How to Find Out What Jail Someone Is In

by John Zaremba

Overview

It's not pleasant to think about, but sometimes you need to know where someone is being held in custody. You may be a friend or relative hoping to visit the person, you may be researching the case and need to conduct an interview or perhaps you are familiar with the crime and just want to know where the offender is. Finding out where someone is being held is generally a matter of public information.
For Someone Recently Arrested

Step 1

Find out where the offense occurred. If it was in a particular city or town, the person may be at the local police station. People arrested who do not make bail within several hours of arrest are generally transported to a county jail.
Step 2

Find out whether the arrest was made on the state or federal level. People arrested on the state level (by local, county or state police) generally are held at police headquarters or county jail. People arrested on the federal level (FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration) may be held at county jail, a federal courthouse or detained for questioning elsewhere.
Step 3

Call the arresting agency. If you're looking to help someone make bail, explain that you are a friend or family member who wants to post bail for the person. Be polite and direct, and limit the conversation to the person's whereabouts. Do not discuss anything about the case.
Step 4

Look up published information about the case. Newspapers, TV stations, radio and Internet media deem certain arrests newsworthy, and they release information about the crime and the offender publicly. Basic news stories about arrests almost always include information about where the person is being held.

For Someone Serving A Sentence

Step 1

Look up the court case file. You can do this at the clerk's office in the jurisdiction where the case was prosecuted. Even if the case was tried in a different jurisdiction, the clerk of the court in the jurisdiction of the prosecutor should have a copy of the file. For example, a crime that occurs in Johnson County but is tried in Thompson County will still have a file in Johnson County.
Step 2

Determine the length of the sentence. In general, sentences of a year or less are served in the jail of the county where the crime took place. Longer sentences are served at a state correctional institution. Where an offender is sent to prison depends less on where the offense occurred and more on the prisoner's offense and level of dangerousness. Physical and mental health also help determine where a prisoner will serve time.
Step 3

Visit the proper prison authority's website. State and federal prison bureaus have online prisoner search tools that can find an individual by name.