Search Arrest, Mugshot & Inmate Records by Name
Search by name and state for arrest, booking, mugshot, inmate, jail roster, prison, criminal and court-record search categories.
Independent records-search resource. This website is not a government agency, police department, sheriff's office, jail, prison or courthouse. Search coverage varies by source and jurisdiction. Some links may lead to third-party services, and compensation may be received when a partner service is used.
Find Someone Arrested or Held in Chicago
A Chicago jail inmate search can mean two different things. If the person has been transferred into the Cook County Jail system, use the Cook County Sheriff’s Individual in Custody Locator. If you are looking for an adult arrest made by the Chicago Police Department, use CPD’s separate Arrest Record Search.
For someone arrested only a few hours ago, check both systems rather than assuming a blank result means the person was released. A person can still be going through police processing, court processing or jail intake.
Open Cook County Custody Locator Search Chicago Police ArrestsWhich Chicago Inmate or Booking Search Should You Use?
Chicago Police and the Cook County Sheriff’s Office maintain different records. Using the wrong database is one of the most common reasons a family member cannot find a recently arrested person.
| You need | Best source | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Current Cook County Jail custody | Cook County Sheriff Individual in Custody Locator | Current jail record, booking identifier and available housing information. |
| Chicago Police arrest or booking record | Chicago Police Arrest Record Search | Adult CPD arrest records, charges, Central Booking Number, mugshot when available, arrest date/location and other arrest information. |
| Criminal court case or hearing | Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County | Case information, court events and available docket information. |
| Illinois state-prison custody | Illinois Department of Corrections | People who have moved into IDOC custody or qualifying parole status. |
| Federal custody | Federal custody search | Federal prison or detention search routes when the matter is not a Cook County case. |
For a broader explanation of the county correctional system, see our Cook County Jail inmate search guide. If you specifically need the Cook County Department of Corrections system, our CCDOC jail inmate search guide covers that lookup in more detail.
How to Search the Cook County Jail for a Chicago Inmate
Cook County officially uses the term Individual in Custody. The Sheriff’s locator is the main public tool for someone who has been booked into the Cook County Department of Corrections.
- Open the official locator. Go to iic.ccsheriff.org.
- Search by name. Enter the person’s full first and last name using the spelling likely used during booking.
- Use the Booking ID when you have it. The Cook County search accepts a Booking ID as an alternative to a name search. Enter the number without the hyphen.
- Check the identity carefully. Do not rely only on a common name. Compare the available booking and identifying information.
- Save the Booking ID. You may need it for mail, trust-account deposits, housing questions and other jail services.
- Record the housing division. The current housing assignment matters when arranging visits or handling certain property matters.
Cook County Sheriff’s published guidance says locator information is typically available about 4–6 hours after a person has been booked and processed. That clock starts after jail booking and processing, not necessarily at the moment of arrest.
If you still cannot locate the person, the Sheriff’s automated information line is 773-674-5245 and offers English and Spanish options.
Chicago Police Arrest and Booking Lookup
The official Chicago Police Department Arrest Record Search is useful when you are looking for a CPD arrest rather than current Cook County Jail custody.
What the CPD search can show
- Name and age
- Mugshot when available
- Central Booking Number
- Charges
- Arrest date and time
- Arrest location
- Date and time released from a Chicago Police facility when available
- Bond information associated with the arrest record when applicable
- Police area, district and beat information
Important CPD search limits
The public CPD system is limited to adult arrests made by the Chicago Police Department on or after January 1, 2014. It does not cover arrests made by the Cook County Sheriff, Illinois State Police or surrounding municipal departments.
CPD also warns that its most recent public data may be delayed by a few days. For that reason, the CPD search should not be treated as a real-time jail locator for someone arrested today.
If the Chicago Jail Search Shows No Result
A blank result does not automatically mean there was no arrest or that the person has been released. Work through these possibilities in order.
| Possible reason | What to do next |
|---|---|
| Arrest happened very recently | Allow time for police processing, court movement and Cook County intake. Recheck the locator later. |
| Name is entered differently | Retry the full legal name, alternate spelling, maiden name, hyphenated surname or suffix. |
| Person is still in Chicago Police custody | Check the CPD arrest system and use legal-help resources if immediate confirmation is needed. |
| Person was released before Cook County booking | Check the CPD arrest record and Cook County court case rather than relying only on the jail locator. |
| Arrest was by another agency | CPD’s database will not show Sheriff, State Police or suburban municipal arrests. |
| Person was transferred to Illinois prison | Search the Illinois Department of Corrections. |
| Federal case or custody | Use a federal inmate or detainee search instead of the county locator. |
| Record was sealed, expunged or restricted | Public availability can be different from the underlying law-enforcement or court record. |
Free legal help for someone still at a police station
The Cook County Public Defender operates an Arrest Hotline at 844-817-4448, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The arrested person, a family member or a friend can call. The Public Defender states that an attorney can be sent to a Chicago or Cook County police station to provide representation at no cost.
Cook County Arrest Hotline InformationCook County Jail Address and Important Phone Numbers
The Cook County Department of Corrections manages the Cook County Jail system. The main correctional campus is on Chicago’s Southwest Side.
Cook County Department of Corrections2700 South California Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60608
| Contact | Phone | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Corrections Customer Service | 773-674-1945 | General questions including discharge, property, court-hearing information and trust funds. The Sheriff currently lists service 7 days a week, 8 a.m.–8 p.m. |
| Automated Custody Help | 773-674-5245 | Individual-in-custody search, housing and other automated jail information in English or Spanish. |
| Visitor Information Center | 773-674-8225 | Visitor applications, scheduling and visitation questions. |
| Trust/Finance Office | 773-674-6864 | Money deposited into an individual’s jail trust account. Current published office hours are 8 a.m.–4 p.m. |
| Individual in Custody Services | 773-674-1979 | Questions involving services for people held at CCDOC. |
| Public Defender Arrest Hotline | 844-817-4448 | Free police-station legal representation, 24/7/365. |
Current corrections numbers can also be confirmed on the Cook County Sheriff’s corrections phone directory.
How Cook County Jail Visitation Works
Do not travel to the jail simply because the locator shows a housing division. Cook County requires a visitor process before an in-person visit.
- Find the person in the Individual in Custody Locator.
- Write down the Booking ID and current housing division.
- Complete the required visitor application.
- Wait for approval and follow the current scheduling instructions.
- Confirm the visit date, division and identification requirements before leaving home.
Adult visitors are subject to a background check and current CCDOC visitor-eligibility rules. Minors age 17 or younger do not complete their own application, but they must be accompanied by an approved parent or guardian. High-school-age minors may be required to show a current school or state photo ID.
Cook County also provides family video visitation through Microsoft Teams under its current procedures. The visitor needs an active Teams account connected to an email address.
Current Visitation Information In-Person Visit SchedulingMail, Money and Phone Calls After You Find the Inmate
Sending mail
Cook County instructs senders to include the person’s name and Booking ID.
Individual in Custody NameBooking #
2700 S. California Ave.
Chicago, IL 60608
Mail sprayed or saturated with perfume, cologne or another foreign substance can be treated as contraband. Packages containing prohibited material can be rejected, so check the current CCDOC mail rules before sending anything beyond ordinary correspondence.
Adding money to a trust account
You will need the person’s exact jail name and Booking Number as shown in the official locator.
| Deposit method | Current Cook County detail |
|---|---|
| Western Union | City Code: CCDOC or COOK COUNTY DEPT CORRECTION; State: Illinois. |
| MoneyGram | Receive Code: 1750. |
| JailATM | No Cook County code is required; registration is completed through the provider. |
| Money orders up to $100 each and cashier’s checks up to $1,000 each are currently accepted. Do not mail cash. | |
| Jail lobby kiosks | Cook County lists cash and credit-card deposit kiosks at several locations around the jail complex. |
Electronic deposits may take 1–2 business days to post. Mailed money orders and cashier’s checks may take up to 5 business days after receipt. Verify current instructions on the official trust-account page before sending funds.
Phone calls and messages
Cook County currently uses ViaPath/GTL services for individual-in-custody communications. Friends and family can create prepaid accounts to receive calls.
- Local, intrastate and interstate calls are currently published at $0.05 per minute.
- Calls to Mexico and Canada are currently published at $0.08 per minute.
- Other international calls are currently published at $0.13 per minute.
- Text messages sent to an individual in custody are currently listed at $0.06 per message.
- Communications can be monitored and should not be used for confidential attorney-client discussions.
Because providers and rates can change, check the Sheriff’s current phone-account instructions before adding money.
Bond, Pretrial Release and Cook County Court Information
Illinois changed its pretrial system on September 18, 2023. New criminal cases no longer use cash bail as the standard method for obtaining pretrial release. Courts decide whether a person should be released, released with conditions or detained under Illinois’ current pretrial framework.
Older cases filed before September 18, 2023 can still involve a cash-bond requirement. That is why the Cook County Sheriff continues to publish bonding procedures.
If an older case still has a payable bond
- Division 5 bonding location: 2700 S. California Ave., Chicago.
- Current published jail bonding hours: 10 a.m.–6 p.m., 365 days a year.
- Published methods include cash, certified check and credit card where applicable.
- Money orders are not accepted for bond.
- After an applicable bond is posted, the Sheriff says discharge can take approximately 2–3 hours, with longer processing possible for holds, paperwork or GPS monitoring.
Check the current Cook County bonding page before traveling or paying anything.
How to check charges, hearings and court dates
The jail locator is a custody system, not the official criminal court docket. After identifying the person, use the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County case lookup for available court-case information.
- Open the Clerk’s case lookup.
- Search using the defendant or case information available to you.
- Confirm that the result belongs to the same person found in the jail or arrest record.
- Review available case status, hearings and docket events.
- Use the Clerk or court directly if an official or certified record is required.
If the Person Left Cook County Jail
A person can disappear from the Cook County locator because of release, transfer, sentencing or movement into another correctional system.
Illinois state prison
If the person received a state sentence and was transferred from Cook County, use the Illinois Department of Corrections Individual in Custody Search. IDOC supports searches using a last name, IDOC number or birth date.
Federal custody
A federal arrest or sentence uses a different custody system. Our Federal jail inmate search and booking guide explains when to use the Federal Bureau of Prisons locator and why recently arrested federal defendants may not immediately appear there.
- Just arrested by Chicago Police → check CPD arrest information.
- Booked into Cook County Jail → use the Cook County IIC Locator.
- Need the criminal case → use the Cook County Clerk.
- Transferred to Illinois prison → use IDOC.
- Federal prosecution or prison → use the federal custody system.
Chicago Jail Inmate Search FAQs
1. What is the official Chicago jail inmate search?
For someone currently held in Cook County Jail, use the Cook County Sheriff’s Individual in Custody Locator at iic.ccsheriff.org. For an adult arrest made by Chicago Police, use CPD’s separate Arrest Record Search.
2. Is the Chicago Police arrest search the same as the Cook County Jail locator?
No. The Chicago Police search provides public records for qualifying adult CPD arrests. The Cook County Sheriff’s locator is used for people booked into the Cook County Department of Corrections. One is primarily an arrest-record system; the other is a jail-custody system.
3. How long does it take for a newly arrested person to appear in Cook County Jail search?
The Cook County Sheriff says locator information is typically published about 4–6 hours after the person has been booked and processed. Police, court and transportation processing can occur before jail booking, so the total time from arrest can be longer.
4. Can I search Cook County Jail by booking number?
Yes. The official locator accepts a Cook County Booking ID. Enter the Booking ID without the hyphen. You can also search using the person’s full first and last name.
5. Why can’t I find someone who was arrested in Chicago?
The arrest may be too recent, the person may still be in a police facility, the booking name may be different, the person may have been released, or another law-enforcement agency may have made the arrest. They may also have moved into state or federal custody.
6. Can I find Chicago arrest mugshots online?
The official Chicago Police Arrest Record Search can display a mugshot when one is available for a qualifying CPD adult arrest. Cook County’s custody locator may also provide a booking photograph for a processed jail record when available.
7. What is the Cook County Jail address and inmate information number?
The main Cook County Department of Corrections address is 2700 South California Avenue, Chicago, IL 60608. The automated individual-in-custody information line is 773-674-5245, and Corrections Customer Service is 773-674-1945.
8. How do I visit someone in Cook County Jail?
First locate the person and confirm the current housing division. Adult visitors must complete the Cook County visitor-application process and receive approval. Follow the current scheduling instructions before traveling to the jail.
9. Does Cook County still require cash bail?
Illinois ended cash bail for new pretrial cases beginning September 18, 2023. Courts now decide pretrial release or detention under the state’s current framework. Some older cases filed before that date can still have a cash-bond requirement.
10. How do I find a Chicago inmate’s charges and next court date?
Use the jail or arrest search first to identify the correct person, then use the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County for available criminal case and hearing information. If the person has been transferred to Illinois state prison, use the IDOC search instead.
Fastest Way to Complete a Chicago Inmate Lookup
Start with the Cook County Sheriff’s locator if you believe the person is already in jail. Use the Chicago Police search when you need a CPD arrest or booking record. Save the person’s Booking ID, confirm the housing division, then use the court system separately for charges and hearing information.
If the arrest happened only hours ago and no record appears, do not assume the person has been released. Processing delays are normal, and someone may still be in police custody before a Cook County jail record becomes available.