How to Find a Prison or Jail

Use this website for informational purposes only.

With almost 7,000 correctional facilities in the United States, locating an inmate if their exact location is unknown may see like a daunting task. WIth a state by state search engine, finding your inmate is not as impossible a task as it might seem.

In the United State’s fifty states there are roughly 1,700 state prisons, 100 federal prisons, 1,850 juvenile facilities, and 3,000 local jails. If an inmate’s location is unknown, the sheer number of institutions make locating an inmate seem like a daunting task.

Types of Facilities

While the federal and local governments like the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) run many of these, some are co-run by private organizations (sometimes in conjunction with the government.) When it comes to finding an inmate, it is helpful to have an idea of which facility they are housed in – or at least which umbrella organization the facility is a part of.

Facility Search by State

Many departments of correction and prison or jail facilities offer inmate search databases, but before conducting this type of search, one must know which facility or umbrella network they are searching for. The first place to start is looking by state for the facility. With this database, you will find a list of states to narrow your search for a prison or jail.

Finding an Inmate by State

When searching for an inmate within the state or a particular facility, entering their first and last name is often enough to yield results. Other information that can help narrow down search results includes their date of birth, gender, race, or last residence. If you have it, entering an inmate’s identification number is enough to find them in any state.

This site is not owned or operated by any state government agency, read more.