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 a Federal Inmate and Check Current Custody
A federal jail inmate search is different from a county-jail lookup. The main public search is the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Inmate Locator, but it will not answer every federal-custody question. Someone who was arrested recently may still be in U.S. Marshals Service custody and physically housed in a county, state, private or federal detention facility.
Information reviewed October 17, 2026. Federal custody, transfer and release information can change quickly, so use the linked government source for the final live-status check.
Which Federal Search Should You Use?
There is no single national page that combines every federal arrest, jail booking, immigration detention record, court case and prison record. Start with the system that matches the person’s custody stage.
| Situation | Best starting point | What it answers |
|---|---|---|
| Serving a federal prison sentence or known to be in BOP custody | BOP Inmate Locator | Current BOP location, register number, basic identity information and release-date field |
| Recently arrested on a federal charge | Federal court record + U.S. Marshals custody route | Whether a federal case exists and which agency may currently control detention |
| Need charges, case number, filings or hearings | PACER | Federal district-court case and docket information |
| Immigration detention | ICE Online Detainee Locator | Current ICE custody or qualifying recent CBP custody |
| State prison or county jail case | State DOC or county sheriff | Non-federal prison or local-jail custody |
| Federal incarceration before 1982 | National Archives | Older federal prison records when archival records exist |
How to Run the Official Federal Jail Inmate Search
- Open the BOP Inmate Locator. Go directly to bop.gov/inmateloc.
- Choose “Find By Number” when you have an identifier. This is usually the cleanest way to separate people with similar names. The BOP Register Number format displayed by the agency is #####-###.
- Choose “Find By Name” if you do not know the number. Enter the person’s first and last name and add a middle name or initial when known.
- Use age, race and sex only to narrow the match. These filters are especially helpful with common names.
- Open the matching result carefully. Compare the register number, current age and other identifying information before assuming you found the correct person.
- Read both “Release Date” and “Location.” These two fields often tell you whether the person remains in BOP custody, is in transit, has been released or is assigned through another type of BOP placement.
- Open the facility information before taking action. If you plan to visit, mail something, send money or contact the institution, verify the current facility first.
The BOP’s public result table can display the inmate’s name, Register Number, age, race, sex, release date and location. BOP states that the public locator data is extracted from its main inmate database and updated daily.
Search by Number vs. Search by Name
| Search method | Useful information | Best use |
|---|---|---|
| BOP Register Number | Common federal BOP identifier; displayed format #####-### | Best when you already know the person’s federal register number |
| DCDC Number | District of Columbia correctional identifier | Useful for qualifying D.C. records within the federal system |
| FBI Number | Federal identification number | Alternative identifier when known |
| INS Number | Older immigration-related identifier used in federal records | Alternative number where applicable |
| Name | First, middle, last; age, race and sex filters | Use when no inmate number is available |
The BOP warns that names must match its records. For example, a search using one spelling may not find a record stored under a different spelling. If the first attempt fails, retry using the person’s exact legal name, middle initial, suffix or another documented spelling rather than assuming the person is not in federal custody.
What Federal Inmate Search Results Mean
| BOP result | Practical meaning |
|---|---|
| Future release date | Usually a projected BOP release date. It can change as sentence calculations and applicable credits are updated. |
| Past release date with no facility | The person is no longer in BOP custody as of the listed release date, but may still be under supervised release, parole or another authority. |
| UNKNOWN release date | The confinement term has not been determined. BOP gives examples including pretrial status, not yet sentenced or certain civil commitments. |
| IN TRANSIT | The person has been moved from a BOP facility and may or may not return. Do not assume the previous institution is still the correct location. |
| Regional Office | BOP says this can indicate a person serving a concurrent state sentence in a state prison. |
| Community Corrections Management (CCM) | The inmate is associated with community corrections/contract halfway-house placement; the person is not necessarily physically located at the CCM office itself. |
| RELEASED or Not in BOP Custody | The person is no longer in BOP custody. This does not prove they are free from every other correctional or law-enforcement system. |
Recently Arrested Federally? The Person May Be in U.S. Marshals Custody
This is the most common reason a legitimate federal detainee does not appear where a family member expects.
The U.S. Marshals Service is responsible for federal prisoners from court-ordered custody until acquittal or, after conviction, delivery to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. USMS states that most prisoners in its custody are housed in state, local or private facilities rather than BOP institutions.
That means a person charged in federal court can physically be inside a county jail while legally remaining a federal prisoner.
- Search the BOP locator first, especially if sentencing or transfer to federal prison may already have occurred.
- If there is no BOP match and the arrest was recent, identify the federal judicial district where the case was filed.
- Search the defendant’s federal case through PACER.
- Review recent detention, release, plea or sentencing entries in the docket.
- If the person is still a pretrial federal prisoner, use the USMS district directory and the physical detention facility when appropriate for current custody guidance.
- If the docket or custody chain shows transfer into BOP, return to the BOP locator and check again.
Do not treat the absence of a BOP result as proof that a recently arrested federal defendant has been released.
How to Check a Federal Booking, Charges and Court Case
The BOP locator is primarily a custody and location tool. Its standard result does not function like a county booking page showing every arrest charge, probable-cause detail, bond event and court docket.
For the criminal case itself, use the federal judiciary’s PACER case search.
- If you know the U.S. District Court where the case was filed, search that specific court. Court-specific information is updated as filings are entered.
- If you do not know the district, use the nationwide PACER Case Locator.
- Search using the defendant’s name or a known federal case number.
- Compare the court, filing date and case number to make sure you have the correct defendant.
- Open the docket to review publicly available entries involving initial appearance, detention, release conditions, indictment, plea, sentencing and later case activity.
PACER requires registration. Registration itself is free, although access to some court records can generate fees. Sealed matters and some restricted documents are not available to the public.
- BOP Locator: Where is the federal inmate and what custody/release status does BOP show?
- Federal court docket: What case was filed, what did the court order and what has happened procedurally?
- USMS/facility: Where might a recent pretrial federal prisoner physically be held?
No Federal Inmate Result? Check These Possibilities
- Name mismatch: Recheck the exact spelling, middle name, suffix and documented legal name.
- Recent federal arrest: The person may still be in USMS custody and housed in a local, state, private or federal detention facility.
- State or county case: BOP does not serve as a nationwide county-jail or state-prison locator.
- Immigration custody: Search the ICE Online Detainee Locator. ICE allows searches using a nine-digit A-Number plus country of birth, or exact biographical information.
- Released or transferred: Custody may have moved to another criminal-justice agency.
- Older federal incarceration: Pre-1982 information may require archival research.
If the arrest was local rather than federal, use the responsible sheriff or correctional authority. For examples of local and state-specific search procedures, see our Arizona jail inmate search guide, West Virginia regional jail search, Cook County Jail inmate search, or Dallas County Jail inmate search.
Federal Inmate Records Before 1982
The online BOP locator is designed around records from 1982 forward. BOP explains that many older records were never entered into its modern inmate-management system and directs users seeking older federal incarceration information toward the National Archives when appropriate.
When contacting the National Archives, useful identifying information includes:
- full inmate name, including middle name or initial;
- date of birth or approximate age during incarceration;
- race, when known; and
- approximate dates and institution of incarceration.
Archive coverage is not universal. The National Archives notes that individual federal inmate files were generally not scheduled as permanent records, although certain regional archives hold records for particular institutions and periods.
Need More Than the Public BOP Locator Shows?
BOP states that additional releasable inmate information may be requested through the BOP Freedom of Information Act process. A FOIA request should describe the records sought as specifically as possible. Requests involving private records about an individual can require identity verification or authorization and may require a DOJ-361 certification or equivalent verification.
FOIA is not the first step for simply locating a current inmate—the public locator should be checked first.
What to Do After You Find the Federal Inmate
Write down the person’s exact BOP name, Register Number, facility and displayed release information. The Register Number is especially useful when contacting the institution or using other BOP services.
- Open the BOP facility search and locate the institution shown in the inmate result.
- Verify the institution’s official address and contact information.
- Use that facility’s current instructions before mailing anything or planning a visit.
- Confirm the inmate has not moved or entered “IN TRANSIT” status before traveling.
- For case charges, hearings or sentencing history, use the federal court docket instead of treating the BOP locator as a criminal-history report.
Federal Jail Inmate Search FAQs
1. What is the official federal inmate search?
The official nationwide BOP search is the Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator at bop.gov/inmateloc. It is the primary public tool for locating people in BOP custody and qualifying former BOP inmates from 1982 forward.
2. Can I search a federal inmate by name?
Yes. The BOP locator allows a name search using first, middle and last name, with age, race and sex available to narrow possible matches. Use the person’s exact legal spelling when possible.
3. Can I search using a BOP Register Number?
Yes. Searching by a known identifier is often more precise than using a common name. The BOP displays the Register Number format as #####-### and its number-search system also supports certain other federal identifiers.
4. Why is a recently arrested federal inmate not showing in BOP?
A newly arrested federal defendant may still be in U.S. Marshals Service custody rather than established BOP prison custody. USMS frequently houses pre-sentence federal prisoners in state, local, private or BOP detention facilities.
5. Does the federal inmate locator show charges?
The standard BOP result focuses on custody information such as name, register number, age, release date and location. For federal criminal charges, docket entries and court proceedings, use PACER and the relevant U.S. District Court.
6. What does “IN TRANSIT” mean on a BOP inmate search?
BOP says “IN TRANSIT” means the person has been moved from a BOP facility and may or may not return. The previous institution should not automatically be treated as the person’s current physical location.
7. Is the BOP release date always final?
No. A future date is generally a projected release date and may change. BOP also warns that First Step Act reviews and Federal Time Credit changes can affect release-date information.
8. What does “Released” or “Not in BOP Custody” mean?
It means the person is no longer in Bureau of Prisons custody. It does not by itself rule out supervised release, parole, state or local detention, immigration custody or another criminal-justice authority.
9. How do I find a federal inmate from before 1982?
Older records may require National Archives research because the modern BOP locator does not comprehensively cover pre-1982 incarceration. Provide the full name, approximate incarceration dates, age or birth information and other identifiers when requesting archival help.
10. Is a federal inmate search the same as an ICE detainee search?
No. BOP and ICE maintain separate custody systems. For immigration detention, use the official ICE Online Detainee Locator rather than assuming an ICE detainee will appear in the BOP inmate search.
Bottom Line
For most sentenced federal prisoners, start with the official BOP Inmate Locator. For a very recent federal arrest, combine the federal court docket with the U.S. Marshals custody process because the person may be held in a local facility before entering regular BOP custody. Use ICE for immigration detention, state or county systems for non-federal custody, and National Archives resources for older federal prison records.