How to Find an Inmate

The more information you have, the easier the search. At a minimum you need the person's full legal name as it appears on official documents. Middle names and suffixes matter. A common name without additional details can return dozens of results.

Having the state where they were sentenced or the approximate date of incarceration narrows the results significantly. If you have their inmate ID number or booking number, you can often find them in a single lookup.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons operates a free inmate locator at bop.gov. You can search by first name, last name, age, race, and sex. The database covers anyone currently in BOP custody and includes release dates for those nearing the end of their sentence.

BOP records do not include people held at county jails awaiting federal sentencing or people held in privately contracted facilities that are not part of the BOP system. If your search returns no results, the person may not yet be in the federal system.

Every state operates its own inmate search database. Search for the name of the state followed by 'department of corrections inmate search' to find the official lookup tool. State databases typically cover people in state prisons and may include those on parole or probation.

State databases vary in quality. Some update in real time. Others update once daily or less frequently. If someone was recently transferred, their new location may not appear immediately.

County jail rosters are maintained at the county level. Search for the county name and 'jail roster' or 'inmate lookup.' Many counties post booking rosters online that update throughout the day.

County jail rosters are often less complete than state or federal databases. If you cannot find someone through an online roster, call the jail directly. Provide the full legal name and approximate date of booking.