Arizona Department of Corrections Inmate Search Instructions

How do you look up an Arizona Department of Corrections Inmate?

The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation & Reentry maintains a searchable public database of all of the inmates they have in custody.

They also publicize in the same database:

• A list of former prisoners, labeled 'inactive',
• Offenders who have been released from prison but are on parole or supervided release (probation), and
• Absconders, meaning those who are consider Escapees, or those on Supervised Release or Parole who are not fulfilling their agreed upon terms.

The Arizona Department of Corrections maintains different types of prisons.

The prison that an inmate is assigned to depends on factors such as security classification, remaining time of their sentence, gang affiliation, and location of their residence.

These are the different prison inmate designations in Arizona:

• Maximum Custody - Inmates who represent the highest risk to the public and staff and require housing in a single cell setting. These inmates have limited work opportunities within the secure perimeter and require frequent monitoring. These inmates require escorted movement in full restraints within the institution.
• Close Custody - Inmates who represent a high risk to the public and staff. These inmates shall not be assigned to work outside the secure perimeter of an institution. These inmates require controlled movement within the institution.
• Medium Custody - Inmates who represent a moderate risk to the public and staff. These inmates shall not work outside the secure perimeter of an institution and require limited controlled movement within the institution.
• Minimum Custody - Inmates who represent a low risk to the public and staff. These inmates may work outside the secure perimeter of an institution, to include community work crews, and do not require controlled movement within the institution.

WARNING!

Under no circumstances an inmate in custody is allowed to have information about their own or any other inmate’s prison record. This includes information regarding inmates downloaded and copied from the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation & Reentry website.

If this information is sent to an inmate, it shall be treated as contraband. The sender will be liable to prosecution under A.R.S. section 13-2505 "Promoting Prison Contraband."  This is a Class 5 felony subject to two and a half years in the Department of Corrections.

Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation & Reentry Inmate Search Instructions

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)

Federal - Bureau of Prisons - Inmate Locator

How to Search for a Federal Inmate in the Bureau of Prisons

The Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator includes inmates that are not only in custody, but who have been in custody and have been released (or who died in custody) since 1982. 

For inmates in custody prior to 1982, visit the National Archives Records Administration and provide the following information:

• Inmate name (including middle name/initial),
• Inmate's date of birth or approximate age at time of incarceration,
• Inmate's race, and
• Inmate's approximate dates in prison.

Federal Inmate Search

Searching by Name

• You must enter the exact spelling of the inmate's FIRST and LAST name.
• If the inmate's name is a common name, you may want to type in their age (as of today) and race to limit the number of results.
• If you enter only an inmate's LAST name and an initial for the first name, you will NOT get a result.

Searching by Name Results

Searching by Number

• If you know the inmate's BOP Register Number (ex: 12345-678), you can enter that to get an exact result.
• You can also enter an inmate's DCDC Number, FBI Number or INS Number to get an exact result. The listing of the inmate will display their BOP Register Number.

Searching by Number Result

Things to Know About Federal Inmate Search Results

• The data in the Federal Inmate Locator is updated daily.
• Hispanic's race can either be Black or White.
• Release dates are only considered absolute if they have already been released. For those still in custody the release date is either UNKNOWN, subject to change, or projected.
• Unless an inmate shows as being RELEASED, their location is subject to change, as inmates are occasionally moved to another facility with no notice.
• The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) allows certain information about Federal inmates to the general public if someone requests it. To obtain information beyond what is provided from the inmate locator and/or publicly available, submit a (Freedom of Information) FOIA request along with a properly completed Form DOJ-361. For further information, refer to the BOP's FOIA website.
• If you are experiencing problems when using the inmate locator system, send a Technical Issue email (using the drop down menu) from the CONTACT US page. 
• You may also contact the BOP by writing to:
  FEDERAL BUREAU OF PRISONS
  Att: Inmate Locator
  320 First St., N.W.
  Washington, DC 20534

ICE Online Detainee Locator System

How to Find Someone in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Detainee Locator

When someone that is not a US Citizen gets arrested in the United States, and they are here illegally, depending on what state or city they are arrested in, the person may be turned over to ICE. 

Many states such as New York and California, as well as hundreds of US cities, have declared themselves 'sanctuary cities' and do not turn over foreigners here illegally, even if they are committing crimes in their jurisdiction.

However, when an alien here illegally is turned over to ICE, and sent to one of the over 100 Immigration Detention Centers in the United States, the only way to try and locate where they are being detained is using the Online Detainee Locator System.

There are two ways to search for an ICE Detainee:

You can look them up using their assigned A-Number.

• An A-Number is a 9-digit number that either looks like this: A-123456789, or like this 123-456-789. This is required if you do not know their name.
  It is also called a Registration Number when on a visa, or a USCIS# when on a Green Card.
  If for whatever reason the A-Number you have does not have 9-digits, you need to add 0s (zeroes) to the front of the number until the number has 9-digits.
  That number might then look like this:  001234567.

You can also try and look them up by using their name.

• In order for this to be effective, you need to have the exact name that is either on their paperwork, or the the name with the exact spelling that they gave ICE. This is required.
• You also need to know the country of their birth, or the country of their birth that they gave ICE. This is required.
• Knowing their Date of Birth is helpful but not required to find them in the system.

Important things to know about using the ICE Detainee Locator

• You do not need to set up an account to use the Detainee Locator System.
• A-Number stands for 'Alien Registration Number'.
• The System does not have information on all detainees in custody.
• Juvenile names are NOT in the System.
• The Detainee Locator System is updated every 8 hours, sometimes sooner.
• If the detainee is being moved to a new facility, the new location will not be shown until they have arrived and are processed. 
• No warnings or prior notice are given in advance of a detainee being moved.
• While being transferred to a different facility they may still be shown online as being in the original facility.
• If you are planning a visit, always call before you come to confirm the detainee is still at the facility and has not been moved.
• To visit a detainee you must have some type of government issued photo ID, or other identification when photo identification is unavailable for religious reasons.
• If you are unable to find the detainee using the System, contact the ICE Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in the area where you believe the person's immigration case was initiated or the Detainee Reporting and Information Line (DRIL) at 888-351-4024.

Pamphlets in various languages with Instructions on how to use the Online Detainee Locator System:

• Online Detainee Locator System Brochure (PDF | 732 KB)
• Folleto del Sistema Localizador de Detenidos en Línea (PDF | 720 KB)
• Brochure du Système de recherche en ligne de détenus(es) (PDF | 739 KB)
• Folheto Informativo do Sistema Online Para Localização de Detentos (PDF | 733 KB)
• Брошюра Онлайновая Система Определения Местонахождения Задержанного (PDF | 893 KB)
• Buug yaraha Nidaamka Lagu Ogaado Halka Ay Ku Xiran Yihiin Dadka Xiran ee barta internetka (PDF | 741 KB)
• Tài Liệu về Hệ Thống Tìm Người Bị Giam Trực Tuyến (PDF | 1.3 MB)
• 被拘留者在线查询系统手册 (PDF | 1.4 MB)
• كتيب نظام تحديد مواقع المحتجزين على شبكة الانترنت (PDF | 1.3 MB)