Smith County Low/Medium Overview
Official sources use several names for this facility. Tyler Police calls it Smith County Low/Medium Risk. The sheriff visitation page calls the public visit site the Low-Risk Facility. A jail study referenced in the research describes the Public Road campus as the North Jail campus. The facility is operated by the Smith County Sheriff's Office and is part of the adult county jail system serving Tyler and the rest of Smith County.
The Public Road facility matters for two reasons. First, it houses low and medium risk county jail inmates assigned through Smith County jail classification. Second, the sheriff says all inmate visitation is provided by video link there. That means families looking for a downtown jail inmate may still be directed to Public Road for ordinary public visits. It is not a separate city jail, state prison, federal prison, or ICE detention center.
Smith County Low/Medium Risk Facility
2811 Public Road
Tyler, TX 75701
903-590-2800
Video visitation site and low/medium-risk jail facility.
Downtown Main Jail
206 E. Elm St.
Tyler, TX 75702
903-590-2800
Primary jail address listed by Tyler Police.
Smith County Low/Medium Capacity
The sheriff's history material says the Low Risk Facility was constructed in 1989, a medium-risk addition was completed in 1994, and the combined facilities accommodate 432 inmates. That is the facility-specific number supported by the reviewed sources. Current TCJS population reports list Smith County's jail capacity as a countywide jail-system figure, not a public campus-by-campus count. On June 1, 2026, TCJS reported 1,149 countywide jail capacity beds and 863 people in the Smith County jail system.
The distinction is important. The 432-inmate figure describes the Low/Medium Risk campus from the sheriff history source. The 1,149 capacity and 863 population figures describe the whole Smith County jail system from TCJS. A person assigned to this Public Road facility should be confirmed by the Facility field in the View Jailing profile, not by assuming that every low or medium risk inmate appears on a separate roster.
Smith County Low/Medium Lookup
Lookup for this facility uses the same Smith County Jail Search used for the downtown jail. There is no separate Low/Medium Risk roster in the official sources reviewed. The search app starts only after at least three characters are entered, and results can include current and historical jailings. Open the View Jailing profile after finding a likely match, then check the Facility field to see whether the person is assigned to this campus.
- Open Smith County Jail Search and enter at least three characters from the person's name.
- Use booking date or release date filters if several similar names or older jailings appear.
- Select View Jailing and compare the SO number, booking number, arresting agency, and charge information.
- Check the Facility field in the profile before assuming the person is at the Public Road campus.
- Call 903-590-2800 when a same-day visit, transfer, release, or money deposit depends on current custody.
The Smith County jail-information page provides public jail notes, including identification requirements for visits.
The county jail-information source supports treating visitation and identity rules as systemwide jail rules, even when the visit occurs at Public Road.
Smith County Low/Medium Custody
The Low/Medium Risk Facility is best described as part of the Smith County jail system for inmates assigned to lower or medium custody levels and as the public video-visitation location. The sheriff's classification function matters here. Classification is the jail process that sorts inmates for housing, supervision, separation, safety, and movement. Public roster records may not explain the full reason for a facility assignment, but they can show a Facility label and charge information that helps confirm the current jail setting.
| Custody Question | Where to Check | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Is the person in Smith County jail custody? | Smith County Jail Search | The county portal covers local jailings, including current and some released records. |
| Is the person assigned to Public Road? | View Jailing profile Facility field | Official sources do not publish a separate Low/Medium Risk roster. |
| Has the person been sentenced to TDCJ? | TDCJ Inmate Search | State prison custody is separate from the Smith County jail roster. |
| Is there federal or ICE custody? | BOP or ICE locator | Federal and immigration systems use separate lookup rules. |
Smith County Low/Medium Visits
All ordinary public inmate visitation is provided by video link at the Low-Risk Facility. The sheriff's inmate visitation page places the visit site at 2811 Public Road. Proof of identification is required. Visitors should sign up during the same-day window, follow the schedule by visitor category, and confirm that the inmate is eligible for a visit before going to the facility.
The official visitation screenshot is from the Smith County Sheriff's inmate-visitation page.
This screenshot is directly tied to the Public Road campus because the sheriff lists that campus as the video visitation site.
| Visitor Category | Days | Sign-Up | Visit Time | Length | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women | Tuesday and Sunday | 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm | 1 pm to 5 pm | 20 minutes | Low-Risk Facility |
| Men | Monday and Saturday | 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm | 1 pm to 5 pm | 20 minutes | Low-Risk Facility |
| Trustees | Not split in source | 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm | 6 pm to 8 pm | 20 minutes | Low-Risk Facility |
Dress restrictions include no revealing or see-through clothing, no sleeves shorter than halfway down the upper arm, no spandex or tights, no skirts or shorts above mid-thigh, and no obscene, offensive, or gang-affiliated clothing. Because visits are limited to 20 minutes, late arrival can matter. The reviewed sources did not publish a remote-video fee schedule or full attorney-visitation rule.
Smith County Low/Medium Mail
Official sources reviewed did not publish a mail address, commissary process, or telephone vendor unique to the Low/Medium Risk Facility. Use the Smith County Jail correspondence and vendor information unless the sheriff publishes facility-specific instructions. The sheriff correspondence format uses C/O Smith County Jail and a Fort Worth mail-processing address. That format should be used even when the inmate may be assigned to Public Road, unless jail staff gives a different instruction.
| Service | Provider or Detail |
|---|---|
| Mail Address | Inmate ID: Inmate Full Name, C/O Smith County Jail, 2830 S. Hulen St. Box 809, Fort Worth, TX 76109 |
| Mail limits | Letters no larger than 12 by 15 inches; up to four unframed photos no larger than 4 by 5 inches. |
| Video, email, commissary funds | JailATM, as linked by the sheriff |
| Telephone services | NCIC, with phone funds through NCIC or JailATM |
The official correspondence screenshot is from the Smith County inmate correspondence page.
The correspondence rules apply across the Smith County jail system unless the sheriff gives a more specific facility instruction.
Smith County Low/Medium Routing
Tyler Police provides useful routing context because it names both Smith County jail addresses. Its inmate-search resource says the Smith County Jail is under the management and jurisdiction of the sheriff and lists the downtown main jail plus the Smith County Low/Medium Risk facility. It also states that a person 17 or older arrested by a Tyler Police officer will be incarcerated in a Smith County jail. That does not mean every Tyler arrestee goes to the Public Road campus, but it confirms the facility's role in the county adult jail map.
The official routing screenshot is from the Tyler Police inmate-search page.
Use Tyler Police routing as a location and custody-path source, then use the county Jail Search profile to verify the specific inmate's facility field.
Smith County Low/Medium Records
A Public Road facility assignment is only one part of a jail record. The Smith County View Jailing profile may show name, SO number, booking number, facility, booking date and time, release date and time, arresting agency, charges, warrant number, issuing authority, bond/type, and mugshot flags. If the public profile does not answer the question, use the sheriff-linked JustFOIA request form for jail records or booking photos not shown online. Court case records after charges are filed should be routed to the court portal or the correct clerk instead.
For countywide inmate population context, the Smith County inmate population page explains the TCJS numbers, TDCJ transfer categories, and federal custody categories that can affect the jail system. Texas IVSS-Counties may be useful for victim notification, but Smith County participation should be verified in the portal before relying on notifications.
Note: Confirm the Facility field and visit eligibility with jail staff before going to Public Road.
Smith County Low/Medium History
The Public Road campus has a different history from the downtown main jail. The sheriff history source says the Low Risk Facility was built in 1989 and the medium-risk addition was completed in 1994. A GMJ jail study described Smith County as housing inmates on Central Jail and North Jail campuses, which matches the practical split between the Elm Street and Public Road addresses. That history helps explain why the Public Road location is more than a visit lobby, even though visitation is the reason many members of the public encounter it.
Recent jail planning materials discussed countywide growth pressure, paper-ready transfer status, and possible future expansion. Those planning documents should not be used to invent a current Public Road population count. For a specific inmate, the current source remains the county Jail Search profile and a same-day call to 903-590-2800.