Mississippi Inmate Search

As of January 15, 2025, the daily inmate population in all Mississippi correctional facilities was 19,105. This figure is 87% of the total capacity of the state's correctional institutions (21,952). The largest correctional facilities in Mississippi are the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, South Mississippi Correctional Institution, Mississippi State Penitentiary, and Walnut Grove CCF, with 2,928, 2,882, 2,690, and 1,940 capacities. Per county jail, Marshall, Hinds, and Greene counties have the largest capacities.

Despite the large capacities of correctional facilities and the prison population in Mississippi, anyone may find an inmate by performing an inmate search in Mississippi. Inmate searches for persons housed in local county jails are available using county inmate search tools typically available on the county website. However, if you want to find an inmate in state-operated correctional institutions, you may use the inmate search tool on the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) website.

Inmate search tools (both at the county and state levels) are crucial for locating individuals within the Mississippi prison system. They help families stay connected with their incarcerated loved ones, and also ensure transparency in the criminal justice system, allowing the public to verify inmate status and location.

What is Mississippi Inmate Lookup?

Mississippi inmate lookup is the process of finding publicly available information about an incarcerated person in the state's prisons or jail. Anyone looking to find an inmate in Mississippi may use the MDOC inmate search tool to complete a search. However, if an inmate is located in a county jail, the inmate lookup process must be completed using the inmate lookup tool available on the county website in the jurisdiction where the inmate is held.

Mississippi inmate lookup tools provide the public including legal professionals, law enforcement, family members of inmates, and the general public with easy access to important information about inmates.

What Information Can You Find in a Mississippi Inmate Search?

Individuals who conduct inmate searches in Mississippi will typically find the following information:

• Inmate's full name
• Inmate's MDOC ID Number
• Inmate's prison term
• Inmate's offense information
• Inmate's location
• Inmate's mugshot
• Inmate's race, date of birth, gender, hair color, weight, height, and eye color
• Inmate's build
• Inmate's unit in the correctional facility
• Inmate's location change date
• Inmate's entry date
• Inmate's tentative release date

How Are Inmate Records in Mississippi Created and Stored?

All types of law enforcement create Mississippi inmate records as they move an offender through the justice system. The process begins when a suspect is arrested, and the local police or Sheriff's Office fills out a RAP sheet. The RAP sheet contains the offender's name, address, crime details, and usually a mug shot. After that everything that happens in the inmate's life is recorded and added to the file. The Mississippi Department of Corrections is the agency in charge of storing and maintaining inmate records. They keep them in a centralized database making an inmate search quick and easy.

What Does Mississippi's Prison System Look Like?

Mississippi's prison system comprises a few state prisons, county jails, private facilities, community work centers, restitution centers, and transitional housing centers. These facilities are managed by the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC).

The state operates three main prisons: the Mississippi State Penitentiary, Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, and South Mississippi Correctional Institution. The Mississippi State Penitentiary (MSP), established in 1901, holds the distinction of being the state's oldest correctional facility. Spread over approximately 18,000 acres in Parchman, Sunflower County, it features 2,542 beds, 52 support buildings, and seven housing units. These housing units vary in size, with Unit 42 (the hospital) having 56 beds and Unit 30 the largest unit, with 856 beds.

MSP is designated for male offenders under classifications such as protective custody, close custody, restrictive housing, extended restrictive housing, and death row. The facility operates at minimum, medium, and close custody levels.

In addition to state prisons, Mississippi relies on county jails to detain individuals serving short sentences or awaiting trial. Private prisons also play a role in housing inmates, operating under contracts with the MDOC to alleviate overcrowding in state facilities. Community work centers, designed for low-risk offenders, focus on rehabilitation through employment and public service initiatives.

The state maintains detailed Mississippi prison records, which include information about inmates' incarceration, charges, and sentencing. These records are accessible via the MDOC and are essential for managing the corrections system and ensuring transparency.

Types of Correctional Facilities in Mississippi

Mississippi has only seven state prisons to house felons for long-term stays. Only one of the state facilities houses youth offenders and women (CMCF). The state also has fifteen regional facilities that house long and short-term stay inmates. Mississippi contracts with two private prisons for additional beds and support. One of the state prisons also serves as a youth detention center. Two federal prisons reside in the state of Mississippi. The Department of Corrections also observes seventy "approved" county jails and dozens of "unapproved". The entire system, except for federal prisons, is overseen by the Mississippi Department of Corrections.

Mississippi State Prisons

The state of Mississippi has only seven correctional facilities. They house inmates on death row, youth offenders, long-term stay prisoners, and both male and female offenders. The correctional facilities in Mississippi are:

• Central Mississippi Correctional Facility
• Delta Correctional Facility
• Marshall County Correctional Facility
• Mississippi Correctional Institute for Women
• Mississippi State Penitentiary
• South Mississippi Correctional Institution
• Walnut Grove Correctional Facility

Private correctional facilities in the state include:

• East Mississippi Correctional Facility
• Wilkinson County Correctional Facility

Mississippi County Jails

Mississippi has seventy approved county jails and dozens of other unapproved jails. The approved jails work with the Department of Corrections holding prisoners when needed. This arrangement is to prevent overcrowding. The list of approved county jails includes:

• Adams
• Alcorn
• Attala
• Bolivar
• Calhoun
• Carroll
• Chickasaw
• Choctaw
• Clarke
• Clay
• Coahoma
• Copiah
• DeSoto
• Forrest
• George
• Greene
• Grenada
• Hancock
• Harrison
• Hinds
• Holmes
• Humphreys
• Issaquena
• Itawamba
• Jackson
• Jasper
• Jefferson
• Jefferson-Davis
• Jones
• Kemper
• Lafayette
• Lamar
• Lauderdale
• Lawrence
• Leake
• Lee
• Leflore
• Lincoln
• Lowndes
• Madison
• Marion
• Marshall
• Montgomery
• Neshoba
• Newton
• Noxubee
• Oktibbeha
• Panola
• Pearl River
• Perry
• Pike
• Pontotoc
• Prentiss
• Quitman
• Rankin
• Scott
• Simpson
• Smith
• Stone
• Sunflower
• Tallahatchie
• Tippah
• Tishomingo
• Union
• Walthall
• Warren
• Webster
• Wilkinson
• Winston
• Yazoo

Mississippi Juvenile Detention Centers

The Central Mississippi Correctional Facility has a separate unit called the Youthful Offender Unit (YOU) which houses youth offenders, under the age of 18. It was opened in 2012. Along with supervision and rehabilitation, it offers "Academic Classes, Vocational Programs, Mental Health Counseling, Psychological and Psychiatric Services on a group and individual basis, Alcohol and Drug Treatment, Social Services, Religious and Recreational Services."

Mississippi Community Correctional Facilities

Community correctional facilities in Mississippi are designed to provide alternatives to incarceration and help offenders reintegrate into society. These facilities offer various programs and services aimed at rehabilitation and reducing recidivism.

Community corrections centers in the state include:

• Alacorn Satellite Facility
• Bolivar Satellite Facility
• Delta TVC
• Forrest Satellite Facility
• Forrest Satellite Facility (RRP)
• George Satellite Facility
• Harrison Satellite Facility
• Jackson Satellite Facility
• Jefferson Satellite Facility
• Madison Satellite Facility
• Madison Satellite Facility (RRP)
• Noxubee Satellite Facility
• Pike Satellite Facility
• Quitman Satellite Facility
• Rankin Satellite Facility
• Rankin Satellite Facility (RRP)
• Flowood TVC
• Washington Satellite Facility
• Wilkinson Satellite Facility
• Wilkinson TVC
• Yazoo Satellite Facility

Why are People Incarcerated in Mississippi?

Although offenses are broadly classified as violent and non-violent crimes, the majority of offenses committed by inmates in Mississippi prisons and jails may be categorized as drug-related crimes, non-violent crimes, sex crimes, and violent crimes. Per the 2022 annual report of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, 45.51% of the crimes committed by the state's inmate population were violent offenses. Drug-related offenses account for 21.87%, while non-violent offenses account for 18.13% of the crimes for which inmates were convicted and sentenced.

Mississippi's focus is not only on ensuring that fair justice and penalty is meted out to offenders, the state also works on rehabilitating offenders to ensure that transitioning back into society after release is not challenging for inmates.

Incarcerated persons in the Bayou State may be found using the Mississippi inmate search resource on the DOC website. Inmate searches are useful in finding current information about inmates such as charges, sentencing details, and the correctional facility where inmates are housed.

Mississippi's Incarceration Rate and Statistics

While the prison population in Mississippi dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has seen a slight increase from the numbers recorded in the pre-COVID era to about 19,000 in recent years. Similarly, incarceration rates have followed a similar trend.

The table below shows Mississippi's year-end incarceration rate over a 5-year period.

Life After Incarceration in Mississippi

Persons released from Mississippi's prisons may face several barriers that may limit or slow down their transition back into society. Some of the barriers faced by released inmates include securing employment, rebuilding social and familial relationships, and finding stable housing.

To address these challenges, the State of Mississippi and other organizations offer several reentry programs designed to support individuals transitioning from incarceration back into the community. The Mississippi DOC provides access to specific resources to inmates before release. Some of these resources include clothing, transitional housing, Medicaid benefits for eligible pre-release inmates, a 6-month provisional driver's license, a child support assistance program, and the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP).

Another program, the Mississippi Center for Reentry, focuses on releasing nonviolent Desoto County residents by providing resources and support that may create pathways to successful reentry for eligible persons. Also, the Mississippi Offender Reentry Experience (M.O.R.E.), is a faith-based program that offers housing, job placement services, and various instructional courses in education, life skills, addiction recovery, and financial management.

Despite these efforts, Mississippi's 33% recidivism rate placed it 25th in the United States as of 2022. Also, the state's three-year recidivism rate was estimated at 36.8% in 2024, while the five-year recidivism rate was put at 77% in the same year.

How Does Parole Work in Mississippi?

Mississippi has dozens of parole offices throughout the state. The Mississippi State Parole Board has full authority to decide whether or not a prisoner is granted parole. If the inmate has behaved well and they do not pose a danger to society, they may be released early on parole. If they are, they still have to comply with strict rules and be supervised by a parole officer. If they violate any of the parole board's rules, they will go back to prison.

Mississippi Parole Population in 2022

How Does Someone Get Probation in Mississippi?

A judge in Mississippi has the option of ordering probation instead of prison for low-risk offenders. This means the person is free to resume normal life but with stipulations such as checking in with a parole officer, agreeing to routine drug tests, and other things. If they do not comply with even one of these items, they will immediately be arrested and sent to prison.

Mississippi Probation Population in 2022