How to Send Money to an Inmate in a Prison or Jail
Table of Contents
What is California Inmate Search?
A California inmate search is an avenue for finding detailed information about anyone confined within the state's correctional centers, including state prisons, county jails, and city jails. This search is essential for various reasons, such as verifying if and/or where a person has been detained and facilitating the process of relating with an inmate.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) provides inmate information to interested individuals by telephone and through its Inmate Lookup tool. The CDCR's inmate lookup web service is offered without charge to the public and searches for incarcerated persons by CDCR number or last name.
Are Inmate Search Records Open to the Public in California?
California jail records are open to public disclosure and may be accessed by interested persons upon proper request, per the state's Public Records Act. Nevertheless, public access to sensitive inmate information is legally restricted, especially when ongoing investigations and personal privacy may be compromised.
How To Perform California Inmate Lookup
In California, interested members of the public can look up an incarcerated person through the CDCR's inmate search portal using their CDCR number or last name. Searching the portal with this information typically generates a list of matching names from which the specific inmate's name can then be selected. The CDCR inmate locator provides detailed information about an inmate, including full name, age, birth date, convictions, and parole hearing dates.
In addition, individuals can call CDCR's Identification Unit at (916) 445-6713 to conduct a California inmate lookup by phone or request assistance with any search-based issues.
How To Search for an Inmate in California
In California, interested parties may conduct jail inmate searches using the California Incarcerated Records and Investigation Search (CIRIS) portal, the CDCR's inmate locator tool. They should take the following steps:
- Open the CIRIS portal
- Enter the inmate's CDCR number or last name
- Click on the search button
- Select the inmate's records from the list of matching records generated
To filter the initial search results, requesters can include the inmate's first and middle name. Entering the relevant information into the "Age Range" and "Commitment County" fields can further improve the desired search outcomes.
A California inmate may also be searched by calling the CDCR's Identification Unit at (916) 445-6713 during business hours. Requesters are, however, required to provide certain information to aid the search process, such as the inmate's name, date of birth, 10-digit booking number, and the correctional facility where they are confined.
How To Conduct a Free Inmate Search in California
In California, anyone may conduct a free jail inmate search using state-sponsored tools or credible third-party websites. Most third-party inmate search platforms typically facilitate California inmate searches free of charge. It helps requesters to find persons incarcerated in any of the state's correctional institutions, including state and federal prisons, county jails, and city jails conveniently. Additional fees may, however, apply for requesters seeking more detailed inmate information.
How To Find a Federal Inmate in California
Interested individuals can search for incarcerated persons in federal prisons in California through the Federal Bureau of Prison's (BOP) Inmate Locator. The State of California has 12 federal correctional facilities, some of which include:
- Dublin FCI
- Atwater USP
- Los Angeles MDC
- Sacramento RRM
The inmate locator tool, which employs name or BOP register number as a search criterion, does not have records of federal inmates incarcerated before 1982. Requesters can, however, access such records from the National Archives Records Administration (NARA) online.
What Can You Find with State of California Inmate Search
In general, searching California jail records using the CDCR's inmate lookup tool yields information such as the following:
- Inmate's full name and nickname
- CDCR number
- Mugshots
- Gender
- Race
- Age
- Convictions incarcerated for
- Admission date
- Commitment County (the location of an inmate's correctional facility)
- Maximum sentence date
- Bail or bond conditions
- Board of Parole hearing dates and outcomes
- Eligible parole or release dates
Jail and Inmate Search in California
California, with a high incarceration rate of 494 per 100,000 people compared to the national rate of 614, has the second-highest inmate population after Texas. In 2022, about 160,189 persons were incarcerated in state and federal prisons and county jails. The total population of jail-based inmates accounted for 62,581, while 97,608 inmates made up the prison population.
Out of the total inmate population in California State prisons, approximately 20%, 28%, and 45% represent White, Black, and Hispanic, respectively. The other races account for about 2.2% of the state's prison population.
In addition to its prisons and jails, the California criminal legal system also includes juvenile detention facilities that altogether account for an estimated 4,100 youths. Finally, 44,980 parolees and 150,470 probationers, total up the population of persons under the state's correctional control.
Criminal Justice Quick Facts
California Imprisonment Rate * (per 100,000 population)
494
Probation Population
154,000
Parole Population
105,000
Racial Disparity in Incarceration Rate
Black: White Ratio: 9.2:1
Hispanic: White Ratio: 2.0:1
Juvenile Custody Rate (per 100,000 juveniles)
58
Disenfranchised Population
97,608 (0.37%)
Disenfranchised African Americans
27,273 (1.61%)
Corrections Expenditures (state/local)
$14.2 B / $3.5 B
* California incarceration rate includes statistics for prisons, jails, immigration detention, and juvenile justice facilities.
California Parole Population
In California, 52,350 parolees were recorded at the start of 2022 compared to 44,980 at the end of the year.
Paroles per 100,000 Population (2022)
Nationwide
267
California
147
Parole Total Population in California (2022)
Nationwide
698,820
California
44,980
Parole Entries and Exits (2022)
Entries
20,390
Exits
27,840
Change in 2022, in Percentage and Number
Percent
14.1%
Number
7,380
Number of Parole per 100,000 U.S. Adult Residents
Decreased by
267
California Prisons
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation manages the state's 32 prisons and 62 jails with an active staff of over 64,000 personnel. It also oversees other non-prison institutions, including conservation camps and community reentry facilities, and maintains an up-to-date list of prisons in the state.
In California, the average cost of maintaining an incarcerated person in the state's prison or jail is $133,000 annually, per the 2024-25 budget. This amount represents a significant proportion of the department's annual budget of $14.5 billion.
California's correctional system, which manages the second-highest population of incarcerated persons in the U.S., has an incarceration population of 160,189 inmates, comprising over 62,581 jail inmates and 97,608 prison inmates. Outside the population behind bars, California's community corrections system also caters to 150,470 probation inmates and 44,980 inmates on parole as of December 2022.
| Prison Name | Prison Type |
|---|---|
| Atwater USP | Federal Prison |
| Avenal State Prison | State Prison |
| California Correctional Center (CCC) | State Prison |
| California Correctional Institution (CCI) | State Prison |
| California Health Care Facility (CHCF) | State Prison |
| California Institution for Men (CIM) | State Prison |
| California Institution for Women (CIW) | State Prison |
| California Medical Facility (CMF) | State Prison |
| California Men’s Colony (CMC) | State Prison |
| California Rehabilitation Center (CRC) | State Prison |
| California State Prison (COR) | State Prison |
| California State Prison (LAC) | State Prison |
| California State Prison (SOL) | State Prison |
| California State Prison, Centinela (CEN) | State Prison |
| California State Prison, Sacramento (SAC) | State Prison |
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions regarding California inmate search:
Why Is an Inmate Not Showing Up in Search?
Various reasons exist why a California inmate's information may not show up in a search by CDCR number or last name, and some of them include:
- Incorrect information/search criteria: Incorrect spellings or using the wrong search parameters can generally hamper the process of finding an inmate's jail records in California
- Inmate status update lags: Changes in an Inmate's conditions are usually not updated immediately, causing searches to not always reflect the current inmate status. This implies that a search conducted within the processing time lag may not yield the requested records. For instance, updated jail records for an inmate who has been recently incarcerated or transferred may be unavailable for several days. Other typical causes of these delays include cases when an inmate has been released on bail, served out their sentence, or had their charges dismissed.
- Legally restricted records: Sensitive inmate records, including those that violate personal privacy rights and impede current investigations, are exempt from public access
To ensure a successful inmate search, you should do one or more of the following:
- Use correct identifying information as search criteria
- Call the CDCR's Identification Unit at (916) 445-6713 for assistance with current records
- Contact the specific correctional facility or local law enforcement to find their inmate of interest
- Visit the NARA to access older incarceration records
How Can I Check If Someone Is in Jail in California?
To check if a person is in a California jail, use the California inmate locator, the CIRIS, to search by inmate (CDCR) number or last name. Requesters may also locate California inmates by calling the CDCR Identification Unit at (916) 445-6713 to ascertain if an individual is confined in a state prison or jail. In addition, persons in jail can be located through the inmate locators hosted on respective sheriff's department websites or in-person visits to local jails.
How Can I Conduct a California Prison Inmate Search?
A California prison inmate search may be conducted through the CIRIS, the CDCR's inmate search portal, or by phone. Additionally, third-party inmate locator services, including RecordsFinder, serve as reliable online alternatives for conducting California inmate searches.
