Access Dukes County Booking Releases
Dukes County booking releases come from one of the smallest jails in Massachusetts. The county covers Martha's Vineyard, and its jail in Edgartown holds an average of about 15 inmates on any given day. There is no online search portal for Dukes County booking releases. You need to call the sheriff's office or the county administration to check on someone's custody status. This page covers how to contact the right offices, what the records contain, and how to submit a formal request for Dukes County booking release information.
Dukes County Booking Releases Overview
Dukes County Sheriff's Office
The Dukes County Sheriff's Office is at 149 Main Street in Edgartown, MA 02539. The mailing address is P.O. Box 252, Edgartown, MA 02539. Call (508) 627-5173 to reach the sheriff. Dukes County is unique in Massachusetts because it covers Martha's Vineyard, an island off the southern coast of Cape Cod. The jail here is small. On a typical day, about 15 inmates are in custody. The facility holds both pre-trial detainees and those serving sentences of up to 2.5 years under MGL c. 126, § 16.
The Dukes County administration office is separate from the sheriff. It sits at 9 Airport Road in Edgartown. The admin phone is (508) 696-3840, and you can email county.admin@dukescounty.org. Some records requests may go through the admin office rather than the sheriff, so it helps to know both contacts. The Dukes County administration website has general county info and contact details.
This page shows the county admin site for Dukes County. It covers departments, services, and contact info. You will not find an inmate search tool here, but you can reach the right office to ask about booking releases. Dukes County is small enough that a phone call is often the fastest way to check.
Note: Dukes County covers all of Martha's Vineyard, so any arrest on the island goes through the Dukes County Sheriff's Office for booking.
Finding Dukes County Booking Releases
There is no online inmate lookup for Dukes County. This is one of the smallest counties in Massachusetts, and the jail does not have the same kind of search tools you find in bigger counties. To check if someone is in custody at the Dukes County jail, call (508) 627-5173 and ask. Give them the person's full name, date of birth, and the date of arrest if you know it. Staff can check the system and tell you the person's status.
You can also send a written request. Mail it to the Dukes County Sheriff's Office at P.O. Box 252, Edgartown, MA 02539. Or email county.admin@dukescounty.org through the admin office. Under MGL c. 66, § 10, all public records requests in Massachusetts must get a response within 10 business days. The first two hours of search time are free.
For anyone sentenced to more than 2.5 years, the records shift to the state Department of Correction. The Massachusetts DOC inmate search page covers that process. You can also try VINE for state prison inmates, though VINE does not cover Dukes County jail inmates specifically.
Dukes County Booking Release Records
A Dukes County booking release contains the standard set of data you would find at any Massachusetts county jail. The record shows the inmate's full name, aliases, date of birth, and a physical description. It lists the booking date and time. The arresting agency is noted, along with all current charges and their statute codes. Bond or bail info is included. So is the expected release date and type of release.
When someone is booked into the Dukes County jail, fingerprints run through an automated system. That system sends alerts to the FBI, State Police, and the Department of Homeland Security. This is standard practice across Massachusetts and comes from federal requirements. The fingerprint data is not part of the public booking release, but the rest of the record is open to the public in most cases.
In 2023, Dukes County had a crime rate of 13.8 per 1,000 residents. There were 65 aggravated assaults, 12 sexual assaults, and 206 property crimes. These numbers are relatively low compared to larger Massachusetts counties. That lines up with the small daily population at the jail. Most booking releases in Dukes County involve minor offenses and short stays.
Note: Dukes County averages about 15 inmates per day, making it one of the smallest county jail populations in all of Massachusetts.
Requesting Dukes County Booking Records
To get a formal copy of a booking release from Dukes County, contact the sheriff's office at (508) 627-5173 or write to P.O. Box 252, Edgartown, MA 02539. You can also go through the county admin office at 9 Airport Road or email county.admin@dukescounty.org. Include the person's name, date of birth, and any other details. A case number or booking date helps speed things up.
Copy fees follow state rules. Standard photocopies are $0.05 to $0.10 per page. Computer printouts cost about $0.50 per page. Certified copies run around $3.00 each. Under 950 CMR 32, the first two hours of search time cost nothing. If your request takes more work, the county can charge a prorated hourly fee. They will let you know before they bill you.
Some records stay sealed. Under MGL c. 276, § 100A, misdemeanor records can be sealed after 3 years and felonies after 7. If charges were dismissed, MGL c. 276, § 100C triggers automatic sealing. Sealed Dukes County booking releases will not come up in any search. CORI rules under MGL c. 6, §§ 167-178B also limit what criminal record data agencies can share publicly.
Dukes County Court and Booking Records
The Dukes County Clerk of Court is Hon. Joseph E. Sollitto, Jr. The court mailing address is P.O. Box 1267, Edgartown, MA 02539. Court records and booking releases are separate things, but they often tie together. A booking release shows when someone was taken into custody and what they were charged with. Court records show what happened after that, including arraignment, trial, and sentencing.
If you need both the booking release and the court outcome, you will have to contact two offices. The sheriff's office has the booking data. The clerk of court has the case file. Under MGL c. 276, § 58A, some defendants face pretrial detention without bail if a judge finds them dangerous. That status shows up in both the booking release and the court record. For most Dukes County cases, though, the process is straightforward. Bail gets set, and the person either posts it or stays in the county jail until their court date.
All Dukes County jail operations must meet the baseline set by 103 CMR 932, which covers record keeping, inmate rights, and healthcare standards for county correctional facilities in Massachusetts.
Nearby Counties with Booking Releases
Dukes County is on Martha's Vineyard, so the nearest counties are across the water. Barnstable County covers Cape Cod, and Nantucket County covers Nantucket Island. If someone was arrested on the mainland or on Nantucket rather than Martha's Vineyard, check those county sheriff's offices instead.