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

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

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

Which system is holding them in Oregon?

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

In Oregon, someone who was just arrested and not released is held in the COUNTY JAIL run by the county sheriff (Oregon has 36 counties), not a state prison, so the Oregon Offender Search will not show a brand-new arrest.

Oregon participates in the national VINE system (Oregon VINE), a free way to check custody status and register for alerts by phone, email, or text (search at vinelink.com).

Many Oregon county sheriffs also post an online jail roster or 'adults in custody' lookup (for example, Multnomah, Marion, and Deschutes counties).

For a very recent booking or bail information, call the county jail's booking or records line.

Jails are run by the sheriff in each of Oregon's 36 counties, and many post an online jail roster or 'adults in custody' lookup. Use the county sheriff's roster or Oregon VINE, and call the jail's booking/records line for a recent booking and the bail amount.

Search VINELink (choose Oregon)

If they were sentenced to prison

Use the state prison locator

The Oregon Department of Corrections (ODOC) runs the official Oregon Offender Search, which ODOC also calls the Adult in Custody (AIC) search (page title 'Oregon Offender Search').

Look up people in Oregon state custody by name or by SID (State Identification) number.

Oregon uses the term 'adult in custody' (AIC) rather than 'inmate.' It covers people held in an Oregon state prison or otherwise under ODOC jurisdiction; it does NOT include people held in a county jail, so someone who was just arrested and booked into a county jail will generally not appear here.

ODOC adult-in-custody information: (503) 945-9090 or DOC.Info@doc.oregon.gov.

Open the Oregon 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 Oregon 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 Oregon

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 36 Oregon jurisdictions are here.

36 counties

Finding your person in Oregon, 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 the person is likely held

    If they were arrested recently and not released, they are almost certainly in the COUNTY JAIL run by the sheriff where the arrest happened. If they were already sentenced to state prison or are under ODOC jurisdiction, they are in the Oregon DOC system. If the charge is federal, they are in federal custody (use the Federal Bureau of Prisons locator).

    Official source

  2. Step 2

    For a recent arrest, use Oregon VINE or the county sheriff's jail roster

    Search VINELink (Oregon VINE) by name and register for free custody-status alerts, or look up the county sheriff's online jail roster / 'adults in custody' list for the county where the arrest happened. If nothing shows yet, call the county jail's booking or records line to confirm custody and the bail amount.

    Official source

  3. Step 3

    For a sentenced state-prison inmate, use the Oregon Offender Search

    Use the Oregon DOC Offender Search (Adult in Custody search) and enter the name or SID number to confirm the state facility and custody status.

    Official source

  4. Step 4

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

    If the charge is federal, search the BOP inmate locator by name or register number instead of the state or county tools.

    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, nickname, or maiden name.
  • Date of birth, which helps confirm the right person when names match.
  • An ODOC SID number or a county booking number if you already have one (helpful but not required to search).

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

  • Use only official sources: the Oregon Offender Search for state prison, Oregon VINE or the county sheriff's jail roster for county jails, or a call to the county jail. Confirm a match by full name and date of birth, since name-only matches are common.
  • The Oregon Offender Search covers state custody only and does not include county-jail detainees, so it is not the tool for a brand-new county arrest.
  • 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 online yet; if an official source shows nothing, call the county jail's booking or records line.
  • This tool only links to official sources. It does not store, search, or republish any inmate records itself.

How release works in Oregon

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

No commercial bail

In Oregon, there is no commercial bail-bond industry — there is no bondsman to hire and no premium to pay. A judge decides whether the person is released, often on their own recognizance or on set conditions, and any money bail the court orders is paid directly to the court.

Oregon does not have commercial bail bondsmen.

Oregon abolished for-profit surety bail bonding and is one of only four states (with Illinois, Kentucky, and Wisconsin) that prohibit commercial bail bonds.

Instead, release is set by a judge under a court-administered system.

After arrest, a court decides release under one of three forms: release on personal recognizance (a written promise to appear), conditional release (release on non-monetary conditions such as supervision or check-ins), or security release.

Under security release the court sets a security amount, and the person (or someone on their behalf) deposits 10 percent of that amount directly with the court.

If all conditions and appearances are met, most of that deposit is returned at the end of the case, with the court retaining a portion as an administrative fee.

No private bondsman is involved at any step.

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 Oregon 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 Oregon

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

In Oregon, someone who was just arrested and not released is held in the COUNTY JAIL run by the county sheriff (Oregon has 36 counties), not a state prison, so the Oregon Offender Search will not show a brand-new arrest. Oregon participates in the national VINE system (Oregon VINE), a free way to check custody status and register for alerts by phone, email, or text (search at vinelink.com). Many Oregon county sheriffs also post an online jail roster or 'adults in custody' lookup (for example, Multnomah, Marion, and Deschutes counties). For a very recent booking or bail information, call the county jail's booking or records line.

How do I find someone in state prison in Oregon?

The Oregon Department of Corrections (ODOC) runs the official Oregon Offender Search, which ODOC also calls the Adult in Custody (AIC) search (page title 'Oregon Offender Search'). Look up people in Oregon state custody by name or by SID (State Identification) number. Oregon uses the term 'adult in custody' (AIC) rather than 'inmate.' It covers people held in an Oregon state prison or otherwise under ODOC jurisdiction; it does NOT include people held in a county jail, so someone who was just arrested and booked into a county jail will generally not appear here. ODOC adult-in-custody information: (503) 945-9090 or DOC.Info@doc.oregon.gov.

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

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

The person's full legal name, plus any aliases, nickname, or maiden name. Date of birth, which helps confirm the right person when names match. An ODOC SID number or a county booking number if you already have one (helpful but not required to search).

Does Oregon have commercial bail bondsmen?

No. Oregon has no commercial bail-bond industry, so there is no bondsman to hire and no premium to pay. A judge decides release, commonly on recognizance or on conditions, and any money bail is paid directly to the court.

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 · 9 sources