ASPC - Safford - Tonto Unit

Arizona's first prison opened in Yuma in 1875.  They currently have 10 state prisons that are run by the state, 4 private prisons, and 2 private correctional treatment centers. the number of inmates in custody fluctuates, however as of the end of 2023, they number just under 38,000, with 112 inmates on death row. There are tens of thousands more on parole and supervised release.

The following will explain the instructions, tricks and hacks you can use to find any inmate in custody with the Arizona Department of Corrections.

Step 1 - Searching an Arizona State Inmate by Name

You must know the inmate's last name and at least the first letter of their first name. If you are unsure of the spelling, you may try searching for news articles using the city and state they were arrested and a spelling as close as you can.

When searching by name, make sure you filer the results by checking the appropriate box for gender, and then for the inmate's custody status; Active, Inactive, Supervised/Parole, or Absconder.

Step 2 - Searching an Arizona State Inmate by ADC Number (Inmate #)

You must know the inmate's ADC Number.  It is a 6-digit number that once assigned, will follow them for their entire life, even if they are released and then resentenced for a new crime.

Results of your Arizona Inmate Search

The results of your search will look something the image below. You will be able to see the following:

• Inmate's Full Name
• Mugshot
• Height
• Weight
• Hair Color
• Eye Color
• Ethnicity
• Custody level
• Admission date
• Projected Release date
• Instutution most recently housed
• Mailing Address
• Victim information
• Sentencing information and Court case #
• Disciplinary infractions
• Parole information (if any)

Depositing Money in an Inmate's Trust Account at ASPC - Safford - Tonto Unit

Mail the Inmate Deposit 

• Never send cash. Funds acceptable to be received for deposit to an inmate's ITA shall be in United States (U.S.) currency and in the form of electronic funds transfer, business check or government check, money orders and cashier’s checks. 
• Make the Check out to the inmate and put their ADCR# in memo section of the Money Order.

Mail to:
Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry
Inmate Trust Accounts Section
1802 W. Jackson Street, #161
Phoenix, AZ 85007

Failure to do this properly will delay your inmate getting their account credited and may require you to have to resubmit a second check.
Call 928-428-3141 to ask any questions about this.

ASPC - Safford - Tonto Unit Inmate Visitation Information - Visitor Application Required

If you want to be able to have 'in-person' phone or video visits from an inmate in the Arizona Department of Corrections you need to fill out an application to do so.

Each applicant will undergo a criminal background check, and have to pay a non-refundable, $25.00 background check fee.

Allow 60 days to process the application, once the required payment, if applicable, and supporting documentation are received.

Once a decision has been made, the inmate will be informed of the outcome. It is the inmate's responsibility to inform the potential visitor of their visitation status.

Normal phone calling does not require a background check, although you still will have to be approved.

Refer to the Rules and Regulations for Inmate Visitation Procedures.

ASPC - Safford - Tonto Unit Inmate Phone Information

If you want to be able to have 'in-person' phone or video visits from an inmate in the Arizona Department of Corrections you need to fill out an application to do so.

Each applicant will undergo a criminal background check, and have to pay a non-refundable, $25.00 background check fee.

Allow 60 days to process the application, once the required payment, if applicable, and supporting documentation are received.

Once a decision has been made, the inmate will be informed of the outcome. It is the inmate's responsibility to inform the potential visitor of their visitation status.

Normal phone calling does not require a background check, although you still will have to be approved.

Refer to the Rules and Regulations for Inmate Phone Calling Procdures.

ASPC - Safford - Tonto Unit Inmate Mail Guidelines

Postcards
The ASPC - Safford - Tonto Unit allows inmates to receive pre-metered postcards like the type purchased from the post office. They may also allow certain photo postcards as long as they have not been tampered with or contain images that may be considered to be obscene or violent in nature. It is best to only use blue or black ink. Always include your name and return address.

Envelopes
The ASPC - Safford - Tonto Unit also allows envelopes to be mailed to inmates. It is best to only use blue or black ink.

Envelopes must be white, be less than 9" x 12", commercially produced, made of tearable paper only, must not have stickers or labels or drawings on them. No glitter, paper clips or staples.

The paper must be white copy paper or white lined paper only.

Photos must not exceed forty per day and be no larger than 4" x 6". Inmates can only have forty photos total.

Postcards and envelopes MUST HAVE the sender's full name and return address on the envelope. 

Postcards and envelopes MUST be addressed as follows:
Prisoner's Name
ADCRR number
Name of Institution
Address of Institution
City, State, Zip Code

Legal Mail

All Legal Mail must be addressed as follows:
Prisoner's Name
ADCRR number
Name of Institution
Address of Institution
City, State, Zip Code

Newspapers
Newspapers may also be mailed to an inmate as long as they are shipped directly from the publisher.

Magazines
News, special interest or sports magazines may also be mailed to an inmate as long as they are shipped directly from the publisher. Any magazines that contain profanity, weapons, pornography or other content that is adult in nature will be confiscated by the jail staff and will NOT be delivered to the inmate.

Books
The ASPC - Safford - Tonto Unit allows only NEW books to be mailed directly to the jail from a reputable source such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Books-A-Million. You can order them directly from your computer and have them shipped to the inmate at the address noted.
Books must NOT contain images or content that are considered excessively violent, pornographic or obscene. Any book that does not meet the ASPC - Safford - Tonto Unit standards will be disposed of. 
Hard cover books will not be accepted by the jail due to their potential to be used as a weapon.

All newspapers, magazines and books must be addressed as follows:
Prisoner's Name
ADCRR number
Name of Institution
Address of Institution
City, State, Zip Code

Once an inmate is convicted and sentenced for a violation of that state’s felony laws (and their sentence is more than one year in length), they are moved from the City or County Jail and sent to a State Prison in Arizona. If the violation they are convicted of is a federal crime, they will be sent to a Federal Prison, but will not necessarily be doing their time in Arizona.

Arizona State Prisons are operated and maintained by the state government and are used to confine and rehabilitate criminals. State prisons are funded by state tax money. The fund is used to provide food and clothes to inmates and to hire employees to keep the prison running. Inmates in state prison enjoy certain privileges such as TV use and recreation, both indoor and outdoor. The number of privileges allowed depends on the security level of the prison, the inmate and the overall needs of the prison on a specific day.

Arizona has minimum, medium and maximum security prisons. The Corrections Department in Arizona also maintains low (or no) security residential settings and camps where inmates assist in state property maintenance and duties such as fighting fires. Almost all prisons provide ‘jobs’ where an inmate can earn a small hourly wage and even learn a trade. Some prisons even contract with call centers and handle phone calls on issues related to their state government. Criminals who have committed a violent crime or killed someone are likely housed in a maximum security prison. If the inmate in these prisons behave, they are also eligible to recreate and/or work as well.

In Arizona Prisons rehabilitation is the stated goal but the reality is that they exist to punish inmates for their crimes and keep them from hurting or harming innocent people on the outside who follow the laws and live and act responsibly. The fact is that most prison systems are underfunded, overcrowded and are not able to spend time and money rehabilitating offenders. This is not the fault of the people hired to work in prisons, they are just victims of the lack of resources due to budgeting constraints.

State Inmate

Most states have Department of Corrections websites that allow you to type in a felon's first and last name and pull up inmates in that state.

If you need to find a sentenced inmate serving time in a state other than Arizona, go here. To find an inmate in Arizona, just scroll to the top of the page and click on the Inmate Search button.

Once you locate them click next to the inmate's name or on the link provided and it will show you which prison the inmate is housed in. If the inmate is no longer incarcerated, but is on parole/probation or discharged, it will tell you that as well. In addition, many state prison inmate pages show recent mug shots.

Federal Inmate

The federal prison system has its own inmate locator called the Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator.

Type in the inmate's name and it will tell you where he or she is incarcerated and their projected release date. It also lists released federal prison inmates and the date they were released.

Federal inmates who are moved from one prison to another will show as "No longer in federal custody" on the system until they reach their next federal prison destination. This movement can take a few days to several months to complete, so keep checking back to find out where the inmate was taken.

ICE Inmates

The ICE Detainee Lookup allows friends, family members and interested parties to locate illegal and/or undocumented immigrants that are in the United States without permission.

Has the Inmate been recently arrested?... Try a County Jail

In many cases, the person you are looking for has either not been convicted or sentenced or has been sentenced and is awaiting transport to a State or Federal Prison and is still incarcerated in a City or County Jail.

To locate that person, go here to first find the State, and then the County where they were originally arrested or have been transported to. From there you can begin your search in our databases that contain the names and information of millions of inmates.

Jailexchange.com has all information on every jail and prison in the United States.