AL · Find someone in custody

How do I find someone in jail or prison in Alabama?

Take a breath. You can find where your person is being held in Alabama using official sources — here is exactly where to look and what to have ready.

State locator: Alabama Department of Corrections
VINELink: Covers Alabama
Last verified: 2026-07-23
Jurisdiction: Alabama

Which system is holding them in Alabama?

There is no single search that covers everyone. Match the situation to the right official locator — most families start with the first one.

If the arrest was recent

Start with the county jail

Someone who was just arrested is almost always in a COUNTY or city JAIL run by the local sheriff or police, not in state prison, so the ADOC locator will not show them.

Alabama's 67 county jails are run independently and there is no single statewide jail roster.

Many county sheriffs post their own online jail/booking roster ('inmate roster' or 'who's in jail'), but coverage and formats vary, and the smallest jails may have nothing online.

The reliable paths for a recent arrest are the county sheriff's own jail roster, VINE, or calling the jail's booking desk.

Most larger Alabama county sheriff's offices publish an online jail roster, but there is no unified statewide county-jail search; for smaller counties you may have to call the jail directly.

Search VINELink (choose Alabama)

If they were sentenced to prison

Use the state prison locator

The official ADOC Inmate Search lets anyone look up a person currently in Alabama state prison custody.

Search by last and first name, or by the inmate's AIS (Alabama Institutional Serial) number, which returns the most exact match.

It shows only people sentenced to and held by the state prison system; it does NOT include people in county or city jails, people just arrested, or juveniles.

Central Records can help by phone at (334) 353-3883.

Open the Alabama inmate locator

If the charge is federal

Search the Federal Bureau of Prisons

A federal charge means the person is in the federal system, not a Alabama state or county facility. Search the Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator by name or register number — it is separate from every state and county tool.

Search the Federal BOP locator

Finding your person in Alabama, step by step

Work through these in order. Each step points to an official source — you do the searching there, on the government site.

Step 1

Figure out which system is likely holding them

A person arrested in the last hours or days is almost always in the county or city jail where the arrest happened. A person already sentenced and transferred is in a state prison. A person facing federal charges is in federal custody. Match the situation to the right official locator below.
Step 2

For a recent arrest, check the county jail roster or VINE

Look up the sheriff's office for the county where the arrest happened and check its online jail roster if it has one. Or use VINE at vinelink.com, the national custody-status system, which pulls near-real-time booking information from participating Alabama jails and prisons and lets you register free for alerts when custody status changes.
Official source
Step 3

For a sentenced person, search the state prison locator

Use the Alabama Department of Corrections Inmate Search and enter the full name or AIS number. It covers only people in Alabama state prison custody, not county jails or brand-new arrests.
Official source
Step 4

If the charge is federal, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons locator

The federal BOP inmate locator at bop.gov covers people held in federal custody and is separate from state and county systems.
Official source
Step 5

If no online roster shows them, call the facility's booking or records line

Smaller Alabama jails may not post inmates online, and someone booked in the last few hours may not appear yet. Call the county sheriff's booking or records desk and ask whether the person was booked, their booking number, any bond amount, and the next court date. County court contacts are on the Alabama Judicial System site.
Official source

What you’ll need to search

You can start with just a name, but these make a match faster and surer.

The person's full legal name, plus any middle name, maiden name, alias, or spelling variations (common names return many results).
Their date of birth, which official locators use to tell apart people with similar names.
If you have it, the assigned booking, AIS, or DOC number, which returns the most exact match, though a name search is enough to start.

Use official, free sources — and a few things to watch for

Use only official government sources: the ADOC locator, the county sheriff's own jail roster, VINE at vinelink.com, or the Federal Bureau of Prisons. All are free.
Be wary of paid 'inmate search' and mugshot websites that rank high in search results. They often charge fees for information the official sites provide free and may show stale, incomplete, or already-expunged records.
Custody information changes constantly. A person booked in the last few hours may not appear online yet; if you cannot find them, call the facility's booking or records line directly.

If you need to bail them out in Alabama

Finding the person comes first. Once you know where they are, this is how getting them out works in Alabama.

Commercial bail available

In Alabama, commercial bail exists. If a judge sets money bail, it can be posted in cash directly with the court or through a licensed bail bond agent for a fee. A judge may also release the person on their own recognizance or on set conditions, so ask the court or the jail what applies before paying anyone.

Alabama uses a money-bail system.

After an arrest, a judicial officer sets bail, often guided by a bail schedule under the Alabama Rules of Criminal Procedure (Rule 7).

Bail can be satisfied in several ways: release on personal recognizance or an unsecured appearance bond for lower-level matters; a cash bond or property bond posted directly with the court; or a surety (bail) bond posted for a fee by a licensed bail bond agent or company.

Commercial bail bondsmen legally operate in Alabama, and professional surety bail is regulated through the Alabama Department of Insurance.

Under Aniah's Law, a state constitutional amendment ratified in 2022, a judge may, after a hearing, deny bail entirely for certain serious violent offenses, so pretrial release is not guaranteed in every case.

When a surety bail bond is used, the bail bond company charges a non-refundable fee (premium), commonly a percentage of the face amount of the bond. Cash or property posted directly with the court is returned, less any court costs or fees, once the case's bail conditions are met.

The person’s rights. The person in custody has the right to talk to a lawyer about their case, and if they cannot afford one, the court can appoint a public defender.

Other official Alabama contacts

County jails are run by the sheriff where the arrest happened — call that jail’s booking or records line for a very recent booking or the bail amount. These statewide sources can also help.

If there is also a warrant to deal with

Two companion guides pick up where this one leaves off — checking for a warrant, and resolving it on your own terms.

Check for a warrant in Alabama Worried the person has an open warrant too? Check first, state by state. Resolve a warrant in Alabama If they need to resolve a warrant, this walks through turning yourself in calmly.

Common questions about finding someone in Alabama

How do I find someone who was just arrested in Alabama?

Someone who was just arrested is almost always in a COUNTY or city JAIL run by the local sheriff or police, not in state prison, so the ADOC locator will not show them. Alabama's 67 county jails are run independently and there is no single statewide jail roster. Many county sheriffs post their own online jail/booking roster ('inmate roster' or 'who's in jail'), but coverage and formats vary, and the smallest jails may have nothing online. The reliable paths for a recent arrest are the county sheriff's own jail roster, VINE, or calling the jail's booking desk.

How do I find someone in state prison in Alabama?

The official ADOC Inmate Search lets anyone look up a person currently in Alabama state prison custody. Search by last and first name, or by the inmate's AIS (Alabama Institutional Serial) number, which returns the most exact match. It shows only people sentenced to and held by the state prison system; it does NOT include people in county or city jails, people just arrested, or juveniles. Central Records can help by phone at (334) 353-3883.

Is there a free way to check if someone is in custody in Alabama?

Yes. VINELink (the free national custody service) covers Alabama. Search by name for custody status and register for free alerts. County jail rosters and the state locator are also free and official.

What do I need to look someone up in Alabama?

The person's full legal name, plus any middle name, maiden name, alias, or spelling variations (common names return many results). Their date of birth, which official locators use to tell apart people with similar names. If you have it, the assigned booking, AIS, or DOC number, which returns the most exact match, though a name search is enough to start.

Does Alabama have commercial bail bondsmen?

Yes. Commercial bail exists in Alabama: if a judge sets money bail, it can be posted in cash with the court or through a licensed bail bond agent for a fee, and a judge may also grant own-recognizance or conditional release.

Sources & last verified

Everything here links out to official government or public-safety sources. We don’t store, search, or republish records.

Last verified 2026-07-23 · 8 sources