Nantucket County Recent Bookings
Nantucket County recent bookings work differently from every other county in Massachusetts. The island has no county jail. That fact changes everything about how arrest records and booking data are handled here. When someone is arrested on Nantucket, the police hold them at the local station, an arraignment takes place, and then the sheriff's office transports the person by ferry to Barnstable County. This page covers how to look up recent bookings tied to Nantucket County, where records are kept, and the steps you can take to find arrest information for this small island community. The process is unusual, so read through the details before you start your search.
Nantucket County Booking Overview
Nantucket County Sheriff's Office
The Nantucket County Sheriff's Department is the smallest sheriff's office in all of Massachusetts. It has just three full-time employees. Sheriff James A. Perelman has led the office since 2011 and is now in his third term. The mailing address is 20 South Water Street, PO Box 419, Nantucket, MA 02554. The street address where the office sits is 16 Broad Street. You can call (508) 228-7263 or (508) 228-7264 to reach them. Email works too. Send your request to nantucket@islandsheriff.com.
Here is the part that makes Nantucket County stand out. This is the only sheriff's office in Massachusetts that does not run a jail or any kind of correctional facility. There are no cells. There is no booking room. The sheriff's office does not take in prisoners at all. Its main job is to serve civil and criminal court papers, handle sheriff sales, and transport people who have been arrested to the mainland. That transport happens by ferry, which adds a layer of complexity you will not find anywhere else in the state.
Because there is no jail, there is no inmate database for Nantucket County. You will not find a booking roster or an online search tool run by this office. If you need to find out about a recent booking tied to Nantucket, you have to look at the agencies that actually hold the person after arrest. That means the Nantucket Police Department and the Barnstable County Sheriff's Office.
| Sheriff | James A. Perelman (3rd term, since 2011) |
|---|---|
| Mailing Address | 20 South Water Street, PO Box 419, Nantucket, MA 02554 |
| Street Address | 16 Broad Street, Nantucket, MA 02554 |
| Phone | (508) 228-7263 or (508) 228-7264 |
| nantucket@islandsheriff.com | |
| Jail Facilities | None (only MA sheriff with no jail) |
How Nantucket County Arrest Bookings Work
The booking process on Nantucket Island follows a path unlike any other county. It starts with an arrest by the Nantucket Police Department. The person is taken to the police station at 4 South Water Street. That is where the initial hold takes place. The police department has a small jail that serves as the only holding space on the island. After the arrest, the person goes before a judge at Nantucket District Court for arraignment.
If the judge orders the person held, the Nantucket County Sheriff's Office steps in. The sheriff arranges transport to the Barnstable County Correctional Facility on the mainland. This trip goes by Steamship Authority ferry. It is the primary method. Sometimes the fast ferry is used instead. Flying is rare because it creates safety issues with handcuffed passengers in small planes. The whole process depends on weather and ferry schedules. If the ferry is not running due to rough seas, the person stays at the Nantucket Police Department jail until conditions improve.
Once the person reaches Barnstable County, their booking records shift to that facility. The Barnstable County Sheriff's Office then handles all custody records from that point forward. This means a Nantucket arrest can generate records in three different places: the Nantucket Police Department, the Nantucket District Court, and the Barnstable County jail system.
Note: Ferry-dependent transport means some arrests on Nantucket result in delays before a person reaches a mainland jail.
Nantucket County Sheriff's About Page
The Nantucket County Sheriff's about page explains the office's role and history. It confirms that the department has no correctional facility and focuses on civil process, court papers, and prisoner transport. The page also lists the sheriff's background and the small staff that keeps things running on the island.
Sheriff Perelman has held the post for over a decade. His office collects roughly $10,000 to $12,000 each year in civil process fees. That money goes back to the community. It gets distributed to local nonprofits like A Safe Place and Fairwinds Counseling Center. The office runs on a tight budget with very few staff, but it covers all the civil and criminal process needs for the island.
Search Nantucket County Booking Records
Searching for recent bookings in Nantucket County requires checking more than one source. The sheriff's office itself does not keep booking records because it has no jail. Your best bet depends on how recent the arrest is and where the person ended up after arraignment.
For very recent arrests, call the Nantucket Police Department at (508) 228-1212. The police station at 4 South Water Street handles all arrests on the island. They can tell you if someone was picked up and whether the person is still in local custody or has been moved to the mainland. The police department keeps arrest logs that are public record. You can ask for them in person or by phone during business hours.
For people already transferred, check with Barnstable County. The Barnstable County public records office has information on how to request records from their correctional facility. Once a Nantucket arrest leads to a transfer, all booking and custody data lives with Barnstable. That is where you will find intake records, charges, and release dates for anyone held after a Nantucket arrest.
The Massachusetts court system is another good tool. The court docket search page on mass.gov lets you look up cases by name. Every arraignment from a Nantucket arrest creates a court record. You can search for it online, and it will show the charges, court dates, and case status. This works even when the sheriff's office has no records to share.
Nantucket County Civil Process Records
The Nantucket civil process page provides details on how the sheriff's office handles service of legal papers. This covers a big part of what the three-person office does day to day. Civil process service includes delivering court summons, eviction notices, and other legal documents. It also covers sheriff sales of property.
While civil process records are not the same as booking records, they can overlap. Criminal process service is part of the sheriff's job too. If a warrant is served or court papers are delivered in connection with an arrest, those records exist at the sheriff's office. You can request them through a public records request sent to 16 Broad Street or by emailing nantucket@islandsheriff.com. Standard Massachusetts fees apply. The first two hours of staff time to find your records are free. Copies cost $0.05 per page after that.
Nantucket County Record Access Laws
Massachusetts public records law gives you the right to request records from the Nantucket County Sheriff's Office. Under M.G.L. Chapter 66, Section 10, government agencies must respond to public records requests within 10 business days. The sheriff's office accepts requests in person at 16 Broad Street, by mail, by email, or by fax at 508-325-5338. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.
Keep in mind that booking records for Nantucket County arrests mostly sit with other agencies. The sheriff's office can share records it holds, like civil process logs, transport records, and fee collection data. But for actual booking details after someone leaves the island, you will need to direct your request to Barnstable County or the court system. The state law on criminal offender record information, M.G.L. Chapter 6, Section 172, defines what counts as criminal record data and who can see it. Court activity records are generally open to the public once charges have been filed.
If you are looking for older records, be aware that sealed records will not show up. Under M.G.L. Chapter 276, Section 100A, a person can petition the court to seal their criminal record. Once sealed, booking records tied to that case become unavailable through standard searches. This applies to Nantucket arrests the same as it does anywhere else in the state.
Nantucket County on Mass.gov
The Nantucket County Sheriff's Department page on mass.gov is the official state listing for this office. It has the address, phone number, and basic service information. The state page also notes the lack of a correctional facility, which confirms that no booking database exists at this location.
Mass.gov is a good starting point if you want to verify contact details before reaching out to the sheriff's office. The page is maintained by the state, so the information stays current. You can also use the Massachusetts court locator on mass.gov to find the Nantucket District Court, which handles arraignments for all arrests made on the island.
Nantucket Police and Arrest Records
The Nantucket Police Department is the only law enforcement agency on the island. There is no separate city or town police force. The department sits at 4 South Water Street, Nantucket, MA 02554. The phone number is (508) 228-1212. For emergencies, call 911. Because every arrest on the island goes through this one department, it is the single best source for very recent booking information in Nantucket County.
The police department has a small jail inside its station. This is the only holding space on the island. When someone is arrested, they are brought here first. The person stays in local custody until arraignment. If the court orders them held, the sheriff arranges the ferry trip to Barnstable County. But if the person posts bail or gets released on personal recognizance at arraignment, they never leave the island. In that case, the only booking record sits with the Nantucket Police Department.
You can request arrest logs and police reports from the department. Massachusetts law requires agencies to make these records available. Call during business hours or visit in person. The department handles its own public records requests. If you need a certified copy of a police report, expect a small fee based on the standard state schedule.
Note: The Nantucket Police Department jail is a temporary holding facility, not a long-term correctional institution.
Statewide Tools for Nantucket Bookings
The iCORI system is the state's criminal record check tool. It stands for Internet-based Criminal Offender Record Information. You can use it to run a background check that may include arrest and booking data from Nantucket County. The system pulls from a statewide database maintained by the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services. There is a fee to run a search, and you need to create an account. But it covers records from across Massachusetts, including those that start with a Nantucket arrest.
VINELink is another option some people try. It is a national victim notification system that tracks inmates in participating facilities. However, Nantucket County does not participate in VINELink because it has no jail. Barnstable County does not appear in the system either. So VINELink is not a reliable tool for tracking someone arrested on Nantucket. You are better off calling the police department or checking the court docket system for recent cases.
The bail process after arrest follows M.G.L. Chapter 276, Section 57. This law spells out what must happen between an arrest and arraignment. A person picked up without a warrant has to see a judge quickly. On Nantucket, that means a hearing at the local court before any transfer. The arraignment record that results from this hearing is searchable through the state court system and often shows up within a day or two of the arrest.
Nearby Counties
Nantucket is an island, so it does not share a land border with any other county. But it has close ties to Barnstable County on Cape Cod, where all prisoners from Nantucket are sent. Dukes County on Martha's Vineyard is the other island county in Massachusetts. If you are not sure which county handled a booking, check where the arrest took place.