inmate.solutions

NY · Find someone in custody

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

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

State locator
NYS DOCCS Incarcerated Lookup
VINELink
Covers New York
Last verified
2026-07-23
Jurisdiction
New York

Which system is holding them in New York?

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

In New York, someone who was just arrested and not released is held in a LOCAL jail, not a state prison, so the DOCCS Incarcerated Lookup will not show a brand-new arrest.

In New York City (the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island) that means a New York City Department of Correction (NYC DOC) facility such as Rikers Island; use the NYC DOC Inmate Lookup Service (Person In Custody / P.I.C.

Lookup) and search by first and last name.

Outside NYC, the person is in the COUNTY JAIL run by the county sheriff, and some sheriffs post an online jail roster.

New York also participates in the national VINE system (New York VINE), a free way to check custody status and register for alerts (search at vinelink.com).

For a very recent booking or bail details, call the facility's booking or records line.

In New York City, use the NYC DOC Inmate Lookup Service (a073-ils-web.nyc.gov/inmatelookup). In the other 57 counties, jails are run by the county sheriff and some post an online roster. Use New York VINE or the sheriff's roster, and call the jail's booking/records line for recent bookings and bail amounts.

Search VINELink (choose New York)

If they were sentenced to prison

Use the state prison locator

The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) runs the official Incarcerated Lookup, which covers people held in the state's DOCCS correctional facilities.

Search by name, by Department Identification Number (DIN), by New York State Identification Number (NYSID), or by date of birth; results are pulled from the live DOCCS database and are generally available 24 hours a day except for a brief nightly maintenance window around 11:45 pm ET.

DOCCS state prison is for adults convicted of felonies and sentenced beyond county-jail limits, so it does NOT include people in local county jails or in New York City jails.

Someone just arrested will generally not appear here.

Open the New York 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 York 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 York, step by step

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

  1. Step 1

    Figure out where the person is likely held

    If they were arrested recently and not released, they are in a LOCAL jail: in New York City that is a NYC Department of Correction facility (e.g., Rikers Island); outside NYC it is the COUNTY JAIL run by the sheriff where the arrest happened. If they were already sentenced to state prison, they are in the NYS DOCCS system. If the charge is federal, they are in federal custody (use the Federal Bureau of Prisons locator).

    Official source

  2. Step 2

    For a recent arrest in New York City, use the NYC DOC Inmate Lookup Service

    The NYC Department of Correction Inmate Lookup Service (Person In Custody / P.I.C. Lookup) shows people currently in NYC DOC custody. Search by first and last name. It shows only people currently in custody, so someone booked very recently may not appear yet.

    Official source

  3. Step 3

    For a recent arrest outside New York City, use New York VINE or the county sheriff's jail roster

    Search VINELink (New York VINE) by name and register for free custody-status alerts, or look up the county sheriff's online jail roster for the county where the arrest happened. If nothing shows yet, call the county jail's booking or records line to confirm custody and bail.

    Official source

  4. Step 4

    For a sentenced state-prison inmate, use the DOCCS Incarcerated Lookup

    Use the NYS DOCCS Incarcerated Lookup and enter the name, DIN, NYSID, or date of birth to confirm the state facility and custody status.

    Official source

  5. 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, city, 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 (aliases matter especially for NYC DOC, which searches on the name given at booking).
  • Date of birth, which helps confirm the right person when names match.
  • A DOCCS DIN or NYSID number, or a county/city 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: the DOCCS Incarcerated Lookup for state prison, the NYC DOC Inmate Lookup Service for New York City jails, and New York VINE or the county sheriff's roster for county jails, or a call to the facility. Confirm a match by full name and date of birth, since name-only matches are common.
  • The DOCCS lookup is state-prison only and will not show a brand-new local or NYC arrest; the NYC DOC lookup shows only people currently in custody, not past detentions.
  • 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 jail's booking or records line.
  • This tool only links to official sources. It does not store, search, or republish any inmate records itself.

If you need to bail them out in New York

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

Commercial bail available

In New York, 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 York substantially reformed pretrial release effective January 1, 2020 (with amendments in April 2020 and 2022).

For most misdemeanors and non-violent felonies, cash bail and pretrial detention are no longer permitted: the court must release the person on their own recognizance or under the least restrictive non-monetary conditions.

For a defined set of bail-eligible ('qualifying') offenses, a judge may still set bail; when a judge fixes bail they must offer at least three different forms, which include cash bail, an insurance-company (commercial) bail bond, and a partially secured or unsecured surety bond.

Commercial bail bond agents legally operate in New York and are licensed by the New York State Department of Financial Services.

New York is also the only state where judges are not permitted to explicitly assess a defendant's 'dangerousness' when setting bail.

New York caps commercial bail bond premiums by statute (Insurance Law Section 6804): 10% of the first $3,000 of the bond, 8% of the amount from $3,000 to $10,000, and 6% of any amount over $10,000, with a minimum charge of $10 when the bond is under $200. This premium is non-refundable. Cash bail posted with the court is refundable (less any fees) if you make all appearances. For most misdemeanors and non-violent felonies there is no bail at all, so no premium applies.

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 York 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.

Common questions about finding someone in New York

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

In New York, someone who was just arrested and not released is held in a LOCAL jail, not a state prison, so the DOCCS Incarcerated Lookup will not show a brand-new arrest. In New York City (the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island) that means a New York City Department of Correction (NYC DOC) facility such as Rikers Island; use the NYC DOC Inmate Lookup Service (Person In Custody / P.I.C. Lookup) and search by first and last name. Outside NYC, the person is in the COUNTY JAIL run by the county sheriff, and some sheriffs post an online jail roster. New York also participates in the national VINE system (New York VINE), a free way to check custody status and register for alerts (search at vinelink.com). For a very recent booking or bail details, call the facility's booking or records line.

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

The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) runs the official Incarcerated Lookup, which covers people held in the state's DOCCS correctional facilities. Search by name, by Department Identification Number (DIN), by New York State Identification Number (NYSID), or by date of birth; results are pulled from the live DOCCS database and are generally available 24 hours a day except for a brief nightly maintenance window around 11:45 pm ET. DOCCS state prison is for adults convicted of felonies and sentenced beyond county-jail limits, so it does NOT include people in local county jails or in New York City jails. Someone just arrested will generally not appear here.

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

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

The person's full legal name, plus any aliases, nickname, or maiden name (aliases matter especially for NYC DOC, which searches on the name given at booking). Date of birth, which helps confirm the right person when names match. A DOCCS DIN or NYSID number, or a county/city booking number, if you already have one (helpful but not required to search).

Does New York have commercial bail bondsmen?

Yes. Commercial bail exists in New York: 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 · 10 sources