Watonwan County Jail Overview
Watonwan County Jail is operated by the Watonwan County Sheriff's Office. The official jail page says the facility works with courts, law enforcement agencies, social service agencies, and residents to provide safe custody and accountability. The sheriff page says the jail sits in the Law Enforcement Annex of the courthouse complex and is managed by the sheriff. Sheriff Jared Bergeman is the current sheriff listed by the county, and Julie Carr is the jail administrator.
The jail is a county jail and 90 Day Lockup. It holds people before trial, people serving short local sentences, people held on Watonwan County warrants, people on probation or parole holds, and short-term holds for law enforcement agencies. It is the public-facing facility for the county PDF jail roster, local visits, inmate funds, phone cards, JailATM commissary, iPod or text messaging, mail questions, and warrant-related bookings. Research did not locate a separate adult city jail, work-release annex, regional jail, state prison, BOP facility, or ICE detention center in Watonwan County.
The official Watonwan County Jail page is the source for the jail's role, administrator, address, and local resource links.
The page also links the local roster, warrant list, visitation, and inmate-service material used by families and record searchers.
Watonwan County Jail Capacity
The Minnesota DOC 2024 inspection listed Watonwan County Jail with 20 approved secure coed beds and 16 operational beds at 80 percent operating capacity. The same inspection classified it as a 90 Day Lockup. The 2026 inspection again listed the facility type as 90 Day Lockup and granted authority to operate from April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2028. Both inspection sources identify the jail as a local lockup, not a state prison.
The June 18, 2026 roster listed 7 current records. That number was below the operational capacity in the 2024 inspection, but it is only a same-day roster count. It should not be used as an annual average. Because the jail is small, a few arrests, releases, holds, or court transfers can change the Watonwan County Jail population quickly.
Look Up Watonwan County Jail Inmates
The correct local lookup tool is the Watonwan Internet Jail Roster PDF. It is a static PDF rather than a web database. The roster has no search fields, filters, mugshot profiles, or booking-number lookup. Search within the PDF by name, then read across the row. If the person is not listed, call the jail because the roster may lag behind a new booking or may not include a person who already posted bond or transferred.
- Open the county's current jail roster PDF and check the printed date.
- Use PDF find for the person's last name.
- Review charges, held-for agency, booking date, projected release, and bail amount.
- Call 507-375-1206 for urgent custody confirmation or missing names.
- Use MNDOC, BOP, ICE, or MCRO only when the person is outside county jail custody or court details are needed.
Watonwan County Jail Address
The jail and sheriff office are near the county courthouse area in St. James. Jail administrative hours are listed as Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The jail page says the facility is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Use the jail phone for current custody, visitation, bond, release, and inmate-service questions. Use the sheriff phone for records and data-practices routing.
Watonwan County Jail
715 Third Avenue S
Watonwan County Courthouse
St. James, MN 56081
507-375-1206
Fax: 507-942-1006
Jail Administrator: Julie Carr
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 168
St. James, MN 56081
Confirm current mail rules before sending items.
Visit Watonwan County Jail
Watonwan County Jail publishes specific in-person visiting windows. Visitors must be approved on the inmate's visitor list. Adults need acceptable government-issued picture ID or a passport. Except for an inmate's children and siblings, visitors must be 18 or older. Children cannot be left unsupervised. A person released from the jail cannot visit for 30 days. Food and tobacco are banned in the visiting area, and revealing clothing or removing clothing can end a visit.
| Day | Hours | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | 6:30-8:30 p.m. | In-person |
| Thursday | 6:30-8:30 p.m. | In-person |
| Saturday | 2-4 p.m.; 6:30-8 p.m. | In-person |
| Sunday | 2-4 p.m. | In-person |
The official visitation page lists the schedule, approved visitor rules, ID requirements, and conduct limits.
Those rules control access even when the roster confirms that a person is housed at the jail.
Money, Phone, and Mail
The inmate funds, commissary, telephone, iPods, and mail PDF names the Lockdown lobby kiosk, JailATM, and Reliance Telephone. Cash deposits at the lobby kiosk cost $3.25. Credit cards cost $3.25 or 10 percent. JailATM handles online deposits and commissary or canteen purchases. Correctional officers do not take inmate messages. The inmate message system is 507-229-0122, and messages are not confidential. Reliance Telephone is named for phone and iPod/text funding, and iPod messages are not confidential.
| Service | Provider / Detail | Fee or Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Lobby deposit | Lockdown kiosk | $3.25 cash fee; $3.25 or 10 percent credit-card fee |
| Online deposit | JailATM | Vendor-managed funds and commissary |
| Phone cards | JailATM or Reliance Telephone | Used in the jail phone system |
| Messages | 507-229-0122 | Not confidential |
| Personal checks | N/A | Not accepted |
Detailed mail restrictions were not visible in the extracted official text. Confirm mail rules with the jail before sending letters, photos, books, or property.
Booking at Watonwan County Jail
Booking begins after an arrest or transport to the jail. Intake can include identity checks, warrant and hold checks, property inventory, medical and mental-health screening, booking entry, charge listing, photo and fingerprint handling, classification, housing assignment, and phone or messaging access. Minnesota Rule 2911 requires medical screening of all inmates on admission and policies for classification. Classification means the security and housing decision based on factors such as charge type, risk, status, and safety needs.
The public roster may not appear at the same moment as intake. Watonwan County uses a PDF roster with a printed date, not a real-time inmate-search portal. If a person was just arrested, use the jail phone first. After court starts, use Minnesota Court Records Online for the court case. If the person receives a state prison sentence, use the MNDOC public viewer after transfer and DOC entry.
Watonwan Jail Inspection Findings
Minnesota DOC inspection reports provide the most concrete recent oversight material for Watonwan County Jail. The 2026 report found substantial compliance overall, with 125 of 127 mandatory Chapter 2911 requirements in compliance and 100 of 100 essential requirements in compliance. It found two mandatory noncompliance items: daily security inspections were not logged every day in Guardian, and medical screening documentation needed required suicide and wellness-related questions. The 2024 report identified issues involving medical screening, educational programming, recreation planning, training planning, classification policy, and well-being checks.
These findings are regulatory inspection findings, not court judgments. They are still useful for understanding jail standards. Minnesota Rule 2911 covers staffing, screening, classification, programs, recreation, and well-being checks. The jail page also states that prisoners are to be held under state and federal law and Minnesota DOC rules without physical or psychological maltreatment, discrimination, or denial of human dignity.
Note: Confirm custody, visitation, and deposit details with the jail before traveling or sending money.
Directions to Watonwan County Jail
Watonwan County Jail is at 715 Third Avenue S in St. James, near the courthouse and law enforcement complex. From MN-4, route toward central St. James and the courthouse area. From MN-30, enter St. James and follow local streets toward Third Avenue S. From US-60, exit toward St. James and continue into the courthouse area. No official visitor-parking rate was located, so call ahead if parking, entrance, or accessibility details matter for the visit.
Take Me There public transportation serves Watonwan County from 1304 7th Avenue South and lists 507-375-7385. Passenger guidelines say bus operation is Monday through Friday, 5:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. pending availability. That transit detail can matter for visitors because the jail page does not publish a dedicated bus-stop route.