Types of Inmate and Prison Records

If you're looking for a specific inmate and their information or simply want more information about the prisons in your state, prison and inmate records held by local government and the Department of Corrections (DOC) may provide the information you need. Options for searching records include those maintained by the DOC, state and federal prison records, as well as inmate records found in your state.

DOC Records

Department of Corrections' records often contain information about every current and past inmate through a certain time period. Some states offer this information online, and others may require a written request to provide it to the public. Each state's facilities are different, but as long as a convicted individual is required to fulfill parole requirements, they are most likely the responsibility of the DOC. Thus, records regarding his or her convictions, charges and current sentence are available.

State and Federal Prison Records

Most states have prisons which operate under federal or state statutes. If a criminal is convicted of a federal crime in federal court, he or she will most likely be sentenced to serve time in a federal prison. This is true of many white collar crimes such as securities fraud. The BOP website at http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/LocateInmate.jsp allows the public to search for federal inmates from 1982 onward.

State prisons all operate differently, but your state may offer prison records online through the government website. Start by looking at the state's main site or the Department of Corrections to determine if there are external sites you may conduct a search through. Many of these prisons are now privately owned and operated, so their records maintenance and disclosure practices may always vary.

Searching for Inmate Records

Your state may also have a dedicated site which searches for inmate records across all the aforementioned databases. This is especially helpful if you don't know where the inmate served time, or if you simply want to input a name to determine if he or she was ever incarcerated. Many employers and prospective spouses will do this in order to assure they are fully aware of the character of the individual in question.

These inmate records are often available with either a name search or ID number. These numbers are assigned by the corresponding Department of Corrections, and are always called something different. Keep in mind that more than one person or inmate may have the same name, so finding a result with a name search is not necessarily definitive. You may need to conduct an advanced search or peruse mugshots if they are available to determine if you are looking at the correct record. This record will often provide dates of incarceration, charges, arrests, convictions and current disposition for your information.