DE · Find someone in custody

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

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

State locator: Delaware DOC Inmate Locator
VINELink: Covers Delaware
Last verified: 2026-07-23
Jurisdiction: Delaware

Which system is holding them in Delaware?

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

Delaware has no county jails.

Everyone held in Delaware, whether just arrested and awaiting a hearing or already sentenced, is in Department of Correction custody, so VINELink is the single place to search.

Because there is no separate public county jail roster, someone booked very recently may not appear immediately; wait and re-check, or contact the DOC.

Not applicable in Delaware. There are no county sheriff jails or county jail rosters; all detention is state-run and located through VINELink (the DOC's own inmate-locator page points there).

Search VINELink (choose Delaware)

If they were sentenced to prison

Use the state prison locator

Delaware does not run its own online inmate-search database.

Its Department of Correction is a UNIFIED system with no county jails, so DOC facilities hold both sentenced prisoners and pretrial detainees.

The DOC's official Inmate Locator page directs the public to VINELink (vinelink.com), the national custody-status system, to locate anyone in Delaware custody and to register for status-change notifications.

Open the Delaware 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 Delaware 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 Delaware

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 3 Delaware jurisdictions are here.

3 counties

Finding your person in Delaware, step by step

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

Step 1

Figure out where they are likely held

In Delaware, anyone in state custody, arrested-and-held or sentenced, is in the Department of Correction (there are no county jails). Someone arrested on a FEDERAL charge is in federal custody (use the Federal Bureau of Prisons locator).
Official source
Step 2

Search VINELink for custody status and to register for alerts

VINELink (VINE) is the national custody-status system and is the tool Delaware DOC directs the public to use. Search by name and optionally sign up for free phone/email/text notifications when custody status changes.
Official source
Step 3

Open the Delaware DOC Inmate Locator page for the official pointer and DOC contacts

The DOC's Inmate Locator page confirms VINELink is the official method and links directly to it.
Official source
Step 4

For a federal arrest, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator

If the charge is federal, search the BOP inmate locator instead of the state system.
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 aliases or maiden name).
Date of birth, which helps confirm the right person when names match.
An offender ID or case number if you already have one (helpful but not required).

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

Use only official sources: VINELink and the Delaware DOC inmate-locator page. Confirm a match by full name and date of birth, since name-only matches are common.
Be wary of paid data-broker 'inmate search' and mugshot sites. They are not official, often charge fees, and may show stale, incomplete, or expunged records.
Custody data can lag. Someone booked within the last few hours may not appear on VINELink yet; wait and re-check or contact the DOC.
This tool only links to official sources. It does not store, search, or republish any inmate records itself.

If you need to bail them out in Delaware

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

Commercial bail available

In Delaware, 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.

Delaware allows commercial surety bail.

Under Delaware Code Title 11, Chapter 21, a person can be released on a 'conditions of release bond guaranteed by financial terms,' which the statute says may be guaranteed by a surety, property, cash, or other assets (11 Del.

Sec. 2102), so a bond posted by a surety or bail bond agent is recognized.

Delaware also uses unsecured bonds (release on written conditions with no money up front) and cash-secured bonds.

Bail is typically set first by the Justice of the Peace Court; the Court of Common Pleas or Superior Court handle other cases.

Note: Delaware has enacted bail changes scheduled to take effect February 1, 2027 that add presumptions favoring cash-only secured bonds for certain serious offenses; as of 2026, commercial surety bail bonds remain available.

Where a surety bail bond is used, the bail bond agent charges a non-refundable premium (a fee for posting the bond, in practice commonly around 10% of the bond amount). Bail bond agents in Delaware are licensed through the Delaware Department of Insurance.

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 Delaware 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.

If there is also a warrant to deal with

Two companion guides pick up where this one leaves off — checking for a warrant, and resolving it on your own terms.

Check for a warrant in Delaware Worried the person has an open warrant too? Check first, state by state. Resolve a warrant in Delaware If they need to resolve a warrant, this walks through turning yourself in calmly.

Common questions about finding someone in Delaware

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

Delaware has no county jails. Everyone held in Delaware, whether just arrested and awaiting a hearing or already sentenced, is in Department of Correction custody, so VINELink is the single place to search. Because there is no separate public county jail roster, someone booked very recently may not appear immediately; wait and re-check, or contact the DOC.

How do I find someone in state prison in Delaware?

Delaware does not run its own online inmate-search database. Its Department of Correction is a UNIFIED system with no county jails, so DOC facilities hold both sentenced prisoners and pretrial detainees. The DOC's official Inmate Locator page directs the public to VINELink (vinelink.com), the national custody-status system, to locate anyone in Delaware custody and to register for status-change notifications.

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

Yes. VINELink (the free national custody service) covers Delaware. 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 Delaware?

The person's full legal name (plus any aliases or maiden name). Date of birth, which helps confirm the right person when names match. An offender ID or case number if you already have one (helpful but not required).

Does Delaware have commercial bail bondsmen?

Yes. Commercial bail exists in Delaware: 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