Cameron County Inmate Population
Cameron County is a small courthouse-centered county, and its official website does not list a current county jail, booking report, inmate roster, mugshot gallery, commissary page, or detention-center page. The strongest official detention source is outside the county: Elk County Prison Board minutes from January 16, 2025 approved a Cameron County housing contract for January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2027. That makes Elk County Prison the primary documented facility for Cameron County detainees, but it does not make Elk County Prison's full count a Cameron-only jail population.
The Cameron County inmate population changes as arrests, bail decisions, court hearings, transfers, and sentences move people through different systems. A person may be arrested in Cameron County, held under the Elk County contract, appear in UJS dockets, receive VINE custody notices, and later transfer to the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections inmate and parolee locator if sentenced to state custody. Federal and immigration cases use separate federal tools.
Cameron County Inmate Population Statistics
The most useful local statistics come from official Elk County Prison Board minutes and from statewide prison-origin data. Cameron County's official profile gives a 2020 population of 4,546 residents and describes the county as an 8th class county. Prison Policy Initiative's 2020 prison-origin table reported 12 people in state prison from Cameron County, a rate of 263 per 100,000 residents. Those figures are distinct from the daily population at Elk County Prison, which serves Elk County and contract counties.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Cameron County resident population | 4,546 | Cameron County profile, 2020 Census |
| Elk County Prison live population | 56 incarcerated people | Elk County Prison Board minutes, May 1, 2025 |
| Elk County Prison bookings | 287 in 2024, down from 334 in 2023 | Elk County Prison Board minutes, Jan. 16, 2025 |
| Cameron County prison-origin count | 12 people in state prison | Prison Policy Initiative, 2020 |
| Rated bed capacity | Not located in official sources | Elk brochure and board minutes reviewed |
Cameron County Jail Population Trends
Elk County Prison's 2025 minutes show a rising shared-facility average daily population across the year. The May 1, 2025 minutes list average daily population of 34 in January, 32 in February, 37 in March, and 45 in April. December 4, 2025 minutes later list 57 in August, 60 in September, 59 in October, and 64 in November. These are facility-wide numbers, not Cameron County-only counts, but they are the best official population signal for the jail that holds Cameron County prisoners by contract.
| Period | ADP or Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 334 bookings | Prior-year booking comparison in January 2025 minutes |
| 2024 | 287 bookings | Full-year booking total reported by the prison board |
| Jan. 2025 | 34 ADP | Elk County Prison shared-facility average |
| Apr. 2025 | 45 ADP | Reported in May 1, 2025 minutes |
| Nov. 2025 | 64 ADP | Reported in Dec. 4, 2025 minutes |
Bookings also rose during 2025. The prison board reported 110 bookings as of May 1, 2025, compared with 105 at the same point in 2024. By December 4, 2025, the minutes reported 297 bookings for the year to date, compared with 264 at the same point in the prior year.
Who Is in Cameron County Custody
The research did not locate race, age, or charge-level breakdowns for Cameron County detainees. It did locate local operational detail at Elk County Prison. The public brochure names male, female, administrative, disciplinary, and work-release housing units. May 2025 minutes reported three people on work release with one more expected, and December 2025 minutes reported female population averages and transfers. A court case from Cameron County may still be local even when the physical housing site is in Ridgway.
- Pretrial detainee
- A person held after arrest while charges, bail, or hearings are still pending.
- Work release
- A jail status that lets an approved person work while still under custody rules.
- Detainer
- A hold from another court, agency, parole authority, federal authority, or immigration system.
- DOC inmate
- A sentenced state prisoner or parolee searched through PA DOC, not a county roster.
Cameron County Inmate Record Laws
Pennsylvania law gives several different routes to jail, court, and custody records. The Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law presumes many state and local agency records are public unless an exemption, privilege, court order, or other law applies. Section 708 lists exceptions, including security, personal information, and law-enforcement categories. Court docket access is handled through the judiciary, especially the Pennsylvania UJS portal.
Key rules: 61 Pa.C.S. Chapter 17 governs county correctional institutions and prison-board oversight. 37 Pa. Code Chapter 95 sets county-prison standards. 37 Pa. Code 95.246 requires written local policy for deaths and sexual-assault allegations. Death in Custody Reporting Act guidance covers federal reporting for deaths in custody.
Search Cameron County Inmate Records
No official Cameron County online jail roster was located. That fact matters because many search results point to Cameron County, Texas, commercial directories, or pages that imply a Pennsylvania county jail database exists. A useful Cameron County inmate search follows the custody path. Start with the local sheriff when the arrest is recent, then use VINE for custody notification, UJS for charges, Elk County Prison for facility rules if the person is housed there, and PA DOC only after state sentencing.
- Call the Cameron County Sheriff's Office during posted hours to ask which agency made the arrest and where the person was taken.
- Search Pennsylvania VINE by name and register for custody notices if a matching record appears.
- Contact Elk County Prison or Elk County offices before visiting, sending money, or relying on housing details.
- Search UJS Case Search once charges are filed and docket entries begin to appear.
- Use PA DOC, BOP, or ICE only when the person's custody is state-sentenced, federal, or immigration related.
Cameron County Inmate Search Fields
Cameron County does not expose a local roster search form, so there are no official booking-number, name, or mugshot-gallery fields to inventory. The available search fields belong to other systems. UJS searches court cases. PA DOC searches state-sentenced inmates and parolees. BOP searches federal inmates. ICE searches immigration detainees by A-number or by identity details.
| System | Search Fields | Use It For |
|---|---|---|
| Cameron County roster | No official online roster located | Use sheriff, VINE, Elk County Prison, UJS, and RTK request instead |
| UJS Case Search | Case number, participant name, organization, OTN, complaint number, state ID | Court records after arrest |
| PA DOC locator | Last name or inmate number, first name helpful | State-sentenced inmates and parolees |
| BOP locator | Name, race, sex, age, or federal number | Federal prison records from 1982 forward |
| ICE ODLS | A-number or name, country of birth, and date of birth | Immigration custody |
The Cameron County Right to Know page is the fallback when no online record answers a non-exempt local agency question. The county requires written requests on the county form or the Office of Open Records standard form, and it states that anonymous or verbal requests will not be considered.
Cameron County Court Records After Arrest
Custody data and court data answer different questions. A booking or sheriff contact may explain where a person is held. A docket sheet shows the court path after charges are filed. The Cameron County Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts files and maintains criminal cases bound over to the Court of Common Pleas of the 59th Judicial District, while Magisterial District Court 59-3-01 handles early lower-court events such as complaint-stage matters, preliminary arraignment, bail, and preliminary hearings.
The UJS portal is the strongest public online source for Cameron County court records after an arrest. It can show docket number, court, complaint or filing date, OTN, charge grade, bail entries, hearing events, attorney entries, disposition, sentence, costs, and other public docket entries. It does not replace a live custody confirmation. For the court pathway, see Cameron County court records after jail arrest.
Cameron County Jail vs State Prison
A common search error is using the wrong custody system. A newly arrested person is not searched through PA DOC unless state custody has already begun. PA DOC's official locator says it does not include county-facility inmates. A person held for Cameron County under the Elk County Prison contract remains in the local or county-prison track until a state sentence, parole status, or DOC transfer changes the record system.
| Question | County / Contract Jail | State Prison |
|---|---|---|
| Who is covered? | Recent arrests, pretrial detainees, short local sentences, holds | Sentenced state inmates and parolees |
| Where to search? | Sheriff, VINE, Elk County Prison, UJS, RTK request | PA DOC inmate/parolee locator |
| What is shown? | Custody routing, court charges, facility rules, possible non-exempt records | State custody or parole lookup data |
| What is excluded? | State prison assignment after DOC transfer | County jail detainees before transfer |
Cameron County Detention Facilities
Only one facility is documented in the facility map for Cameron County. Elk County Prison is outside Cameron County, but official prison-board minutes make it the primary facility for this project because of the Cameron County housing contract. No state prison, federal BOP facility, ICE detention center, or municipal jail was located inside Cameron County in the official sources reviewed.
- Elk County Prison - regional county prison in Ridgway that houses Elk County prisoners and Cameron County detainees under contract.
The Elk County website carries prison navigation, and the public prison brochure gives visitation, money, property, mail, contraband, and visitor-entry rules. It is not a roster, and it does not publish Cameron County booking photos.
Cameron County Jail Mugshots
No official Cameron County jail mugshot gallery was found, and the Elk County Prison public brochure does not publish booking photographs. UJS dockets usually show court charges and events rather than jail photos. Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law may provide a request path for non-exempt agency records, but Section 708 and other laws can limit law-enforcement, privacy, security, juvenile, victim, and investigative material. For photo-specific limits and request options, use the Cameron County jail mugshots page.
Cameron County Record Sources
The official Cameron County Sheriff page is the first local source for arrest routing, office hours, and law-enforcement contact information.
That source supports the local lookup chain, but it also confirms the gap: the sheriff page does not provide an online roster or booking-photo search.
For court records after an arrest, the Pennsylvania UJS Case Search portal is the public docket path used across Cameron County criminal cases.
The docket system is strongest after court paperwork exists. It should be paired with custody checks when a person may still be moving through booking or transfer.
Cameron County Inmate Population FAQ
How big is the Cameron County inmate population?
No official Cameron-only daily jail count was located. Elk County Prison, the documented contract facility, reported a live population of 56 on May 1, 2025 and higher ADP later in 2025. Prison Policy Initiative reported 12 people in state prison from Cameron County in 2020.
Is there a Cameron County jail roster?
No official Cameron County online roster was located on the county or sheriff website. Use the sheriff, Pennsylvania VINE, Elk County Prison contact, UJS dockets, PA DOC, BOP, ICE, and written Right-to-Know requests as the record type requires.
Does PA DOC show Cameron County jail inmates?
No. PA DOC's locator is for state-sentenced inmates and parolees. It excludes county-facility inmates, so a new arrest or pretrial detainee will usually require local, VINE, facility, or court channels.
Where are Cameron County detainees housed?
Elk County Prison is the primary documented facility serving Cameron County through a 2025-2027 housing contract approved by the Elk County Prison Board. Always confirm current custody before traveling or sending money.