How to Find an Inmate

Finding an inmate can be a tricky situation. Whether your researching a book or your family tree it is sometimes neccessary to find an inmate an following these easy steps will make the process easier.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Phone or Computer
• Time & Effort

1. Get your facts together. Gather all the facts you have about the inmate and the crime they are incarcerated for. These are extremely important in the search to locate someone in jail. Facts like dates of birth, dates and locations of crimes and legal names can make or break your search.

2. Federal, State or Local? You'll have to decide whether the inmate is housed in a federal, state or local facility. Do this by considering the crime. Find out the official charges and the punishment that it carries.

3. Check online for an inmate locator to plug your information into. Most require inmate name, date of birth and state to return accurate results. Alternately, you can call the appropriate facility and ask the staff.

Tips & Warnings

• Be prepared to search. It always easy to find the information your looking for.

• Inmates are not al ways receptive to new contacts. You may need to prepare yourself for that possibility.

Resources

• Bureau of Probation and Parole
• Woman Condemned
• Women of death row
• Why Some Women Kill Their Children