Find South Carolina Mugshots, Bookings & Jail Records Through the Correct Official Source
There is no single South Carolina county-jail mugshot database. For a recent arrest, start with the sheriff, detention center or county booking system where the person was arrested. Use South Carolina Department of Corrections only for qualifying state-prison custody, SLED CATCH for statewide South Carolina criminal history, and the South Carolina Judicial Branch for the criminal court case.
Records Search
Court, Criminal, Marriage, Divorce, Property
A booking photograph or arrest entry records an arrest and jail-processing event. It does not establish guilt, prove that every original charge was prosecuted or show the final case outcome.
Which South Carolina Record Should You Search?
The phrase “SC mugshots” can describe several different searches. A county jail roster, incident report, court docket, SLED criminal-history report and SCDC inmate record answer different questions.
Was the person booked into a county jail?
Start with the sheriff, county detention center or local corrections agency for the county where the arrest occurred.
Find the right county route →Is the person still in a local jail?
Use the county’s current-inmate or detention search. A recent booking page may not necessarily establish that a person remains in custody.
What happened after the arrest?
Use the South Carolina Judicial Branch Trial Court Case Records system to follow available criminal case activity.
SC trial court records →Need a South Carolina criminal-history report?
SLED CATCH provides name-based South Carolina criminal-record searches. It is different from a county booking roster.
Open SLED CATCH →Was the person sentenced to SCDC custody?
Use South Carolina Department of Corrections for currently incarcerated state-prison inmates.
SCDC inmate search →Need the underlying incident or arrest report?
Request the report from the law-enforcement agency that created it. The jail and arresting agency are not always the same organization.
See report-request guidance →How to Find South Carolina County Mugshots & Bookings
South Carolina county booking information is decentralized. A statewide search therefore begins by identifying the county or local detention facility rather than entering a name into one statewide “mugshot” database.
Identify the county where the person was arrested or booked
Use the arrest location, arresting agency, news report, citation or known jail location. County matters because detention databases are maintained locally.
Open that county’s official sheriff or detention website
Look for labels such as Inmate Search, Bookings, Recent Bookings, Detention Center, Jail Roster or Inmate Population. Do not assume every county uses the same terminology or software.
Search using the strongest identifier available
A booking number or other unique identifier is safer than a common name. If you only have a name, compare all available identifying details before assuming a match.
Check whether the page means booking or current custody
A recent-booking page can show that a person entered a jail even if they were later released. Use a current-inmate status source when continued custody matters.
Move to the court record for the later case
The original booking charge is not necessarily the final filed charge or disposition. Use the South Carolina Public Index or appropriate court record after identifying the case.
Need the correct sheriff’s office?
The South Carolina Sheriffs’ Association maintains a county directory covering the state’s sheriff offices. Use it to identify the responsible county office, then confirm the live booking or detention resource on that agency’s official website.
Finding Recent South Carolina Bookings Without Inventing a Statewide Archive
Different South Carolina counties publish different periods of booking information. Do not assume every sheriff provides a “today,” “24-hour,” “72-hour,” “30-day” or “90-day” mugshot archive.
| What you need | Best starting source | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Arrest from today | County recent-booking or detention system | Booking date/time and identity. |
| Person currently in county jail | County current-inmate search | Current custody, facility and release/bond information where published. |
| Arrest several days or weeks ago | County booking records + SC court record | Whether the booking remains online and whether a court case was filed. |
| Older arrest | Law-enforcement records + court system | Original incident/arrest report and later case outcome. |
| Statewide South Carolina criminal history | SLED CATCH | Name/date-of-birth match and the limitations of a name-based search. |
| Current state-prison inmate | SCDC | Current SCDC incarceration rather than county custody. |
Use South Carolina Court Records to Follow the Criminal Case
The South Carolina Judicial Branch provides trial-court case-record searching for counties across the state. Court records answer a different question from a jail roster: they help show how the case progressed after arrest.
Use the trial court record for county criminal cases
After identifying the county, open the state’s Case Records – Trial Court system and select the appropriate county. Search carefully by name or case number where available.
Use a case number when you have one
A case number is safer than relying only on a common name. The Judicial Branch uses county-coded case numbers for General Sessions and other trial-court matters.
Which court might handle the case?
South Carolina criminal matters can appear in General Sessions, Magistrate Court or Municipal Court depending on the offense and jurisdiction. The Judicial Branch’s Courthouse Search can help identify the correct county courthouse and court contact.
SLED CATCH: Statewide South Carolina Criminal-History Search
SLED’s Citizens Access to Criminal Histories, or CATCH, is a name-based search of South Carolina criminal-history information. It should not be confused with a live county-jail roster or a nationwide background search.
South Carolina records only
SLED says CATCH searches South Carolina criminal-history information. Wanted-person information is not included in the report.
Name-based, not ordinary fingerprint matching
CATCH uses name and date-of-birth criteria. SLED warns that aliases or differing personal information can produce false positives or false negatives.
$25 criminal-record check
SLED currently lists a non-refundable $25 fee for a standard South Carolina criminal-record check.
| CATCH detail | Current official guidance |
|---|---|
| Standard report | $25 non-refundable criminal-record check fee. |
| Online convenience fee | SLED’s current CATCH page also lists a $1 online convenience fee. |
| Service fee from July 1, 2026 | The current CATCH notice lists a $1.43 service fee for each $25 online CATCH report. Verify the displayed checkout total before payment. |
| Mail request | SLED also accepts criminal-record-check requests by mail and says the online convenience fee does not apply to mail requests. |
| Wanted persons | Not included in CATCH criminal-history reports. |
| Sex offender search | SLED says registered sex-offender information is handled through the separate South Carolina Sex Offender Registry. |
When to Use the South Carolina Department of Corrections Inmate Search
SCDC is appropriate when someone has moved into South Carolina state-prison custody. It is not a statewide county-jail booking database.
What the SCDC search includes
SCDC says its inmate search displays photographs and public information for people currently sentenced to and incarcerated in the South Carolina Department of Corrections as of midnight the previous day.
What it does not include
SCDC says the search does not provide information about released SCDC offenders, people sentenced to county detention facilities, people under parole or probation/community supervision, juvenile offenders housed by the agency or current SCDC fugitives.
SCDC public inmate information
SCDC lists a toll-free inmate-information line at 1-866-727-2846.
A South Carolina Arrest Report Is Different From a Jail Booking
A jail record documents booking and detention. The incident or arrest report is generally maintained by the law-enforcement agency that investigated or made the arrest.
County sheriff handled the event
Use that county sheriff’s Records or FOIA/public-record process for the underlying report.
Municipal police handled the event
Request the report from that city’s police records unit. A county detention center can hold someone arrested by a city department without owning the police report.
Another law-enforcement agency made the arrest
Follow the record to the agency that generated it rather than sending every request to the sheriff or jail.
Information that makes a records request easier to locate
When available, provide the person’s correct name, incident date, approximate location, arresting agency, case or incident number and a clear description of the record requested. Do not invent missing identifiers.
South Carolina Expungement & Record Removal Basics
An old booking page is not always the end of the story. South Carolina provides expungement procedures for qualifying charges and convictions, and the correct process depends on the court and disposition.
General Sessions
The South Carolina Judicial Branch says General Sessions expungement applicants generally apply through the solicitor in the circuit where the offense occurred.
For cases where fees apply, current Judicial Branch guidance lists a $250 solicitor administrative fee, a $25 SLED verification fee when applicable, and a $35 Clerk of Court filing fee when applicable. Some cases are exempt from some fees.
Magistrate and Municipal Court
Separate rules apply to summary-court cases. The Judicial Branch explains that qualifying not-guilty, dismissed or nolle-prossed matters may be subject to expungement procedures through the summary court, with statutory exceptions.
South Carolina Has a Specific Law for Published Arrest & Booking Records
South Carolina Code §17-1-60 addresses websites and publications that publish arrest and booking records, including booking photographs. This matters because the law contains restrictions and a qualifying removal process.
Charging for removal or revision is restricted
The statute makes it unlawful under specified circumstances to require payment or other consideration to remove, revise or refrain from posting South Carolina arrest and booking records.
Certain records can trigger a removal obligation
The statute provides a process involving certified documentation when the original charges were discharged, dismissed, expunged or the person was found not guilty.
The statute contains a 30-day removal period
Where the statutory requirements are met, the law specifies removal without payment within 30 days after receipt of a qualifying request.
Why You May Not Find a South Carolina Booking
| Problem | Possible explanation | What to do next |
|---|---|---|
| No result in SCDC | The person may be in a county jail rather than state prison. | Identify the county and use its detention system. |
| No result in county current custody | The person may have been released, transferred or moved outside the live-roster window. | Search the court record and arresting-agency records. |
| Several people share the same name | Name-based searches can create mistaken identity. | Compare date of birth, booking number, photograph and other lawful identifiers where provided. |
| SLED CATCH does not show an expected record | Name/date-of-birth differences or aliases can affect a name-based search. | Review SLED’s search limitations and correction procedures. |
| Original booking charge differs from court case | Charges can change after arrest. | Use the later court record rather than repeating the booking allegation as the final outcome. |
| An expunged or sealed case is missing | Some records are no longer ordinary public records after qualifying legal action. | Use the appropriate court or solicitor if confirmation is legally available. |
| Need a police narrative | The detention database is not the incident report. | Request the report from the agency that created it. |
County Mugshot & Jail Record Guides
Use a county-specific guide when you already know where the booking occurred. Local pages can identify the exact detention center, recent-booking system, arrest-report route and county court record.
Horry County
For Conway, Myrtle Beach and surrounding Horry County arrests, use the county-specific guide covering J. Reuben Long Detention Center bookings, releases and court records.
Horry County mugshots & jail records →Spartanburg County
For Spartanburg bookings, use the county guide covering recent Sheriff bookings, detention status, bond, Public Index records and state-custody follow-up.
Spartanburg mugshots & jail records →Only verified published internal destinations are included here. Additional South Carolina county guides should be added as they are researched and published rather than fabricating future URLs.
What a South Carolina Mugshot Does — and Does Not — Establish
A booking record can help show
- That a jail intake or arrest-related processing event occurred.
- The detention facility or booking agency where shown.
- Initial charge information where publicly displayed.
- Booking or custody dates where published.
- Bond or release information where the official system provides it.
A mugshot alone does not prove
- Guilt.
- A conviction.
- That every original booking charge was formally prosecuted.
- The final sentence or disposition.
- That the person remains in custody today.
- That two people with similar names are the same person.
Official & Authoritative South Carolina Sources
- South Carolina Department of Corrections — Inmate Search
- South Carolina Law Enforcement Division — CATCH
- SLED Criminal Justice Information Services
- South Carolina Judicial Branch — Trial Court Case Records
- South Carolina Judicial Branch — Courthouse Search
- South Carolina Judicial Branch — Expungement Application Process
- South Carolina Code — Title 17, Chapter 1
- South Carolina Act 248 of 2026 — Mistaken-Identity Arrest Records
- South Carolina Sheriffs’ Association — County Directory
Source review date: September 28, 2026. Booking databases, fees, court technology, agency contacts and laws can change. Confirm time-sensitive details with the responsible government source before paying a fee, filing a request or relying on a record for an important decision.
South Carolina Mugshots & Jail Records FAQs
Is there one official statewide South Carolina mugshot search?
No single system serves as a complete statewide county-jail mugshot database. Recent and current county-jail records are generally maintained by individual sheriffs, detention centers or local corrections agencies. SCDC serves state-prison custody, while SLED CATCH serves statewide South Carolina criminal-history searches.
Where should I search for someone arrested today in South Carolina?
Identify the county where the arrest occurred and use that county’s official sheriff or detention-center booking or inmate system. If the arrest was by a city police department, the person may still be booked into the county detention facility.
Does the South Carolina Department of Corrections show county jail inmates?
No. SCDC says its public inmate search does not include people sentenced to county detention facilities. Its search is for qualifying inmates currently sentenced to and incarcerated in SCDC custody.
What is SLED CATCH?
CATCH is the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division’s name-based South Carolina criminal-history search. It is different from a county booking search and does not provide a nationwide criminal-history check.
How much does a SLED CATCH search cost?
SLED currently lists a $25 non-refundable fee for a standard criminal-record check. Its online page also lists an online convenience fee and, effective July 1, 2026, a separate service fee. Verify the current checkout total before paying.
How do I find out what happened after a South Carolina arrest?
Use the South Carolina Judicial Branch trial-court records for the county where the case was filed. The court record is more appropriate than the original booking page when you need later charges, hearings or disposition information.
Why might a South Carolina mugshot disappear?
The person may have left the recent-booking window, been released or transferred, or the record may have become restricted, sealed or subject to expungement or another legal process. Use the court and responsible agency to determine what information remains public.
Does South Carolina require mugshot websites to remove some records?
South Carolina Code §17-1-60 contains a qualifying removal procedure for published arrest and booking records when statutory requirements are met, including specified dismissed, discharged, expunged or not-guilty circumstances. The statute also restricts charging a fee or other consideration for certain removal or revision activity.
Does a South Carolina mugshot mean the person was convicted?
No. A mugshot or booking entry records an arrest and jail-processing event. It does not establish guilt or conviction and may not reflect the later court disposition.