How Can I Get Help Finding Someone in Jail?
If you know someone who is in jail, the odds are pretty good that he would appreciate some contact from the world outside his prison. Before you can contact him, though, you have to know where he is. The prison system is a complex mix of federal, state and local jurisdictions, each with its own set of facilities. Finding an individual prisoner is challenging, but there are tools on the Internet that can help you with the task.
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Instructions
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Federal Prisons
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Visit the website of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). This site has an "Inmate Locator" function.
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Enter the inmate's first and last names into the designated search boxes.
The BOP Inmate Locator is very sensitive to spelling. If a prisoner is in the records as "Dave," entering the name "David" will not produce his record. Use several variations of a name to conduct a thorough search.
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Click on the name of the prison listed on the inmate's BOP record displayed in the search results. This will open a new display with information on how to contact the prison.
State and Local Prisons
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Narrow down states where the inmate may be imprisoned, if no record appears in the federal prison system.
The states where the inmate lived, worked and otherwise spent his time are good starting places.
You can also search for the inmate's name using Google News to see if there is newspaper information on his arrest, trial or imprisonment.
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Search for the inmate's name in state and local inmate locator systems for the most likely states that you identified. A website with links to prison inmate locators is included in the References section.
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Contact a prison directly by phone if no online look-up service is available, and ask if the inmate you are searching for is in custody.
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Tips & Warnings
If you know the inmate's friends or family you can contact them for information.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit jail window image by astoria from Fotolia.com
