How to Locate a Prisoner in California

Find a California inmate by calling the inmate locator service.

Locating a friend or family member incarcerated within the California Department of Corrections is an easy task as long as you have the correct information on hand. Unfortunately, The California Department of Corrections does not give the public the option to search their inmate databases through an Internet website portal. Finding an inmate's location is important with regard to setting up visitation and sending correspondence to the offender.

Things You'll Need

• Telephone
• Inmate's full name
• Inmates date of birth or CDC identification number

Instructions

1. Call the inmate locator service at 916-445-6713 to find out the location of the inmate. You may also fax your request to 916-322-0500.

2. Provide the inmate locator services operator with the inmate's full name and date of birth or CDC identification number. You will also need to provide this information when faxing a request.

3. Refrain from asking for details about the inmate's release date; the inmate locator service will not be able to provide this information. The inmate locator service operates from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, and is closed during state recognized holidays.

Tips & Warnings

• Inmate location information will not be available until seven days after the offender has been processed.

References

• California Department Of Correction And Rehabilitaion