The Missouri Compromise in 1821 admitted the Show Me State, otherwise known as Missouri, to the United States. The role of Missouri is ‘Gateway to the West’ as epitomized by its Gateway Arch in St. Louis. During the early years in America, the location of Missouri, situated between the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, made it a vital commerce and transportation hub. The state’s fame is through its production of beer, and the maker of Budweiser beer, Anheuser-Busch, calls St. Louis home. On the other side of the state, Kansas City is famous for jazz and barbecue. Jefferson City is the capital city of Missouri.

There is one independent city and 114 counties in the state of Missouri. Five counties were created in the Missouri Territory in 1812 after Louisiana was admitted to the United States through the Louisiana Purchase. During the Platte Purchase in 1836, an additional six counties were added to other counties created from the original five.

Governance in the state’s counties includes the collection of taxes, maintaining roads, prosecuting criminals, and providing security. These functions are performed by elected officials such as an assessor, sheriff, and prosecuting attorney.

St. Louis City is not included in any county jurisdiction and was declared an independent city when, in 1876, its residents voted to detach themselves from the County of St. Louis.

Missouri’s judicial system includes:

The Supreme Court of Missouri
The Court of Appeals of Missouri
The Circuit Courts of Missouri
The Municipal Courts of Missouri

The Supreme Court of Missouri was established in 1820 and is the highest judicial court of the state. There are five kinds of appeals cases that the Supreme Court has exclusive jurisdiction to hear:

A United States treaty or statute’s validity
A constitutional provision or Missouri statute’s validity
The revenue laws of the state
Death penalty imposition
Challenging the right to hold office of an elected statewide official

Offender Search Web Page

The purpose and specifics of the Offender Search Web Page in each state varies. Read the disclosures carefully. Updates to the database could be biweekly, monthly and daily depending on the states Corrections Department schedule. Some searches show offenders incarcerated in the entire prison system including county jails and some only state prisons. Sometimes historical offender data is available and sometimes only current inmate records are listed. Youth and adult offenders are sometimes located on separate search portals.

State Offender Search: https://web.mo.gov/doc/offSearchWeb/

Jails

Court Clerk

Correctional Facility