What Are Indiana Inmate Records?

Inmate records contain information relating to a person who has been convicted of a crime and incarcerated in state prison, county jail, or city jail. Generally, these records contain details including:

• Full name and middle initial 
• The inmate’s Department of Correction number
• Date of birth
• Gender
• Race
• The name and the location of the correctional facility (where the inmate is or was held)
• Status of the inmate (whether released or in custody)
• The earliest possible release date
• Sentence information which may include -

(a) Date of Sentence

(b) Description of charge

(c) Prison term in years, months and days

(d) Type and class of conviction

(e) Indiana Citation Code

(f) The case number

(g) The county of conviction

The Indiana Department of Corrections oversees all state-owned correctional facilities and maintains a record of all past and present inmates. For inmates held in county jails, inmate records are accessible from the county government or the county Sheriff’s Office.

Under the Indiana Access to Public Records Act, inmate records are considered public records and are available to all interested persons.  These records are open to inspection except where the records contain sensitive or confidential information as declared by courts, relevant laws, or by administrative rules of public agencies.

Indiana law also allows for the release of certain juvenile record information to the general public. These include:

• The child’s name
• The age of the child
• The nature of the offense
• The case summary
• Warrants
• Petitions
• Orders of court
• Motions filed (excluding those that deal with psychological evaluations or child abuse and neglect)
• Decrees from the judge

Note that a juvenile inmate photograph is only available if the person was found to be delinquent by the court.

How To Find An Inmate In Indiana?

Anyone interested in finding an inmate in an Indiana State prison may do so using the offender search function provided by the Indiana State Department of Correction. Using the offender search requires the requestor to provide the inmate’s first and last names or the offender’s Department of Correction identification number. The search result contains the following information about the inmate:

• DOC Number
• Date of Birth
• Race
• Sex
• Location  

Interested persons may also send a written request to:

Indiana Department of Correction

302 West Washington Street

IGCS, Room E334

Indianapolis, IN 46204

Requestors seeking an inmate in a county jail may the online search tool available on the county sheriff’s website. An example is the Rider County Sheriff’s Office’s inmate search function. 

How To Find A Federal Inmate In Indiana?

Persons who need to find a federal inmate in Indiana may do so by using the find an inmate search option provided by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). The BOP’s database provides information on past and present inmates. Note that the information available on the database is for inmates incarcerated in a federal facility from 1982 to date.

To find these records, search using the inmate’s number or name. Searching by the inmate’s number requires one of the following:

• Bureau of Prisons(BOP) register number;
• DC Department of Corrections (DCDC) number;
• Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) number; or
• Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) number

The name search requires the inmate’s full name, race, sex, and age. 

Records for inmates in custody before 1982 are available with the National Archives Records Administration (NARA). To obtain these records, contact the National Archives Records Administration by phone or mail. 

Phone: 

1–866–2726272

Mail: 

The National Archives and Records Administration,

8601 Adelphi road,

College Park, MD 20740–6001

How Do I Find Inmate Records In Indiana?

Persons seeking records of inmates in Indiana may request this information from the Department of Corrections through any of the following means:

Email:

COAOffenderRecordRequest@idoc.in.gov 

Mail: 

Indiana Department of Corrections

302 W. Washington Street, Room E–334

Indianapolis, IN 46204

Phone:

317–232–5765

Requestors should provide a brief explanation of the records sought and also provide any relevant names, ID, and dates. The requestor should also provide contact information such as a phone number or email address.

Requestors seeking records for an inmate in a county jail may visit the jail facility or the county sheriff’s office. Alternatively, visit the county sheriff’s office website and use its online search tool if provided.

For example, the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office provides a public records page for requests. Interested persons may also contact the county sheriff’s office using the following information:

Mail:

Indian River County Sheriff’s Office Custodian of Public Records

4055 41st Avenue

Vero Beach, Florida, 32960

Phone:

772–978–6215

Email: publicrecordsrequest@ircsheriff.org 

Note that counties may adopt different processes for requests. Requestors are advised to contact the sheriff’s office for detailed information directly.

A requestor seeking physical copies of federal inmate records may use the Freedom of Information Request Form available on the Bureau of Prisons website. Note that a request fee may be applicable, and the BOP may charge an additional cost for an expedited process.

Interested persons may also send written requests via mail to the Bureau of Prisons. The written request should contain all available information about the inmate, along with the requestor’s contact details. 

Send requests to:  

FOIA/PA Section,

Office of General Counsel, Room 924

Federal Bureau of Prisons,

320 First Street, NW

Washington, DC 20534

Records that are considered public may be accessible from some third-party websites. These websites often make searching simpler, as they are not limited by geographic location, and search engines on these sites may help when starting a search for a specific or multiple record(s). To begin using such a search engine on a third-party or government website, interested parties usually must provide:

• The name of the person involved in the record, unless said person is a juvenile
• The location or assumed location of the record or person involved. This includes information such as the city, county, or state that the person resides in or was accused in

Third-party sites are independent of government sources and are not sponsored by these government agencies. Because of this, record availability on third-party sites may vary.

How To Put Money On Jail Inmates Book In Indiana? 

Persons interested in depositing money into an Indiana book in Indiana may use any of the payment options outlined below. Funds may be deposited into an inmate’s book through the following means:

• Online
• Phone
• Payment Kiosk
• Mail/ Money Order
• Walk-in Payments

Online:

A depositor may use the online payment option provided by ConnectNetwork GTL for the Indiana State Department of Corrections. To get started, create an account with ConnectNetwork GTL by providing the following information:

• First Name
• Last name
• Address
• City
• Zip Code
• State
• Country
• Contact Phone Number
• Email address
• Password
• Confirm Password

Phone:

To send money to an inmate via phone, call one of the following numbers: 

(800)483–8314 for AdvancePayAutomated Payment System

(888) 988–4768 for Trust Fund Automated Payment System and 

(855) 706–2445 for PIN Debit Automated Payment System 

For more inquiries, call the ConnectNetwork GTL customer care:

(877) 650–4249

Payment Kiosk:

Interested persons may deposit funds at payment kiosks in the facility where the inmate is held. This process requires the inmate’s identifying information and account details.

Money Order:

The Indiana Department of Corrections allows trust fund deposits via money order. This process requires the depositor to fill the relevant forms in English or Spanish. Depositors are required to adhere to the following instructions:

• Only mail the form and the money order
• Make the money order payable to “GTL Financial Services.”
• Use the inmate’s full name
• Ensure that the maximum money order does not exceed $300.00 
• Ensure not to use a stapler or a paperclip on the form or money order
• Mail the money order and deposit form to:

GTL Financial Services,

10005 Technology Blvd West,

Suite 130,

Dallas, TX, 75220. 

Depositors must provide the following information when feeling the form:

• Inmate’s Last Name
• Inmate’s First Name
• Sender’s Phone Number
• Sender’s first and last names
• Sender’s address
• The amount of money sent

Walk-in Payments:

Depositors may make use of the ConnectNetwork GTL walk-in options. Interested persons may start the process online and complete the transaction with cash at a participating local store.

Note that the process of sending money to a county jail inmate differs among counties. Depositors are advised to contact the county directly, for preferred methods.