Inmate records are part of public records. Public records are accessible by anyone who is looking for them. This means that you have a right to access inmate records as per the Pennsylvania Right to Know Law. This article will discuss methods and ways on how to do an inmate lookup in Pennsylvania.
An inmate can be defined as a person who is kept in an institution such a prison or hospital. On this guide, we are going to be looking at prison inmates and how to find them in Pennsylvania. Inmates who are in incarcerated are those who have been prosecuted for a felony and are currently in prison through a judgement imposed by a court.
When talking about Pennsylvania inmate records, we are referring to documents with official information of people who are booked, detained or incarcerated in jails, correctional facilities or penal institutions which are maintained by the state of Pennsylvania or its cities and counties.
The information that is contained in these documents include the inmate’s full name, gender, date of birth, race. Individuals who are looking to find information on inmates can also find details like the inmate’s booking number, inmate status plus the inmate’s current location.
Since inmate records are public information in Pennsylvania, they can be sourced from government agencies as well as third party websites.
It is recommended that you gather all information on the inmate before you begin a search. Details like middle name, race, eye color and date of birth can prove a difference maker when you search. The more information you have, the easier it would be to conduct a lookup.
The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections
The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections is responsible for maintaining and taking care of over 40 000 inmates found in the 25 state prisons in Pennsylvania. On top of that, it also manages boot camps and a community corrections center.
There is a prison lookup tool that the state provides for the public to be able to use to find details on each prison and its location. The tool lists all the Pennsylvania State Correctional Institutions, with their historical information, in order of their openings.
There are also links to their sites where you can find information on their staff, history, inmate information and more. You can also find contact information from there too.
The public can also use the inmate lookup tool to lookup inmates with a name for free. The information that is found on this public platform is updated on daily basis making sure that requesters get relevant information upon a search.
This tool can also prove useful to researchers as they can use it to find out information on parolees which fall under the Pennsylvania Probation and Parole supervision. The tool provides details like the parolee’s full name, date, race plus the county where the parolee lives. Searches can also be performed on the tool using name, parole number, residence county, district number and race.
An alternative to this can be the Pennsylvania Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification (PA SAVIN). With it, the public is able to monitor inmate’s location for all inmates held in Pennsylvania prisons. VineLink offers regular updates on inmates held in state prisons or county jails in the state.
Pennsylvania County Jails
Pennsylvania county jails are under the guidance of the sheriff’s office. They are used to house pretrial detainees and prisoners who are sentenced to less than two years in jail. There are about 11 500 inmates housed in the 73 county jails in Pennsylvania.
If you are looking to find information on an inmate from any of these county jails in Pennsylvania, then you need to get in touch with the sheriff’s office or the local city police department.
There is also a list of Pennsylvania county prisons and administrative contacts that you can use.
Most counties in Pennsylvania have their own search tool which they offer individuals who are looking to find information on inmates. One example would be Philadelphia which has its own search tool that you can use to find information on its inmates.
Third Party Websites
Third party websites are capable of offering an easier lookup. This is because there are no geographical restrictions to their searches. Information obtained from third party websites might differ from that found on government sources as they are not government sponsored.
To search for information on Pennsylvania inmates from third party websites, you will need to provide the full name of the inmate listed on the record. This exclude juveniles. You are also expected to provide the location (city, county, state) where the inmate is located.
With these suggestions on how to do an inmate lookup in Pennsylvania, you stand a chance of finding more details. Try them to find out if they work for you.