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 Wake County Inmate and Verify Current Custody
If you are trying to find someone arrested in Raleigh, Cary, Apex, Garner, Wake Forest or elsewhere in Wake County, start with the Wake County Sheriff’s Office inmate search. The Sheriff’s Police-to-Citizen system is the most direct place to check current county-jail custody before calling the detention center, arranging a visit, sending money or looking for the related court case.
Wake County Detention Center
3301 Hammond Road, Raleigh, NC
John H. Baker Jr. Public Safety Center
330 S. Salisbury St., Raleigh, NC
A jail booking is not a conviction. Custody, bond, housing and release information can change during the day, so use the live record when the information affects travel, payment or release plans.
How to Search the Wake County Jail Roster
You do not need to search the Hammond Road facility and the downtown Public Safety Center separately. Start with the Sheriff’s inmate inquiry and use the record to determine where the person is currently housed.
- Open the official inmate inquiry. Go to wakeso.policetocitizen.com/Inmates.
- Search the legal name. Start with the person’s first and last name. If the system offers additional filters, use them only when needed to separate similar names.
- Open the matching inmate record. Compare the name and available identifying or booking information carefully before assuming you found the correct person.
- Record the inmate ID. Keep the identifier shown with the booking because it may be needed for mail, deposits and other detention services.
- Note the housing location. A person may be housed at the Hammond Road detention center or at the John H. Baker Jr. Public Safety Center.
- Use court records only after identifying the correct booking. The jail record answers the custody question; North Carolina eCourts is better for the criminal case itself.
What You May Find in a Wake County Inmate Record
The exact fields can vary by booking and by what the Sheriff’s Office makes public. A current record may provide enough information to answer most immediate family questions without searching several unrelated websites.
| Information | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Name and inmate identifier | Helps confirm identity and is useful for detention services. |
| Arrest or booking date | Shows when the current jail process began. |
| Current detention facility | Tells you whether the person is at Hammond Road or the downtown Public Safety Center. |
| Charges | Shows the allegations associated with the booking when published. |
| Bond information | May show a current amount or status, but court orders can change it. |
| Court information | May help connect the booking with the correct Wake County criminal case. |
| Release information | May show a release-related field when available; verify time-sensitive release plans directly. |
The inmate roster is a custody tool, not a complete criminal-history report and not the final court record.
If the Person Does Not Appear in the Search
A “no record” result does not always mean the person was never arrested. Work through these possibilities in order:
- Very recent arrest: booking, fingerprinting, identification, magistrate processing and data entry may still be underway.
- Name variation: retry the full legal name, alternate spelling, hyphenated surname or the name the person commonly uses.
- Released: someone who posted bond or was otherwise released may no longer appear as a current inmate.
- Transferred: the person may have moved to another county, state prison, federal custody or another agency.
- Wrong jurisdiction: an arrest near Wake County does not necessarily mean the person was booked into Wake County custody.
- Juvenile or restricted record: some records are not available through the ordinary public inmate search.
If the arrest was recent and custody remains unclear, call Wake County detention information at 919-773-7930 with the person’s full legal name and, when known, date of birth.
Wake County Detention Locations
Wake County’s adopted budget describes the Sheriff’s Detention Division as the operator of the county’s adult detention system. The Hammond Road facility serves as the central processing location for law-enforcement arrests, while the John H. Baker Jr. Public Safety Center provides additional detention housing downtown.
| Facility | Location | Practical use |
|---|---|---|
| Wake County Detention Center | 3301 Hammond Road, Raleigh, NC | Central arrest processing, detention housing, magistrate-related functions and public visitation services. |
| John H. Baker Jr. Public Safety Center | 330 S. Salisbury St., Raleigh, NC 27601 | Downtown detention housing and Sheriff’s public-safety operations. |
Do not assume the inmate is at the facility closest to the arrest location. Search the inmate record first and note the housing location.
Need Recent Arrest Records or a Booking Photo?
The jail roster and the Wake County arrest-record system serve different purposes. The Sheriff’s inmate inquiry is the better starting point for current custody. For Wake County arrest history and available booking-photo information, use the Wake County Bureau of Forensic Services arrest portal.
The county’s current portal notice says the planned move of arrest information from the internet to fixed-site access was postponed. The notice also identifies two public kiosk locations:
- John H. Baker Jr. Public Safety Center: main lobby, 330 S. Salisbury St.; public lobby Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m., excluding approved county holidays.
- Wake County Detention Center: zero level near the Magistrate’s Office, 3301 Hammond Road; the listed kiosk area is available 24/7, including weekends and holidays.
The arrest portal states that its records cover Wake County arrests reported to the agency from April 27, 2007 forward, subject to record limitations and expunctions. It should not be treated as a substitute for the court’s final disposition.
How to Check Court Dates, Charges and Case Status
Once you identify the correct jail booking, use the North Carolina Judicial Branch for the criminal case. North Carolina’s eCourts system is used statewide and lets the public search available case and hearing information.
- Open the North Carolina eCourts page.
- Choose the public Portal.
- Search using the defendant’s name or case number from the jail record.
- Confirm that the county is Wake and compare the charge and case details.
- Use the court record for hearings and case activity; use the Sheriff’s inmate search for current housing and custody.
Wake County criminal court contacts
Wake County Justice Center300 S. Salisbury St.
Raleigh, NC 27601
Main / Clerk of Superior Court: 919-792-4000
Criminal District/Superior Court inquiries: 919-792-4300
Magistrates: 919-792-4900
The Judicial Branch explains that the public eCourts Portal provides internet access to public docket information but is not itself the official certified court record. Contact the Clerk of Superior Court when an official copy is required.
Bond and Release Information
If the inmate record displays bond information, treat it as the starting point. A magistrate or judge may change bond conditions, and a payment or court event can change release status after a roster page was viewed. Before paying money or driving to pick someone up, confirm the current status through the live inmate record or detention staff.
Wake County Inmate Visitation
Current published detention guidance describes regular Wake County family visitation as video visitation at the Hammond Road detention center, including when the inmate is housed at the downtown Public Safety Center.
| Item | Published guidance |
|---|---|
| Location | Wake County Detention Center, 3301 Hammond Road |
| Days | Monday through Thursday |
| Regular hours | 9:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.-6:30 p.m. |
| Scheduling | Call 919-857-9103, Monday-Thursday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. |
| Advance notice | Schedule at least 24 hours ahead. |
| Regular frequency | One 30-minute visit per inmate per week. |
| Visitor limit | Up to two adults, or one adult and one child, during the same visit. |
| County holidays | No regular visitation. |
Bring valid picture identification and confirm the appointment before traveling. Operational schedules can change because of security, housing or facility conditions.
Mail, Money and Phone Contact
Before using any inmate service, get the person’s full booked name and inmate ID. Vendors and routing addresses can change, so use the county detention page to verify a time-sensitive payment or mailing before sending it.
Sending Money
Current detention guidance directs online inmate-account deposits through Access Corrections. In-person deposit options may also be available at Wake County detention locations. Verify the inmate identity and review any service fee before submitting money; never rely on a payment link sent by an unknown person.
Personal Mail
Current published instructions route ordinary personal inmate mail through a scanning address. Use the inmate’s full booked name and ID:
[Inmate Full Name and Inmate ID]
P.O. Box 247
Phoenix, MD 21131
Legal mail uses separate Raleigh addresses and should not be sent to the ordinary personal-mail scanning address. Check the county detention instructions before sending legal documents, books, publications or anything of value.
Calls and Digital Messaging
Current published facility guidance references ViaPath/GettingOut for inmate communication services. Jail calls are generally initiated by the person in custody rather than by connecting an outside caller directly to an inmate. Verify the current provider and rate before adding funds because detention contracts can change.
If the Person Moved to North Carolina State Custody
The Wake County jail search does not cover the North Carolina state-prison system. If the person has been transferred to the Department of Adult Correction, use the state’s offender locator.
The NC Department of Adult Correction states that its offender search covers state prisoners, probationers and parolees and does not include county jail records. That distinction explains why the same person may disappear from a Wake County jail lookup and later appear in the state system.
Custody Notifications
For notification of qualifying custody changes, North Carolina provides NC SAVAN. The state describes it as a free notification service connected to North Carolina jails and Adult Correction records. It can provide custody-status notifications by phone, email or text.
Which Search Should You Use?
| Your question | Best source |
|---|---|
| Is the person currently in a Wake County jail? | Wake County Sheriff’s P2C inmate inquiry |
| Where is the inmate housed? | Current inmate record, then detention staff if necessary |
| What are the charges or listed bond? | Current inmate record, then eCourts for the case |
| What happened in court? | North Carolina eCourts / Wake County Clerk |
| Need an older Wake arrest record or booking photo? | Wake County Bureau of Forensic Services arrest portal |
| Person transferred to state prison? | NC Department of Adult Correction offender search |
| Need custody-change notifications? | NC SAVAN |
More Jail Lookup Guides
If you are checking custody in another jurisdiction, these published guides explain the equivalent local search process:
Cherokee County, SC Jail Inmate Search & Roster Spartanburg County, SC Jail Inmate Search & Roster Cook County Jail Inmate Search & RosterWake County Jail Inmate Search FAQs
1. How do I search for an inmate in Wake County?
Use the Wake County Sheriff’s Police-to-Citizen inmate inquiry at wakeso.policetocitizen.com/Inmates. Search the person’s legal name, open the matching record and note the inmate ID and current housing location.
2. Is the Wake County inmate search free?
The Sheriff’s public inmate inquiry can be accessed without paying a commercial people-search service. Be cautious of third-party sites that ask for payment simply to locate a public jail record.
3. Why is a recently arrested person not showing in the roster?
The arrest may still be going through booking or data entry. Also check spelling, whether the person was released, whether the arrest occurred in another jurisdiction, or whether the person was transferred.
4. What information can the Wake County jail roster show?
Depending on the booking, public fields may include the person’s name, inmate identifier, arrest or booking information, current facility, charges, bond, court information and release-related details.
5. Where are Wake County inmates held?
Wake County operates adult detention services at the Wake County Detention Center on Hammond Road and the John H. Baker Jr. Public Safety Center on South Salisbury Street in Raleigh. Check the inmate record for the current location.
6. How do I schedule a Wake County inmate visit?
Published detention guidance says regular visits are video visits at 3301 Hammond Road. Call 919-857-9103 during the published scheduling hours and arrange the visit at least 24 hours in advance.
7. How do I find a Wake County inmate’s court date?
After identifying the correct booking, search the North Carolina eCourts Portal by the defendant’s name or case number. For official records or unresolved questions, contact the Wake County Clerk of Superior Court at 919-792-4000.
8. Is the Wake arrest-record portal the same as the jail roster?
No. The Sheriff’s inmate inquiry is primarily for current jail custody. The Wake County Bureau of Forensic Services arrest portal is used for available Wake County arrest-history and booking-photo information.
9. How do I find someone transferred from Wake County jail to state prison?
Use the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction offender search. The state database covers state prisoners, probationers and parolees but does not serve as the Wake County jail roster.
10. Does appearing in the Wake County jail search mean a person was convicted?
No. A booking or listed charge shows that a person entered the detention process; it does not establish guilt. Use the official court record to check the status and final disposition of the criminal case.