How To Find Inmates in Both Jails & Prisons Using Government Resources In USA

Since the United States has nearly two million incarcerated people, the first stop when you want to find prisoners and inmates held at a detention facility is to search the arrest records. These records are usually kept and managed by various government agencies. Which are these government agencies? How can you obtain inmates’ and prisoners’ information from these agencies? Don’t worry. This article unearths these agencies and then clearly explains how you can use them to find inmates held in various jails and prisons across the United States. Read on to learn more.

Agencies that keep arrest records in various detention facilities

The four primary detection centers in the United States include local county jails, state prisons, federal prisons, and immigration detention centers. Each of these detention centers has its own agency that keeps records of the people they incarcerate. The agency to locate inmates and prisoners varies depending on the detention facility. Let’s explore each of these agencies and the detention centers they operate in: 

1. The County Sheriff’s Office

Sometimes referred to as the Sheriff’s Department, the County Sheriff’s Office is the agency that keeps the records of people incarcerated in a local county jail. According to the National Sheriffs ‘ Association, there are more than 3,000 sheriff’s offices in the United States. These sheriff’s offices range from small centers in remote areas to large facilities such as the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. To find inmates and prisoners held in local county jails and prisons, here are the steps you need to follow:

Step 1: Visit the official website of the County Sheriff’s Office. This is usually the county jail where the inmate is held.

Step 2: Look for an inmate locater search tool on the website. This tool will allow you to search for inmates based on their name, inmate number, or other identifying information.

Step 3: Fill in the details of the inmate you want to find. Depending on the search tool, you may be required to provide information such as the inmate’s official name and identification number to initiate the search.

Step 4:  Review your entered information and click the search or send option. If the inmate is held in that local jail, the website will pull out their information, which includes their conviction date, release date, custody status, location, and other relevant information.

2. State Department of Corrections

There are 1,566 state prisons in the United States, with Texas recording many state prisons. The State Department of Corrections is the agency that keeps all the records of all inmates and prisons held by a state prison. To find inmates and prisoners held in state prisons, here are the steps you need to follow:

Step 1: Visit the State Department of Corrections’ official website.

Step 2: Look for an inmate search tool on the website. Various state corrections departments refer to their inmate search tool using different names. For instance, the Florida Department of Corrections refers to it as “offender search,” while the Washington State Department of Corrections refers to it as “incarcerated individual search”.

Step 3: Enters the inmate’s information, such as the official name and DOC number. A DOC number is a six-digit identification number assigned to each inmate held by a state correction facility.

Step 4: Review and submit the information. The tool will pull out the prisoner’s information and the state location where they are held.

3. Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP)

The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is the agency you can use to find inmates and prisons held in federal prisons. The Federal Bureau of Prisons’ official website has an inbuilt search tool to find people incarcerated in federal detention centers. To find inmates and prisoners held in federal prisons, here are the steps you need to follow:

Step 1: Visit the BOP’s official website.

Step 2: Navigate to the “Inmates” page and click the “Find an inmate” sub-page. You will land on an inmate search page.

Step 3: Choose your preferred search option. You can find an inmate by name or number (BOP register, DCDC, FBI, or INS). If you choose the “By Name” option, you will need to enter the first name, middle name, last name, race, sex, and age of the inmate.

Step 4: Click submit. The tool will help you locate the whereabouts of an inmate incarcerated by a federal prison from 1982 to the present

4. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) keeps all the records of people in immigration detention centers. ICE’s official website has an online detainee locater system that can help you locate a person in an immigration detention center. To find people held in an immigration detention center, here are the steps you need to follow:

Step 1: Visit ICE’s official website

Step 2: Click on the online detainee locater system

Step 3: Choose your preferred search option. The website allows you to search for inmates by Biographical Information or A-number (usually a nine-digit number assigned to people in an immigration detention center).

Step 4: Click search, and you will find the information you want.

Wrapping up

Whichever detention center you want to search for an inmate, these government agencies provide reliable resources to help you find an inmate incarcerated in the United States. If you need more information about an arrest record retrieved by these agencies, contact the detention facility directly.