Inmate search is very beneficial for both family members and crime victims who want to know where an inmate is incarcerated. In the United States, inmate’s prison location is considered a public information and you can easily get it by accessing the prison’s or department of correction’s website.
For family members, inmate lookup facilities can help them to find where their loved one is currently residing so they can stay close and visit them every once in a while. Meanwhile, for crime victims staying as far away as possible from the people who do bad things to them can help them get over the traumatizing experience. This is where the search facilities play its role to help crime victims. They can keep track of the whereabouts of the inmates easily so they can feel safer and have some peace of mind.
In this era of technology, getting some information about the inmates is very easy. Simply go to the respective state’s department of correction, input some information about the inmate and what you are looking for will be presented in the screen right before your eyes. Here is some important information about inmate search so you can use it properly.
About Inmate Locator
Inmate locator is an online search facility where you can find where an inmate is incarcerated along with other related information such as where the crime is committed, some physical features and aliases. Some states’ websites also display the offense the inmate made along with the current release date of the inmate. But there are also some Departments of Corrections that don’t show these detailed offender’s information. If you want to know further status and information about an inmate, you can make a phone call to the respective Department of Corrections.
How Inmate Search Works
Now let us talk about how this search system works and how you can use it to locate an inmate. The first thing you need to do when you want to locate an inmate is to gather information about that person. At least, you have to know the name of the person you search. For more accurate and fast search result, it is best if you know the full name of the inmate. But if you don’t, partial searches are also allowed in some websites.
Every site will have different regulation regarding the searching system and each site will also shows different information. For example, when you want to conduct an IDOC inmate search, you must be able to provide the last name and the IDOC number of the offender. You cannot gain access to the offender list unless you can provide those information. In this state’s Department of Correction website, you can find the status and location of offenders who has been incarcerated, on parole and also on probation. You can also find information on crime perpetrators who have been released from the jail but what kind of offense they committed will not appear.
Some other states present more detailed inmate information on their website. For example, we can take a look at Oakland County’s inmate search page. In this website, you can find the complete list of all the inmates, including lists of inmates incarcerated and released in the last 3 days. You can search easily because the inmate names are arranged in alphabetical order. You can also input the last name of an inmate for faster search. When you click on the name of the inmate, you can find the inmate’s photo, identity, jail code as well as the offense they conducted and the bond amount.
Inmate in Federal Prison
Now, what should you do if you cannot find the inmate you are looking for? There are several factors that can make it happens. Firstly, you entered wrong information about the inmate so the database cannot show any result. Secondly, the offender is in parole or probation. Some websites don’t display information about crime perpetrators who are in parole or probation. And last but not least, it is possible that the inmate is not incarcerated under the jurisdiction of that particular state. Probably, the offender is incarcerated in other state’s prison or the offender committed a federal crime and now is in the federal prison.
If you think the person you are looking for is detained in federal prison, you can do the Federal inmate search in Federal Bureau of Prison (BOP) website. There are two ways to find an inmate from this website. The first one is by inputting the inmate’s BOP Register Number, DCDC, FBI or INS number. The second one is by entering the first and the last name of the inmate. You can input additional information you know about the inmate such as the race, age and sex to narrow down the search result.
The Federal prison inmate search will help you find all inmates in BOP database after 1982. After you find the name of the inmates you are looking for, simply click the name and you will get some information regarding the inmates including their identity, register number, the location of the facility they are incarcerated as well as their release date.
How to Get Inmate Release Notification
It is clear that some websites provide thorough information while some are not. One of the most important information we want to know about an inmate is their release date. Unfortunately, unlike the Federal inmate locator, some states’ Department of Corrections doesn’t provide this information in their website. But you don’t have to worry because you can contact their call center to find out more about the inmate’s release date.
If you are a victim and you want to know when the inmate who did bad things to you is released, VINE (Victim Information and Notification Everyday) program is available to help you. This program provides 24/7 hotline center where you can find out the status of an inmate and where the inmate is incarcerated. If you register your phone number, you will be notified every time if the inmate is released or moved from the custody, or when the inmate will be released from prison. This program as well as the prison inmate search facility will help making the victim feels safer and able to live their life peacefully.
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