Everyone serving a federal prison sentence is in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), and the BOP runs one free search for all of them: the federal inmate locator on bop.gov. Here is how to use it, what the results mean, and where to look when the person is not there.
- Official search
- BOP inmate locator
- Records
- 1982 to the present
- Register number format
- #####-### (8 digits)
- BOP institutions with a guide here
- 118
Search by name
Open the BOP inmate locator and choose Find By Name. Enter the first and last name (a middle name helps), and narrow the results with race, age and sex if the name is common. Each result shows the name, register number, age, race, sex, release date and location.
Federal prisons by state
Each page has the BOP's address, phone, inmate mail address, visiting rules and how to send money.
- FCI Aliceville
- FCI Talladega
- FPC Montgomery
- FCI Phoenix
- FCI Safford
- FCI Tucson
- USP Tucson
- FCI Forrest City Low
- FCI Forrest City Medium
- FCI Herlong
- FCI Lompoc I
- FCI Lompoc II
- FCI Mendota
- FCI Victorville Medium I
- FCI Victorville Medium II
- MCC San Diego
- MDC Los Angeles
- USP Atwater
- USP Victorville
- FCI Englewood
- FCI Florence
- ADX Florence (USP Florence ADMAX)
- USP Florence - High
- FCI Danbury
- FCI Coleman Low
- FCI Coleman Medium
- FCI Marianna
- FCI Miami
- FCI Tallahassee
- FDC Miami
- USP Coleman I
- USP Coleman II
- FCI Atlanta
- FCI Jesup
- FDC Honolulu
- FCI Greenville
- FCI Marion
- FCI Pekin
- FCI Thomson
- MCC Chicago
- FCI Terre Haute
- USP Terre Haute
- FCI Leavenworth
- FCI Ashland
- FCI Manchester
- FMC Lexington
- USP Big Sandy
- USP McCreary
- FCI Oakdale I
- FCI Oakdale II
- FCI Pollock
- USP Pollock
- FCI Cumberland
- FMC Devens
- FCI Milan
- FCI Sandstone
- FCI Waseca
- FMC Rochester
- FPC Duluth
- FCI Yazoo City Low
- FCI Yazoo City Low II
- FCI Yazoo City Medium
- MCFP Springfield
- FCI Berlin
- FCI Fairton
- FCI Fort Dix
- FCI Otisville
- FCI Ray Brook
- MDC Brooklyn
- FCI Butner Low
- FCI Butner Medium I
- FCI Butner Medium II
- FMC Butner
- FCI Elkton
- FCI El Reno
- FTC Oklahoma City
- FCI Sheridan
- FCI Allenwood Low
- FCI Allenwood Medium
- FCI Lewisburg
- FCI Loretto
- FCI McKean
- FCI Schuylkill
- FDC Philadelphia
- USP Allenwood
- USP Canaan
- MDC Guaynabo
- FCI Bennettsville
- FCI Edgefield
- FCI Estill
- FCI Williamsburg
- FPC Yankton
- FCI Memphis
- FCI Bastrop
- FCI Beaumont Low
- FCI Beaumont Medium
- FCI Big Spring
- FCI La Tuna
- FCI Seagoville
- FCI Texarkana
- FCI Three Rivers
- FDC Houston
- FMC Carswell
- FMC Fort Worth
- FPC Bryan
- USP Beaumont
- FCI Petersburg Low
- FCI Petersburg Medium
- USP Lee
- FDC SeaTac
- FCI Beckley
- FCI Gilmer
- FCI Hazelton
- FCI McDowell
- FPC Alderson
- FPC Morgantown
- USP Hazelton
- FCI Oxford
Search by number
Choose Find By Number to look someone up by one of four numbers: the BOP register number (format #####-###), a DCDC number, an FBI number or an INS number. The register number is the one you need for money, mail and the visiting list, so write it down.
What the results mean
- A facility name: the person is held there. Open its page below for the address, visiting and mail.
- "Released" or "Not in BOP Custody" with no facility: the person is no longer in BOP custody. They may still be held by another agency, or be on parole or supervised release.
- Release dates can change. The BOP says sentences are being recalculated under the First Step Act, so a release date shown may not be up to date.
If the person is not in the BOP locator
- People waiting for a federal trial are often held for the U.S. Marshals Service in a county jail or a private facility. Search their name on our search page or look up the county jail.
- People serving state sentences are in the state prison system: see Texas (TDCJ), Pennsylvania and the other state search pages linked from each state page.
- Immigration detention has its own locator; see how to find someone in jail.
After you find them
Federal money goes through MoneyGram, Western Union or the BOP lockbox in Des Moines, never to the prison. Visits need a place on the approved visiting list. Email runs through TRULINCS. The 78 federal correctional institutions, 16 penitentiaries and the detention and medical centers listed below each have their own page with the address, phone, mail address and visiting rules.
Questions
Is the federal inmate locator free?
Yes. The BOP inmate locator on bop.gov is free and needs no account.
What is a BOP register number?
An 8-digit number the BOP gives each person in its custody, written #####-###. You need it to send money, mail and to be added to the visiting list.
Why does the locator say "Not in BOP Custody"?
The person is no longer held by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. They may be held by another agency, or be on parole or supervised release.
Does the BOP locator show people waiting for trial?
Often not. People awaiting a federal trial are usually held for the U.S. Marshals Service in a county jail or private facility, so they may appear on a county jail roster instead.
Sources
We opened each of these pages on October 14, 2026. Rules and numbers change, so check the source before you act.
- Find an inmate, Federal Bureau of Prisons. Records from 1982 to the present, search by number or name, and what "Released" or "Not in BOP Custody" means.
- Stay in touch (communications), Federal Bureau of Prisons. Phone calls, TRULINCS email, mail, packages and the three ways to send money.
- General Visiting Information, Federal Bureau of Prisons. The approved visiting list, who can be on it, dress code and visiting hours.
- About Our Facilities, Federal Bureau of Prisons. What FCI, USP, MDC, FDC, FMC, FPC and ADX stand for.
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