Execute a Free Louisiana Inmate Search (Offender Details)

Perform a Louisiana inmate search for free to uncover details about anyone incarcerated within the state.

Inmates are people held in state or federal prisons or local jails. Several public record custodians hold information about these individuals, making it possible to find inmates, whatever type of facility they’re in.

This brief resource explains where to efficiently find these records, such as parish jail offender databases and law enforcement agencies, helping searchers find current and relevant information about inmates in Louisiana.

Contrast Between Prison Inmates & Jail Inmates

An inmate may be held in a parish jail facility or, if they committed a state or federal crime, in a state or federal prison. The local sheriff’s office usually manages parish jails. In contrast, the Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections runs state prisons.¹

Federal prisons are managed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and are reserved for those who committed a federal crime.²

Jail inmates are most common, followed by state prisoners and lastly federal inmates.

When attempting to carry out a Louisiana prisoner search, it’s useful to know what sort of crime a person committed and whether they were tried in the state.

Retrieve Jail Inmate Details Throughout the State (Louisiana Inmate Search)

There are 111 jails in 64 parishes across Louisiana. According to the National Institute of Corrections, as of December 2020, these jails had a total of 32,730 inmates.³

It’s helpful to know which jails an inmate is likely to be in before starting a Louisiana prisoner search. To find an inmate in one of these jails, contact the relevant parish sheriff’s office or check their website for an inmate search page.

For example, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office maintains an inmate search page that is free to use.⁴

To use this search tool:

• Enter a first and last name (required)
• Enter a middle initial (optional)
• Choose the inmate’s race and sex, if known
• Click “Search”

Information on any inmates whose details match will be shown in a table on the results page. The table indicates the name, race and gender of the inmate and also provides their ID number.

Clicking on the ID number will bring up a more detailed results page showing the arrest record for the inmate, details of what they’ve been jailed for and information about any bond amounts. Most county sheriff’s offices will operate the county jail, while police departments operate municipal jails.

The sheriff’s office can also be contacted using the details below:

Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office
1233 Westbank Expressway
Harvey, LA 70058

Phone: 504-363-5500

Administrative opening hours are between 8 am and 4 pm Monday-Friday.

Some city police departments have their own jails where prisoners are held until they post bail or are transferred to a parish jail. If someone was recently arrested by the police in Louisiana, they may be held in one of those jails.

An example of this is Shreveport City Jail, which provides an alphabetized inmate roster.⁵

The list is ordered by surnames. Simply click on a letter at the top of the table to see a list of inmates whose surname begins with that letter.

The results table includes the following details:

• Name (provided in the format SURNAME, FIRSTNAME, MIDDLE INITIAL)
• Date of birth
• Race
• Gender
• Date of arrest

Not all city police departments have their own jails. Some may send inmates directly to a parish facility. See the Louisiana public records page for information about how to find out if someone has been arrested in the state.

Perform a State Prisoner Search in Louisiana

Inmates who have committed a state crime may be held in a state prison. To find a prison inmate in Louisiana, use VINELink. This service allows anyone to search for a prisoner, either at the national level or in a specific state.

To perform an inmate search in Louisiana, go to the VINELink search page and:

• Select I’m searching for “An Offender/Defendant” from the first dropdown list.
• Choose “Louisiana” in the second dropdown list.
• Choose the details you would like to use from the final list (e.g. Name or ID Number)

The search form will expand to allow the user to enter the relevant details. For example, if the searcher chooses “Name” as the search parameter, they’ll be invited to enter a first and last name.

Partial name searches are supported, but users must enter at least two characters of the surname.

After entering the required details and clicking Search, users will be presented with a list of matching inmates. The results page includes several details:

• Name
• Age
• Gender
• Race
• Photo (if available, and users clicked the option to see photos on the search page)
• Local authority details
• ID number
• Custody status and location

Clicking “Record Details” will bring up a page including additional information such as addresses and booking dates. Users can also request to be notified about an inmate’s release or parole hearings.

The state’s Department of Public Safety & Corrections provides a variety of resources for offenders, victims of crime and those performing a Louisiana prisoner search, including:

• List of state correctional facilities
• Emergency notifications (for example, if someone escapes from prison)⁶
• Visitor information
• How to send money to people in prison
• Support for victims of crime⁷
• Information about parole in Louisiana
• Offender Information FAQ

How To See Who Is in Federal Prison

There are two federal prisons in Louisiana. Federal prisons are managed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), which provides an Inmate Locator Tool page to help searchers find inmates who are being held in federal facilities.⁸

The tool can be searched using several parameters, such as:

• FBI number (and other offender IDs)
• Name (first, middle and last)
• Race
• Age
• Sex

The inmate search feature has records dating back to 1982 and includes current and past inmates. The results page is limited to just 100 records, so it’s important to provide as much information as possible to narrow the search down, especially if the inmate has a common name.

To find inmates jailed before 1982, consider searching court records on the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system. There is a nominal fee to use this service, but searchers will not be billed unless they pass the billable threshold, which is currently set to $30.⁹ In addition, there is some financial support available for eligible individuals who cannot afford PACER fees.

Another useful source of historic records is the National Archives Records Administration. The archives currently hold historic records for some federal penitentiaries, but the Bureau of Prisons is steadily moving over an increasing number of records for prisoners who were jailed prior to 1982.

This resource and the tools provided within can help people perform a Louisiana inmate search without spending any money, and citizens have a responsibility to use these resources carefully, for personal information only.