How to Find Someone in Jail
Confirm the person's legal name., Collect additional information., Determine the court where the person was convicted., Search criminal court records.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Confirm the person's legal name.
Even though you may know someone by a nickname, a prison record will have the person's full legal name.
Most criminal records include listings of aliases or other known names, but typically are only searchable by a person's legal first and last name.
Keep in mind you may think you have the person's full legal name when in fact you don't.
If you hit a dead-end in your search and cannot find the person, this more than likely is because you don't have his or her legal name.
For example, someone may go by his middle name instead of his first name. -
Step 2: Collect additional information.
Other identifying information, such as a birthdate, can help narrow your search results and enable you to find someone in jail more easily.
Searching social media can help you learn some of these details.
You also may want to ask friends or family of the person, if they are known and available to you.
This is particularly important if the person you're trying to find has a relatively common name.
For example, if you're looking for John Smith, your search of either a state or federal inmate database may turn up many inmates with that name.
Additional details can help you find the correct entry more efficiently.
The most efficient way to find someone in jail is to look them up by their inmate ID number, but chances are you won't have this information until after you've found them in an inmate database. , The name and location of the court may provide clues to the location and type of correctional facility where the person is serving time.
As an initial matter, you must find out if the person was convicted of a state or federal crime.
Anyone convicted of a crime in federal court will be in a federal prison, whereas someone convicted of a state crime may be in a state jail or prison.
Typically a person convicted in a state court will be serving his or her sentence in a correctional facility in the same state.
However, the person may have been transferred if, for example, she was a resident of one state but committed a crime in another.
The location of the person within the state also may depend on the availability of space in nearby jails and prisons., Since where someone is serving time often depends on the type and degree of crime he or she was convicted of committing, criminal records can help you figure out where the inmate is located.
Keep in mind that you may be charged a small fee to conduct full searches of criminal records, but you should be able to get basic information such as the crime for which the person was convicted for free.
The National Center for State Courts has a directory of online criminal records available for each state.People convicted of less serious offenses typically are housed in county jails, while those convicted of more serious or violent offenses probably are in state prisons.
Jails tend to hold non-violent offenders serving shorter sentences, while prisons have greater security and restrictions and are designed for violent offenders serving longer sentences. -
Step 3: Determine the court where the person was convicted.
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Step 4: Search criminal court records.
Detailed Guide
Even though you may know someone by a nickname, a prison record will have the person's full legal name.
Most criminal records include listings of aliases or other known names, but typically are only searchable by a person's legal first and last name.
Keep in mind you may think you have the person's full legal name when in fact you don't.
If you hit a dead-end in your search and cannot find the person, this more than likely is because you don't have his or her legal name.
For example, someone may go by his middle name instead of his first name.
Other identifying information, such as a birthdate, can help narrow your search results and enable you to find someone in jail more easily.
Searching social media can help you learn some of these details.
You also may want to ask friends or family of the person, if they are known and available to you.
This is particularly important if the person you're trying to find has a relatively common name.
For example, if you're looking for John Smith, your search of either a state or federal inmate database may turn up many inmates with that name.
Additional details can help you find the correct entry more efficiently.
The most efficient way to find someone in jail is to look them up by their inmate ID number, but chances are you won't have this information until after you've found them in an inmate database. , The name and location of the court may provide clues to the location and type of correctional facility where the person is serving time.
As an initial matter, you must find out if the person was convicted of a state or federal crime.
Anyone convicted of a crime in federal court will be in a federal prison, whereas someone convicted of a state crime may be in a state jail or prison.
Typically a person convicted in a state court will be serving his or her sentence in a correctional facility in the same state.
However, the person may have been transferred if, for example, she was a resident of one state but committed a crime in another.
The location of the person within the state also may depend on the availability of space in nearby jails and prisons., Since where someone is serving time often depends on the type and degree of crime he or she was convicted of committing, criminal records can help you figure out where the inmate is located.
Keep in mind that you may be charged a small fee to conduct full searches of criminal records, but you should be able to get basic information such as the crime for which the person was convicted for free.
The National Center for State Courts has a directory of online criminal records available for each state.People convicted of less serious offenses typically are housed in county jails, while those convicted of more serious or violent offenses probably are in state prisons.
Jails tend to hold non-violent offenders serving shorter sentences, while prisons have greater security and restrictions and are designed for violent offenders serving longer sentences.
About the Author
Joshua Morales
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow lifestyle tutorials.
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