California Department of Corrections Inmate Search Instructions

How do you look up a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) Inmate?

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) maintains a searchable public database of all of the inmates they have in custody.

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 California State Prison System began in 1851, when the State Legislature first authorized the state to lock up prison convicts.

Today the state of California Prison System, operating under the name of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), maintains 34 prisons and 34 conservation camps. With a staff of 26,000 correctional workers, as of the end of 2023 they oversee approximately 95,000 inmates, with another 45,000 on parole or supervised release.

The following will explain the instructions, tricks and hacks you can use to find any inmate in custody with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) Inmate Search Instructions

The California Department of Corrections provides a limited amount of information you may want to know about any inmate in their system, however they do list every inmate.

To look up an inmate, you don't even need to know the spelling of their name.

• You can list all 95,000 inmates in the system by entering % in the last name field.
• You can list all inmates whose last name begin with any letter by entering that letter in the last name field.
• You can filter the results by an age range, and by the California county that committed them to prison.

In this example, we put a 'Z' in the field for imate's last name and the resulting information was alist of every inmate in the system whose last name begins with 'Z'. 

• The display shows name, CDCR number, age, admission date, and current location.

Once you select the inmate you want information on, you will come to this page.

• From here, you can view the date they are eligible for parole, or you can select Family & Friends and find out how to write, text, mail, receive calls, send commissary money, etc.

Reduced Sentences for California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) Inmates

CDCR Good Conduct Credit

The CDCR has incentivized incarcerated people to take responsibility for their own rehabilitation by providing credit-earning opportunities for sustained good behavior, as well as in-prison program and activities participation.

The following chart explains the Good Conduct Credit (GCC) for inmates:

Definitions of Each GCC Group

• A1 - Full-time work, educational or training assignment; or full/partially disabled but otherwise eligible.
• A2 - Willing to program but on waiting list for an assignment or unassigned awaiting adverse transfer.
• B - Half-time assignments.
• C - Being disciplined for refusing to work or failing to program.
• D1 - Non-disciplinary segregation.
• D2 - In segregation units for serious disciplinary issues.
• M - Minimum custody or otherwise eligible for minimum custody.
• F - Full-time conservation camp workers and people training for those jobs.
• MCC - MCC (Milestone Completion Credits) is awarded for successful completion of rehabilitative or educational programs designed to prepare participants to find employment upon release. MCC is awarded in increments of not less than one week, but no more than 12 weeks, in a 12-month period.
• RAC - RAC (Rehabilitative Achievement Credits) is awarded to those who complete specified hours of approved self-help and volunteer public service activities. 10 days of credit may be awarded to someone who completes 52 hours of approved programming in a 12-month period.\
• EMC - EMC (Educational Merit Credits) is awarded for completion of high school diploma or equivalency programs, higher education degrees, or the Offender Mentor Certification Program (OMCP). 180 calendar days may be awarded for completion of a high school diploma or high school equivalency approved by the Department of Education, successful completion of associate, bachelor’s and post graduate degrees, and the OMCP.
• ECC - Extraordinary Conduct Credits - An award of up to 12 months of credit may be awarded to those who have performed a heroic act in a life-threatening situation or who have provided exceptional assistance in maintaining the safety and security of a 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)