The Rusk County Inmate Population
The Rusk County inmate population is local first, but not limited to one list. The official local custody point is Rusk County Jail, operated by the Rusk County Sheriff's Office at the government center in Ladysmith. It holds adults booked after arrest, people waiting for court or bond, warrant holds, probation holds, sentenced county-jail inmates, Huber work-release inmates, and people waiting for transfer or housing that fits their classification. The Wisconsin DOC inspection record identifies it as a Chapter DOC 350 jail, which means it is a local detention facility inspected under state jail standards.
The population count rises and falls as arrests come in from the sheriff, Ladysmith Police Department, state agencies, and other law-enforcement officers. A person may be booked in Rusk County and later released, kept on a cash bond, held for a court appearance, moved under a DOC probation hold, or transferred to state prison after sentencing. The county roster shows the current county-jail slice. It does not count every person with a Rusk County case, every person under state supervision, or every federal or immigration detainee with a local connection.
Rusk County Inmate Population Statistics
Official figures for the Rusk County inmate population come from several sources, and each figure has a different scope. The 2024 Wisconsin DOC Office of Detention Facilities inspection gives the jail's rated capacity and inspection-day count. The sheriff's current-inmates PDF gives a single roster snapshot. The 2025 DOC Office of Detention Facilities annual report gives Rusk County adult jail admissions by year. Those sources should not be blended into one average, because a capacity number, an inspection-day head count, and an annual admissions total all answer different questions.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Year |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum rated capacity | 52 | Wisconsin DOC ODF Rusk County Jail inspection, 2024 |
| Population on inspection day | 21 | Wisconsin DOC ODF inspection date, August 13, 2024 |
| Current-inmates PDF count | 23 listed entries | Rusk County Sheriff's Office PDF inspected July 2, 2026 |
| Rusk County jail admissions | 723 | Wisconsin DOC ODF Annual Report, 2025 |
| Statewide county jail ADP | 11,718 | Wisconsin DOC ODF Annual Report, 2025 |
Rusk County Jail Admissions Trend
Admissions show how many bookings moved through the jail system in a year, not how many people were housed on a given day. The Wisconsin DOC ODF annual report shows Rusk County admissions moving down after 2018, hitting a low in 2020, then rising again. The jump from 2024 to 2025 is notable because the report lists 529 admissions in 2024 and 723 in 2025, a 36.7 percent increase. That rise does not by itself prove crowding, but it does show a heavier booking flow into the Rusk County jail system.
| Year | Admissions | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 762 | Highest point in the research table. |
| 2019 | 503 | Large decline from 2018. |
| 2020 | 426 | Lowest point in the table. |
| 2021 | 642 | Booking volume rose again. |
| 2022 | 565 | Lower than 2021. |
| 2023 | 495 | Near the 2019 level. |
| 2024 | 529 | Moderate increase. |
| 2025 | 723 | 36.7 percent increase from 2024. |
Rusk County Jail Capacity
The Rusk County inmate population was below rated capacity on the two snapshots captured in the research. The 2024 DOC inspection listed 21 people in a 52-capacity jail, about 40 percent of rated capacity on that inspection date. The July 2, 2026 current-inmates PDF listed 23 entries. Those are only snapshots, so they should not be described as an annual average. They do show that the most documented facility problem is not simply a full jail on those dates.
The sharper local issue is classification and building layout. The Rusk County New Jail Project page and the DOC inspection materials describe a facility still under replacement planning. The 2024 inspection says the jail had a contract with Chippewa County Jail because Rusk County lacked the ability to properly house inmates with different classification levels. It also noted concern about dispatch being inside the secure perimeter, damaged ceiling tiles, shower wear, a leaking shower wall, and a repeat carpeting issue in the conference/media room.
Population note: A person arrested in Rusk County may not be visible in the local jail PDF if release, transfer, classification housing, state custody, or another agency hold changes the custody location.
Laws for Rusk County Jail Data
Wisconsin law supplies the public-records framework for Rusk County inmate population information, but it does not require every jail field to be posted online. Wis. Stat. 19.31 states Wisconsin's policy favoring access to government records. Wis. Stat. 19.35 gives requesters the right to inspect or copy records unless another law or a lawful balancing reason applies. For local jails, Wis. Stat. 301.37 gives DOC authority over detention facility standards and inspections.
Key Statutes:
Wis. Stat. 302.37(1)(a) requires a sheriff or jail keeper to keep the jail clean and healthful and provide basic care.
Wis. Stat. 302.372 allows county prisoner reimbursement, which helps explain local booking, Huber, and jail debt rules.
Wis. Stat. 165.84(1) covers law-enforcement arrest fingerprint submissions that feed state criminal-history records.
Search Rusk County Current Inmates
The official Rusk County inmate population lookup is the current-inmates PDF linked from the sheriff's Rusk County Jail page. It is not a live database with a last-name form, booking-number field, or profile page. The inspected report was dated July 2, 2026 and listed current inmates in alphabetical order by last name. Because the file is date based and appears to be replaced over time, treat it as a periodically updated roster snapshot.
Use the PDF find tool instead of expecting a county search screen. A last name is the best starting point, but a first name, partial surname, statute number, or booking type can help when spelling is uncertain. The roster's person number in parentheses is an internal jail or person number. It is not the same as a WCCA court case number.
- Open the official Rusk County Jail page and select the current inmate list PDF.
- Use browser or PDF find for the person's last name, first name, statute number, or booking type.
- Read each offense line separately because one person may have several statutes and bond amounts.
- Check the booking type for clues such as cash bond, probation hold, serving sentence, or court appearance hold.
- If the person is not listed, call the jail, search WCCA, check Wisconsin DOC, or use the federal and ICE locators when the custody level may have changed.
Rusk County Roster Fields
The Rusk County inmate population PDF has no public input fields. It is a document, so the useful "fields" are the labels printed in each roster entry and the local find function available in a browser or PDF viewer. The report shows enough to confirm many current-custody questions, but it omits several fields readers often expect, including mugshots, DOB, housing unit, arresting agency, court date, judge, warrant number, address, race, sex, and physical descriptors.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inmate List PDF link | Document link | Optional | Linked from the official jail page; inspected file was dated 07/02/26. |
| Browser/PDF Find | Text search | Optional | Use Ctrl+F or the PDF find tool for name, statute, or booking type. |
| Name | PDF text | Not user-entered | Observed as last name, first name, middle or suffix, plus an ID number. |
| Age | PDF text | Not user-entered | Age is shown; date of birth is not shown. |
| Booking Date | PDF text | Not user-entered | MM/DD/YY format. |
| Booking Type | PDF text | Not user-entered | Examples include CASH BOND, SERVING SENTENCE, PROBATION-FELONY, and CHILD SUPPORT HOLD. |
| Offense and Bond | PDF text | Not user-entered | Statute, offense description, and per-offense bond amount can appear together. |
| Scheduled Release | PDF text | Not user-entered | May show a date/time or masked placeholders. |
When Rusk County Search Fails
The current-inmates PDF covers current county-jail custody at the time the report was generated. It may miss a person who has just been booked, was recently released, was moved to Chippewa County under a classification contract, is held on a state DOC matter, or is in federal or immigration custody. For urgent current-custody questions, the Rusk County Jail phone line is the direct fallback. For historical booking records or booking photos, the sheriff's open-record request email is the formal path.
The county itself points readers beyond the jail list. The sheriff resources page links Wisconsin VINE and Wisconsin Circuit Court Access. WCCA is the right place for court filings after an arrest. The Wisconsin DOC locator is the right place for sentenced prison or DOC supervision records. The BOP locator covers federal inmates, and the ICE Online Detainee Locator covers immigration detention. No official Rusk County Sheriff or Ladysmith Police mobile app with an inmate or warrant lookup was located in the sources reviewed.
- Detainer
- A request or legal hold from another agency, such as DOC, probation, federal, or immigration authorities.
- Huber
- Wisconsin work-release jail status for approved sentenced inmates.
- WCCA
- Wisconsin Circuit Court Access, the public circuit court case-search system.
- DOC
- Wisconsin Department of Corrections, separate from the county jail.
Rusk County Detention Facility
Only one detention facility in the Rusk County facility map receives a local facility page. Rusk County Jail is the primary county jail, and no separate state prison, BOP prison, ICE detention center, city jail with a public roster, or regional jail physically in Rusk County was found in the official research. Ladysmith Police Department can make city arrests, but the city page does not describe a separate city jail. Custody after a Ladysmith arrest routes through the county jail, WCCA, DOC, or another proper locator depending on the stage of the case.
- Rusk County Jail is the sheriff-operated county jail for adult pretrial detainees, sentenced county-jail inmates, probation holds, warrant holds, Huber inmates, and other local custody statuses.
Rusk County Jail Page Source
The official Rusk County Jail page is the source for the inmate list link, bond instructions, booking fee, commissary channels, Huber fees, jail contact block, and jail PDF resources.
That page is the best starting point for current county custody because it links the dated current-inmates PDF and the jail rules used by visitors, families, and records requesters.
Rusk County Inmate Population FAQ
How large is the Rusk County inmate population?
The 2024 DOC inspection listed 21 people in Rusk County Jail on August 13, 2024, against a maximum rated capacity of 52. The current-inmates PDF inspected July 2, 2026 listed 23 entries. Those are snapshots, not annual averages.
How do I search the Rusk County inmate population?
Open the current inmate list PDF from the Rusk County Jail page and use the PDF find tool. If the name is missing, call 715-532-2200, search WCCA for court activity, or check Wisconsin DOC if the person may have been sentenced or placed under supervision.
Does the Rusk County roster show mugshots?
No. The inspected current-inmates PDF did not show booking photos, and no official Rusk County mugshot gallery was located. Booking photos may be requested from the sheriff through the open-record request email, subject to Wisconsin law and any lawful redactions.
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