Public Records Guides

Guides

Free, practical how-to guides for finding people and public records — starting with inmate and incarceration search.

How to Find an Inmate

Federal, state, and county — the free official locators and how to search by name.

How to Find a Federal Inmate

The Federal Bureau of Prisons locator, register numbers, and contacting federal inmates.

How to Find Someone in County Jail

Why jail detainees aren’t in the prison locators, and how to search a county jail roster.

How to Find an Inmate by Name

Locate someone in custody when all you have is a name — across every system.

Are Mugshots Public Record?

What a mugshot is, when it’s public, how to find one, and how removal works.