Federal inmate search. The layer a state search cannot see.
Federal custody is a separate system from every state: different offences, different courts, different records. Type a name and one search checks federal custody live, alongside 1,408 county jail rosters and 53 state prison systems, so you do not need to know which system someone is in.
Looking for a federal court case instead? Federal criminal records · County jail or state prison? Inmate search
Federal inmate search: federal custody, court and warrant records a state search cannot reach. The federal system publishes them independently of the states, and each answers a different question.
Federal custody
Federal court records
Federal warrants
How to find someone in federal prison. Four steps, from a name.
Start with the full name
Use the legal name if you know it. Add a date of birth or birth year to separate namesakes.
Run one unscoped search
Leave the state open and the search covers the federal layer alongside county jails and state prisons.
Read the record type
Custody, court case or warrant. Each one makes a different claim about the person.
Confirm the match
Check the match label and the cited jurisdiction before relying on a record.
Run it from your personal dashboard: a Background Check is $9.99, paid once.
Federal inmate search: why a clean state search is not a clean criminal record.
This is the most common way a criminal search misleads the person running it. Someone can have an entirely clean county and state history and a federal conviction, and a search that reaches only state sources returns nothing, with no sign that a whole system went unexamined.
- Every search says how many jurisdictions were searched, so “no result” is never confused with “not looked”
- Records are typed (custody, court, warrant) so a sought person is never read as a convicted one
- Each record cites the jurisdiction holding it and can be checked with that jurisdiction
Federal prison vs state prison vs county jail. Three systems, three kinds of record.
| Federal prison | State prison | County jail | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Run by | The federal government | A state department of corrections | A county sheriff or jail authority |
| Who is held | People sentenced under federal law | People sentenced under state law, usually to longer terms | People arrested and awaiting court, and short sentences |
| Typical offenses | Fraud, tax, interstate, immigration, some drug and firearms cases | Serious state offenses | Any charge at the arrest stage |
| What the record proves | A federal sentence | A state sentence | An arrest and booking, not a conviction |
For county and state custody, see inmate search and jail roster search.
What a federal inmate record shows
- The person’s name as the federal system publishes it, and age or birth year where published
- Custody status and the facility, where published
- The record type, so a custody record is never read as a warrant or an open case
- The jurisdiction holding the record, cited on every result
- A match label that says whether the date of birth, the birth year or only the name lined up
Why someone may not appear in a federal inmate search
The case was a state case. Most prosecutions in the US are brought by states, and state sentences are served in state prisons.
They are held before trial. People awaiting a federal trial are often housed in county jails, so a jail roster may show them first.
The name differs. A legal name, a middle name or a suffix can differ from the name you have. Add a birth year and retry.
A partial search. Every search says how many jurisdictions answered. If one did not, the result is not a clean one.
Federal inmate search for families, attorneys and screening teams
Families and friends
Attorneys and investigators
Screening teams
Using federal inmate records responsibly
A custody record says a person was sentenced; it does not say who they are today. Use it to locate someone, to support a legal or family matter, or for safety awareness. Decisions about employment, housing or credit are covered by the Fair Credit Reporting Act and need a consumer report from a consumer reporting agency, which screening companies get through FCRA Partner Access.
Be careful with what you share. A custody record found for a family or legal matter should not be reposted or used to shame someone.
Looking for court cases rather than custody? See federal criminal records and court records search.
Federal inmate search FAQ. Finding someone in federal prison by name.
Why is a federal search separate from a state one?
Because they are separate systems with separate records. Federal offences — fraud, interstate crimes, tax, immigration, certain drug and firearms cases — are prosecuted in federal district courts and served in federal custody. None of that appears in a state prison system or a county jail roster, so a search that only reaches state sources will report nothing and be technically correct while being completely wrong.
Does one call cover federal and state together?
Yes. An unscoped criminal search reaches the federal layer alongside 1,408 county jail rosters and 53 statewide prison systems, and every record reports which jurisdiction it came from. You do not have to know in advance which system a person is in — that is the entire point.
Does a federal record mean a conviction?
Read the record kind. A custody record implies a sentence and therefore a conviction. A court record carries the disposition, which is the authoritative statement of how a case ended. A warrant means someone is sought and nothing has been tested. These are different claims and our results label which one you are looking at.
What do I get that a single federal lookup does not give me?
One call instead of one system at a time. A federal record arrives in the same schema as county and state records, scored against the person you asked about, with a citation attached and a report of how many jurisdictions were searched — which is what makes it usable inside software, and defensible in a file, rather than a page you read and retype.
Can I search federal inmates by name only?
Yes. A name is enough to start. Adding a birth year or date of birth narrows the results and gives each match a stronger label.
How much does a federal inmate search cost?
A Background Check is $9.99, paid once: the name plus where the person lives or works, across federal custody, state prisons, county jails, courts and the sex offender registries.
Can I keep watching for a federal record?
Criminal monitoring for a person is available on the same account: you are told when a matching record appears or changes. It is billed per person per month.
What if the person was moved between facilities?
A custody record reflects the facility the federal system published at the time it was checked. Transfers are common, so confirm the current location with the facility before visiting or sending anything.
Can I use it for screening?
Not for a job, a tenancy or credit. Results are for your own information and are not a consumer report; those decisions need an FCRA-regulated check with the person's consent.
Federal inmate search API. The federal layer in the same schema as county and state records, one call, a citation on every record.
$0.15 per call with volume tiers. See every jurisdiction.