Union County South Carolina Custody Guide
Search Union County Jail Inmates, Custody Status & Court Records
Start with Union County’s new inmate portal to locate a person held at the Union County Detention Center, then connect that custody record with Bond Court, Magistrate Court or South Carolina’s trial-court index when you need charges, bond, hearings or the eventual criminal case result.
Union County also houses different inmate groups under the same detention operation: pretrial detainees, county-sentenced inmates and state inmate workers. Their visitation and follow-up paths are not identical, so this guide separates them before you schedule a visit, fund an account, make a phone account or search the wrong statewide system.
PORTAL → BOND COURT → CASE → STATUS
UNION INMATE PORTAL
Name
MATCH
Booking
SAVE
Charges / bond
REVIEW
Court
CONNECT
Custody status
VERIFY
BOND
COURT
CIDNET
VISIT
CORRECT CUSTODY PATH FOUND
Facility
Union County Detention Center
Address
1657 Jonesville Hwy, Union
Detention Director
Niel McKeown
County Sheriff
Jeff Bailey
Do not start in the wrong database
Four Different Systems Can Be Relevant to One Union County Arrest
1. Union Inmate Portal
Use first for a person who may currently be held at the Union County Detention Center.
Best for the jail/custody question.
2. Bond & Magistrate Court
Use when the question is bond, warrant procedure, preliminary hearing or a Summary Court criminal matter.
3. SC Trial Court Index
Use for filed Union County criminal cases, General Sessions activity and later court developments.
4. SCDC / SC VINE
Use when custody has moved beyond the county jail or when statewide custody-status information is the real goal.
Important: SCDC’s inmate search does not list people merely because they are being held in Union County Detention Center. SCDC says its search covers people currently sentenced to and incarcerated in the state prison system.
Start With the Exact Result You Need
Find someone arrested recently
Search the official county inmate portal first and keep the name search broad until you identify the correct person.
Check bond
Review the booking information, then verify bond status with Union County Bond Court when the amount or eligibility is unclear.
Find the criminal case
Move from the custody information to the South Carolina Judicial Branch public index and select Union County.
Schedule a county inmate visit
Do not call the detention center to book the appointment. County pretrial and sentenced inmates use CIDNET scheduling.
Deposit commissary money
Union County directs deposits and supply orders through McDaniel’s Supply / JailPackStore.
Track custody after transfer
Use SC VINE or, after a state-prison transfer, the SCDC inmate search.
Jump Directly to Your Union County Jail Task
How to Search the Union County SC Jail Roster
Union County now links directly to a Zuercher-powered inmate portal from the official Detention Center and Sheriff pages.
Begin with the legal last name.
Avoid nicknames. If the person has a hyphenated or double surname, test the complete surname and each major part separately.
Add the first name only if needed.
A broad surname search is useful when you are uncertain how the booking record spells the first or middle name.
Open every plausible result.
Do not identify someone based only on the name or photograph.
Compare available identifying details.
Match age or date-of-birth information, booking timing and other identifiers shown by the live portal.
Save the booking or inmate identifier shown.
Use the exact identifier for detention-center calls, account deposits and future status checks when available.
Review all charges and bond information shown.
Several charges may have separate bond conditions or may be connected to different courts.
Do not stop at the jail record.
If you need the case outcome, hearing schedule or filed charges, continue to the South Carolina court index.
Recheck before traveling or arranging release.
Custody information can change after court, bond processing, transfer or sentence placement.
Fastest workflow: inmate portal → exact identity → booking identifier → charges/bond → court index → current custody status.
Six Things to Match Before Relying on an Inmate Result
Full name
Check exact spelling.
DOB / age
Separate similar names.
Booking ID
Save if displayed.
Booking timing
Match the known arrest.
Charges
Compare the offense context.
Custody status
Verify before acting.
Arrest is not conviction: a jail roster documents custody and booking information. It does not establish guilt or tell you the final court disposition.
Union County Houses More Than One Type of Inmate
The detention center’s official page describes both a Pretrial Division and Prison Work Camp, so the correct family-service path depends on which inmate population you are dealing with.
P
Pretrial detainee
A person being held while the criminal case is pending. Bond, court action and release status can change as the case develops.
C
County sentenced inmate
The county states that its divisions house inmates serving sentences imposed by Summary and General Sessions courts, including qualifying local sentences.
S
State inmate worker
Union County says the Prison Work Camp can house up to 20 state inmate workers who perform jobs while completing a state sentence.
This distinction matters for visits. County sentenced and pretrial inmates use video visitation; the county publishes a separate Saturday in-person visitation period for state inmates.
No Inmate Found? Work Through These Possibilities
| Situation |
Try This |
Next Step |
| Very recent arrest |
Search again after booking processing has had time to complete. |
Call the arresting agency or Detention Center. |
| Full name returns nothing |
Search surname only and remove middle names or suffixes. |
Confirm legal spelling. |
| Person was released quickly |
Move to the court index and SC VINE. |
Look for case activity rather than current custody. |
| Person received a state sentence |
Check SCDC after transfer and intake. |
Search by name or SCDC identifier. |
| Probation / parole question |
Use SCDPPPS Offender Search. |
Do not rely on the county jail roster. |
| Juvenile case |
Do not expect an adult public jail roster to provide juvenile information. |
Contact the proper juvenile authority. |
“I am trying to confirm whether __________ is currently being held at Union County Detention Center. The approximate date of arrest is __________ and the date of birth or age is __________. Can you confirm whether there is a current county booking?”
What Happens After a Union County Arrest
1
Arrest
A law-enforcement agency takes the person into custody.
2
Booking
Identity and custody information are processed into the detention system.
3
Bond hearing
A magistrate reviews release conditions for qualifying cases.
4
Case moves forward
The matter proceeds in Summary Court or General Sessions depending on the offense.
5
Release / continued custody
The person may remain detained, satisfy bond, receive a sentence or later transfer.
Union County Bond Court: What to Check Before Paying Anything
Union County’s Magistrate Court states that its magistrates conduct bail-bond hearings twice daily to determine how a defendant should be released from detention.
Bond Court location
The South Carolina Judicial Branch lists Union County Bond Court at the Jonesville Highway detention-center location.
Magistrate Court
210 West Main Street
Union, SC 29379
Before Arranging Bond
- Confirm the exact defendant
- Save the booking identifier
- Review every current charge
- Confirm whether bond has actually been set
- Ask whether any hold remains
- Verify accepted payment procedure
- Confirm which court controls the charge
- Keep every receipt and bond document
Do not assume a dollar amount guarantees immediate release. Another charge, warrant, hold, court order or administrative processing requirement can affect custody.
How to Find the Union County Criminal Court Case
Union County is in South Carolina’s 16th Judicial Circuit. The Judicial Branch provides a free trial-court public index for Union County.
Select Union County.
Union is county number 44 and is part of Judicial Circuit 16.
Search the defendant.
Use the exact legal name you confirmed through the detention record.
Match the criminal case carefully.
One person can have several case numbers or proceedings.
Review case events.
Look for filed charges, hearings, court orders, indictments, pleas or disposition information available publicly.
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Search the defendant.
Use the exact legal name you confirmed through the detention record.
Match the criminal case carefully.
One person can have several case numbers or proceedings.
Review case events.
Look for filed charges, hearings, court orders, indictments, pleasUse court data for case outcome.
A booking description may differ from the charge ultimately prosecuted or resolved.
Union County Clerk of Court
Stephanie Candler Kitchens
864-429-1630
Judicial Branch courthouse listing
322 East Main Street
Union, SC 29379
Privacy update: South Carolina’s Judicial Branch states that home addresses are no longer displayed on the public trial-court index beginning January 1, 2026.
Preliminary Hearing vs. Bond Hearing
Bond hearing
Determines release conditions while the case is pending. Union County magistrates conduct bond hearings as part of their criminal-court duties.
Preliminary hearing
In qualifying cases, addresses whether sufficient evidence exists to continue detention and trial—not guilt or innocence.
South Carolina Rule 2: a defendant charged with a crime not triable by a magistrate must receive notice of the right to a preliminary hearing. The request generally must be made within 10 days after notice.
For a case-specific deadline, use the notice actually provided to the defendant and obtain legal advice rather than relying only on a general guide.
County Inmate Video Visitation: Use CIDNET, Not the Jail Front Desk
Official Union County instruction: county sentenced and pretrial inmates must use video visitation. The county offers remote or onsite video visits.
1. Confirm the inmate
Search the current inmate portal and make sure the person remains at Union County Detention Center.
2. Create CIDNET account
Use the CIDNET customer system linked by Union County.
3. Schedule online
The detention center specifically states that visits are not scheduled at the jail.
4. Verify before visit
Check the appointment, inmate status and any current facility restrictions.
Visitor restriction: Union County states that a victim or co-defendant of the crime with which the inmate is charged is not allowed to visit or send mail to that inmate.
State Inmate Worker Visitation Uses a Different Route
Do not assume every person housed at the Union County facility uses the same visiting process.
State inmate visitation
Union County currently publishes Saturday from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. for state inmate visitation.
County pretrial / sentenced inmate
Uses CIDNET video visitation rather than the state-inmate Saturday schedule.
Confirm before travel
Facility administration can cancel or shorten visitation for safety and security reasons.
How Union County Inmate Phone Accounts Work
The Detention Center identifies CIDNET as its inmate phone-system provider.
Confirm the inmate remains at Union County.
Transfers can change the phone provider you need.
Create the customer account.
Enter your own information accurately.
Connect the correct inmate.
Use the inmate identity information requested by the current provider.
Review the live fees.
Do not copy calling rates from old third-party articles because provider rates and products can change.
Keep transaction records.
Save payment receipts and support-ticket numbers.
How to Deposit Money or Order Commissary Supplies
Union County’s current Detention Center page directs family and friends to McDaniel’s Supply for inmate deposits and supply orders.
Verify the inmate in the county portal.
Confirm the name and current Union County custody status before sending money.
Select the correct facility.
Confirm Union County, South Carolina rather than another Union County in North Carolina, Florida, Georgia or another state.
Match the inmate carefully.
Use the required identification information and review the recipient before paying.
Review current limits and fees.
Use the provider’s live checkout screen rather than a fee copied elsewhere.
Save the confirmation.
Keep the order or deposit number until the inmate confirms the funds or items were credited.
Union County Inmate Mail Rules That Matter Before You Send Anything
Incoming mail is inspected
Union County states that incoming correspondence is inspected before it is delivered to an inmate.
Mail is generally not limited without justification
The county states that correspondence is not limited except where clear and convincing evidence justifies a restriction.
Indigent inmate supplies
An indigent inmate may receive postage, envelopes and writing materials sufficient for two personal letters per week, with similar provisions for communication with lawyers and courts.
Victim/co-defendant rule: the Detention Center states that a victim or co-defendant of the charged crime is not permitted to send mail to that inmate.
Before Mailing
- Confirm current custody
- Use the inmate’s full booked name
- Add the required inmate identifier if instructed
- Use a complete return address
- Do not send prohibited items
- Call before mailing unusual documents or property
How to Confirm Release Instead of Guessing From the Roster
Reopen the county inmate portal.
Check whether the person still appears as a current Union County inmate.
Review the court index.
Look for recent bond, plea, sentencing or other court events.
Check SC VINE.
A custody-status notification service can be more useful than manually refreshing a jail page.
Call when pickup timing is important.
Contact the Detention Center at
864-429-2818.
Ask whether another agency is involved.
A person may leave Union County custody but move into state or another jurisdiction’s custody.
Do not treat a predicted release as a guaranteed pickup time. Court orders, processing, warrants or transfer arrangements can change what happens next.
Use SC VINE When You Need Custody-Status Notifications
South Carolina VINE provides custody and supervision information for participating detention centers and state agencies. The state says its system receives updated booking/offender-management data every 15 minutes.
Notification advantage: eligible users can register for custody-status notifications rather than repeatedly checking the inmate portal manually.
When to Switch From the Union County Roster to SCDC
A person sentenced to South Carolina state prison may eventually stop appearing as a Union County detention inmate and begin appearing in the South Carolina Department of Corrections search after state intake and processing.
Use county inmate portal
For people currently being held at Union County Detention Center.
Use SCDC inmate search
For people currently sentenced to and incarcerated in South Carolina’s state prison system.
Use SCDPPPS
For qualifying probation, parole and other community-supervision searches rather than jail custody.
Search South Carolina Department of Corrections inmates
.
SCDC limitation: the state search says it does not provide information for people released from SCDC, sentenced only to county detention facilities or under probation/parole/community supervision.
Practical Union County Jail Search Scenarios
Arrest happened this morning
Check the county portal first. If no result appears, allow for booking processing and call the Detention Center when the situation is urgent.
Family wants to visit
Determine whether the person is county pretrial/sentenced or a state inmate worker before following a visitation schedule.
Need to deposit money
Confirm current county custody, then start with JailPackStore rather than an unrelated search-engine advertisement.
Need to know if bond was set
Use the booking information as a starting point and call Union County Bond Court when current release conditions are unclear.
Need final charge outcome
Search Union County in the South Carolina trial-court public index rather than relying on the arrest description.
County portal no longer shows inmate
Check SC VINE, court records and SCDC to distinguish release from transfer.
Probation violation question
The inmate roster may show the immediate detention, but SCDPPPS is the better system for continuing community-supervision information.
State inmate worker at Union
Follow the county’s published Saturday state-inmate visiting window rather than the county video-visitation route.
Need historical case research
Move from the booking name into the court index; a current county inmate portal is not a complete historical criminal record.
Union County Jail Search Troubleshooting
| Problem |
Practical Fix |
Best Office/System |
| Name search fails |
Remove middle names and search the legal surname. |
Union Inmate Portal |
| Arrest is too recent |
Recheck after booking processing. |
Detention Center |
| Need current bond information |
Confirm the charge and contact Bond Court. |
864-429-1648 |
| Need next court event |
Search Union County in the trial-court public index. |
SC Judicial Branch |
| Cannot schedule visit at jail |
County inmates must schedule through CIDNET. |
CIDNET |
| Need inmate phone account |
Use the same CIDNET system identified by Union County. |
888-984-1903 |
| Need commissary deposit |
Use McDaniel’s Supply / JailPackStore. |
800-822-9388 |
| Inmate transferred to state prison |
Search SCDC after state intake updates. |
SCDC |
| Want automatic release notification |
Check SC VINE and registration options. |
1-866-727-2846 |
Official Union County and South Carolina Inmate Resources
Union County SC Jail Inmate Search FAQs
1. How do I search the Union County South Carolina jail roster?
Open Union County’s New Inmate Portal linked from the official Detention Center page. Search the legal name, open the matching result and verify the person before relying on custody, charge or bond information.
2. What is the Union County Detention Center phone number?
The county currently lists the Detention Center phone number as 864-429-2818.
3. Where is the Union County Detention Center?
The official county page lists the facility at 1657 Jonesville Highway, Union, South Carolina 29379.
4. How do I schedule a visit with a Union County inmate?
County sentenced and pretrial inmates use video visitation through CIDNET. Union County states that visits are not scheduled at the Detention Center. Create a CIDNET account online or call 888-984-1903.
5. When can state inmates housed at Union County receive visits?
The Detention Center currently lists state-inmate visitation on Saturday from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Confirm the schedule before traveling because the facility can cancel or shorten visitation for safety or security reasons.
6. How do I add money to a Union County inmate account?
Union County directs commissary orders and inmate-account deposits through McDaniel’s Supply at JailPackStore. The provider phone number listed by the county is 800-822-9388.
7. How do Union County inmates make phone calls?
The Detention Center identifies CIDNET as its inmate telephone-system provider. Family members can use customer.cidnet.net or call 888-984-1903 for provider assistance.
8. How do I find a Union County inmate’s criminal court case?
Use the South Carolina Judicial Branch Case Records Search and select Union County. Union County is part of Judicial Circuit 16. The Clerk of Court can be reached at 864-429-1630.
9. What is the Union County Bond Court phone number?
The South Carolina Judicial Branch lists Union County Bond Court and the Union Magistrate office at 864-429-1648.
10. Why is an inmate not showing in the SCDC search?
SCDC’s public inmate search covers people currently sentenced to and incarcerated in the South Carolina state prison system. It does not include people merely sentenced to county detention facilities or those under probation, parole or other community supervision.
Independent Guide and Custody-Information Notice
JailInmate-Search.org is an independent informational guide and is not affiliated with Union County, the Union County Sheriff’s Office, Union County Detention Center, South Carolina Judicial Branch, South Carolina Department of Corrections, SCDPPPS, SC VINE, CIDNET or McDaniel’s Supply.
Custody status, charges, bond information, court events, housing, visitation, phone services, commissary providers and release information can change. Verify live information through the responsible official system before traveling, paying, arranging bond or making a release-related decision.
An arrest, jail booking, charge or mugshot is not proof of guilt. Use the court record to determine the final legal disposition.
Editorial verification date: August 8, 2026.
Slug: union-county-jail-inmate-search
