Glossary
What is Inmate Locator?
An online search tool run by a prison system that shows where a person is held and other custody details.
An inmate locator is an online search tool that a prison system uses to show where a person is held. The federal Bureau of Prisons locator lets you search by name or by number, such as the BOP register number. It covers people in federal custody from 1982 to the present.
States run their own locators. Virginia's, for example, lets you search by name or DOC ID number, shows location and release date, and is updated daily. It also warns that its data may be inaccurate or outdated.
County jails often have separate lookups. If one search comes up empty, try the other systems.
Read more
- How to Send Money to Someone in Jail
- Jail Commissary vs. Prison Commissary: What Families Should Know