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MT · Find someone in custody

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

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

State locator
Montana Department of Corrections
VINELink
Covers Montana
Last verified
2026-07-23
Jurisdiction
Montana

Which system is holding them in Montana?

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 in Montana is held in a county detention center/jail run by the county sheriff, not in state prison.

County jail rosters are fragmented — some Montana sheriffs post an online jail roster, many do not, and there is no statewide county-jail search.

Important: Montana VINE (via VINELink) tracks only adult FELONY offenders under Montana DOC supervision — prison, community facilities, probation/parole.

Montana VINE does NOT track county-jail inmates, juveniles, or people in federal custody.

So for a recent arrest, VINE usually will not help; contact the county sheriff's detention center directly.

Some Montana sheriffs (for example Yellowstone County/Billings, Missoula County, Flathead County) post an online jail/detention roster, but coverage and update frequency vary widely and many counties have no online roster — call the county detention center to confirm a booking.

Search VINELink (choose Montana)

If they were sentenced to prison

Use the state prison locator

Official statewide search for people convicted of a felony and under Montana Department of Corrections jurisdiction (state prison, community facilities, probation/parole).

Search by DOC ID number or by last and first name.

This covers DOC/state-prison offenders — NOT someone just arrested and held in a county jail.

(The older address app.mt.gov/conweb redirects here.)

Open the Montana 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 Montana 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 Montana

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 56 Montana jurisdictions are here.

56 counties

Finding your person in Montana, 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 where they most likely are

    Arrested in the last hours or days → a county detention center/jail run by the sheriff in the county of arrest. Already sentenced on a felony → Montana DOC (use the ConWeb Offender Search). Held on a federal charge → U.S. federal custody (use the Federal Bureau of Prisons locator).

  2. Step 2

    Check the county detention center first for a recent arrest

    Look for the arresting county's sheriff jail/detention roster online. Because Montana VINE does not cover county jails, if there is no online roster, call the county detention center's booking or records line to confirm the person is in custody.

    Official source

  3. Step 3

    Search Montana DOC if the person was sentenced on a felony

    Use the ConWeb Offender Search by DOC ID or by name to confirm a DOC/state-prison location and status.

    Official source

  4. Step 4

    Register for custody-change notifications through Montana VINE

    For a DOC offender, Montana VINE (VINELink) lets you check custody status and register for release/transfer notifications. Note it covers DOC-supervised adult felony offenders only, not county jails.

    Official source

  5. Step 5

    Check federal custody if it is a federal charge

    Use the Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator, which covers people in federal custody from 1982 to the present.

    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, nicknames, or maiden name
  • Date of birth — helps confirm identity when the name is common
  • A booking number (county jail) or DOC ID number if you already have one
  • The county where the arrest happened, so you know which detention center to call

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

  • Use only official sources: the county sheriff/detention center, the Montana DOC ConWeb search, VINELink, or the Federal BOP locator. Records can lag right after a booking.
  • Do not rely on VINE for a county-jail arrest — Montana VINE covers DOC-supervised felony offenders only, so call the county detention center directly.
  • Avoid paid 'inmate search' and 'mugshot' sites — they charge fees, often show stale or expunged information, and are not authoritative.
  • Appearing on a jail roster is not a finding of guilt; do not repost a person's booking photo or details.

If you need to bail them out in Montana

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

Commercial bail available

In Montana, 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.

Montana has a legal commercial bail-bond industry.

After an arrest, a court sets bail and release conditions under Montana's bail statutes (Title 46, chapter 9, MCA).

Release can take the form of release on your own recognizance or nonfinancial conditions where allowed, a cash or property bond posted with the court, or a surety (bail) bond posted through a licensed bail bond producer for a fee.

Licensed bail bond producers are regulated by the Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance (the Office of the State Auditor).

Felony cases are handled in the district courts and misdemeanor, traffic, and municipal matters in the courts of limited jurisdiction (justice, city, and municipal courts), with bail handled in the county where the case is filed.

A commercial surety bail bond carries a non-refundable premium paid to the bail bond producer, commonly around 10 percent of the face amount of the bond, though the exact figure can vary; confirm it with a licensed Montana bail bond producer. A cash bond posted directly with the court is refundable at the end of the case, subject to any fees or amounts the court applies.

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 Montana 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 Montana

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

Someone just arrested in Montana is held in a county detention center/jail run by the county sheriff, not in state prison. County jail rosters are fragmented — some Montana sheriffs post an online jail roster, many do not, and there is no statewide county-jail search. Important: Montana VINE (via VINELink) tracks only adult FELONY offenders under Montana DOC supervision — prison, community facilities, probation/parole. Montana VINE does NOT track county-jail inmates, juveniles, or people in federal custody. So for a recent arrest, VINE usually will not help; contact the county sheriff's detention center directly.

How do I find someone in state prison in Montana?

Official statewide search for people convicted of a felony and under Montana Department of Corrections jurisdiction (state prison, community facilities, probation/parole). Search by DOC ID number or by last and first name. This covers DOC/state-prison offenders — NOT someone just arrested and held in a county jail. (The older address app.mt.gov/conweb redirects here.)

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

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

The person's full legal name, plus any aliases, nicknames, or maiden name Date of birth — helps confirm identity when the name is common A booking number (county jail) or DOC ID number if you already have one The county where the arrest happened, so you know which detention center to call

Does Montana have commercial bail bondsmen?

Yes. Commercial bail exists in Montana: 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