Finding Inmates Connecticut Information

Like most states in the US, Connecticut is bound by the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to make certain information regarding the inmates incarcerated in its correctional facilities available to the public. The Connecticut Department of Corrections is responsible for maintaining and updating these records and ensuring their availability to the public. Over the years, the process of obtaining these records has been simplified and the search system has come to be regarded as a public service tool.

Why Do You Need to Conduct an Inmate Search?

You can conduct a Connecticut inmate search as part of a criminal background check. If you are suspicious about someone or have doubts about someone’s intentions, check on that person by searching though the inmate records. An inmate search also helps you find a person who may be serving a sentence in one of the prisons of Connecticut.

What Inmate Information is Available?

A Connecticut inmate search will bring up results that contain all information that has been deemed public by the FOIA. This includes a photograph of the inmate, details of his or her physical appearance including scars and tattoos, past and present addresses, the nature of his or her crimes, the date of arrest, and the details of his or her conviction.

Connecticut scores well in terms of providing inmate information to its citizens. However, the law decrees that certain inmate information cannot be made public, including the information of juvenile offenders and those involving cases ordered to be sealed by the court.

How to Conduct a Connecticut Inmate Search

There are many channels through which you may obtain information about an inmate in Connecticut: visit government web sites that list such information, visit the Department of Corrections office in person to make a search request, mail your request to the Department, or call the Department office.

The official web site of the Connecticut Department of Corrections, located at http://www.ct.gov/doc/site/default.asp, contains extensive records of all offenders presently incarcerated in a correctional facility in the state, as well as those under parole or any kind of community supervision. The site enables you to search for records based on a number of parameters, thus making your search easy and less time-consuming. The information is closely monitored and updated regularly.

For more information on these inmates, you may call the Office of Public Information at 860- 692-7780, on weekdays at any time from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Be sure to describe the information you are seeking in detail. You may also visit the Office in person and submit your request, or you can mail it to Connecticut Department of Correction, Public Information Office, 24 Wolcott Hill Road, Wethersfield, CT 06109.

In almost all circumstances, these search efforts will yield fruitful results. However, to obtain information on persons detained in Connecticut by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), you will have to call the ICE regional office at 617-565-4946. Information about persons detained under Connecticut’s Youthful Offender Statue is also unavailable from the Department of Corrections.

How to Obtain Information on Federal Inmates

Federal inmates are persons who have been convicted of violating federal laws - the laws of the United States - and are housed in federal prisons. The Federal Bureau of Prisons may also hold some state inmates. The Bureau offers an Inmate Locator tool on its website, located at http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/LocateInmate.jsp, that can be used to find information about the federal inmates of Connecticut dating back to 1982.

You can still, however, find information about Connecticut federal inmates who were released before 1982. This information is not stored in the Inmate Locator database; you will have to request these details by writing to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Office of Communications and Archives, Attn: Historic Inmate Locator Request, 320 First Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20534.

When submitting the request, ensure that you provide the following details: the name of the inmate, including middle name or initials, the date of birth or a conservative estimate of the individual's age when incarcerated, race, and the approximate time period when he or she was serving the sentence. Register number, aliases, the nature of the crime, and the name of the prison are some additional bits of information which, if provided, will speed up the search process.

When you are conducting an inmate search in Connecticut, remember that although the Department of Corrections regularly updates the records, they are apt to change quickly. Be careful when using this information as it is not guaranteed to be correct.