inmate.solutions

A free guide for families

Someone you love was arrested. Here’s how to find them.

When a relative is taken into custody, the hardest part is not knowing where they are. This is a calm, step-by-step guide to finding a person in jail or prison — with guides for all 50 states and DC — using only official government sources.

No account or personal-record search here. We do not store or look up records. Instead, we explain the relevant custody system, link to researched agency services, and show their search steps and coverage limits.

First, figure out which system is holding them:

Arrested in the last day or two

Start with the local custody system

Most recent local arrests start with a local jail or police agency. Some states operate a unified state system, and DC has its own system. Your state page explains the correct path. If nothing appears online, contact the arresting agency.

Already sentenced to prison

Use the state prison locator

For a state-prison sentence, use the state correctional locator. Short sentences may remain in local detention. Confirm the responsible agency and housing location rather than assuming that a sentence means a transfer.

The charge is federal

Search the Federal BOP

A federal charge does not tell you which building holds the person. The U.S. Marshals Service is responsible for federal pretrial detention and may use local, state, private, or federal facilities. Check the Federal Bureau of Prisons locator, but a missing result does not establish that the person is not detained. For a recent federal arrest, contact the arresting agency or the relevant U.S. Marshals district office to ask about the appropriate custody-information process. USMS is a contact route, not a public person locator, and disclosure of a location is not guaranteed.

Not sure which one? Your state page explains the custody paths, service limits, and alternatives when a record is missing.

Start with your state

How finding someone works

Match the custody system to the right tool.

There is no single nationwide inmate search, and that is the part that trips families up. Local detention, unified state systems, state prisons, federal pretrial custody, and BOP custody have different search paths. A missing result can mean a reporting delay, transfer, or a different responsible agency.

  • County jail

    Recent arrests live here

    Check the responsible local agency, or the statewide system in unified states. Ask the arresting agency when an online record is missing.

  • State prison

    Sentenced people move here

    Run by the state Department of Corrections, with an official inmate locator you can search by name or ID.

  • Federal

    Federal charges are separate

    Check BOP and, for pretrial detention, the relevant U.S. Marshals district. Federal detainees may be housed in local facilities.

One rule that saves families money

Every tool you actually need is free and official. Skip the paid “inmate search” and mugshot sites that rank high in search results — they charge for what the government gives away, and often show stale, incomplete, or expunged records. Custody links point to official agency resources or public-safety services. Companion guides and paid bail referrals are separately identified.

50 states + DC · 3,143 counties

Start with your state

Each page answers, first, how to find someone in jail or prison there — the relevant state correctional, local custody and notification resources — then what you’ll need and who to call. Open a state to reach any of its counties, with local searches or contacts where those have been verified. Geographic guides and historical facility listings do not establish complete local booking coverage. Michigan and Ohio also offer local bail help.

51 jurisdictions

Other kinds of custody

Immigration detention has a separate official ICE detainee locator. It does not search for people under 18, and a missing result does not prove release; use the official ICE field-office contacts. Search by A-number and country of birth, or the name/country/date-of-birth information requested by the service. Access and disclosure can be restricted.

Juvenile and tribal custody may have different agencies, privacy rules, and search limits. This guide does not provide a comprehensive juvenile or tribal locator. Contact the arresting agency or responsible juvenile or tribal authority to confirm the correct process.

For federal pretrial detention, use the U.S. Marshals district directory. Federal responsibility can include housing in a local jail.

Built to be trusted

Official sources, dated, and honest about what it can’t do

Every state page links the official government locators it draws from and shows when it was last checked. It is procedural information only: it never predicts an outcome, never names a lawyer, and never searches or stores a single record itself. Finding your person happens on the official source, not here.

3,143geographic guides
50 + DCstates & district
0records stored here

How we research this and what we don’t do

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