North Carolina Inmate Search

The NC Department of Public Safety-Division of Prisons runs the North Carolina Prison System. It is in charge of about 29,000 inmates imprisoned in 53 prisons. This division is also responsible for creating, maintaining, and updating inmate records in the state. 

The NC Freedom of Information Act also mandates the division provide access to these records to the public. This act allows you to locate your loved one incarcerated throughout the state easily. 

You must access the NC NPS criminal offender searches platform to find inmates in state prisons. You can find these inmates using their official names or their prisoner number. However, since sometimes you may not wish to find a loved one but your offender, you can find them using their physical description or appearance using the advanced search option on the website. 

This option allows you to indicate the prisoner's name; if you don't know it, you can indicate their age, height, race, gender, eye and hair color, tattoos and visible scars, charges, date of incarceration, and date of birth. 

Inmates in the county Jails 

NC also has a county jail system with 97 jails in 100 counties. These jails have a population of around 20,960 inmates, most of whom are awaiting trial. Others are the inmates sentenced to less than a year in jail for common misdemeanors. 

When you wish to find inmates in these county jails, there are several ways you can do so. You can begin by finding the inmate roster of your jail of interest. Most jails will have an inmate roster as a list of all inmates in their facility, while others offer an inmate search platform to access the inmate list. 

The list is usually arranged alphabetically using the inmates' names. However, you can customize the search to use the inmates' dates of incarceration or arrest. 

Inmates in the federal prisons 

If your loved one or offender were charged with violating federal law, they would likely end up in one of the state's five federal prisons or camps. However, you can locate them easily using the BOP inmate locator tool.

The tool is searchable by offender name or number. If you cannot locate them using the inmate locator tool, you can contact the Mid-Atlantic Regional Office of the BOP and inquire about your inmate or offender. 

Locating using the NC VINELink

You can also perform an NC inmate search using the NC VINELink. This is a national resource for all victims of crime in North Carolina. It offers information on inmates in NC and updates these victims on any changes in the incarceration status of their offenders. This includes;

• Escapes
• Placement under solitary confinement
• Transfers
• Changes in release dates

To receive updates through phone calls, messages, emails, or mail, you need to register with VINELink and provide the details of the offender you wish to keep an eye on. 

Locating inmates using third-party websites

You can also locate inmates in North Carolina using privately owned and maintained third-party websites. These websites provide an easy, simple and quick way of finding inmates incarcerated across the county, state, and federal prisons. 

To find them using these websites, you need to provide the search engine with the name of the inmate you wish to find. The more information you give, the more accurate the search results will be.