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AK · Find someone in custody

How do I find someone in jail or prison in Alaska?

Alaska DOC custody instructions and assistance

Official resources can help you check custody in Alaska. Use the paths below and confirm a missing or uncertain result with the responsible agency.

State locator
Alaska DOC offender search via VINE
Service coverage
Participating agencies; verify scope
Guidance reviewed
Not recorded
Jurisdiction
Alaska

Which system is holding them in Alaska?

There is no single search that covers everyone. Match the situation to the right official locator — most families start with the first one.

If the arrest was recent

Start with the statewide custody system

Alaska DOC custody status and notification assistance. The DOC separately describes 14 local Police-operated community jails; their participation in this service is not established. Initial Police, rural or pre-transfer custody may not appear.

Alaska DOC custody instructions and assistance

The current DOC page explains VINE status and notification services and publishes 800-247-9763. Follow its current search instructions or use the published telephone assistance. Confirm participation before relying on any record.

Agency instructions, not a confirmed person-search form. Local community-jail participation is unresolved.

Find the responsible local agency

Official local-agency navigation. Directory access does not verify a custody roster.

Choose your county or local agency and locate its jail/corrections assistance.

Search Alaska participating-agency custody — VINE name-search fields reached without signing in; participating-agency coverage must be verified DOC page does not certify all 14 local police-operated community jails participate.

Service instructions reviewed 2026-10-05. This is an agency information or participation route; a working local person-search form is not confirmed.

If nothing appears, contact the arresting agency or the responsible jail to ask how to confirm booking. A missing record does not prove release, and an agency may limit what it can disclose.

If they were sentenced to prison

Use the correctional locator

For a state-prison sentence, use the Alaska correctional locator.

A short jail sentence may still be served in a local or regional jail, or in the unified state system.

A sentence alone does not establish the housing location; confirm with the responsible agency.

Alaska DOC custody status and notification assistance. The DOC separately describes 14 local Police-operated community jails; their participation in this service is not established. Initial Police, rural or pre-transfer custody may not appear.

Official agency instructions and assistance

VINE name or identifier; select Alaska

Public search availability remains unconfirmed for the primary endpoint. Use the current official instructions or published DOC telephone assistance. The 14 locally operated community jails and initial Police custody are not confirmed as covered; a missing record does not establish release.

Call Alaska DOC VINE status assistance — 800-247-9763 — Alaska DOC custody status and notification assistance. The DOC separately describes 14 local Police-operated community jails; their participation in this service is not established. Initial Police, rural or pre-transfer custody may not appear.

Reviewed 2026-10-05. Search availability is unconfirmed or this is an instructions/phone route.

If the charge is federal

Search the Federal Bureau of Prisons

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.

Search the Federal BOP locator U.S. Marshals district directory

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.

City and municipal custody assistance

Use the contact matching the agency that made the arrest. These researched municipal holding and transfer paths are separate from the county routes.

Cordova city custody assistance

UAA’s 2026 safety report publishes Cordova Police as the local non-emergency contact for matters at Prince William Sound College - Cordova Extension. Broader City custody routes remain under review.

Cordova Police assistance for UAA campus matters — 907-424-6100

For a Cordova Extension campus matter, call this published local Police contact and ask which agency can confirm custody or any holding or transfer. Use the actual arresting agency for other incidents. The number was not called.

Campus-scoped non-emergency assistance only. No citywide service boundary, dedicated jail or booking line, holding facility, answered call, automatic transfer or other-provider exclusion was confirmed.

Reviewed 2026-10-06. Published phone assistance; the number was not called.

Homer city custody assistance

Homer Community Jail assistance. Ask whether the person is held at this jail or which agency can confirm current custody. The City publishes the number for contacting a person in jail; no automatic transfer destination is established.

Homer Community Jail contact — 907-235-4158

Call this published local agency contact, confirm the actual arresting force, and ask whether the person is still held locally, was released or transferred, and which agency can confirm present custody. The number was not called. If the person is already in this community jail, ask whether the jail still holds them or whether DPS has arranged a transfer, and confirm the actual destination. A transfer is conditional; continued local holding is possible.

The City publishes this number for reaching jail staff and relaying caller information to a person in custody. Staff may decline personal messages. No answered call or booking-status service was tested.

Reviewed 2026-10-06. Published phone assistance; the number was not called.

Kodiak city custody assistance

UAA’s current 2026 safety report publishes Kodiak Police as the non-emergency contact for matters at Kodiak College and Kodiak High School Extension. This source confirms campus-related assistance; broader City custody routes remain under review.

Kodiak Police assistance for UAA campus matters — 907-486-8000

For a Kodiak College or Kodiak High School Extension matter, call this published local Police contact and ask which agency can confirm custody or any holding/transfer. Use the actual arresting agency for other incidents. The number was not called.

This is a campus-scoped non-emergency contact published by the University. No citywide service boundary, dedicated jail/booking line, holding facility, answered call, automatic transfer or individual record was confirmed.

Reviewed 2026-10-06. Published phone assistance; the number was not called.

Petersburg CDP custody assistance

Petersburg Borough Police general assistance for an arrest reported in Petersburg. Confirm the actual arresting agency and ask who has custody or handles follow-up.

Petersburg Borough Police assistance — 907-772-3838

Call this published local agency contact, confirm the actual arresting force, and ask whether the person is still held locally, was released or transferred, and which agency can confirm present custody. The number was not called. If the person is already in this community jail, ask whether the jail still holds them or whether DPS has arranged a transfer, and confirm the actual destination. A transfer is conditional; continued local holding is possible.

Published general Police contact. The number was not called; no individual custody result, exclusive arrest jurisdiction or automatic transfer destination was tested. Initial local custody is not confirmed as covered by Alaska DOC VINE.

Reviewed 2026-10-06. Published phone assistance; the number was not called.

Sitka city and borough custody assistance

Sitka Police serves the City and Borough and operates a community jail. Use its published general department contact to confirm the actual arresting force and where to direct custody follow-up. This is not labeled as a jail-status or booking line.

Sitka Police general assistance — 907-747-1800

Call the published Police contact and ask which agency has custody, whether the person is held locally, released or transferred, and how to contact any confirmed receiving facility. Use Alaska DOC assistance only after DOC intake is confirmed. The number was not called. If the person is already in this community jail, ask whether the jail still holds them or whether DPS has arranged a transfer, and confirm the actual destination. A transfer is conditional; continued local holding is possible.

Published general Police assistance. No individual result, answered call, automatic DOC transfer or participation of initial local jail custody in DOC VINE was established. Other agency and tribal custody paths may differ.

Reviewed 2026-10-06. Published phone assistance; the number was not called.

Unalaska city custody assistance

City Police and Corrections assistance for Unalaska. Ask whether the City jail holds the person, whether release or transfer occurred, and which agency can confirm current custody. Other arresting agencies and tribal services must be checked separately.

Unalaska Police and Corrections assistance — 907-581-1233

Call this published local agency contact, confirm the actual arresting force, and ask whether the person is still held locally, was released or transferred, and which agency can confirm present custody. The number was not called. If the person is already in this community jail, ask whether the jail still holds them or whether DPS has arranged a transfer, and confirm the actual destination. A transfer is conditional; continued local holding is possible.

Published general Police contact. The number was not called; no individual custody result, exclusive arrest jurisdiction or automatic transfer destination was tested. Initial local custody is not confirmed as covered by Alaska DOC VINE.

Reviewed 2026-10-06. Published phone assistance; the number was not called.

Valdez city custody assistance

Valdez Police and Public Safety general assistance. Confirm the actual arresting agency and ask who has custody, whether transfer occurred, and which agency can confirm it. This is a general department contact.

Valdez Police and Public Safety assistance — 907-835-4560

Call this published local agency contact, confirm the actual arresting force, and ask whether the person is still held locally, was released or transferred, and which agency can confirm present custody. The number was not called. If the person is already in this community jail, ask whether the jail still holds them or whether DPS has arranged a transfer, and confirm the actual destination. A transfer is conditional; continued local holding is possible.

Published general Police contact. The number was not called; no individual custody result, exclusive arrest jurisdiction or automatic transfer destination was tested. Initial local custody is not confirmed as covered by Alaska DOC VINE.

Reviewed 2026-10-06. Published phone assistance; the number was not called.

Find your area in Alaska

Find the area where the arrest happened. County and city matches identify geography; confirm custody using the responsible agency’s assistance. A place may span several areas.

City and town matches use the 2026 Census places and active municipal subdivisions, with exact county memberships. Custody arrangements are researched separately. Municipal police holding and jail transfers may differ from the county route.

30 counties

Finding your person in Alaska, step by step

Work through these in order. Each step points to an official source — you do the searching there, on the government site.

  1. Step 1

    Match the custody system

    Unified adult custody, including pretrial; VINE is the public route. Police cellblock or pre-transfer detention may not yet appear; ask the arresting agency. Select Name or ID Number and use the displayed criteria. Review the agency and current custody status on any result, and check service notices/offline agencies. If nothing appears, contact the responsible local agency.

    Official source

  2. Step 2

    Use the relevant state custody resource

    Unified adult custody, including pretrial; VINE is the public route VINE name or identifier; select Alaska

    Official source

  3. Step 3

    Confirm missing or uncertain records

    Contact the arresting agency or responsible jail. New bookings, transfers, excluded populations and offline agencies may not appear online. A missing result does not establish release.

    Official source

  4. Step 4

    Check federal or immigration custody separately

    Use BOP for BOP records, a U.S. Marshals district contact for federal pretrial questions, and ICE ODLS/ERO contacts for immigration. These systems have different coverage and disclosure limits.

    Official source

What you’ll need to search

You can start with just a name, but these make a match faster and surer.

  • VINE name or identifier; select Alaska
  • The exact name or agency identifier requested by that service. Date of birth is useful where the service offers it; it is not required by every tool.
  • The arrest location and responsible agency, if known. Check whether the roster is current custody or historical bookings.

Use official, free sources — and a few things to watch for

  • Use free agency resources or an explicitly agency-endorsed public service. Do not pay a records broker to run these public searches.
  • A county filter in a state-prison search is not proof that it includes every county-jail booking.
  • Check participating agencies and outage notices. Use an agency contact when records are missing or unavailable.
  • Do not infer release or housing location from a missing record, a facility listing or geographic proximity.

If you need to bail them out in Alaska

Finding the person comes first. Once you know where they are, this is how getting them out works in Alaska.

Commercial bail available

Release depends on the court’s order. A payment is not required in every case. If a secured bond is ordered, ask the court which options are permitted; a private commercial bond service has separate fees and conditions. Confirm the process before paying anyone.

The court decides release and any conditions.

Ask the court or the responsible jail which forms of payment, if any, the order permits, how payments are made, and what refund or forfeiture conditions apply.

Fees for a private commercial service are separate from court deposits.

Do not assume that payment guarantees release.

The person’s rights. The person in custody has the right to talk to a lawyer about their case, and if they cannot afford one, the court can appoint a public defender.

Other official Alaska contacts

Alaska DOC operates a unified correctional system, with locally operated rural jails participating through DOC arrangements. A state service is not proof that every police or rural-jail booking is included; ask the arresting agency if no record appears. These statewide sources can also help.

Common questions about finding someone in Alaska

How do I find someone who was just arrested in Alaska?

Unified adult custody, including pretrial; VINE is the public route. Police cellblock or pre-transfer detention may not yet appear; ask the arresting agency. Select Name or ID Number and use the displayed criteria. Review the agency and current custody status on any result, and check service notices/offline agencies. If nothing appears, contact the responsible local agency.

How do I find someone in state prison in Alaska?

Unified adult custody, including pretrial; VINE is the public route VINE name or identifier; select Alaska

Is there a free way to check if someone is in custody in Alaska?

Public custody searches are free. VINE name-search fields reached without signing in; participating-agency coverage must be verified DOC page does not certify all 14 local police-operated community jails participate. Check the responsible agency and its current participation. A missing record does not establish release. Avoid paid inmate-search and mugshot sites.

What do I need to look someone up in Alaska?

VINE name or identifier; select Alaska The exact name or agency identifier requested by that service. Date of birth is useful where the service offers it; it is not required by every tool. The arrest location and responsible agency, if known. Check whether the roster is current custody or historical bookings.

How do I check release conditions and costs in Alaska?

Ask the court or responsible jail for the release order and permitted options. Court deposits and private service fees are different, conditions vary, and payment does not guarantee release.

Sources & review dates

Everything here links out to official government or public-safety sources. We don’t store, search, or republish records.

Guidance research date Not recorded · 10 sources · Custody-routing review 2026-10-05