Find an inmate in Massachusetts

Which system is holding them in Massachusetts?

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 just arrested in Massachusetts is usually held at the arresting police department's lockup right after arrest, then in the COUNTY House of Correction / jail run by the county sheriff pending arraignment and bail — not in a state DOC prison.

Massachusetts VINE participation is LIMITED: the state DOC participates, but county House of Correction participation has historically been inconsistent (for example, Essex County), so a person held in a county jail may NOT appear in VINE.

For a recent county arrest, the reliable step is to call that county sheriff's office / House of Correction directly to confirm custody, booking, and bail; if the person was only just arrested, call the arresting police department.

County House of Correction participation in Massachusetts VINE is inconsistent, so VINELink may not show a county-held person. Contact the county sheriff's office for the county where the arrest happened; there is no single statewide county-jail roster.

Search VINELink (choose Massachusetts)

If they were sentenced to prison

Use the state prison locator

Massachusetts does not run its own standalone public web 'inmate locator.' The state's official 'Find an inmate in a Massachusetts prison' page (mass.gov) directs the public to VINELink, a state-contracted service, to locate people held in Massachusetts Department of Correction (DOC) facilities.

Search by the person's full first and last name or their commitment number; you can also call VINELink at 1-866-277-7477.

VINELink shows location and custody status and can send free notifications when status changes.

Note: Massachusetts is restrictive with criminal records (CORI), but custody location for DOC inmates is available through VINELink.

Open the Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts, 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 where the person is likely held

Immediately after arrest they may be at the arresting police department's lockup, then held at the COUNTY House of Correction (county jail) run by the sheriff pending arraignment/bail. If they were sentenced to state prison, they are in Massachusetts DOC custody. If the charge is federal, they are in federal custody (use the Federal Bureau of Prisons locator).
Official source
Step 2

For a state-prison (DOC) inmate, search VINELink

VINELink is the method the Massachusetts DOC directs the public to use. Search by full name or commitment number, or call 1-866-277-7477. You can also register for free custody-status alerts.
Official source
Step 3

For a recent county arrest, contact the county sheriff's office / House of Correction

Because county participation in Massachusetts VINE is inconsistent, call the sheriff's office for the county where the arrest happened to confirm whether the person is in custody, the booking date, and the bail amount. Have the full legal name and date of birth ready.
Official source
Step 4

If they were only just arrested, call the arresting police department

Very recent arrestees may still be at a municipal police department or a Massachusetts State Police barracks lockup before transfer. Call that department's booking or records line to confirm.
Official source
Step 5

For a federal arrest, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator

If the charge is federal, search the BOP inmate locator by name or register number instead of the state or county tools.
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 aliases, nickname, or maiden name.
Date of birth, which helps confirm the right person when names match.
A commitment or booking number if you already have one (helpful but not required to search).

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

Use only official sources: VINELink for DOC inmates, or the county sheriff's office / House of Correction for county-held people. Confirm a match by full name and date of birth, since name-only matches are common.
Massachusetts VINE does not reliably cover every county jail, so a 'no result' in VINELink does not mean the person is not in custody — call the county sheriff to be sure.
Be wary of paid data-broker 'inmate search' and mugshot sites. They are not official, often charge fees, and may show stale, incomplete, or expunged records.
Custody data can lag. Someone booked within the last few hours may not appear online yet; if an official source shows nothing, call the county sheriff or arresting police department.
This tool only links to official sources. It does not store, search, or republish any inmate records itself.

How release works in Massachusetts

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

No commercial bail

In Massachusetts, there is no commercial bail-bond industry — there is no bondsman to hire and no premium to pay. A judge decides whether the person is released, often on their own recognizance or on set conditions, and any money bail the court orders is paid directly to the court.

Massachusetts effectively has no commercial bail-bond industry; commercial bail-bond services have effectively ended in the state (reported since about 2014).

After an arrest, bail is decided by a judge in court or, when court is not in session, by a bail magistrate (also called a bail commissioner) — a court-designated official, not a private bondsman — under the state's bail statute (M.G.L. c.

276).

Most people are released on personal recognizance (a written promise to appear) or on cash bail, which is posted directly with the court or the jail and is returned at the end of the case if the person makes all required appearances.

A bail magistrate who sets bail outside court hours charges a fixed statutory fee for that service.

Under the Supreme Judicial Court's 2017 decision in Brangan v.

Commonwealth, a judge who sets cash bail must consider the person's financial resources and ability to pay.

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

Common questions about finding someone in Massachusetts

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

Someone just arrested in Massachusetts is usually held at the arresting police department's lockup right after arrest, then in the COUNTY House of Correction / jail run by the county sheriff pending arraignment and bail — not in a state DOC prison. Massachusetts VINE participation is LIMITED: the state DOC participates, but county House of Correction participation has historically been inconsistent (for example, Essex County), so a person held in a county jail may NOT appear in VINE. For a recent county arrest, the reliable step is to call that county sheriff's office / House of Correction directly to confirm custody, booking, and bail; if the person was only just arrested, call the arresting police department.

How do I find someone in state prison in Massachusetts?

Massachusetts does not run its own standalone public web 'inmate locator.' The state's official 'Find an inmate in a Massachusetts prison' page (mass.gov) directs the public to VINELink, a state-contracted service, to locate people held in Massachusetts Department of Correction (DOC) facilities. Search by the person's full first and last name or their commitment number; you can also call VINELink at 1-866-277-7477. VINELink shows location and custody status and can send free notifications when status changes. Note: Massachusetts is restrictive with criminal records (CORI), but custody location for DOC inmates is available through VINELink.

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

Yes. VINELink (the free national custody service) covers Massachusetts. 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 Massachusetts?

The person's full legal name, plus any aliases, nickname, or maiden name. Date of birth, which helps confirm the right person when names match. A commitment or booking number if you already have one (helpful but not required to search).

Does Massachusetts have commercial bail bondsmen?

No. Massachusetts has no commercial bail-bond industry, so there is no bondsman to hire and no premium to pay. A judge decides release, commonly on recognizance or on conditions, and any money bail is paid directly to the court.

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

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