Richland County Jail Roster
Richland County inmate records for current local custody route through the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center and the county detainee public information search. The jail holds adults waiting for trial or a court date and people serving sentenced time in county custody. County materials reference minimum, medium, and maximum security areas. The detention center is under County Council authority, with daily operations by a director under County Administration. The Richland County Sheriff's Department does not run the jail, although it investigates alleged criminal activity at the facility.
The jail roster is useful when a person may be detained now. It is weaker for released people, state prisoners, parole or probation status, federal custody, juvenile custody, or complete criminal history. The state-prison channel is SCDC, while criminal case details are checked through court records. If the question is about charges after booking, the Richland County arrest records and charges path explains how jail charge entries connect to court charge records.
The Richland County GovQA portal is the county public-records request channel when a non-exempt record cannot be found through the jail roster or a direct court source.
GovQA is a fallback for public records, while the jail roster remains the faster source for current detainee status.
Search Richland County Inmates
The county detainee lookup accepts name fields and a CAPTCHA before search. The research observed result fields for Select, FullName, Age, Ht, Wt, and Booked, with pagination when more than ten rows appeared. Secure Access exists as a separate link for users with an issued username and password. Public users should use Public Access and expect CAPTCHA validation before results appear.
- Open the Richland County detainee public information search.
- Enter the last name and, when known, the first name using alphabetic characters and spaces.
- Read the CAPTCHA image and type the characters shown, or use New characters if the code is hard to read.
- Select Search Offenders and review the result list for name, age, height, weight, and booked date.
- Open the selected profile and review the status banner, demographics, and Current Charges area.
The lookup does not prove a person was never held in Richland County. It is a current public custody search, and older or non-public jail data may require a direct records request or court lookup.
Richland County Inmate Fields
The detainee search form is simple, but the CAPTCHA is required. A partial name may help only if the entered characters match the system's validation rules. Secure Access is not a public option unless the user already has issued credentials. Public Access is the correct route for ordinary Richland County inmate searches.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Options / Format Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Name | Text | Unspecified | Valid characters are alphabets and space. |
| First Name | Text | Unspecified | Valid characters are alphabets and space. |
| CAPTCHA image | Image challenge | Yes | Generated code must be read from the image. |
| CAPTCHA entry | Text | Yes | Enter the characters shown in the image. |
| New characters | Button | No | Refreshes the CAPTCHA code. |
| Search Offenders | Submit | Yes | Runs the public search. |
| Public Access / Secure Access | Navigation | Not applicable | Secure Access requires issued username and password. |
Richland County Inmate Profile
A Richland County inmate profile can show custody status, demographics, and current charges. The research observed a status banner stating the offender is currently detained. It also observed OffenderID, name fields, sex, race, hair, eyes, and a Current Charges tab or link. The photo area was transparent or placeholder during review, so no visible mugshot should be promised. The public profile did not show DOB, booking time, arresting agency, housing detail, magistrate name, next court date, release date, or medical and protective flags.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Status banner | Whether the offender is currently detained. |
| OffenderID | Local detainee identifier shown in the profile. |
| Name fields | Last, first, and middle name fields for the detained person. |
| Demographics | Sex, race, hair, and eye fields observed in the public profile. |
| Current Charges | Charge table area with warrant code, bond, bond type, bond court, and offense description. |
| Bond legend | SB surety bond, CB cash bond, PR personal recognizance, and BD bond denied. |
| Not observed publicly | DOB, booking time, pod, next court date, release date, and medical or protective flags. |
The DOJ findings press release gives context for conditions and oversight issues at the jail.
That federal source is not an inmate lookup, but it helps explain why official jail records and facility contacts should be used carefully and verified.
Richland County Jail Facility
Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center is the local detention facility documented in the research. The DOJ report described a rated capacity of 1,120 as of December 2024 and an observed population of 965. The facility structure included 15 adult units, intake and transfer areas, 56-bed housing units, high-custody areas, higher-security men, medium-security men, older men, one women's unit, mental health, medical, a Behavior Modification Unit, and a separate youth building with three eight-bed dorm wings and two observation cells.
Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center
201 John Mark Dial Drive
Columbia, SC 29209
803-576-3200
Office hours: Monday-Saturday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Public visiting hours: Monday-Friday, 8:15 a.m.-8:30 p.m.
Bond Court is also on the jail campus and uses a separate phone number, 803-576-3281. Bond Court hears initial release and bond matters, while inmate profile charge fields may show bond amounts, bond types, and bond court entries.
County Jail vs SCDC
Richland County inmate records and SCDC inmate records answer different questions. The county jail roster is for current local detention at Alvin S. Glenn. SCDC inmate search covers persons currently sentenced to and incarcerated in the South Carolina Department of Corrections as of midnight the previous day. SCDC does not cover released offenders, people sentenced to county detention facilities, parole or probation community supervision, juvenile offenders, or current SCDC fugitives.
| Search | Best Use | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Richland County detainee lookup | Current local jail custody, current charges, bond fields, warrant codes. | Not a state-prison search or full criminal-history record. |
| SCDC public search | Currently sentenced people in state prison custody. | No released offenders, county sentences, parole or probation, juveniles, or current fugitives. |
| Court records | Charges, hearings, dispositions, sentence sheets, and financial records. | Images and exact fields may vary by case and court. |
Richland County Inmate Visits
Richland County visitation uses GTL/ViaPath scheduling. Public visiting hours are Monday through Friday, 8:15 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., with pauses for meals, shift changes, and lockdowns. Each detainee is allowed one one-hour visit per week, with two visitors at a time including children. Photo ID is required. Effective August 18, 2024, no blue-sheet or walk-in scheduling is allowed, so visits must be scheduled through the visitation system.
| Unit Group | Schedule |
|---|---|
| Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Fox Trot | Monday and Wednesday |
| Hotel, Golf, India, Juliet | Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday |
| Kilo, Lima, Mike, Uniform | Friday and Saturday |
| Papa, X-Ray, Yankee | Monday-Friday |
| Attorney visits | Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5:45 p.m.; schedule by ASGDCAdmin@richlandcountysc.gov or 803-576-3396. |
The GTL/ViaPath visitation portal is the official scheduling route for Richland County jail visits.
Visitors should use the scheduling portal because the county no longer allows blue-sheet or walk-in scheduling for the listed visitation process.
Money and Mail for Inmates
Commissary is ordered once per week. Deposits must be made by noon Wednesday for a detainee to order that week. U.S. Postal money orders may be left in the front lobby from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week, and must include the detainee full name, DOB, and detainee number. The lobby kiosk accepts cash and credit-card deposits. Staff do not accept counter payments, and personal checks are not accepted. Online deposits use McDaniel Supply or JailPackStore.
Mail must use the detainee name, number, and housing unit, followed by Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, 201 John Mark Dial Drive, Columbia, SC 29209. Mail restrictions are broad. Prohibited items include stamps, envelopes, pads, stationery, notebooks, journals, extra paper, stickers, paste, magnets, foreign objects, cash, checks, cashier's checks, laminated items, credit or debit cards, clothing, shoes, prohibited photos, stained or soaked items, and excessive materials. Pictures must be 5x7 or smaller, and Polaroids are not allowed.
Important: County materials say books and magazines must be direct from a publisher or bookstore, but the JMS notice says publications are temporarily suspended.
The COMET transit site is relevant for visitors who need public transit or DART ADA paratransit to reach court and jail-related services in Richland County.
Transit access does not change jail rules, but it can affect how visitors plan scheduled visits, court hearings, or records appointments.
Richland County Inmate Access
Richland County says it provides appropriate aids and services on reasonable request and availability, including sign-language and foreign-language interpreters. Court users can also follow South Carolina Judicial Branch ADA accommodation guidance. For court events, the SC Judicial Branch ADA contact should be reached as soon as possible and no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event. Facility pages reviewed did not publish a full courthouse or jail parking-rate table, phone policy, locker policy, or security-screening rule list.
The Richland County accessibility page documents the county's ADA notice and reasonable accommodation process.
Accessibility requests should be made through official channels tied to the facility, court, or event involved.
The South Carolina Judicial Branch ADA compliance page applies when the inmate-related issue is a court appearance or court service rather than a jail visit.
Judicial ADA guidance is most relevant when a detainee, family member, witness, or attorney needs accommodation for a hearing or court-related service.