Alaska Department of Corrections Inmate Search Instructions
Search Alaska State Prison Inmates
How do you look up an Alaska Department of Corrections Inmate
ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS INMATE SEARCH
The Alaska 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 Alaska Department of Corrections maintains thirteen 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. Until an offender is convicted in Alaska, they may spend time in a tribal, city or borough jail.
Every convicted offender is assigned a number called an Alaska 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 Alaska, they will be identified using the same number.
Arrests and Booking in the Alaska Jails
Located at:
Mile 58 Old Glenn Highway
Palmer, AK 99645
the Palmer Correctional Center takes in adults arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges in the state of Alaska.
Unlike most states, Alaska has no county jails or county sheriffs. The Alaska Department of Corrections runs the state’s pretrial and correctional facilities directly, and in some smaller communities a city-run jail holds people for a short time under contract with the state. Arrests reach this facility from the Alaska State Troopers, from city and borough police departments, and from village public safety officers in outlying areas. On arrival, staff take fingerprints and a booking photo, inventory property, check for outstanding warrants and complete a medical and mental-health screening before a housing assignment is made.
Federal Agencies and Immigration Holds
Federal prisoners may be held here as well, including people brought in by the U.S. Marshals. Alaska has no state law limiting cooperation with immigration authorities, and the Department of Corrections has confirmed a 287(g) agreement with ICE, so an ICE detainer can be placed on someone booked into a state facility. Policies of individual city police departments vary.
Recent arrivals can be checked on the official booking list (opens in a new tab), which does not include a booking photo, the charges and the arresting agency. For anything missing or unclear, call the Palmer Correctional Center at 907-745-5054 (opens in a new tab).
Getting through intake and into a housing unit, or out the door on release, usually takes a few hours but can stretch to a full day when several people are waiting to be processed.
Bail and First Court Appearance
Alaska court rules require that a person who is not released be brought before a judge or magistrate without unnecessary delay, generally within 24 hours of arrest, including weekends and holidays. At that hearing the judge sets release conditions, which may include release on the person’s own recognizance, a cash or surety bond, or supervision by the Department of Corrections’ Pretrial Enforcement Division. Commercial bail bonds are allowed; bail agents must hold a bail bond limited producer license from the Alaska Division of Insurance. Step-by-step release information is on our Bail page.
Palmer Correctional Center Booking FAQ
- How do I find out if someone has been arrested and booked into the Palmer Correctional Center?
- What happens during booking in ?
- What is the booking process like at the Palmer Correctional Center?
- What kind of questions are asked during booking?
- What happens to an offender’s personal property during booking?
- What happens after booking?
- How long does the Palmer Correctional Center booking process take?
How do I find out if someone has been arrested and booked into the Palmer Correctional Center?
The quickest route is to phone the Palmer Correctional Center at 907-745-5054 and ask whether the person has been booked.
Have the person’s full legal name and date of birth ready. Staff use the birth date to confirm they have the right individual before releasing any details.
New arrests in remote parts of the state may take time to show up, especially if the person is first held in a local lockup and then transported.
You can also search online through the Palmer Correctional Center Booking Roster.
What happens during booking in ?
Once someone in is arrested and advised of their rights, the arresting officer brings them to a state-run correctional center or, in some rural areas, a local holding facility that books people for the state.
Intake is a series of steps. Defense lawyers generally tell clients to say nothing about the alleged offense during this time, since conversations in a jail can be recorded and offered as evidence later.
What is the booking process like at the Palmer Correctional Center?
Each new arrival is photographed and fingerprinted and answers a long list of personal and health questions. Alaska law requires a DNA sample from people arrested for a felony or a crime against a person, so a cheek swab is common. Records are checked for warrants in Alaska and nationwide.
In a DUI case, refusing a breath test after arrest is itself a crime in Alaska. A blood sample generally requires a warrant unless the person agrees to it.
A clothing search, and often a strip search, is done before the person enters a housing unit. Staff may also use a metal detector or body scanner.
What kind of questions are asked during booking?
Expect questions about health problems, current medications, drug or alcohol use, allergies, suicidal thoughts, gang ties, tattoos and identifying marks. Staff use the answers to decide where the person can safely be housed and whether medical or mental-health follow-up is needed.
What happens to an offender’s personal property during booking?
Everything the person has with them is taken, logged and stored. It is returned at release, or the person can sign a form allowing a relative or friend to pick some of it up.
Stored items typically include street clothes, cash, wallets, phones, keys, jewelry, piercings and watches. Glasses may be held if staff see them as a safety risk, and laces are pulled from any shoes the person keeps.
What happens after booking?
The person is given a chance to use the phone to tell someone about the arrest or start arranging bail or a bond.
Anyone held until their first court hearing receives jail clothing and footwear, bedding, a towel and basic hygiene items from the Palmer Correctional Center.
A shower, and sometimes a lice or scabies treatment, comes before the move to a housing unit.
How long does the Palmer Correctional Center booking process take?
Most bookings finish within several hours, but a busy night or a short-staffed shift can push it past a full day.
Someone who arrives drunk, high or combative may be kept in a holding cell until they settle down, which adds time before the paperwork can be finished.
Alaska Department of Corrections Inmate Search Instructions
How to Search for State Prison Inmates in Alaska
The Alaska Department of Corrections began on January 3, 1959 when it first became a state. While there were prisoners in custody at the time, it was run by the United States Bureau of Prisons.
Alaska’s correctional facilities have a general capacity of 4,815 with a maximum capacity of 4,989. Unsentenced individuals make up more than half of the total incarcerated population.
The following will explain the tricks and hacks you can use to find any inmate in custody with the Alabama Department of Corrections.
Since Alaska 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
- Go to the Alaska Vinelink page.
- Enter their First and last Name.
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 Alaska
There are some short term local jails in Alaska that are for short term or temporary incarcerations, and managed by local police or tribal associations, however almost all offenders, while awaiting court dates for serious crimes, are held in one of Alaska's State Prisons overseen by the Alaska Department of Corrections.
And as mentioned above, you can search for an Alaskan inmate online with Vinelink.
After an arrest, an offender In Alaska is sometimes held in the jail of the city or borough where they were apprehended 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. Others are held in the facilities run by the Alaska Department of Corrections.
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 local jail.
If they are found guilty and given a longer sentence, they will be remanded to the Alaska 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.
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)