1. Open DOC's Person in Custody Lookup.
2. Type in what you know. Use his legal name as police would have recorded it, and try other spellings if nothing turns up.
3. Read the housing location on his record. It names the building that holds him right now.
4. Copy down his Book and Case number and NYSID. Bail, letters, property and most phone calls depend on them.
5. Note the docket number and next court date. Search again after every date, since housing and bail can shift.

The search covers DOC custody and nothing else. Someone still with the police, in a state prison, or held by a federal agency will not. When a release date lands on a weekend, the man is generally let out on the Friday morning before, though this differs by case.

A blank search can have several simple explanations:

• Police still have him. In the first 72 hours, he could still be in a station house or in central booking. Ask 311 where he stands. Booking in the borough where police stopped him can help too; all five numbers follow below.
• A judge let him go. Many people walk out of the courtroom after arraignment.
• Paperwork lag. A new admission needs a Book and Case number before he shows.
• Another agency. State prison, the federal system or ICE may have him. Each is covered further down.
• He is a minor. ACS, not DOC, holds anyone below 18.

For help on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., DOC's constituent and grievance staff take calls at 718-546-1500. Outside those hours, try 311, which never closes.

The route is much the same citywide. Police book him at the precinct, central booking holds him for court, a judge arraigns him, and a DOC bus carries him to Rikers if he is not freed. Arraignment usually comes within about 24 hours. Legal Aid suggests two calls: ask booking in the arrest borough for his arrest number, then ask that court's clerk for the time and room of his arraignment.

Staten Island: what happens after the arrest? Officers bring him to the precinct where the arrest took place: the 120th, 121st, 122nd or 123rd. Next he is held at Staten Island Central Booking, inside Richmond County Criminal Court, 26 Central Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10301. Booking: 718-876-8493. Court: 718-675-8558. Judges there arraign on weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on weekend mornings.

Brooklyn: what happens after the arrest? From the precinct he goes to Brooklyn Central Booking, located in the courthouse at 120 Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201, 718-875-6319. Arraignment runs every day, 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. Court information: 347-404-9400.

The Bronx: what happens after the arrest? Bronx Central Booking sits inside the criminal court at 215 East 161st Street, Bronx, NY 10451. Cases are arraigned daily, 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. Booking and arraignment questions both go to 718-618-2400.

Manhattan: what happens after the arrest? Precinct processing comes first, then Manhattan Central Booking in the criminal court, 100 Centre Street, New York, NY 10013, 212-347-2801. Judges hear new cases every day from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. Call 646-386-4511 for court information.

Queens: what happens after the arrest? He waits in Queens Central Booking at the borough's criminal court, 125-01 Queens Boulevard, Kew Gardens, NY 11415 (718-268-4523). Queens finishes arraignments sooner than other boroughs, at 11 p.m.; they begin at 9 a.m. daily. The clerk answers at 718-298-0792.

Across the city, NYPD turns him over to DOC officers in the courthouse pens. A man who stays in custody rides a DOC bus to Rikers, where every newly admitted man is processed at the Eric M. Taylor Center, 10-10 Hazen Street, East Elmhurst, NY 11370. Intake includes searches, health screening and a classification interview, and then DOC assigns his housing.

DOC may move a man for space, health or safety, so look up his record after any change. These are DOC's 2026 sites:

• Eric M. Taylor Center, 10-10 Hazen Street, East Elmhurst, NY 11370: every newly admitted man starts here. Some units are for mental observation.
• George R. Vierno Center, 09-09 Hazen Street, East Elmhurst, NY 11370: men held for trial or serving time. Men needing close mental health watch live here, as does the PACE unit for serious mental illness.
• Otis Bantum Correctional Center, 16-00 Hazen Street, East Elmhurst, NY 11370: adult men in dorms and cells. Mental observation units are part of it, as is a newer Special Management Unit.
• Robert N. Davoren Complex, 11-11 Hazen Street, East Elmhurst, NY 11370: men, with a young adult group aged 18 to 21.
• Rose M. Singer Center, 19-19 Hazen Street, East Elmhurst, NY 11370: women, held for trial or sentenced, plus women's intake. Its Special Considerations Unit is set aside for TGNBI people: anyone who is transgender or intersex, or who identifies as non-binary or gender non-conforming.
• RESH (Enhanced Supervised Housing), 19-19 Hazen Street, East Elmhurst, NY 11370: tighter housing for men after a jail disciplinary finding. Intake, medical care and visits happen on its own unit.
• West Facility, 16-06 Hazen Street, East Elmhurst, NY 11370: single cells. Some form the Communicable Disease Unit.
• Bellevue Hospital Prison Ward, 462 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10016, and Elmhurst Hospital Prison Ward, 79-01 Broadway, Queens, NY 11370: secure floors in city hospitals for patients who need a hospital.
• Bellevue Outposted Therapeutic Housing Unit, 462 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10016: a medical unit that opened in April 2026. Its 104 beds serve people with illnesses like cancer who do not need a hospital ward.
• Crossroads Juvenile Center, 17 Bristol Street, Brooklyn, NY 11212, 718-240-3800, and Horizon Juvenile Center, 560 Brook Avenue, Bronx, NY 10455, 718-292-0065: ACS detention for youth under 18.

In the January 2026 census given to the Board of Correction, this jail held 1,421 people, more than any other DOC site.

No. The DOC lookup gives his record, not a picture. Public Officers Law § 89(2)(b)(viii) says sharing a mugshot invades privacy without good cause, unless it serves a specific police purpose. Families should not count on getting one.

Reporters and people with a legal need can ask the arresting precinct, or send the NYPD a public records request. For a photo taken by ICE, use ICE's FOIA request page. Federal arrest photos are rarely shared. The Marshals may post one when hunting a fugitive.

Yes. VINE is free and follows his custody status and location. Every quarter hour or so, it checks DOC's records. If he is released or transferred, VINE phones you, trying for as long as four days.

• Phone 888-846-3469 any time of day; TDD callers use 866-847-1298.
• You can also register on VINELink for email or text messages.
• Give his NYSID, or three or more of: first name, last name, birth date, arrest date.
• Choose a four-digit PIN and the phone number VINE should ring.

VINE follows DOC custody only. It cannot alert you about a police lockup, an ACS youth center, a state prison or a federal hold.

New York keeps money bail for a limited set of charges. For the bulk of misdemeanors and many non-violent felonies, the law sends people home on a promise or with conditions. Only a qualifying charge can carry bail or remand, and his ability to pay must be weighed. Any bail order lists three or more ways to pay.

DOC accepts bail in person only at its sites. The island's Central Cashier and the window at the Manhattan Detention Complex, 125 White Street, New York, NY 10013, never close; three borough courthouses have daytime windows. Bring your photo ID and his Book and Case number or NYSID. Later in the case, his lawyer can ask a judge to review or cut the bail. Every step and site is on our bail page for this jail.

The Person in Custody Lookup lists his charges, sometimes in short form. His defense lawyer holds the complaint and, later, any indictment, and can explain each count. A court clerk can confirm the charges on an open case. You can also reach the Criminal Court Information Line, 646-386-4900, weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Expect the charges to shift. Prosecutors sometimes add or drop counts, and an indictment may not match the arrest charges. After indictment, a felony moves to Supreme Court. Look again after each date.

The judge appoints a free lawyer at arraignment for anyone who cannot afford one. Being in jail counts as strong evidence that he qualifies. Legal Aid covers every borough, and other nonprofits share the work: Brooklyn Defender Services, The Bronx Defenders, New York County Defender Services, Neighborhood Defender Service and Queens Defenders. Conflicts go to the Assigned Counsel Plan, which appoints private lawyers from its office at 253 Broadway, Room 200, New York, NY 10007, 212-676-0066.

At that first hearing, get the lawyer's name and phone number. Through a long case, check in before every date to learn the plan.

Rikers holds in-person visits four days a week: Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. You register at Rikers Island Central Visits. On Wednesday and Thursday, registration runs 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.; on weekends it runs 7 a.m. to noon. Late arrivals cannot visit that day.

• Bring valid photo ID with a signature if you are 16 or older. A driver license, any passport and IDNYC all work.
• Group size is capped. Two grown-ups may bring one lap child; one grown-up may bring two children, one of them a lap child.
• Visitors are searched, and trained dogs may be used.
• His last name decides which visit days apply to him.
• For a disability accommodation, ask DOC's constituent office at 718-546-1500 before you go.

Video visits take place Fridays, 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and are booked with an online form. Our visiting page has the full rules.

His account pays for commissary purchases. When sending money through the mail, use a money order or cashier's check; DOC turns away mailed cash. For other ways to deposit, ask DOC's constituent office at 718-546-1500.

See our money deposit page for the options, and our commissary page for what he can buy. Over months, steady small amounts tend to help more than a single big one.

No. He pays nothing to call, from a housing unit phone or from his tablet. The tablets, made by Securus, come free, with e-books, legal research tools and radio built in.

Our phone page explains call times and rules, and our email and messaging page covers written messages.

Stamp the envelope and write the address in this order:

His full name
His Book and Case number
Otis Bantum Correctional Center
16-00 Hazen Street, East Elmhurst, NY 11370

After a transfer, use whichever jail the lookup now shows. Packages can go by mail, or be dropped off during visiting hours at the counter beside Central Visits where bail and packages are taken. A box can weigh up to 15 pounds, and its size cannot pass 24 inches long, 12 wide and 24 high. Staff search each one. Clothes may not have pockets, hoods, logos, strings or metal. He may get up to 15 photos no larger than 4 by 6 inches, and as many as 10 books. Anything to eat, and soap, shampoo and the like, will be refused. Legal mail from his lawyer or a court must be opened with him watching (9 NYCRR 7004.4). More is on our mail page.

When a man leaves Rikers, valuables are held at the Samuel L. Perry Center. Staff there work every hour of every day, and you can walk in. For bulky things like clothing, book a time through 311 within a month of his release, using his Book and Case number or NYSID. Three business days after booking, starting at noon, the items can be collected over a three-day window.

A relative can collect for him. If he is still inside, he signs DOC's release form. If he is home, he gives you a notarized letter. Call the Property Pick-up Area at 718-546-8811 with questions.

NYC Health + Hospitals Correctional Health Services (CHS) runs health care in the city jails. If you believe he has an urgent medical problem, CHS takes calls at 347-774-7000 all day and night. OBCC has mental observation housing for men whose mental health needs closer watch.

A man who is too ill for regular housing may go to the Bellevue or Elmhurst prison ward, or to the Bellevue Outposted Therapeutic Housing Unit. The lookup should reflect the move. For other worries or complaints, call 311 any hour, or DOC's constituent office at 718-546-1500 on weekdays.

Bench warrants from city judges are served by NYPD officers. Official wanted lists: the NYPD's wanted persons page and the wanted list kept by the New York State Police. Ask about warrants by phoning 646-386-4900, the Criminal Court Information Line, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday. WebCrims helps only when a case has an upcoming date. A warrant does not expire. It ends when he goes before a judge in the court that signed it, best with his lawyer. He may also give himself up at any precinct; the precinct finder locates one. Courthouse addresses appear in the borough-by-borough arrest answer.

The Person in Custody Lookup shows his next date and court. WebCrims lists active cases with an upcoming date in every city criminal court. The Criminal Court Information Line can help too. Once he is indicted, the Supreme Court clerk for his borough has the calendar. His lawyer can tell you why a date moved.

Felonies can run for months, through grand jury, discovery, motions and hearings. DOC buses him to every date, and many families come to court to show support. Our court page lists each courthouse and the time limits on delay.

Federal prisoners do not show on the DOC lookup. Before trial, the U.S. Marshals hold them, frequently at MDC Brooklyn, 80 29th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11232, 718-840-4200. A Manhattan or Bronx case belongs to the Southern District, 500 Pearl Street, New York, NY 10007, 212-805-0136. For Brooklyn, Queens or Staten Island, the case goes to the Eastern District at 225 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn, NY 11201, 718-613-2600.

The federal court then decides, at a detention hearing, if he must stay in custody. For custody questions, the Marshals answer at 212-331-7200, weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. After sentencing, use the BOP inmate locator or phone the Bureau of Prisons at 202-307-3198.

When immigration agents step in, things tend to go in this order:

1. ICE delivers a Form I-247A to DOC. That request asks that the jail keep the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
2. If the jail complies, ICE officers take custody of him.
3. ICE then sends him to one of its detention centers, which can be outside New York.
4. Find him with the ICE Online Detainee Locator.

City and state law narrow this path. The city's detainer laws (Administrative Code § 9-131) let DOC work with ICE only for certain serious convictions or a possible terrorist watch list hit. Under Local Law 228 of 2017, city workers and resources stay out of federal immigration enforcement. New York's courts have ruled that police here may not arrest anyone on a civil immigration basis (People ex rel. Wells v. DeMarco). Civil Rights Law § 28 restricts civil arrests at court. For questions, ICE's local field office is at 26 Federal Plaza, Suite 9-110, New York, NY 10278, 212-436-9315.

When the sentence on a felony exceeds one year, DOCCS, the state prison agency, takes him from DOC. DOCCS first runs him through reception, where he receives a DIN and a security level. A prison assignment follows.

Use the DOCCS Incarcerated Lookup, or call DOCCS weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 518-457-8126. When he leaves city custody, his DOC record goes away. Locations and details for state facilities: see the New York state prisons list on our site.

Nobody under 18 is housed on Rikers. ACS runs the two youth detention centers, one in the Bronx (Horizon) and one in Brooklyn (Crossroads). Visits are set up with the ACS case manager assigned to the youth: Crossroads at 718-688-8264, Horizon at 718-742-8496.

State law makes officers contact a mother, father or guardian without delay after detaining anyone under 18. The Youth Part handles a felony charged against a teen of 16 or 17 at the outset. Family Court hears younger children's cases. Most teen misdemeanor arrests are handled by probation intake instead of a criminal court.

The NYPD makes nearly every arrest in the city. To find the precinct for an address, use the NYPD precinct finder or call 311 at any hour. In an emergency, dial 911.

NYPD precincts are grouped into patrol boroughs:

• Staten Island: a single patrol borough with four precincts. The 120th Precinct is at 78 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301, 718-876-8500.
• Brooklyn: split into a North and a South patrol borough.
• The Bronx: Bronx South and Bronx North.
• Manhattan: Manhattan South, and Manhattan North at 151 West 100th Street, New York, NY 10025, 212-678-1851.
• Queens: Queens South and Queens North.

In public housing developments, NYPD Housing Bureau officers work out of Police Service Areas; ask 311 for the right one. Missing adults are handled by the NYPD Missing Persons Squad, 212-694-7781. A few arrests come from other agencies: the U.S. Marshals (Southern District 646-563-9800, Eastern District 718-473-3000), ICE, or the New York State Police. If you are unsure who arrested him, 311 can help track him down.