VA · Find someone in custody

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

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

State locator: VADOC Inmate & Supervisee Locator
VINELink: Covers Virginia
Last verified: 2026-07-23
Jurisdiction: Virginia

Which system is holding them in Virginia?

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

Virginia participates in the national VINE system (Virginia VINE), a free way to check custody status and register for alerts by phone, email, or text (search at vinelink.com or use the VINELink app).

Many Virginia local and regional jails also post an online inmate roster.

For a very recent booking or bail details, call the jail's booking or magistrate line.

Pretrial detainees in Virginia are held in city/county jails (run by the sheriff) or in multi-jurisdiction regional jails; many post an online inmate roster. Use the jail's roster or Virginia VINE, and call the jail's booking/records line for recent bookings and bail amounts.

Search VINELink (choose Virginia)

If they were sentenced to prison

Use the state prison locator

The Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) runs the official Inmate & Supervisee Locator (page title 'Inmate & Supervisee Locator - Virginia Department of Corrections').

Search by name or offender ID to review custody status, facility/location, and basic information for people in VADOC state prison custody and those under VADOC community supervision (probation/parole).

VADOC updates the locator daily and cautions the data may be inaccurate or outdated.

It does NOT include people held in local or regional jails, so someone just arrested and held in a jail will generally NOT appear here.

VADOC main line: (804) 674-3000.

Open the Virginia 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 Virginia 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 Virginia, 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

If they were arrested recently and not released, they are almost certainly in a LOCAL or REGIONAL JAIL where the arrest happened. If they were already sentenced to state prison or are on VADOC probation/parole, they are in the Virginia DOC system. If the charge is federal, they are in federal custody (use the Federal Bureau of Prisons locator).
Official source
Step 2

For a recent arrest, use Virginia VINE or the local/regional jail's roster

Search VINELink (Virginia VINE) by name and register for free custody-status alerts, or look up the online inmate roster for the city/county or regional jail where the arrest happened. If nothing shows yet, call the jail's booking or magistrate line to confirm custody and bail.
Official source
Step 3

For a sentenced state-prison inmate or someone on supervision, use the VADOC locator

Use the VADOC Inmate & Supervisee Locator and enter the name or offender ID to confirm the state facility/location and custody status. For questions you can call VADOC at (804) 674-3000.
Official source
Step 4

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 jail 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 VADOC offender ID or jail 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 VADOC Inmate & Supervisee Locator for state prison and supervision, Virginia VINE or the local/regional jail's roster for jails, or a call to the jail. Confirm a match by full name and date of birth, since name-only matches are common.
The VADOC locator does not include local/regional jail detainees, so it is not the tool for a brand-new arrest; VADOC also warns the data may be inaccurate or outdated.
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 magistrate 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 Virginia

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

Commercial bail available

In Virginia, 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.

Virginia uses money bail alongside non-monetary release, and commercial bail is common.

After arrest a person is taken before a magistrate, who may release them on personal recognizance or an unsecured bond, or set a secured bond (Code of Virginia section 19.2-120).

A secured bond can be satisfied by cash posted with the court, by a property bail bondsman, or by a surety bond through a licensed commercial bail bondsman for a fee; many localities also use Pretrial Services for supervision.

Both surety and property bail bondsmen legally operate statewide and are licensed and regulated by the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) under the Code of Virginia (Title 9.1, Chapter 1.1, Article 11).

A surety bond carries a non-refundable premium, commonly around 10 to 15 percent of the bond amount. Cash bail posted directly with the court is refundable (less fees) if you make all required appearances, and a magistrate may release you on recognizance or an unsecured bond with no money down. Ask about recognizance and local Pretrial Services supervision as alternatives to paying a bondsman.

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

Common questions about finding someone in Virginia

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

In Virginia, someone who was just arrested and not released is held in a LOCAL or REGIONAL JAIL (a city/county jail run by the sheriff, or a multi-jurisdiction regional jail authority), not a state prison, so the VADOC Inmate & Supervisee Locator will not show a brand-new arrest. Virginia participates in the national VINE system (Virginia VINE), a free way to check custody status and register for alerts by phone, email, or text (search at vinelink.com or use the VINELink app). Many Virginia local and regional jails also post an online inmate roster. For a very recent booking or bail details, call the jail's booking or magistrate line.

How do I find someone in state prison in Virginia?

The Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) runs the official Inmate & Supervisee Locator (page title 'Inmate & Supervisee Locator - Virginia Department of Corrections'). Search by name or offender ID to review custody status, facility/location, and basic information for people in VADOC state prison custody and those under VADOC community supervision (probation/parole). VADOC updates the locator daily and cautions the data may be inaccurate or outdated. It does NOT include people held in local or regional jails, so someone just arrested and held in a jail will generally NOT appear here. VADOC main line: (804) 674-3000.

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

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

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 VADOC offender ID or jail booking number if you already have one (helpful but not required to search).

Does Virginia have commercial bail bondsmen?

Yes. Commercial bail exists in Virginia: 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