How to Find the Location of an Inmate

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Finding the location of most inmates in a federal, state, city, or county prison can be done, but you need to know the different ways to do so.

Step 1: Go to the Federal Bureau of Prisons website
Go to the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) website's Inmate Locator tool to find federal inmates that have been incarcerated from 1982 to the present.

Step 2: Search the Inmate Locator
Search the Inmate Locator by an inmate's prison ID number, or their first and last name.

Step 3: Know about Inmate Locator search results
Understand Inmate Locator search results. They not only include the inmate's location, but also the projected release date or past date of release.

Tip
Inmate Locator results can also include locations such as a halfway house or a concurrent sentence at a state prison.

Step 4: Mail a request to BOP's Historic Inmate Locator
Mail a request to BOP's Historic Inmate Locator to find Federal inmates that were released before 1982.

Step 5: Go to the USA.gov website
Go to the USA.gov website for links to state corrections department websites with searchable state inmate locator tools.

Tip
USA.gov also has links to nonsearchable state corrections department websites.

Step 6: Search for the location of sex offenders
Search for the location of sex offenders at the Department of Justice's Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website.

Step 7: Contact city or county government authorities
Contact local government authorities for city or county prison inmate information. Many state corrections department websites list city and county prison contact info.

Did You Know?
Closed in 1963, Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary is now part of the National Park Service with regularly scheduled tours for visitors.