Find Grimes Unit Inmates

Grimes Unit Overview

Grimes Unit is an Arkansas DOC Division of Correction prison northeast of Newport in Jackson County. DOC describes the unit as four miles northeast of Newport, off Highway 384. It is not operated by the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, and it is not the local jail for new arrests. The prison houses sentenced male state prisoners in Arkansas custody, including people whose court cases may have started in Jackson County or another Arkansas county.

The official DOC facility page lists Grimes Unit as established in 1998 and ACA Accredited. The 2024 ACA audit describes maximum, medium, and minimum custody levels, which means the prison has classification bands that differ from county jail housing. A person may move from the Jackson County Jail and Detention Center to DOC after sentencing, but the search path changes at that point. State records use ADC numbers, facility assignments, sentence information, detainers, custody classification, and program fields rather than local booking-only fields.

Grimes Unit Population

Two sourced capacity figures should be kept separate. The DOC Grimes facility page lists unit capacity at 1,012. The 2024 ACA audit lists rated capacity of 1,077, actual population of 1,094, and a 12-month average daily population of 1,087. The audit figure is date-specific and reflects the population measured for that review. It should not be treated as a live count for a specific day in 2026.

These numbers also explain why Jackson County inmate population searches can be confusing. Grimes is physically in Jackson County, but its population is the Arkansas state prison population, not the county jail population. A reader seeking current local arrestees should start with the sheriff's office and VINE. A reader seeking a sentenced male prisoner assigned to Grimes should use the DOC locator.

Look Up Grimes Unit Inmates

Search Grimes Unit through the Arkansas DOC inmate search. The DOC locator is for sentenced state custody. It is the correct tool for Grimes, McPherson, and other Arkansas prisons, while the county jail phone and VINE handle the local arrest and pretrial stage. The DOC search includes fields for ADC number, county, last name, first name, facility, gender, offense category, age, race, and a required disclaimer checkbox.

1. Open the Arkansas DOC inmate search and read the disclaimer before searching.
2. Enter the ADC number when known, or search by last name and first name.
3. Use the Facility filter for Grimes Unit if the assignment is known.
4. Open the profile and confirm the facility, sentence history, custody classification, detainers, and status fields.

A county field in the DOC locator does not mean the person is in the Jackson County jail. It can refer to sentence or case association. If the person was just arrested in Jackson County, use the sheriff/jail phone and VINE first. For a broader county custody pathway, the Jackson County jail inmate records page separates local jail custody from DOC custody.

Grimes Unit Contact

DOC facility contacts are the best source for unit-specific questions about visiting arrival, mailing format, phone approval, and current operations. The DOC directions route visitors from Little Rock north on Highway 67, then onto Exit 83 and Highway 384 toward 300 Corrections Drive. Confirm the visitor entrance, approval status, and visit type before travel.

Grimes Unit Visiting

Grimes Unit visitation follows Arkansas DOC rules, not Jackson County jail rules. DOC online services state that standard video visitation uses Securus, that visitors must be on the inmate's approved phone and visitor record, and that scheduling must be made at least 48 hours before the start time. Visits are monitored, recording or photographing a visit is prohibited, and officers may end a visit for rule violations. Attorney visits do not use the standard ADC video visitation system.

Note: DOC statewide video hours do not replace unit confirmation for in-person visits, lockdowns, approval status, or holiday changes.

Grimes Unit Mail and Money

The Arkansas DOC online services page provides the controlling statewide service details for inmate deposits, prepaid phone accounts, eMessaging, packages, tablets, and video visits. Deposits may be made online, by phone, and through some walk-in retailers. DOC lists minimums and limits, including a minimum trust account deposit, a separate pre-pay phone account minimum, card and daily limits, and processing time. The page also gives date-labeled changes for paper money orders, so check the current DOC service page before mailing funds.

Phone calls are limited under DOC rules, and non-attorney calls are recorded. Three-way calling and call forwarding are prohibited. Immediate family members with past felony convictions and people on community supervision have extra approval steps described by DOC.

Grimes Unit Admission

Admission to Grimes is not street-arrest booking. A person generally reaches Grimes after court disposition, sentencing, DOC commitment, transport, and state classification. The county jail may hold a person before that point, including while awaiting transport to Arkansas DOC. Once the person is in DOC custody, the public profile can show an ADC number, photo, demographics, facility address, initial receipt date, custody classification, good time class, sentence history, detainers, discipline, risk score, court orders, program achievements, and supervision history.

Classification is the prison process used to match custody level, housing, work, programs, and security needs. It is different from a county jail housing assignment. Because the 2024 Grimes audit lists maximum, medium, and minimum custody, a profile's custody classification should be read as a prison management field rather than a new criminal charge.

About Grimes Unit

DOC program listings for Grimes include education, dyslexia intervention, Jet Program, Literacy I/II/III, GED and Ready Testing, iCEV industry-recognized credentials, ServSafe Food Handler, CTE barbering and barber instructor, agriculture garden and bee operations, Faith-Based Principles and Applications for Life, Arkansas State University, Inmate Council, mental health groups, Story Book Project, Substance Abuse Treatment Programs, and Think Legacy. Program availability can change by classification, staffing, security status, and DOC policy.

Grimes opened in January 1998 alongside McPherson. A 2003 U.S. Department of Justice CRIPA findings letter covered both prisons after Arkansas resumed control from private operation, and a 2004 agreement resolved issues identified by DOJ. That history is useful context, but it should be dated carefully. It is not a substitute for current DOC policy, the 2024 ACA audit, or unit-specific instructions from Grimes.

Grimes also changes how a Jackson County search should be routed. A person held here is in state custody even though the prison is located near Newport. Family members should use the ADC number, the DOC profile, and the unit contact for prison questions. The county jail, circuit clerk, and prosecutor may still matter for the original Jackson County case, but they do not control Grimes housing, visitation approval, prison deposits, phone lists, or program access.

The 2024 audit figures also show why Grimes should not be merged into the local jail count. The audit lists an actual population above one thousand and a 12-month average daily population of 1,087. Those are state-prison figures for a male DOC unit. They explain the large incarcerated population physically present in Jackson County, but they are separate from the people booked into the Jackson County Jail and Detention Center after a local arrest.

When a DOC profile lists Grimes as the current facility, the profile is usually the best public starting point. It may show the current unit, sentence history, custody level, parole or transfer eligibility information, detainers, and program achievements. Court records remain important for the original case, but DOC records answer the prison-location and custody-management questions.