Wisconsin Inmate Search

Wisconsin is home to several state prisons and local jails. These facilities hold offender serving time and those awaiting trial or sentencing.

You should know a few things regarding inmate searches if you're curious about your incarcerated loved one's location. For instance, the inmate search process differs depending on the level of incarceration. This means that the search options available for state inmates are different from those for offenders in city and county jails.

State Prisons Inmate Search

State prisons house offenders serving time for sentences ranging from one year to life imprisonment. They also hold individuals awaiting trial or sentencing whose security requirements cannot be met in county jails.

The Wisconsin Division of Corrections is responsible for running and managing inmate affairs. It also maintains an online search website containing information on these inmates. You can access it via this link and utilize the following search options: Name, Address, or Identification Number.

If you choose to search by name, you can enter the inmate's first name, last name, and middle name initial. You may use the first and last names in conjunction or separately, but using them together gives narrow and more accurate results. This category also allows you to include aliases.

The Address Search option has further subdivisions, namely:

• City
• Zip Code
• County

Lastly, you may opt to search based on your incarcerated loved one's inmate Identification Number. This is the most accurate search option, as each number is unique to specific inmates.

Local Jails Inmate Search

Local jails in Wisconsin comprise city and county jails. They house offenders serving time for medium-term sentences of one year or less or those awaiting trial or sentencing. You can locate inmates in county jails through several options.

One of them is to visit the county sheriff's office and review the provided inmate roster. All county jails are under the office, and it updates the list regularly to ensure it reflects the actual incarceration status. This information is also available at each facility, so you may opt to pay the local jail a visit.

Online County Inmate Search

Like state facilities, some county jails maintain online inmate search websites. For instance, Brown County Jail maintains this website, containing the following search categories:

• Search by Name
• Search by Unique Identifier

Whichever the case, only use the data for informational purposes but not for business transactions, as doing so may result in losses. This is because it's common for offenders to falsify their personal data like names and dates of birth.

There are also third-party websites that offer state and county inmate search services. However, most charge a service fee, and the information on these sites may be outdated, making it unreliable.

Sex Offender Search

Wisconsin maintains a sex offender registry containing information on all registered sex offenders. The state requires such offenders to register for several years or life, depending on the severity of their crimes.      

Follow this link to access the website and choose one of the following search options:

• Name
• Geographical

The Name Search option is further subdivided into Last Name, First Name, and Middle Initial. The last name is mandatory; you can search it alone or in conjunction with the first name.

The Geographical option allows you to narrow the search results to a specific street, city, and zip code. You can also select the radius you want the search to cover, usually between 1-3 miles.