California Inmate Search

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation are responsible for keeping up-to-date records of inmates in the California state prisons. The database that the department of corrections supply the public should not be used as official records. It may contain errors in its information and the department of corrections does not imply is correct.  

You can search for an inmate using their CDCR number or their first and last name.  Information on inmates that were recently booked, or transferring state prison, will not be available for a few days.

 If you have any issues with finding an inmate or want to know more on visitation schedules, you can contact the department of corrections Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 916-445-6713. 

Unlike the department of corrections, city and county jails, keep their own records separate. If you are looking for an inmate in one of those jails, you will need to find the appropriate site for further details. 

When an offender is housed in a state prison, they are the property of the Department of Corrections Division. As stated above every state’s Department of Corrections Division has their own jail roster or database that the general public may use.

The CDCR inmate locator database can be found on the official California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation website.

You can search the database by using the following pieces of information:

• CDCR Number
• First Name
• Last Name
• Middle Name

The CDCR number will take precedence during all searches. The CDCR is a six-digit number. All incoming inmates will be assigned their CDCR by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. This will be the easiest and quickest way to locate an inmate.

If you decide to enter their CDCR number in the field provided, you will NOT need to enter their first and last name. However, the CDCR field will only show results for the EXACT number you have entered, so you will want to double check, if no results pop up.

If you don’t know the inmate’s CDCR number or there is no search results for the AIS number you plugged in, your next thing you can do is search by the inmate’s first and last name.

When you finally get some search results, you will see a list of all inmates that fit the criteria you plugged in.

You will see the following pieces of information:

• Inmate Name
• CDCR Number
• Age
• Admission Date
• Current Location

You can click on the inmate’s name to bring up their own personal file. When you do this, you will see the following information:

• Inmate Name
• CDCR Number
• Age
• Admission Date
• Current Location
• Location Link
• Parole Eligible Date (Month/Year)     
• Parole Eligible Date Information
• Additional Information