Inmate Search — Ask the Inmate
Finding out where someone is incarcerated is often the first and most urgent challenge families face after an arrest or transfer. The Bureau of Prisons maintains a free locator for federal inmates. Every state maintains its own inmate search tool. But knowing which system to search, how to use the locator correctly, and what to do when the search comes up empty requires guidance that most families do not have access to when they need it most. This section covers how to use the BOP inmate locator for federal inmates, how to find state inmates using DOC search tools, what to do when an inmate does not appear in any search system, why someone in transit may be temporarily unfindable, and how InmateAid's free inmate search can help locate a loved one across multiple systems simultaneously. The answers here are written for families searching in real time, often in crisis, who need accurate information fast. See also our sections on Inmate Transfer and General Prison Questions.
Related InmateAid Services
San Quentin State Prison: 415-454-1460 CDCR [Inmate Search](http://inmatelocator.cdcr.ca.gov/)
Read morePlease send us the inmate's name, DOB, the facility, the state where they are and any information you think might help us locate them. Once we set it up we will let you know how to access it
Read morePlease send us the inmate's name, their DOB, the state where they might be and any information you think might help us locate them.
Read moreTry VineLink.com
Read moreEmail us at aid@inmateaid.com the name, state and DOB and we will see if we can locate your inmate. Also, if you know what jurisdiction the offender was convicted in (i.e. federal, state or county) it will be helpful.
Read moreJuvenile information is hard to acquire online due to privacy laws for minors, you might try calling the facility and ask to speak with the case manager, counselor or unit team secretary to get more information.
Read moreNot all mugshots are posted online. You can search the county or state databases to see if they are publishing it
Read moreGo with the GDC website. That is the official record, maintained directly by the Georgia Department of Corrections, and it reflects the actual legal status of his sentence. If GDC says life, that is what the system has on file. The inmate profiles on InmateAid are created and maintained by members and users of the site, not by InmateAid staff. The information in those profiles is only as accurate as what whoever created or last updated the profile entered
Read moreGo to the [InmateAid Inmate Search - By State](https://www.inmateaid.com/inmate-search/) to narrow down where they are and then click the appropriate state to get their ID number.
Read moreTrust the locator over what the inmate tells you, at least as your starting point for getting to the truth. State and federal inmate locator databases pull directly from official department of corrections records. The admission date in the system reflects when that person entered the custody of that correctional system, and those records are maintained by the government with no incentive to misrepresent them. They are not perfect and data entry errors do occasionally happen, but they are
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