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IN · Find someone in custody

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

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

State locator
Indiana DOC Offender Search
VINELink
Covers Indiana
Last verified
2026-07-23
Jurisdiction
Indiana

Which system is holding them in Indiana?

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 who was just arrested in Indiana is almost always in a COUNTY JAIL run by the county sheriff, not in a state prison, so the IDOC offender search will not show them.

Indiana has 92 counties, each sheriff running its own jail, and there is no single statewide jail roster.

Many Indiana sheriffs publish an online jail/inmate roster (larger counties such as Marion County, Indianapolis, have their own lookup), but coverage and formats vary and the smallest jails may have nothing online.

The reliable paths for a recent arrest are the arresting county sheriff's jail roster, VINELink, or calling the jail's booking desk.

Indiana has 92 counties, each sheriff running its own jail and roster (some with no online search); there is no unified statewide county-jail search, so use VINELink or the arresting county sheriff.

Search VINELink (choose Indiana)

If they were sentenced to prison

Use the state prison locator

The Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) offender search, titled 'Indiana Incarcerated Database Search', lets anyone look up a person currently in Indiana state prison custody by name or DOC number.

It covers only people committed to IDOC state facilities; it does NOT include people in county jails, people just arrested, or juveniles.

The IDOC home page links to this search.

Open the Indiana 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 Indiana 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 Indiana

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 92 Indiana jurisdictions are here.

92 counties

Finding your person in Indiana, 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 a state prison (IDOC). A person facing federal charges is in federal custody. Match the situation to the right official locator below.

    Official source

  2. Step 2

    For a recent arrest, check the arresting county jail roster or search VINELink

    Look up the sheriff's office for the county where the arrest happened and check its online jail/inmate roster if it has one (for example, Marion County for Indianapolis-area arrests). Or use VINELink, the national custody-status system, which pulls near-real-time booking information from participating Indiana jails and prisons and lets you register free for alerts when custody status changes.

    Official source

  3. Step 3

    For a sentenced person, search the Indiana DOC offender search

    Use the IDOC 'Indiana Incarcerated Database Search' and enter the full name or DOC number. It covers only people in Indiana 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 state and county systems.

    Official source

  5. Step 5

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

    Smaller Indiana jails may not post inmates online, and someone booked in the last few hours may not appear yet. Call the arresting county sheriff's booking or records desk and ask whether the person was booked, their booking number, any bond amount, and the next court date. County court contacts are in the Indiana Judicial Branch local-courts directory.

    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, maiden name, alias, or spelling variations (common names return many results).
  • Their date of birth, which official locators use to tell apart people with similar names.
  • If you have it, the assigned booking number (county jail) or DOC number (state prison), which returns 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 IDOC offender search, the arresting county sheriff's jail roster, VINELink, or the Federal Bureau of Prisons. All are free.
  • Be wary of paid 'inmate search' and mugshot websites that rank high in search results. They often charge fees for information the official sites provide free and may show stale, incomplete, or already-expunged records.
  • Custody information changes constantly. A person booked in the last few hours may not appear online yet; if you cannot find them, call the facility's booking or records line directly.
  • 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 Indiana

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

Commercial bail available

In Indiana, 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.

Indiana has a legal commercial bail-bond industry.

After an arrest, a court sets bail, and release can be satisfied in more than one way: release on your own recognizance (OR) where allowed, a cash bond posted with the court clerk, or a surety bond posted through a licensed bail agent for a fee.

Bail agents and their surety insurers are licensed and regulated by the Indiana Department of Insurance under Indiana Code Title 27, Article 10.

Indiana also commonly allows a 'ten percent (10%) cash bond' paid directly to the court clerk: the defendant deposits 10 percent of the bail amount with the clerk, and most of that deposit is refundable at the end of the case (minus an administrative fee), as an alternative to using a commercial surety.

A surety bail bond carries a non-refundable premium set under Indiana law, commonly around 10 percent of the face value of the bond, plus a separate statutory administrative fee; the exact amount varies, so confirm it with a licensed Indiana bail agent. By contrast, a 10 percent cash bond posted directly with the court clerk is largely refundable at the end of the case, minus a clerk's fee.

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 Indiana 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 Indiana

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

Someone who was just arrested in Indiana is almost always in a COUNTY JAIL run by the county sheriff, not in a state prison, so the IDOC offender search will not show them. Indiana has 92 counties, each sheriff running its own jail, and there is no single statewide jail roster. Many Indiana sheriffs publish an online jail/inmate roster (larger counties such as Marion County, Indianapolis, have their own lookup), but coverage and formats vary and the smallest jails may have nothing online. The reliable paths for a recent arrest are the arresting county sheriff's jail roster, VINELink, or calling the jail's booking desk.

How do I find someone in state prison in Indiana?

The Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) offender search, titled 'Indiana Incarcerated Database Search', lets anyone look up a person currently in Indiana state prison custody by name or DOC number. It covers only people committed to IDOC state facilities; it does NOT include people in county jails, people just arrested, or juveniles. The IDOC home page links to this search.

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

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

The person's full legal name, plus any middle name, maiden name, alias, or spelling variations (common names return many results). Their date of birth, which official locators use to tell apart people with similar names. If you have it, the assigned booking number (county jail) or DOC number (state prison), which returns the most exact match, though a name search is enough to start.

Does Indiana have commercial bail bondsmen?

Yes. Commercial bail exists in Indiana: 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 · 11 sources