Types of Prisons and Information Found in Their Records

There are two basic types of prisons in the United States:  Federal and State. County jails and community based initiatives also have a role to play in housing criminals and offenders. Prisons protect the community by confining offenders away from the rest of society, and great efforts are put into making prisons safe and humane.

Federal Prisons:  Divisions of the U.S. Department of Justice

The Federal Bureau of Prisons controls prisons in six regions of the United States. These facilities fall into four basic types:  minimum security, low security, medium security, and high security. 

Minimum security prisons: Also known as Federal Prison Camps, minimum security prisons use dormitory style housing and little or no fencing. The emphasis in these is on teaching offenders work and social skills, and prisoners will often be employed on military bases or at other institutions while they serve out sentences.

Low security prisons: Low security prisons use dormitory style housing and have double fences. They also put a strong emphasis on teaching work and social skills. Low security correctional institutions house white collar and low danger felons.

Medium security prisons: Medium security correctional institutions usually house prisoners in cells with each other, and have double fences with electronic detection systems for security. Those serving longer terms for their crimes will be housed here.

High security prisons: High security correctional institutions, also called penitentiaries, are extremely secure with high walls, electronically reinforced perimeters, and high staff to inmate ratios. Prisoners in penitentiaries are usually housed individually, and they often spend 23 hours a day in their cells for security purposes. Prisoners serving life sentences or who are awaiting execution are housed at maximum security prisons.

Correctional Complexes: Multiple types of prisons in the same geographical area belong to Federal Correctional Complexes and share resources and personnel. The Federal Bureau of Prisons runs these complexes to enhance operations if there is an emergency.

Information Found in Federal Prison Records

The Federal Bureau of Prisons maintains its website at http://www.bop.gov/. Here you will find facility addresses, information about the various prisons, and career opportunities. There is also an inmate locator search function.

A search of Federal prison records must be conducted with the exact first and last name of the prisoner or the federal ID number. You will be able to see the age, race, and sex of the prisoner, his or her release date, and current location. You will not be able to view any other information from this page.

State Prisons:  Divisions of State Departments of Corrections

State prisons are run by the various states’ departments of correction. Because there are so many, you must visit your state’s government website to find out specific information about security levels, inmate population statistics, and community based efforts to reduce the prison population.

On state department of corrections websites, you will find information on the specific addresses of facilities, their visiting hours and rules, and their current populations. Work skills training and education initiatives are important rehabilitation components in state prisons; most prisoners are released into the community at some point and these programs ease the transition.

Information Found in State Prison Records

Inmate locators are available on nearly all 50 states’ DOC websites. You may search by name, partial name, or inmate ID. Results will always show the prisoner’s name, age, birth date, sex, ethnicity, release dates, and current locations. Some search engines reproduce photos of inmates and contain rap sheets or details of their various crimes.

County Jails:  Local, Temporary Housing for Criminals

County jails typically house criminals who are serving sentences less than 12 months in duration. They are also used as temporary housing for prisoners awaiting transfer to state prisons or federal prisons. Crimes with jail sentences less than 12 months are usually misdemeanors, though not always.

Jails may allow prisoners to be released to go to work, and the rules are often much less strict than they might be in prison. Prisoners are housed in dorms and spend much of the day in common areas. Higher security areas are available for prisoners who cannot control their behavior or who might be in danger from the rest of the population of the jail.

Information Found in County Jail Records

There are thousands of county jails in the United States. You must visit your state’s department of corrections website or your local county government site to access information about county jails, including addresses, visiting hours, and rules.

Some jails have prisoner locator search functions. Enter the name or the prisoner ID into the search engine and the results will show the prisoner’s age, sex, ethnicity, birth date, release date, and current location. Some search engines also host photos of jail prisoners and may have detailed information about their crimes.

Community Based Initiatives:  Making the Transition to Law Abiding Life

Prisoners who have committed low level violent felonies, property crimes, or white collar crimes may be released into the community if they maintain good behavior throughout their incarcerations. These released prisoners will always fulfill some type of parole, but more and more their movements are being tracked by GPS systems.

Active GPS systems track the wearer’s movement in real time and passive GPS systems track movements at set times during the day. These devices are used to reduce the populations actually housed at prison facilities, yet still introduce control and punishment for crimes they have committed. Most sex offenders are required to wear GPS monitors.

Halfway houses, also known as residential re-entry centers, are used by inmates when they near their release dates in order to ease the transition back into the community. Drug and substance abuse treatment programs are an important part of halfway house facilities. Halfway houses are still prisons, and prisoners are controlled 24 hours a day.

Specific Types of Prison Records:

State Prison Records

Federal Prison

Prison Search

Prison Inmate