New York Inmate Search

Start your FREE search
The following is for informational purposes only

Table of Contents

How Are Inmate Records in New York Created and Stored?

Inmate records in New York are created when someone is first arrested. It starts with a RAP sheet which documents the suspect’s name, address, phone, physical description, and crime details. Then everything else that happens to the inmate is recorded and added to the file. The New York State Department of Corrections is the entity in charge of maintaining and storing all inmate records. They keep them online and searchable so that anyone may conduct an inmate search day or night. They even have a handy inmate locator feature right on their website to make finding someone in a New York prison easy. 

How to Perform a New York Inmate Locator?

The New York State Department of Corrections makes it very easy for anyone to lookup an inmate in prison in New York. The process for finding someone in jail may be different. Follow the instructions below to find an inmate in a New York prison:

  1. Visit the New York State Department of Corrections website .
  2. From the main menu, choose, “Offenders,” and then “Inmate Lookup.”
  3. Enter the person’s name. You can also enter the birth year, DIN or NYSID.
  4. Click the “Submit” button.
  5. Review the results which will show the person’s DIN, name, gender, birth date, status, facility, and race. 
  6. Click on any DIN for additional details about the inmate.

To easily locate New York criminal records, arrests reports, convictions, incarcerations, inmate records, or any other public records, try the Infotracer search engine tool. 

What Does New York’s Prison System Look Like?

The New York State prison system is relatively extensive, with a lot of state-run facilities. There are also local and federal facilities. The New York State Department of Corrections and Commissioner, Anthony J. Annucci oversees and manages all state-run programs and correctional facilities. The prison system in New York is comprised of:

  • 55 State Prisons
  • 5 Federal Prisons
  • 6 Juvenile Detention Centers
  • 60 Local County Jails

Did you Know?

  • 96% of prison inmates in New York are male, 4% female.
  • From 1979–80 to 2012–13, state and local government expenditures on corrections in New York increased by 191 percent (from $2,049,718,099 to $5,970,104,000).
  • As of 2016, there were 2,274 women in New York federal prisons.
  • Between 2007 and 2016, the New York prison population decreased by 19%
  • Juvenile Custody Rate (per 100 000) in New York is 99, which is lower than national average of 450 by 78%.

Types of Jails and Prisons in New York

New York has a large number of state prisons to hold felons who have broken the law inside the state boundaries. These inmates are serving sentences of more than one year. Each facility has different levels of security and holds a different demographic. The state also has five federal prisons that hold inmates who broke federal laws. They also have six juvenile detention centers which house youth offenders and sixty local county jails run by local police or Sheriff’s Offices.

How Many People are Locked up in New York?

New York’s prison system holds 50,716 residents in various kinds of correctional facilities, from which 50,635 residents are held in state prisons, 68 in juvenile correctional facilities, and 13 in local jails.

Correctional Facilities: Totals:
Juvenile Correctional Facilities68
State Prisons50,635
Local Jails13

New York State Prisons

The list of New York state prisons is extensive. Some of the facilities are male-only and some are female-only. Others cater to inmates with drug and alcohol addictions who require treatment. The list of state prisons in New York includes: 

  • Adirondack Adolescent Offender Facility.
  • Albion Correctional Facility.
  • Altona Correctional Facility.
  • Attica Correctional Facility.
  • Auburn Correctional Facility.
  • Bare Hill Correctional Facility.
  • Bedford Hills Correctional Facility.
  • Cape Vincent Correctional Facility.
  • Cayuga Correctional Facility.
  • Clinton Correctional Facility.
  • Clinton Annex.
  • Collins Correctional Facility.
  • Coxsackie Correctional Facility.
  • Downstate Correctional Facility.
  • Eastern NY Correctional Facility.
  • Edgecombe Residential Treatment Facility.
  • Elmira Correctional Facility.
  • Fishkill Correctional Facility.
  • Five Points Correctional Facility.
  • Franklin Correctional Facility.
  • Gouverneur Correctional Facility.
  • Gowanda Correctional Facility.
  • Great Meadow Correctional Facility.
  • Greene Correctional Facility.
  • Groveland Correctional Facility.
  • Hale Creek ASACTC.
  • Hudson Adolescent Offender Facility.
  • Lakeview Shock Incarceration C. F.
  • Lincoln Correctional Facility.
  • Livingston Correctional Facility.
  • Marcy Correctional Facility.
  • Mid-State Correctional Facility.
  • Mohawk Correctional Facility.
  • Moriah Shock Incarceration Corr. Fac.
  • Ogdensburg Correctional Facility.
  • Orleans Correctional Facility.
  • Otisville Correctional Facility.
  • Queensboro Correctional Facility.
  • Riverview Correctional Facility.
  • Rochester Correctional Facility.
  • Shawangunk Correctional Facility.
  • Sing Sing Correctional Facility.
  • Southport Correctional Facility.
  • Sullivan Correctional Facility.
  • Taconic Correctional Facility.
  • Ulster Correctional Facility.
  • Upstate Correctional Facility.
  • Wallkill Correctional Facility.
  • Washington Correctional Facility.
  • Watertown Correctional Facility.
  • Wende Correctional Facility.
  • Willard Drug Treatment Campus.
  • Woodbourne Correctional Facility.
  • Wyoming Correctional Facility.

How to Locate State Prison Offender Information

The process for finding an inmate in a New York State prison is quite simple. All inmates in the state-run system fall under the direction of the New York State Department of Corrections, and they keep all inmate records online and searchable. Just follow these instructions below to find a New York State prison inmate:

  1. Visit the New York State Department of Corrections website .
  2. From the main menu, choose, “Offenders,” and then “Inmate Lookup.”
  3. Enter the person’s name. You can also enter the birth year, DIN or NYSID.
  4. Click the “Submit” button.
  5. Review the results which will show the person’s DIN, name, gender, birth date, status, facility, and race. 
  6. Click on any DIN for additional details about the inmate.

New York Federal Prisons

The state of New York also has five federal prisons that hold inmates who have broken federal laws. All federal penitentiaries are owned and operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FOB). They have a website with information on how to contact inmates, send gifts, and visitation. The five federal prisons in New York are: 

  • Brooklyn MDC - 1,722 male and female inmates.
  • New York MCC - 763 male and female inmates. 
  • New York RRM - residential reentry office.
  • Otisville FCI - 831 male offenders.
  • Ray Brook FCI - 664 male inmates.

How to Search for an Inmate in a New York Federal Prison

The process for finding someone incarcerated in a New York federal prison is different than someone in state prison. Because all federal prisons are run by the Federal Bureau of Prisons , they are the agency who keeps those inmate records. To find someone in federal prison, you would have to contact the FOB directory. The FOB does have a page for each facility on its website and an inmate locator feature. 

New York County Jails

New York also has sixty local county jails to house recently arrested individuals and pretrial detainees. These facilities are fun by local police and Sheriff’s Offices. The list includes:

  • Albany County Correctional Facility. 
  • Allegany County Jail.
  • Broome County Public Safety Facility. 
  • Cattaraugus County Jail.
  • Cayuga County Jail. 
  • Chautauqua County Jail. 
  • Chemung County Jail.
  • Chenango County Jail.
  • Clinton County Jail.
  • Columbia County Jail. 
  • Cortland County Jail.
  • Delaware County Jail.
  • Dutchess County Jail.
  • Erie County Correctional Facility. 
  • Erie County Jail.
  • Essex County Jail.
  • Franklin County Jail.
  • Fulton County Jail.
  • Genesee County Jail.
  • Greene County Jail.
  • Hamilton County Jail. 
  • Herkimer County Jail.
  • Jefferson County Jail.
  • Lewis County Jail.
  • Livingston County Jail.
  • Madison County Jail.
  • Monroe County Jail.
  • Montgomery County Jail.
  • Nassau County Correctional Center.
  • New York City Department of Correction. 
  • Niagara County Jail.
  • Oneida County Jail.
  • Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office Correction Department.
  • Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office Justice Center. 
  • Ontario County Jail.
  • Orange County Jail.
  • Orleans County Jail.
  • Oswego County Corrections. 
  • Otsego County Jail.
  • Putnam County Correctional Facility. 
  • Rensselaer County Jail.
  • Rockland County Correctional Facility. 
  • Saint Lawrence County Jail.
  • Saratoga County Correctional Facility. 
  • Schenectady County Jail.
  • Schoharie County Jail.
  • Schuyler County Jail. 
  • Seneca County Jail. 
  • Steuben County Jail. 
  • Suffolk County Jail. 
  • Sullivan County Jail. 
  • Tioga County Jail.
  • Tompkins County Jail.
  • Ulster County Jail.
  • Warren County Jail. 
  • Washington County Jail. 
  • Wayne County Jail. 
  • Westchester County Department of Correction. 
  • Wyoming County Jail. 
  • Yates County Jail.

New York's County and Local Jail Prison Population During 2011-2016 years

201120122013201420152016
Total140108613
Male14010769
Female000104

How to Perform a New York Jail Inmate Search

There is no central database of all jail inmates; however, the New York State Department of Corrections does have a master list of each facility and contact information. When looking for an inmate in a New York county jail, someone can use this list to contact the facility directly and inquire about a specific inmate. Some of these local agencies have websites with inmate search features or lists of current residents. 

New York Juvenile Detention Centers

New York has six juvenile detention centers for the state. They house youth offenders under the age of 18. All juvenile detention facilities are overseen and managed by the Bureau of Detention Services in the New York Office of Children and Family Services. The list of facilities include: 

  • Capital District SSD.
  • Erie County SSD.
  • Monroe County SSD.
  • Crossroads SSD.
  • Hillbrook SSD.
  • Woodfield SSD.

Juvenile Population in Custody During 2011-2016 years

201120122013201420152016
Total182136131978968
Male179132127948766
Female344322

How to Search for Juvenile Detention Center Inmates

Generally, juvenile inmate records are not available to the general public. Therefore, they won’t be searchable online. However, friends and family can inquire about inmates located in a New York juvenile detention center by contacting the facility directly. The New York Office of Children and Family Services provides information on visitation and sending gifts and money. 

Why are People Incarcerated in New York?

About 91,000 people are in prison in the state of New York. More than half (50,000) are in state prison, 27,000 are in local jails, 11,000 are in federal prison, 1,400 are in juvenile detention, and 1,100 are in mental institutions receiving treatment. More people are in prison in New York due to violent felonies than any other crime. The second most popular reason to be in prison in New York is drug charges, then property damage and other crimes against people.

New York’s Incarceration Rate and Statistics

New York’s incarceration rate for year-end 2016 under state prison or local jail jurisdiction per 100,000 population was 256, which is lower than an average incarceration rate by 43%. The number of New York prisoners at the year-end of 2016 was 50,716, from which 4% were female prisoners, whereas the number of male prisoners was 48,442 in 2016.

2011201220132014201520162017
Total283276271265261256249
Male559545534522514504488
Female23222323232222

Where Do New York Inmates Go When They are Released?

Most inmates, when released from New York prison, will return home to family and friends. However, New York does have some transitional programs through education and connections with outside services to help inmates get readjusted to society, find housing, employment, and engage in other beneficial programs. They also have a 32-day reintegration program which begins before the inmate is released.

How Does Parole Work in New York?

The parole board for New York monitors the progress of each inmate. Those that behave well and do not pose a danger to the outside world may be released early on parole. Parole is a supervision program that comes with some strict rules and regulations. If the parolee does not follow all the rules, they may be picked up and returned to prison to complete their sentence.

Parole Population

Type of Parole Entry: Number of Parolees:
State Parole Population: 44,426
Entries: 20,443
Exits: 20,579
Change in 2016: 0%

How Does Someone Get Probation in New York?

New York judges have the option of ordering parole rather than prison. This privilege is reserved for low-risk and first-time offenders. Again, this is a supervisory program where the probationer is required to check-in frequently with a probation officer and comply with other court-ordered rules. If they violate any of the terms of their probation, they will go to prison.

Probation Statistics

Type of Parole Entry: Number of Parolees:
State Probation Population: 97,928
Entries: 26,494
Exits: 30,355
Change in 2016: -3%

Table of Contents

New York Department of Corrections

Additional Resources

New York Inmate Search