Information Contained in Incarceration Records

Most local jurisdictions have portals where you can search for current jail or prison inmates by name. Look up the website of the Department of Corrections for your local area, or go through your state government site’s Department of Corrections or Sheriff’s Department.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons from the United States Department of Justice maintains an inmate locator which will search all federal prison inmates from 1982 to the present. The site may be accessed by clicking on http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/LocateInmate.jsp. Federal prisons are considered to be a separate jurisdiction from state or local prisons.

Information Available

Usually these records concern only current inmates or information about inmates who have been released on parole. This information is only kept until release or parole expires. The search can be performed by first name and last name or by the inmate’s ID number, if you know it. The docket or case number may also be helpful in narrowing the search to a specific person. If the person has a common name, knowing his or her birthdate may also help to narrow the search.

Once you have found the right person in the inmate locator database, you may click on the name to view a photo of the inmate, learn his or her whereabouts at the moment, and find out abbreviated information on the charges and conviction. Dates of conviction and potential release are available as well. Victim’s names are never listed in these search results.

Institution Information

Once you have found out where the prison inmate is located, you may want to do background research on the type of facility in which he or she is housed. Minimum and low security institutions generally have limited fencing and staff and are focused upon work for the inmates. Medium security prisons house inmates in cells and have fenced or electronically controlled boundaries. High security prisons, sometimes known as penitentiaries, house the worst offenders and have high staff to inmate ratios.

The type of prison in which the inmate is housed will tell you a lot about the type of crime which was committed. Obviously, the higher the security, the worse the crime in most instances.

If you would like to visit an inmate after performing an inmate locator search, you should call the facility to find out visiting hours and what you may bring along. Most prisoners can receive visitors on any visiting day, but this is not always the case. You may be allowed to bring money and personal care supplies, but other types of gifts will be highly restricted. Anything you bring along will be checked by the guards.

Not all Departments of Corrections will list local jail inmates. If they do, it will be only for those who have been convicted of crimes and are serving sentences locally, not for people who may be awaiting trial or been arrested and detained at the local jail until bail is set or release is determined.