Dukes County Jail Mugshots

Dukes County jail mugshots come from the small jail on Martha's Vineyard in Edgartown. This island county has a unique setup because getting there requires a ferry or a flight. The jail serves the year-round and seasonal population of the Vineyard. Booking records, including mugshots, are held by the sheriff's office. Online resources are very limited for Dukes County, so direct contact with the facility is almost always needed to get arrest records or booking photos. This page covers what is available and how to search.

Dukes County Jail and House of Correction

The Dukes County Jail and House of Correction sits at 149 Main Street in Edgartown. Sheriff Robert G. Ogden runs the facility. It is a small jail that serves the island communities of Martha's Vineyard, including Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Vineyard Haven, West Tisbury, Chilmark, and Aquinnah. When someone gets arrested on the island, they are booked here. A mugshot is taken at intake along with personal details and charge information.

The island setting creates challenges you don't see on the mainland. The population swells in summer with tourists, which can affect the types and number of arrests. Getting to the jail means taking a ferry from the Cape or flying in. The fax number is (508) 627-6802. There is no live online inmate roster for this facility. If you want to know if someone is in custody, calling is the most direct path.

The Dukes County government website has general county info but limited detail about jail operations. For booking records and mugshots, you need to go through the sheriff's office directly.

Because Dukes County has no local images available, the state inmate search page below shows how Massachusetts handles inmate lookups at the state level.

The Massachusetts DOC inmate search page is one way to check if someone from Dukes County has been transferred to state custody.

Searching for Dukes County Jail Mugshots

Finding jail mugshots in Dukes County takes a bit more effort than in larger counties. There is no online inmate search tool for this facility. Your main options are phone, mail, and in-person visits. Start by calling (508) 627-5173. The sheriff's office can tell you if someone is currently in custody and give basic booking info.

For a copy of a mugshot or a full booking record, submit a written public records request. Under MGL c. 66, Section 10, any person can request public records from a government agency. Send your request to the Dukes County Sheriff's Office at 149 Main Street, Edgartown, MA 02539. Include the person's full name and approximate arrest date. The office has up to 10 business days to respond. Standard copy fees are $0.25 per page.

If you are on the island, you can visit the facility in person during business hours. Bring valid ID. Staff can help you look up records and get copies. For people on the mainland, the phone and mail options are more practical given the ferry trip.

Note: Because Dukes County is an island with a small jail, records may be more limited than what you find at larger mainland facilities.

Dukes County Booking Records

When someone is booked at the Dukes County Jail, a standard set of records is created. The file includes the person's full name, date of birth, and physical description. A booking photo is taken. Charges are logged along with the arresting agency and case numbers. Bond or bail info is recorded when it has been set. The record tracks custody status and any court dates that have been scheduled.

The amount of information available to the public depends on the type of record and when it was created. Massachusetts law distinguishes between mugshots taken before and after the start of criminal proceedings. A 2010 opinion from the Supervisor of Public Records said that pre-proceeding photos are public, while post-complaint photos fall under CORI restrictions per MGL c. 6, Section 167.

The seasonal nature of Martha's Vineyard means arrest patterns change throughout the year. Summer months bring more people and more incidents. Winter is quieter. This affects what you might find in the booking records at any given time.

Mugshot Access and Public Records Law

Your right to request jail records in Dukes County comes from state law. MGL c. 66, Section 10 says every person who has custody of a public record must let people inspect it at reasonable times. This covers most jail booking records. But there are exemptions under MGL c. 4, Section 7(26) for things like investigatory materials and records that could compromise safety.

CORI adds restrictions too. Criminal Offender Record Information is controlled by the state under MGL c. 6, Section 167. Full CORI access is limited to authorized users. The public can get standard CORI checks through the iCORI portal for $25 per request. These checks show convictions and active cases but not sealed or expunged records.

Police logs on Martha's Vineyard are public. Under MGL c. 41, Section 98F, each police department on the island must keep a daily log with arrests, charges, and names. You can view these at the police station during business hours for free.

Records can be sealed over time. MGL c. 276, Sections 100A and 100C allow sealing of misdemeanor records after 5 years and felony records after 10. Sealed mugshots are no longer available to the public.

Note: Domestic violence and sexual assault records have extra privacy protections under MGL c. 41, Section 97D.

Dukes County Arrest Record Resources

State-level tools can supplement what you find locally. The Massachusetts DOC inmate search covers all state prisons if someone from Dukes County has been transferred to state custody. VINELink tracks state facility inmates and offers custody alerts. The Massachusetts criminal records portal on mass.gov pulls together links for CORI, sealing, and other state tools.

The Dukes County inmate search guide gives background on how to look up inmates in this county. The Massachusetts Prisons site has info on facilities across the state. For legal context on mugshot access, the Prince Lobel legal analysis explains the rules around booking photos in Massachusetts.

Keep in mind that Dukes County is isolated. The ferry from Woods Hole to Vineyard Haven or Oak Bluffs is the main way on and off the island. If you plan to visit the jail in person, check the ferry schedule first. For most people, a phone call or written request is the easier option.

Towns in Dukes County

Dukes County has no major cities with dedicated pages on this site. The county covers Martha's Vineyard, including Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury, West Tisbury, Chilmark, and Aquinnah. All jail bookings for the island go through the Dukes County Jail in Edgartown.

Nearby Counties

These are the closest counties to Dukes County. Barnstable County on Cape Cod is the nearest mainland county with its own jail facility.