inmate.solutions

AZ · Find someone in custody

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

Take a breath. You can find where your person is being held in Arizona using official sources — here is exactly where to look and what to have ready.

State locator
Arizona DOC
VINELink
Covers Arizona
Last verified
2026-07-23
Jurisdiction
Arizona

Which system is holding them in Arizona?

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 county jail

Someone just arrested is in a COUNTY JAIL run by that county's sheriff, not in ADCRR state prison, so the state locator will not show them.

Arizona's 15 counties run their jails independently and several large sheriffs publish an online jail 'inmate lookup' or 'who's in custody' (for example Maricopa, Pima, and Pinal county sheriffs).

There is no single statewide county-jail search.

For a recent arrest, check the arresting county sheriff's jail lookup, use VINE, or call the jail's booking line.

Larger Arizona county sheriffs (e.g., Maricopa, Pima, Pinal) offer online jail inmate lookups; smaller counties may require a phone call to the jail booking desk.

Search VINELink (choose Arizona)

If they were sentenced to prison

Use the state prison locator

The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation & Reentry (ADCRR) runs the official Inmate Data Search.

Search by inmate name or ADC number to see the person's charge, conviction date, current location/status, and release date.

It covers people in Arizona STATE prison custody, not county jails or people just arrested.

Per A.R.S.

31-221(E) release dates are not audited and may change.

Reached from the ADCRR site at corrections.az.gov/inmate-data-search.

Open the Arizona inmate locator

If the charge is federal

Search the Federal Bureau of Prisons

A federal charge means the person is in the federal system, not a Arizona state or county facility. Search the Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator by name or register number — it is separate from every state and county tool.

Search the Federal BOP locator

Find your county in Arizona

A recent arrest is handled at the county jail. Open the county where the arrest happened for its facilities, phone numbers, and the exact locators to search — all 15 Arizona jurisdictions are here.

15 counties

Finding your person in Arizona, 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

    Figure out which system is likely holding them

    A person arrested in the last hours or days is almost always in the county jail where the arrest happened. A person already sentenced and transferred is in an ADCRR state prison. A person facing federal charges is in federal custody. Match the situation to the right official locator below.

  2. Step 2

    For a recent arrest, check the county sheriff's jail lookup or VINE

    Find the sheriff's office for the county where the arrest happened and use its online jail 'inmate lookup' / 'who's in custody' if it has one. Or use VINE at vinelink.com, which pulls near-real-time custody status from participating Arizona jails and prisons and lets you register free for custody-change alerts.

    Official source

  3. Step 3

    For a sentenced person, search the state prison locator

    Use the ADCRR Inmate Data Search and enter the name or ADC number. It covers only people in Arizona state prison custody, not county jails or brand-new arrests.

    Official source

  4. Step 4

    If the charge is federal, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons locator

    The federal BOP inmate locator at bop.gov covers people held in federal custody and is separate from Arizona state and county systems.

    Official source

  5. Step 5

    If no online roster shows them, call the jail's booking or records line

    A person booked in the last few hours may not appear online yet, and smaller jails may post nothing. Call the county sheriff's booking/records desk to confirm the booking, booking number, any bond amount, and the next court date. Court information is on the Arizona Judicial Branch site.

    Official source

What you’ll need to search

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

  • The person's full legal name, plus any middle name, alias, or spelling variations.
  • Their date of birth, which official locators use to distinguish similar names.
  • If you have it, the ADC or booking number for the most exact match, though a name search is enough to start.

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

  • Use only official government sources: the ADCRR Inmate Data Search, the county sheriff's own jail lookup, VINE at vinelink.com, or the Federal Bureau of Prisons. All are free.
  • Be wary of paid 'inmate search' and mugshot websites that outrank the official ones. They often charge fees for information the official sites give free and may show stale, incomplete, or already-expunged records.
  • Custody information changes constantly; a very recent booking may not appear online right away, so call the facility booking or records line if you cannot find the person.

If you need to bail them out in Arizona

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

Commercial bail available

In Arizona, commercial bail exists. If a judge sets money bail, it can be posted in cash directly with the court or through a licensed bail bond agent for a fee. A judge may also release the person on their own recognizance or on set conditions, so ask the court or the jail what applies before paying anyone.

Arizona uses a conditions-of-release and money-bail system.

At the initial appearance, a judicial officer sets release conditions under the Arizona Rules of Criminal Procedure (Rules 7.2 through 7.4): release on your own recognizance, an unsecured appearance bond, or a secured bond.

A secured bond can be posted in cash directly with the court or through a licensed bail bond agent, who posts a surety bond for a fee.

Commercial bail bond agents legally operate in Arizona and are licensed by the Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions.

Under the Arizona Constitution, a court may deny bail for certain serious offenses after the required findings, so pretrial release is not guaranteed in every case.

A surety bail bond carries a non-refundable premium (fee) charged by the bail bond agent, commonly around 10% of the bond amount. Cash posted directly with the court is returned, less any fees or costs, once the bond conditions are met.

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 Arizona contacts

County jails are run by the sheriff where the arrest happened — call that jail’s booking or records line for a very recent booking or the bail amount. These statewide sources can also help.

Common questions about finding someone in Arizona

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

Someone just arrested is in a COUNTY JAIL run by that county's sheriff, not in ADCRR state prison, so the state locator will not show them. Arizona's 15 counties run their jails independently and several large sheriffs publish an online jail 'inmate lookup' or 'who's in custody' (for example Maricopa, Pima, and Pinal county sheriffs). There is no single statewide county-jail search. For a recent arrest, check the arresting county sheriff's jail lookup, use VINE, or call the jail's booking line.

How do I find someone in state prison in Arizona?

The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation & Reentry (ADCRR) runs the official Inmate Data Search. Search by inmate name or ADC number to see the person's charge, conviction date, current location/status, and release date. It covers people in Arizona STATE prison custody, not county jails or people just arrested. Per A.R.S. 31-221(E) release dates are not audited and may change. Reached from the ADCRR site at corrections.az.gov/inmate-data-search.

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

Yes. VINELink (the free national custody service) covers Arizona. Search by name for custody status and register for free alerts. County jail rosters and the state locator are also free and official.

What do I need to look someone up in Arizona?

The person's full legal name, plus any middle name, alias, or spelling variations. Their date of birth, which official locators use to distinguish similar names. If you have it, the ADC or booking number for the most exact match, though a name search is enough to start.

Does Arizona have commercial bail bondsmen?

Yes. Commercial bail exists in Arizona: if a judge sets money bail, it can be posted in cash with the court or through a licensed bail bond agent for a fee, and a judge may also grant own-recognizance or conditional release.

Sources & last verified

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

Last verified 2026-07-23 · 10 sources