In New York, finding an incarcerated individual depends on the type of facility they are being held in. There are two types of prisoners: federal and state inmates. Federal inmates in New York are housed in one of five federal prisons, while state prisoners serve their sentences in one of the 44 state prisons under the New York State Department of Corrections (DOC). Less severe offenders may be held in county jails run by sheriff's departments.
If you are searching for a loved one in prison, you can use online platforms provided by the department in charge of the facility they are being held in. The New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision manages all prisons and jails in the state, keeping track of all inmates and individuals under community supervision. The department maintains a database of inmates in their facilities, which is available to the public. You can conduct an online search by visiting the department's website, clicking on DOCCS Lookup, and selecting Incarcerated Look-Up. From there, you can search by Department ID number, name, or New York State ID number for criminal justice purposes. If you search by name, you may need to narrow down the results by including the inmate's date of birth, suffix, MI, and last name.
You can also locate an inmate through the website of the local sheriff's department or through the Federal Bureau of Prisons if your loved one is serving time in a federal prison. The Bureau operates several facilities in New York, including Otisville Federal Correction Institute, Brooklyn MDC, New York MCC, Ray Brook Federal Correction Institute, and New York RRM. To search for a federal inmate, visit the Federal Bureau of Prisons website and click on Inmates. Then, scroll down to community ties and click Find an Inmate. You can search by number or name and fill in the details to conduct your search.
