Delaware Department of Corrections Inmate Search Instructions

Search Delaware State Prison Inmates

Delaware Department of Corrections Inmate Locator

Basic Information

DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS INMATE SEARCH

The Delaware Department of Corrections, in conjunction with Vinelink, a national offender and inmate tracking service, maintains a searchable public database of all of the inmates they have in custody. They do not publicize a list of former prisoners. Once an inmate is out of prison, there is no record online of their former status as inmates.

The Delaware Department of Corrections maintains four 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. The inmates are classifed as minimum, medium and maximum security. After being arrested, and until an offender is convicted or acquited in Delaware, they may spend time in one of the state jails or prisons.

Every convicted offender is assigned a number called an Delaware Department of Corrections Number. This number follows them for life.

If an inmate is released and then re-arrested, convicted, sentenced again, and then put back in prison in Delaware, they will be identified using the same number. 

How do you look up a Delaware Department of Correction Inmate?

How to Search for State Prison Inmates in Delaware

The Delaware Department of Corrections began, although less formally, in 1776.

Delaware’s correctional facilities have a general capacity of 5,000. Unsentenced individuals make up a good percentrage of the total incarcerated population. There are another 10,000 on probation or parole, and all of these are overseen by a staff of approximatyely 2,500.

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

Since Delaware does not have its own online inmate search, it contracts with Vinelink Inmate Search Notification System to keep track of inmates, both sentenced and unsentenced, that it has in custody. The Vinelink System is updated daily, and sometimes more often.

In order to search for an inmate, you have to know the exact spelling of their full name, first AND last. The only information you will get after looking up an inmate, is the facility in which they are being held, their age and their race.

You do not need to register an account with Vinelink, although if you are registered you will be able to get the inmate's date of birth and their full Inmate ID# in the listing, as well as get notified when the inmate is moved to another facility, or is released.


Step 1


Step 2

  • Review the listing.
  • At this stage you can create an account in order to see their Date of Birth, ID #, and be notified if they are moved to another facility, or if they are released.


 


 

Local Jails in Delaware

There are no city or county jails in Delaware. All offenders, while awaiting court dates for serious crimes, are held in one of Delaware's State Prisons overseen by the Delaware Department of Corrections.

After an arrest, an offender in Delaware is sometimes held in one of the state facilities until they either pay a bond or bail, which entitles them to be released upon a promise to return to court for their trial, or they are held until their trial.

If an offender is found guilty and is given a sentence of short sentence of a week or two, he or she will do their time in that same state facility.

If they are found guilty and given a longer sentence, they will be remanded to the Delaware Department of Corrections to do their time. The only exception is if their crime is a federal offense. In that case they will be tried in a federal court and if found guilty, will be remanded to a federal prison.

Jail Inmate Rosters for County Jails in Delaware

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: