Jail Roster and Inmate Lookup in Multnomah County Oregon:
The Sheriff’s Office of Multnomah County (based in Portland Oregon) maintains a very informative and thorough database, including a list of current inmates. All recent arrests (whether they were arrested last night or arrested last week) will be promptly logged into the system — it includes any person who has been detained in police custody within the past 24 hours.

What kind of information has been made available to the public through a Multnomah County inmate search?
In addition to the ability to find out if someone went to jail, you can view mugshots online. You can even find out when someone is getting out of jail. Bookings are meticulously recorded. Whether an inmate was booked today or booked yesterday, the relevant information is also recorded. If someone was released today (or released yesterday) you can also find that in this extensive, easy to use database.

Why is it important that the general public has access to this information?
There are a number of reasons for this. Beyond the obvious usefulness as an aid to law enforcement officials’ daily administrative and office duties, people who work in the corrections system can feel safer on the job knowing the exact status and whereabouts of each inmate. This peace of mind extends to the community as a whole — people will sleep better at night knowing that many dangerous criminals have been taken off the streets. Many of the criminals logged in the Multnomah County system have been convicted of very serious crimes, after all. These crimes can range from drug charges, to burglary and armed robbery. If you have been the victim of a crime, you may also be curious to see whether the perpetrator has been taken into custody. It is incredibly useful to know when someone was booked into jail — and the ability to view someone’s charges can let you know exactly what type of person you may be dealing with.

Does this information have any practical uses for the everyday citizen? If so, what are some of those uses?
There are a wide range of scenarios where the average person could benefit from making use of the available information. Perhaps you are in charge of hiring new people at your place of business — a quick check will let you know if the candidate you are considering will be a trustworthy individual. If your friend never returned home from a party, you may want to find out if they have been picked up for a DUI. You may just be curious, and want to see if anyone you know has been arrested for a misdemeanor, or even a felony. Simply wanting to see who’s in jail is a perfectly valid use of the database. If you are concerned that an arrest warrant may have been issued against you, you can also check that information through the Multnomah county system.