Central Maine Pre-Release Center

The Maine Department of Corrections 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.

Maine's first prison, the Maine State Prison, was erected in 1824 in Thomaston.  The Maine Department of Corrections runs 5 adult prisons, 1 juvenile facility and 6 community corrections centers. The number of inmates in custody fluctuates, however as of the end of 2023, they number just over 2,700. There are another 1,700 on parole and supervised release.

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

Maine Department of Corrections Inmate Search Instructions

The Maine DOC provides every bit of information you want to know about any inmate in their system. 

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

• You can list all inmates whose last name begin with any letter by entering that letter in the last name field.
• You can list all inmates whose last name has any consecutive sequence of letters of any length in their last name (example: ab, ac, ade, se, etc.)

Further...

1. Look up any inmate by their MDOC Number. 

2. Look up any and all inmates by their First name or first letter of their first name.

3. Look up any and all inmates by their Middle name or first letter of their middle name.

4. Look up any and all inmates by their Last name or first letter of their last name.... or list all inmates and those on supervised release by typing a % in this field.

5. Look up any or all inmates by their Gender.

6. Look up any or all inmates by their Age range.

7. Look up any or all inmates by their Weight range.

8. Look up any or all inmates by their Height range.

9. Look up any or all inmates by their Eye color.

10. Look up any or all inmates by their Hair color.

11. Look up any or all inmates by their Race.

12. Look up any or all inmates by their Scars, Marks and Tattoos.

13. Look up any or all inmates by their Current Status - Either Incarcerated or on Supervised Release.

14. Look up any or all inmates by their Location (which prison).

15. Look up any or all inmates by their Offense type... (Murder, Burglary, Drugs, etc.)

Results of your Maine Inmate Search

The results of your inmate search will look something like the image below.

You will first be able to see the following:

• Multiple pages of the results of inmates (former and current) who match the criteria of your search. In this case we searched for all inmates whose 'last name' was Jones.

Final Results of your Maine Inmate Search

The results of your inmate search will look something like the image below.

You will first be able to see the following:

• Name
• MDOC Number
• Mugshot
• Physical description
• Date of Birth
• Scars, Marks, Tattoos
• Criminal Offense
• Admission date
• Release Date
• Facility
• Status
• Aliases
• Prior prison history
• Prior convictions, case numbers and date

Central Maine Pre-Release Center Inmate Money Deposits

The Maine Department of Corrections maintains it's own inmate money deposit system which can be done entirely online.

Money can be deposited for both commissary items and for phone use.  When making a phone call to you, the inmnate's phone account will be debited at the rate of $0.21 per minute.

There is a deposit limit of $100 per day for commissary (inmate trust) accounts and $100 per day for the phone account, with a maximum of $200 per week per account.

It takes three business days for your deposit to reach the inmate's account, and if they want the inmate can transfer money between their two accounts.

Mailing a Deposit

Money may also be mailed to the inmate. DO NOT SEND CASH.

Mail to the address provided for this facility. 

Accepted forms of payment include: U.S. Postal money orders, cashier's checks/official checks from a Maine bank, money orders from a Maine bank, government checks (including tribal checks).

Money orders/checks must be legible and contain the adult resident or juvenile resident's full name (with middle initial and MDOC number if you know it) to ensure it is applied to the correct account.

Your envelope should also have your full name and address, otherwise they will not be processed.

Central Maine Pre-Release Center and Maine Department of Corrections Visitation Application

Step 1

In order to visit an inmate at any one of the facilities within the Maine Department of Corrections, you must first submit an application (linked above).

Step 2

Mail it in to the facility address.

Applications may take up to six (6) weeks for processing.
It may take longer if an applicant has a criminal record.
Falsifying an application will result automatic denial and not able to reapply for six (6) months.

Step 3

Once you are approved to visit an inmate, you need to schedule a visit.  Your visits is NOT scheduled until you receive confirmation from the Visit Office that the visit has been scheduled. Visitation hours are subject to change, but can be found on the facility page of each prison.

Important to Know

No visitor, except for immediate family members shall be on more than one (1) resident's visit list.

Immediate family includes spouse, natural, foster or adoptive mother, father, son, daughter, grandfather or grandmother, grandchild, brother or sister, or step-mother, step-father, step-son, step-daughter, step-grandfather or step-grandmother, step-grandchild or step-brother or step-sister.

Family members as defined above may be granted NON-CONTACT visits prior to being cleared for CONTACT visits.

An adult who is not a parent or legal guardian and is an approved visitor may also be allowed to bring in a minor visitor with the written permission of a parent having legal custody or the legal guardian of the minor, and with the prior approval of the Chief Administrative Officer, or designee. The written permission must be notarized and must be limited to a specific period of time (e.g., expires after six (6) months from date of first visit) and all information provided shall be verifiable.

If you are not the Parent or Legal Guardian, a Minor Consent Form will need to be filled out and sent in with your visitor application.

The Minor Consent Form can be requested from the Visit Clerk at (207) 273-5300.

Rules & Regulations

It is important that you read and understand all of the rules and regulations regarding visiting an inmate. Failure to follow the rules will be grounds for your visiting privileges being suspended.

Maine Department of Corrections Remote Inmate Visitation Information

Maine DOC Remote Visitation Policies - Call 207-287-3035 for exact details

The Maine Department of Corrections utilizes the Ameelio App for applying for remote inmate visitation.

Ameelio is used for video visits.

It is currently not available on computers, but their app can be downloaded and used on both iphones and Android Devices.

iphone users

Android users

Step 1

Apply for the right to visit an inmate.  The application must be printed signed and mailed.  If you have any questions call 207-287-3035

Step 2

Mail to the Central Maine Pre-Release Center address

Ameelio Customer Support
Find additional assistance on the Ameelio’s Frequently Asked Questions

The Connect Support request form can be used to contact Ameelio.

Please fill out all fields and attach screenshots to help describe your issue. A Support team member will reach out to assist you. 

Central Maine Pre-Release Center Inmate Money Deposits for Phone Use

The Maine Department of Corrections maintains it's own inmate money deposit system for phoning friends and family, which can be done entirely online.

Money can be deposited for both commissary items and for phone use.  When making a phone call to you, the inmnate's phone account will be debited at the rate of $0.21 per minute.

There is a deposit limit of $100 per day for commissary (inmate trust) accounts and $100 per day for the phone account, with a maximum of $200 per week per account.

It takes three business days for your deposit to reach the inmate's account, and if they want the inmate can transfer money between their two accounts.

Mailing a Deposit for Inmate Phone Use

Money may also be mailed to the inmate. DO NOT SEND CASH.

Mail to the address provided for this facility. 

Accepted forms of payment include: U.S. Postal money orders, cashier's checks/official checks from a Maine bank, money orders from a Maine bank, government checks (including tribal checks).

Money orders/checks must be legible and contain the adult resident or juvenile resident's full name (with middle initial and MDOC number if you know it) to ensure it is applied to the correct account.

Your envelope should also have your full name and address, otherwise they will not be processed.

Central Maine Pre-Release Center Inmate Mail Guidelines

Postcards
The Central Maine Pre-Release Center allows inmates to receive pre-metered postcards like the type purchased from the post office. They may also allow certain photo postcards as long as they have not been tampered with or contain images that may be considered to be obscene or violent in nature. It is best to only use blue or black ink. Always include your name and return address.

Envelopes
The Central Maine Pre-Release Center also allows envelopes to be mailed to inmates. It is best to only use blue or black ink. White paper and envelopes only.

Postcards and envelopes MUST HAVE the sender's full name and return address on the envelope. 

Postcards and envelopes MUST be mailed to the following address:
Confirm Facility Mailing Address here

Legal Mail

Send all Legal Mail to this Address:
Confirm Facility Mailing Address here

Newspapers
Newspapers may also be mailed to an inmate as long as they are shipped directly from the publisher.

Magazines
News, special interest or sports magazines may also be mailed to an inmate as long as they are shipped directly from the publisher. Any magazines that contain profanity, weapons, pornography or other content that is adult in nature will be confiscated by the jail staff and will NOT be delivered to the inmate.

Books
The Central Maine Pre-Release Center allows books to be mailed directly to the jail from a reputable source such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Books-A-Million. You can order them directly from your computer and have them shipped to the inmate at the address noted.
Books must NOT contain images or content that are considered excessively violent, pornographic or obscene. Any book that does not meet the Central Maine Pre-Release Center standards will be disposed of. 
Hard cover books will not be accepted by the jail due to their potential to be used as a weapon.

All newspapers, magazines and books are to be shipped to:
Confirm Facility Mailing Address here

Central Maine Pre-Release Center Inmate Commissary Ordering

An inmate can use money from their Trust Fund to purchase items from the Maine DOC Commissary. 

Inmate Commissary Trust Fund Deposit Instructions:

Central Maine Pre-Release Center Inmate Money Deposits

The Maine Department of Corrections maintains it's own inmate money deposit system which can be done entirely online.

Money can be deposited for both commissary items and for phone use.  When making a phone call to you, the inmnate's phone account will be debited at the rate of $0.21 per minute.

There is a deposit limit of $100 per day for commissary (inmate trust) accounts and $100 per day for the phone account, with a maximum of $200 per week per account.

It takes three business days for your deposit to reach the inmate's account, and if they want the inmate can transfer money between their two accounts.

Mailing a Deposit

Money may also be mailed to the inmate. DO NOT SEND CASH.

Mail to the address provided for this facility. 

Accepted forms of payment include: U.S. Postal money orders, cashier's checks/official checks from a Maine bank, money orders from a Maine bank, government checks (including tribal checks).

Money orders/checks must be legible and contain the adult resident or juvenile resident's full name (with middle initial and MDOC number if you know it) to ensure it is applied to the correct account.

Your envelope should also have your full name and address, otherwise they will not be processed.

Here is a sample of what an inmate can purchase:

Food

Hygiene

Apparel

Electronics

Maine Department of Corrections - Texting and Emailing Inmates

Maine DOC Texting Policies - Call 207-287-3035 for exact details

The Maine Department of Corrections utilizes the Ameelio App for applying for texting and emailing inmates.

It is currently not available on computers, but their app can be downloaded and used on both iphones and Android Devices.

iphone users

Android users

Ameelio Customer Support
Find additional assistance on the Ameelio’s Frequently Asked Questions

The Connect Support request form can be used to contact Ameelio.

Please fill out all fields and attach screenshots to help describe your issue. A Support team member will reach out to assist you. 

Maine Department of Corrections - Inmate Tablets for Remote Visits and Texting

Maine DOC Texting and Remote Visitation Policies - Call 207-287-3035 for exact details

The Maine Department of Corrections utilizes the Ameelio App for applying for texting and emailing inmates, as well as for remote visitation.

It is currently not available on computers, but their app can be downloaded and used on both iphones and Android Devices.

iphone users

Android users

Ameelio Customer Support
Find additional assistance on the Ameelio’s Frequently Asked Questions

The Connect Support request form can be used to contact Ameelio.

Please fill out all fields and attach screenshots to help describe your issue. A Support team member will reach out to assist you. 

Once an inmate is convicted and sentenced for a violation of that state’s felony laws (and their sentence is more than one year in length), they are moved from the City or County Jail and sent to a State Prison in Maine. If the violation they are convicted of is a federal crime, they will be sent to a Federal Prison, but will not necessarily be doing their time in Maine.

Maine State Prisons are operated and maintained by the state government and are used to confine and rehabilitate criminals. State prisons are funded by state tax money. The fund is used to provide food and clothes to inmates and to hire employees to keep the prison running. Inmates in state prison enjoy certain privileges such as TV use and recreation, both indoor and outdoor. The number of privileges allowed depends on the security level of the prison, the inmate and the overall needs of the prison on a specific day.

Maine has minimum, medium and maximum security prisons. The Corrections Department in Maine also maintains low (or no) security residential settings and camps where inmates assist in state property maintenance and duties such as fighting fires. Almost all prisons provide ‘jobs’ where an inmate can earn a small hourly wage and even learn a trade. Some prisons even contract with call centers and handle phone calls on issues related to their state government. Criminals who have committed a violent crime or killed someone are likely housed in a maximum security prison. If the inmate in these prisons behave, they are also eligible to recreate and/or work as well.

In Maine Prisons rehabilitation is the stated goal but the reality is that they exist to punish inmates for their crimes and keep them from hurting or harming innocent people on the outside who follow the laws and live and act responsibly. The fact is that most prison systems are underfunded, overcrowded and are not able to spend time and money rehabilitating offenders. This is not the fault of the people hired to work in prisons, they are just victims of the lack of resources due to budgeting constraints.

State Inmate

Most states have Department of Corrections websites that allow you to type in a felon's first and last name and pull up inmates in that state.

If you need to find a sentenced inmate serving time in a state other than Maine, go here. To find an inmate in Maine, just scroll to the top of the page and click on the Inmate Search button.

Once you locate them click next to the inmate's name or on the link provided and it will show you which prison the inmate is housed in. If the inmate is no longer incarcerated, but is on parole/probation or discharged, it will tell you that as well. In addition, many state prison inmate pages show recent mug shots.

Federal Inmate

The federal prison system has its own inmate locator called the Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator.

Type in the inmate's name and it will tell you where he or she is incarcerated and their projected release date. It also lists released federal prison inmates and the date they were released.

Federal inmates who are moved from one prison to another will show as "No longer in federal custody" on the system until they reach their next federal prison destination. This movement can take a few days to several months to complete, so keep checking back to find out where the inmate was taken.

ICE Inmates

The ICE Detainee Lookup allows friends, family members and interested parties to locate illegal and/or undocumented immigrants that are in the United States without permission.

Has the Inmate been recently arrested?... Try a County Jail

In many cases, the person you are looking for has either not been convicted or sentenced or has been sentenced and is awaiting transport to a State or Federal Prison and is still incarcerated in a City or County Jail.

To locate that person, go here to first find the State, and then the County where they were originally arrested or have been transported to. From there you can begin your search in our databases that contain the names and information of millions of inmates.

Jailexchange.com has all information on every jail and prison in the United States.