Charleston Mugshot or Booking Result? Check These Possibilities
The person is no longer a current inmate
Enable Show Past Bookings. A release from jail does not necessarily mean the criminal case ended.
The spelling is different
Try the official “Sounds Like” option, remove unnecessary middle-name information or search a more focused booking/arrest-date range.
The arrest is very recent
Processing takes time. If timing is critical, contact the detention center rather than repeatedly assuming an empty search means no arrest occurred.
You need a court record, not a jail record
Once a person has been released, transferred or the booking is older, the Public Index may be the better source for following the criminal case.
Another agency owns the incident report
The detention center can contain bookings made at the request of different law-enforcement agencies. Ask the arresting or investigating agency for its underlying report.
You need statewide history
Charleston County’s own criminal-record check is limited to CCSO jurisdiction. For broader South Carolina criminal history, use SLED CATCH.
Charleston County Arrest, Jail & Court Contacts
Charleston County Mugshots & Booking Records FAQs
Where can I find official Charleston County mugshots?
Start with the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office inmate search for the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center. It provides the county’s official current-inmate search and an option to show past bookings.
Can I search older Charleston County bookings?
Yes. The official inmate-search form currently includes a “Show Past Bookings” option. Use that when the person no longer appears as a current inmate.
What fields can I use in the Charleston inmate search?
The current official form supports last name, first name, booking-date range, arrest-date range and inmate number. It also provides a “Sounds Like” option for name variations.
Does a Charleston County mugshot mean the person was convicted?
No. A mugshot or booking entry documents an arrest and detention-processing event. It does not prove guilt or establish the final charge or disposition.
Where is the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center?
The detention center is at 3841 Leeds Avenue, North Charleston, South Carolina 29405. Its published main phone number is 843-529-7300.
How do I obtain a Charleston County Sheriff’s incident report?
Start with the CCSO Records Division at 843-554-2450. Broader public-record requests can use the Sheriff’s FOIA process. If another law-enforcement agency created the report, request it from that agency.
How much is a Charleston County Sheriff’s criminal-record check?
The current CCSO Criminal Records Check form lists a $5 fee. The service is for the requester’s own record and is limited to arrest data within CCSO jurisdiction, with up to a 20-year history.
How long does the CCSO self criminal-history request take?
The current form says to allow five working days for processing. It also says documentation that is not picked up within 10 days of the request will be destroyed.
How do I find out what happened after a Charleston County arrest?
Search the Charleston County Public Index. The court record is the better source for later case status, hearings, filings and disposition than the original jail booking.
How do I get a statewide South Carolina criminal-history report?
Use SLED CATCH. It is a name-based South Carolina criminal-history service and is broader than Charleston County’s local CCSO record check. SLED currently lists a $25 base fee plus applicable online service or convenience charges.
Official Sources Used for This Charleston County Guide
The core record routes and operational details on this page were checked against government sources on October 6, 2026. Live jail status, booking entries, court events, fees, forms and agency procedures can change, so use the linked authority when timing matters.
- Charleston County Sheriff’s Office — Inmate Search
- Charleston County Sheriff’s Office — Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center
- Charleston County Sheriff’s Office — Contact Directory
- CCSO — Criminal Records Check Form
- CCSO — Freedom of Information Act Request Form
- CCSO — Warrants Search
- Charleston County Clerk of Court
- Charleston County Public Index
- South Carolina Judicial Branch — Charleston County
- South Carolina Law Enforcement Division — CATCH