Complete a Free West Virginia Inmate Search (Look Up Detainees)

Conduct a West Virginia inmate search at no cost today. The ability to review this information keeps the government transparent while empowering citizens.

These searches can be completed using state tools that help locate specific inmates and their status, whether for concerned families, the general public, or the victims of their offenses. Inmates — those who are currently incarcerated for any reason — may be held in jail or prison, but the search process is largely the same for both types of facilities.

This resource details how to locate inmates across the state in a streamlined process, as well as how to find details about federal prisoners.

Detained in Jail vs. Prison

Inmates may be detained in either jail or prison. Where they go depends on where they are in their legal process and whether they’ve been convicted.

Those in jail are either awaiting a court hearing or have been convicted with a relatively short sentence. Typically, only people convicted of more minor crimes, like misdemeanors, serve their sentences in a jail setting.

Inmates held in prison have already received their sentencing and either committed a more severe offense (such as felonies) or have a sentence requiring long-term holding. Most inmates will be found in jail, with less in the state prisons and even fewer held in federal custody.

Typically, states divide jails by county and municipal level. However, this isn’t the case in West Virginia, where regional jails overseen by the Division of Corrections & Rehabilitation (DCR) prevail.¹ Regardless, results still populate for those in these facilities during an inmate search.

State prisons are for individuals convicted of state crimes and are overseen by the DCR. Federal prisons, however, are reserved for inmates convicted of federal crimes. The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has jurisdiction over the numerous facilities across the country.

How To Retrieve Jail Details via a West Virginia Inmate Search

Typically, jails are overseen at the county or municipal level. In West Virginia, however, jails are primarily regional, with a few county facilities throughout the state. These are all overseen by the state’s Regional Jail & Correctional Facility Authority rather than falling under city police or county sheriff jurisdiction.

Because jails in this state operate somewhat differently than in others, West Virginia also uses a unified search database to locate inmates, regardless of where in the state they’re held.

The Division of Corrections & Rehabilitation (DCR) has an inmate search specific to inmates in jail, as well as one for prisons, which will be detailed in the section below. To use the jail inmate search tool, enter at least a partial last name. Being more specific with a full last name and a first name can narrow down results to speed the search up.²

Complete the CAPTCHA and scroll through the results.

The displayed results will populate in a table format, providing a last name, first name, middle name, suffix (if applicable) and the location the inmate is currently held in. Clicking on the “More Info” button will reveal a bit more information about the individual, including their physical profile and booking date and time.

Just above the mugshot displayed on the page, the status of the inmate also appears. This may detail whether an individual is currently in the pretrial stage, at which point they haven’t yet been found guilty, or convicted and sentenced. It will also inform users whether the offense was a felony or misdemeanor.

Below this information, a court order list appears, detailing the issuing agency, any current case numbers, bail type and bail amount. While it doesn’t detail the specific crimes an individual has committed or is accused of, the case number may prove useful during a public records search to learn more.

Sometimes, third-party tools can also assist with an inmate search, providing insight into the process and pointing users toward the correct contacts to locate desired information.

How To Check Whether Someone Is in a West Virginia State Prison

The West Virginia Division of Corrections & Rehabilitation (DCR) hosts an offender search tool specifically for prisons, which will reveal any inmates currently held within one.

This search tool is free to use for the public, and it requires either an offender ID number or a name. It will pull results for offenders under active supervision, on parole or currently in prison.

Note: Individuals who’ve been released will not populate here.

The entry for the name search must include at least the first three letters of both the last and first name. Once the information is entered, complete the CAPTCHA and search.

The results display page shows:

• Offender ID Number
• Last Name
• First Name
• Middle Name (if applicable)
• Suffix (if applicable)
• Current Location

The first column of the results table has a hyperlinked “More Info” button, and clicking on it expands upon the inmate’s information, including all of the above, plus a physical profile. It also details:

• Intake Date
• Next Parole Hearing Date
• Maximum Parole Discharge Date (the date an offender on parole will be discharged from supervision)
• Projected Release Date

Below this information, a table showing current court orders displays the sentencing county, order date, order number and any offenses.

While searching for state inmates, other tools, resources and information may be useful:

• Daily Incarcerations Tool: Review daily incarcerations across the state by county.
• List of adult prison & jail facilities across the state (clicking on their links provides addresses, contact information, and counties served).⁵
• West Virginia DCR Victim Services:⁶ Find information about services provided to victims of crimes and contact information for the Victim Services manager.
• Escapees & Absconders list: Review a list of current escapees and absconders across the state.
• West Virginia Parole Board Information on Hearings: Review information about parole hearings and how to attend them.
• West Virginia VINELink: Subscribe to be notified about changes to an inmate’s incarceration status.

How To Execute a Federal Prisoner Search

Locating information on federal prisoners is fairly convenient, but it requires more exact information than many other methods.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) offers a tool to locate inmates online, either by one of four identifying numbers (BOP register number, Naturalization Service (INS) number, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) number or Immigration, and District of Columbia Department of Corrections (DCDC) number) or by name.⁷

To search by name, enter at least a first initial and a complete last name. It’s important to spell the name correctly, as it only pulls exact matches. If the individual has a common name, filling in fields for race, age and sex can help narrow down results.

These records will display basic results, such as:

• Name (full legal last name with first and middle initials)
• Register Number
• Current Age
• Race
• Sex
• Release Date (a past date means they have already been released, while future dates are estimations)
• Location (either released or the facility they currently reside in)

Be aware that the BOP’s database only holds records of inmates who were incarcerated from 1982 to the present.⁸ Currently, most records older than this are held by the National Archives Records Administration (NARA). Requesting it is the most efficient way to get information about prisoners before 1982.

Orders for records may be completed online or via mail, fax or email by submitting an order form to the NARA. These records do come with fees, which vary based on the record, medium, and amount of work necessary to fulfill the request.⁹

NARA also recommends checking the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) tool for records. This national index holds massive amounts of federal court records. To search for a specific inmate, you’ll need to know their name to locate the court records associated with their incarceration.

The request will come at a cost, but there are some exemptions.¹⁰

Using these tools, a West Virginia inmate search becomes a streamlined process that helps keep citizens informed.