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Must read Terms of Service & Privacy Policy and be at least 18

Prisoner Inmate Locator

WriteAPrisoner.com has compiled all of its data on locating inmates in this section. You can search the Department of Corrections websites for prisoners in many of the states listed. If you find a problem or missing link in the inmate look-up section, please report it so we can update it and help our viewers locate the inmates they are trying to find. Please note that not all state prisoners can currently be searched for. We will add information on locating inmates to this section as it becomes available online. We are unable to help one on one with locating prisoners. All information is made available here in our Inmate Prisoner Locator section.

Notice:  This section is designed to help you find and search for all inmates incarcerated in the United States. This is not where we place inmate profiles. You can find those on our Inmate Profiles page.

Tips for locating inmates

  1. Before beginning your search, determine whether the prisoner is a state or federal inmate. You can easily identify federal inmates by their identification number, which is always in the five-number-dash-three-number format (12345-678). You can also identify federal inmates by the facility name: FCC - Federal Correctional Complex; FCI - Federal Correctional Institution; FMC - Federal Medical Center; FPC - Federal Prison Camp; FTC - Federal Transfer Center; MCC - Metropolitan Correctional Center; MCFP - Medical Center for Federal Prisoners; MDC - Metropolitan Detention Center; USP - U.S. Penitentiary.
  2. If possible, narrow down your search results by providing additional details about the inmate such as age, race, gender, etc.
  3. Keep in mind that some Department of Corrections oversee facilities that are located in other states. For example, Great Plains Correctional Facility in Oklahoma is directed by the Arizona Department of Corrections, so in order to find an inmate located in this particular facility, you need to search from the Arizona's DOC site rather than from the Oklahoma site.
  4. Some states allow you to search for currently incarcerated individuals as well as previously released felons. Be sure to identify the inmate's incarceration status, when applicable. 
  5. It is possible for an inmate to be listed under a name other than his/her legal name. This usually occurs due to a processing entry error at the time of booking, because an alias was used, or if the individual changes his/her name during incarceration. 
  6. If the inmate is located in a Department of Corrections that does not offer an online inmate lookup, you can contact the DOC directly by phone or mail to obtain public information.
  7. Keep in mind that newly incarcerated individuals may not appear in the search results. The same is true if an inmate has been transferred to a new facility, especially when he/she is moved from one state to another or from a federal to state institution.
  8. If you cannot find the inmate you are looking for by using the links provided, we also recommend searching the VINElink database.  
  9. To find prisoners located outside of the U.S., please visit our International Inmate Locator.