The Potter County Inmate Population
The Potter County inmate population has two main parts. The local jail population is held at the Potter County Detention Center, operated by the Potter County Sheriff's Office. That jail is the first place to check for new arrests, people awaiting trial, county-sentenced inmates, and people waiting on transfer to state or federal custody. The state-prison population in Potter County is different. William P. Clements Unit is run by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and holds sentenced male state prisoners, not new county jail bookings.
The local count rises and falls with arrests, book-ins, bond decisions, magistration, court orders, parole holds, and transfer timing. A person may appear in the sheriff's jail roster while a case is pending, then later move to the TDCJ locator after sentencing and physical transfer. Federal and immigration custody add another layer. Potter County research did not locate an active BOP institution or ICE detention facility inside the county, but roster entries can still show federal, other-agency, or immigration-related holds when someone is physically in the county jail.
Potter County Inmate Population Statistics
The most useful official numbers come from the Potter County Sheriff's Office building description and the Texas Commission on Jail Standards current population reports. PCSO describes the detention center as a 125,000-square-foot facility with 576 general-population beds, a 27-bed infirmary, and two violent cells. TCJS uses a county jail capacity figure of 598 for its June 1, 2026 current population report. Both are official, but they serve different purposes.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Date |
|---|---|---|
| Potter County Detention Center building size | 125,000 square feet | PCSO detention center page, inspected June 30, 2026 |
| PCSO stated bed layout | 576 general-population beds, 27-bed infirmary, two violent cells | PCSO detention center page, inspected June 30, 2026 |
| TCJS county jail capacity | 598 | TCJS current population report, June 1, 2026 |
| Total county jail population | 529 | TCJS current population report, June 1, 2026 |
| Percent of capacity | 88.46% | TCJS current population report, June 1, 2026 |
| William P. Clements Unit capacity | 3,182 | TDCJ official Clements Unit profile, inspected June 30, 2026 |
Potter County Inmate Population Trends
Recent TCJS rows show the Potter County jail operating below rated capacity, but often close to the line. From July 2025 through June 2026, the reported population stayed mostly in the high-80s to mid-90s percent-of-capacity range. The highest extracted monthly row was April 1, 2026, when the jail held 568 people against a capacity of 598. The June 1, 2026 row fell to 529 people, or 88.46% of capacity.
| Reporting Date | Total Jail Population | Capacity | Percent Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-07-01 | 550 | 598 | 91.97% |
| 2025-08-01 | 558 | 598 | 93.31% |
| 2025-09-01 | 507 | 598 | 84.78% |
| 2025-10-01 | 553 | 598 | 92.47% |
| 2026-01-01 | 555 | 598 | 92.81% |
| 2026-04-01 | 568 | 598 | 94.98% |
| 2026-06-01 | 529 | 598 | 88.46% |
The roster and population reports point to a jail population shaped by felony pretrial custody and transfer timing, not only by short stays for minor charges. PCSO also reports operational tools tied to custody control, including Guardian RFID monitoring, TextBehind mail scanning through ViaPath, and daily magistration hearings streamed from the detention center page.
Who Makes Up the Potter County Inmate Population
The June 1, 2026 TCJS report gives a custody-category breakdown. The largest visible group was local male pretrial felons, followed by pretrial state jail felony categories and people already sentenced to TDCJ, SAFP, ISF, or state jail custody while still in the local jail. A pretrial inmate is a person held before final case disposition. A sentenced transfer-ready inmate has a sentence or placement order but may still be housed in the county jail until the receiving agency accepts custody.
- Pretrial felony custody: TCJS listed 247 local male pretrial felons and 36 local female pretrial felons on June 1, 2026.
- Class A/B misdemeanor custody: The same report listed 27 local male and 8 local female pretrial Class A/B misdemeanants.
- Parole and blue-warrant categories: TCJS listed parole violators, including people with new charges, in both male and female counts.
- Sentenced transfer groups: The report included people sentenced to TDCJ, SAFP, ISF, state jail, or county jail time.
- Federal custody in the jail: TCJS listed 3 male federal inmates and 0 female federal inmates in the Potter County jail row.
The TCJS population reports page is the source for the public jail population reporting interface used for these figures.
These state reports are the best source for county jail count and capacity trends, while the sheriff roster remains the best public source for current names and charge lines.
Potter County Jail Capacity
The Potter County Detention Center is large for a county facility, but the recent trend table shows little room for a sustained spike. A jail at 88% capacity may still face pressure from classification needs, medical housing, violent-cell needs, and separation rules. Capacity is not just a head count. A bed may exist on paper while a person must be housed elsewhere because of security, medical, mental-health, or court-status limits.
No official county jail closure, consent decree, or new Potter County jail construction plan was located in the research pass. The safer reading is narrower: the official jail is below its TCJS capacity in the latest current report, yet recent monthly rows show a facility commonly operating near the upper end of its rated space. That matters for families because transfer-ready and hold statuses can delay release or movement even after a court event.
Laws Governing Potter County Inmate Records
Texas law treats jail population and booking information as public information unless a statute or exception applies. The Potter County Sheriff's Office publishes daily roster and book-in PDFs, and its open-records page cites the written request procedures allowed under Texas law. Court filings follow a different route through the District Clerk, County Clerk, or other court custodian.
Key Statutes and Rules:
Texas Government Code Chapter 552 creates the public-information framework for Texas government records.
Texas Government Code section 552.234 allows approved mail, email, hand-delivery, website-form, or other designated request methods.
Texas Government Code section 552.108(c) keeps basic information about an arrested person, an arrest, or a crime outside the law-enforcement exception.
Texas Administrative Code Title 37, Part 9 includes TCJS county jail standards and monthly jail population reporting rules.
Records can still be withheld or limited for juveniles, sealed cases, expunctions, active investigations, confidential material, and sensitive images. Basic arrest data and public population counts are not the same as a complete case file.
Potter County State Prison Population
William P. Clements Unit is the state prison facility in Potter County. It is operated by TDCJ at 9601 Spur 591 in Amarillo and is separate from the sheriff's jail roster. The official TDCJ profile lists a capacity of 3,182, male custody levels G1 through G5, Security Detention, Mental Health PAMIO, a 17-bed infirmary, and broad medical and mental-health services.
The distinction matters. A Potter County arrest starts in the local jail system when local custody is required. A state-prison search starts with the TDCJ inmate search after a person is in current TDCJ custody. Texas IVSS also supports offender search and notifications by name, SID, or current TDCJ number. The county jail roster may show "SENTENCED TDCJ" or "SENTENCED STATE JAIL" before transfer, but the TDCJ locator becomes the better tool after movement into state custody.
How to Search Potter County Inmates
The official Potter County inmate search starts with the sheriff's daily PDF roster, titled "Report of Prisoners with Their Offenses," and the separate daily book-in PDF. It is not an interactive form. The Potter County Sheriff's Public Records page links both the jail roster and book-ins. PCSO's FAQ says the roster is available daily, includes the full jail roster and daily book-in roster, and is sorted alphabetically by inmate name.
A name is enough to begin, but identity should be checked against more than one field. Common names can repeat. Use race, sex, age, SO number, booking number, charge date, and court or agency references to confirm that the entry is the right person.
- Open the sheriff's Public Records page or the direct current jail roster PDF.
- Use browser or PDF find for the person's last name, or scroll by surname because the roster is alphabetized.
- Check the daily book-in report if a new arrest does not appear in the full roster yet.
- Read every charge line, including bond amount, case or court reference, date, and status code.
- If the person is sentenced or transferred, check TDCJ, BOP, ICE ODLS, or Texas IVSS based on the custody type.
Potter County Jail Roster Lookup
The Potter County jail roster is a public PDF rather than a database with search boxes. That makes PDF find the main search tool. The roster shows current jail custody details, while the book-in report helps with recent admissions. The inspected roster did not show mugshots, pod assignments, height, weight, eye color, hair color, or date of birth, so a booking photo or fuller booking record may require a public-information request.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Options / Format Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inmate name | PDF text / browser find | Optional | Roster is alphabetized by inmate name, usually last name first. |
| Booking number | Visible field, not an input | Optional | Use the booking number to confirm identity or request records. |
| SO# | Visible field, not an input | Optional | The Sheriff's Office number also matters for inmate mail. |
| Charge text | PDF text / browser find | Optional | Charge lines include offense names and level codes such as F1, F2, F3, FS, MA, MB, MC, or XX. |
| Case or court number | Visible field, not an input | Optional | Entries may show district, county court, JP, municipal, other-agency, or federal references. |
| Bond and status | Visible field, not an input | Optional | Read bond with the status phrase. A 0.00 amount does not always mean release is available. |
The PCSO public records page is the roster hub for current jail population, book-ins, records department instructions, warrants, and victim notification.
The screenshot matches the local workflow: start with sheriff PDFs, then move to records requests, court records, or state custody tools when the PDF does not answer the question.
Past Potter County Inmate Records
Released or older Potter County inmate records may not remain in the daily roster. Use the current roster and book-in report first, then move to the records department if the person is no longer listed. PCSO records requests can be submitted through the sheriff's open-records request page, by email at LEC-PublicRecords@co.potter.tx.us, by mail to 13103 NE 29th Avenue, Amarillo, TX 79111, or in person at the records department during weekday records hours with picture ID.
For a good request, include the full name, date of birth if known, booking number, SO number, date range, and the exact record needed. Booking records, booking photos, incident reports, and jail records are sheriff records. Court filings are not. For basic civil and criminal case information, Potter County links the public to the Tyler case portal and directs case-copy requests to the proper clerk through the county open-records routing page.
What Potter County Inmate Records Show
A Potter County inmate record from the public roster is a custody snapshot. It can help confirm that someone is in jail, identify the booking event, and show the charge lines that explain why the person is being held. It is not a final judgment and should not be treated as proof of guilt. Court records, prosecutor filings, and later dispositions can change what the jail roster first shows after arrest.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| SO# | Sheriff's Office number used in the roster and for inmate correspondence. |
| Booking | Booking number for the current detention event. |
| Name / Race / Sex / Age | Basic identity fields that help separate people with similar names. |
| Charge description | Arrest, booking, custody, or hold charge text, not always a final filed charge. |
| Court / agency / case | District, county court, JP, municipal, other-agency, or federal references when shown. |
| Bond amount | Per-charge amount or 0.00 when no monetary amount is shown. |
| Status or code | Examples include pending disposition, bonded, sentenced TDCJ, no PC, case refused, and release hold per agency. |
Note: The inspected Potter County roster did not display mugshots, housing unit, detailed physical description, or full date of birth.
Potter County Jail vs State Prison
The Potter County Detention Center and William P. Clements Unit are often confused because both are in Potter County. They are not the same system. The detention center is the county jail for current local custody. Clements Unit is a TDCJ prison for sentenced state inmates. Federal and immigration systems are separate again, even when a jail roster line mentions a federal agency or detainer.
| Question | County Jail | State Prison |
|---|---|---|
| Who is held | New arrests, pretrial detainees, county-sentenced inmates, and people awaiting transfer | Sentenced male state prisoners in TDCJ custody |
| Run by | Potter County Sheriff's Office | Texas Department of Criminal Justice |
| Where to look | PCSO daily jail roster and book-in PDFs | TDCJ inmate search and Texas IVSS |
| Local facility | Potter County Detention Center | William P. Clements Unit |
| Record limits | Shows current jail custody snapshot and charge lines | Shows current prison location, offenses, and projected release information |
State and Federal Inmate Search
Use Texas IVSS for offender search and notification signup by name, SID, or current TDCJ number. Use TDCJ's official inmate search for current state-prison location, offenses, and projected release date. The TDCJ inmate information page also supports location requests by email or telephone, which can help when the online search is not enough.
Federal custody is checked through the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator, which covers federal inmates incarcerated from 1982 to the present. Immigration custody is checked through ICE Online Detainee Locator System, which requires JavaScript and is separate from both PCSO and TDCJ. No official BOP prison or ICE detention facility was found inside Potter County in the research materials.
Potter County Detention Facilities
Potter County has one primary local jail and one state prison facility. The facility name matters because the search route changes with custody type. A person recently arrested in Amarillo or elsewhere in Potter County should be checked through the sheriff's jail roster first. A person serving a Texas prison sentence should be checked through TDCJ instead.
- Potter County Detention Center - county jail for new arrests, pretrial detainees, county-sentenced inmates, and transfer-ready state or federal custody.
- William P. Clements Unit - TDCJ state prison for sentenced male inmates, with G1-G5 custody, Security Detention, and Mental Health PAMIO functions.
Potter County Inmate Population FAQ
How big is the Potter County inmate population?
TCJS reported 529 people in the Potter County jail on June 1, 2026, against a county jail capacity of 598. That figure is for the county jail, not the TDCJ prison population at Clements Unit. TDCJ lists Clements Unit capacity separately at 3,182.
How is the Potter County inmate population searched?
Current local jail custody is searched through the sheriff's daily roster PDF and book-in PDF. Use PDF find for the last name, then confirm with SO number, booking number, race, sex, age, charge lines, bond, and status.
What if a person is not on the jail roster?
Check the daily book-in report, call the detention center or records department, file a sheriff public-information request, and search TDCJ if the person was sentenced. For federal or immigration custody, use BOP or ICE ODLS.
Does the Potter County roster show mugshots?
The inspected sheriff roster PDF did not display mugshots. It showed names, identity fields, booking and SO numbers, charges, case references, bond amounts, and statuses. Booking photos may need to be requested from PCSO records.
Why can a 0.00 bond line still mean no release?
Roster bond amounts must be read with status text. A 0.00 entry can appear with sentenced, hold, refused, no-probable-cause, or pending language. The jail and court control actual release eligibility.