NJ · Find someone in custody

How do I find someone in jail or prison in New Jersey?

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

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

Which system is holding them in New Jersey?

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 New Jersey is held in a county jail (county correctional facility) run by the county, not in state prison.

County jails are operated by each of the 21 counties, and online rosters are inconsistent.

The good news for New Jersey: VINE is statewide — New Jersey VINE (VINELink) has covered custody status in state prison and all 21 county jails since 2006, so you can check custody status and register for release/transfer/escape notifications in one place.

If a very recent booking is not yet in VINE, call the county correctional facility's booking/records line.

New Jersey VINE covers all 21 county jails plus state prisons, so it is usually the best single starting point for a county-jail arrest; individual county correctional facilities (for example Essex, Bergen, Camden, Middlesex) may also post their own inmate lookup.

Search VINELink (choose New Jersey)

If they were sentenced to prison

Use the state prison locator

Official statewide search for people sentenced to and held in New Jersey state prison (NJ Department of Corrections).

Search by offender name, SBI number, or DOC ID.

This covers state-prison inmates — NOT someone just arrested and held in a county jail.

The tool is reached from the NJ DOC homepage via the 'Offender Search Engine' link.

Open the New Jersey 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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey, 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 they most likely are

Arrested in the last hours or days → the county jail (county correctional facility) for the county of arrest. Already sentenced to state time → New Jersey state prison (use the NJ DOC Offender Search Engine). Held on a federal charge → U.S. federal custody (use the Federal Bureau of Prisons locator).
Step 2

Check New Jersey VINE first for a recent arrest

New Jersey VINE covers all 21 county jails and state prison, so start there to find custody status and register for notifications. Search by name.
Official source
Step 3

Search New Jersey state prison if the person was sentenced

Use the NJ DOC Offender Search Engine by name, SBI number, or DOC ID to confirm a state-prison location and status.
Official source
Step 4

Check federal custody if it is a federal charge

Use the Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator, which covers people in federal custody from 1982 to the present.
Official source
Step 5

If a very recent booking is not shown, call the county jail

Call the county correctional facility's booking/records line for the county where the arrest happened and ask whether the person has been booked, plus their booking number, charges, any bail amount, and the next court date.
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, nicknames, or maiden name
Date of birth — helps confirm identity when the name is common
A booking number, SBI number, or DOC ID if you already have one
The county where the arrest happened, so you know which county jail to check

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

Use only official sources: New Jersey VINE, the county correctional facility, the NJ DOC Offender Search Engine, or the Federal BOP locator. Records can lag right after a booking.
Avoid paid 'inmate search' and 'mugshot' sites — they charge fees, often show stale or expunged information, and are not authoritative.
Appearing on a jail roster is not a finding of guilt; do not repost a person's booking photo or details.
A very recent arrest may not be in VINE yet — if in doubt, call the county jail's booking line.

If you need to bail them out in New Jersey

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

Commercial bail available

In New Jersey, 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.

New Jersey's Criminal Justice Reform Act, effective January 1, 2017, largely replaced money bail with a risk-based pretrial release system.

After a complaint-warrant arrest, a pretrial risk assessment (the Public Safety Assessment) informs a judge's decision, and most defendants are released on their own recognizance or on nonmonetary conditions (such as reporting, monitoring, or restrictions), or, for the most serious cases, held after a detention hearing.

Monetary bail can still be set, but only in limited circumstances, so it is now uncommon.

Because money bail is rarely set, the commercial bail-bond industry that once operated in New Jersey has largely receded; bail bond agents remain licensed by the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance, but a bondsman is no longer the usual path to release.

Most tickets and minor offenses are handled by municipal courts; indictable (felony-level) matters are handled by the Superior Court.

In most New Jersey cases no money bail is set, so there is no bondsman and no premium; release is on recognizance or nonmonetary conditions through the pretrial services system. In the limited situations where monetary bail is set, it may be satisfied by a deposit or cash posted with the court, or, where used, a commercial surety bond through a licensed bail bond agent for a non-refundable premium (commonly around 10 percent). Confirm what applies with the specific court.

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

Common questions about finding someone in New Jersey

How do I find someone who was just arrested in New Jersey?

Someone just arrested in New Jersey is held in a county jail (county correctional facility) run by the county, not in state prison. County jails are operated by each of the 21 counties, and online rosters are inconsistent. The good news for New Jersey: VINE is statewide — New Jersey VINE (VINELink) has covered custody status in state prison and all 21 county jails since 2006, so you can check custody status and register for release/transfer/escape notifications in one place. If a very recent booking is not yet in VINE, call the county correctional facility's booking/records line.

How do I find someone in state prison in New Jersey?

Official statewide search for people sentenced to and held in New Jersey state prison (NJ Department of Corrections). Search by offender name, SBI number, or DOC ID. This covers state-prison inmates — NOT someone just arrested and held in a county jail. The tool is reached from the NJ DOC homepage via the 'Offender Search Engine' link.

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

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

The person's full legal name, plus any aliases, nicknames, or maiden name Date of birth — helps confirm identity when the name is common A booking number, SBI number, or DOC ID if you already have one The county where the arrest happened, so you know which county jail to check

Does New Jersey have commercial bail bondsmen?

Yes. Commercial bail exists in New Jersey: 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