3 Possible Prisons Where an Inmate May Be Held In America Today
There are hundreds of prisons in the United States of America holding thousands of prisoners. After one is found guilty of a crime, there is a procedure that is followed by the justice system to determine which prison best suits an offender.
Among the factors determining where they will be incarcerated is:
- The magnitude of the crime they committed
- Their remorsefulness about the crime
- Their medical state, mental state, and so on.
Apart from prisons, we also have jails. Even though jails are also used to hold those found guilty of crimes, they are not similar to prisons. You must understand the difference since this article only focuses on prisons, not jails.
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), jails are correctional facilities that are tasked with holding inmates found guilty of minor crimes and would only serve time for less than a year. Sometimes, the jail facilities hold individuals yet to stand trial and those awaiting their verdict. They are managed by local governments like county governments.
While prisons are also correctional facilities, they only hold inmates who are guilty of serious crimes like felonies and serving long terms. Prisons are run by the state or federal government.
This article will teach you about the types of prisons where your loved one may be held in America and how to locate them.
Types of Prisons in America
Your loved one may be held in any of the following prisons.
1. Federal Prisons
The justice system uses federal prisons to hold individuals found guilty of federal crimes like child pornography, drug trafficking, fraud, and so on. The United States of America is known for having over a hundred federal prisons holding more than a hundred thousand inmates.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons will determine whether an individual will go to a federal prison by looking at the crime they committed, their previous criminal history, and their mental and physical health.
Federal prisons are further broken down into five levels, as illustrated below.
· Maximum Security Federal Prisons / High-Security Federal Prisons
Maximum security federal prisons hold the most violent and dangerous criminals. Most of them also have a long history of violence. Inmates in these facilities are believed to be not just a danger to society, but also to themselves and other inmates in the same facility.
This is why these facilities are installed with hefty metal doors often closed most of the day.
Most inmates in maximum security federal prisons only get one hour a day to leave their cells, shower, and exercise. Their doors have a tiny slot that only allows a tray of food to be slid into the cell.
It is rare for these inmates to share cells due to their violent behavior; however, due to the growing prison population, there are occasions when some of them who are less violent may be placed in twos.
· Medium Security Federal Prisons
Medium-security federal prisoners are still violent and dangerous, but cannot be compared to those in maximum-security federal prisons. They are even given some freedom to move around within the facility unless there is a breach of prison rules, in which case they have to be confined in their cells for a certain period.
During the night, the cells are also locked, and there has to be a routine headcount.
An inmate from the maximum security federal prison can be transferred to the medium-security federal prison after they have shown consistency and willingness to change and take responsibility for their actions.
· Low-Security Federal Prisons
Low-security federal prisons hold the least violent inmates. They may have prior violent behavior but have completely changed and are determined to serve their sentence and return to society.
For inmates confined in low-security federal prisons, their sentence should have been reduced to below 20 years.
· Administrative Security Federal Prisons
Administrative security federal prisoners are inmates that require 24-hour surveillance or special considerations. Such inmates include those who keep escaping custody, those who are extremely violent, and those with chronic illnesses.
In America, they are placed in facilities like the “supermax” prison Administrative Maximum Security Penitentiary (ADX).
How to Locate an Inmate in a Federal Prison in America
When you are sure that the inmate whose data you are searching for is currently held in one of the federal prisons in America, you can gather information about them in the following ways.
Ø Check the Federal Bureau of Prisons website
The federal bureau of prisons website is a government-established online platform that helps society gather data on inmates in federal prisons in America. All you need to get started is the inmate’s first and last name.
The website will only provide information on inmates currently in federal prisons; therefore, avoid using the search engine to search for inmates in state prisons. Also, the platform may only have data on inmates that have been incarcerated since 1982 to date.
Ø Submit a Freedom of Information Act request to the BOP
The request should be in writing, fully describing the information you seek. Alternatively, request the report here.
The FOIA Request can also be ordered via mail, as illustrated below
Freedom of Information Act request /P.A. Section
Office of General Counsel
Federal Bureau of Prisons
320 First Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20534
Even though the Federal Bureau of Prisons website may not have information on incarcerated inmates earlier than 1982, you may still try your luck by reviewing the National Archives and Records Administration records. They are believed to gather and maintained early federal inmate records from 1870 to 1981.
You can access the data by ordering it; the information will be sent to you if they have it. When gathering early inmate information, ensure you have the inmate’s name, date of birth, race, and dates of incarceration.
2. State Prisons
An inmate may be sent to a state prison when found guilty of crimes like bank robbery, murder, rape, etc. The state government governs state prisons, and those incarcerated in such correctional facilities have been tried and sentenced under the state’s criminal justice system.
The facilities also hold inmates that have committed serious crimes, are violent and may have a criminal history. However, their violence may not be compared to those held in federal prisons.
State prisons are also run and maintained by a portion of the state tax money that buys food and clothes and hires employees for these facilities.
Each state has its own rules and regulations that govern its prions; for instance, what may be seen as a capital offence in one state may not be in another state.
The state prisons are also divided into three, as described below.
· Maximum State Prisons
Maximum state prison holds the most violent criminals found guilty of breaking state laws. They are constantly under heavy security surveillance under armed guards.
· Medium State Prison
These ones hold violent inmates guilty of crimes like sexual offenses, white-collar crimes, etc. However, despite their offenses, they have proven to be civilized enough to follow the facility’s rules and regulations. They are also under 24-hour surveillance under armed guards.
· Minimum State Prisons
Minimum state prisons have the most nonviolent inmates who do not pose a danger to themselves or those close to them.
How to Locate an Inmate in a State Prison in America
Suppose you would like to gather information on an inmate in a state prison in America; you need to know which state the inmate has been incarcerated at, for instance, Wyoming.
- The first step to gathering inmate information from a Wyoming State Prison is through the Wyoming Department of Corrections. The department has an inmate lookup tool that enables anybody to search for inmate data using their name or inmate number.
- Alternatively, you can email [email protected] or call the WDOC Public Information Office at (307) 777-5889 / (307) 777-7208.
If your inmate is in a prison in say Washington, the Washington State Department of Corrections has an online inmate locator tool on their websites.
- You can easily gather information on an inmate in Washington by accessing the platform’s inmate search page and providing the inmate’s first or last name or the DOC number.
- You can also request inmate information via email through [email protected] or by calling the department at (360) 725-8213
3. Private Prisons
If your loved one is not in a state or federal prison, they may be held in a private prison. The state and federal governments come into an understanding with private organizations that house at least 8% of inmates in America.
Private prisons hold more than 12k individuals. It is the responsibility of either the state government or the federal to decide whether an inmate will be taken to private prisons. However, it all depends on the population of the state and federal prisons.
The governments pay these facilities a particular amount of the agreed amount per inmate daily. However, not all states use these facilities to house their inmates; private prisons often come in handy when the inmate population has grown beyond the federal or state government’s potential.
Even though private prisons have been bound together with either a federal government or a state government, they are privately owned and, therefore, not run by the laws governing the federal or state prisons by a signed contract.
The private organizations choose how to spend their money by deciding the kind of services the inmates will be offered. Therefore they are more flexible regarding day-to-day operations and management of inmates. They are also less crowded, and the employees can work more easily.
How to Locate an Inmate in a Private Prison in America
Certain private prisons have developed websites allowing inmate data searches, such as the Adams County Correctional Center (ACCC). Simply access the facility’s website and find the inmate locator tool. Another private prison is the Arizona State Prison – Kingman. The prison has also developed an online platform that you can always access and conduct an inmate search by name.
The location of an inmate in a private prison will also depend on whether the inmate was first held in a federal or state prison. Suppose the inmate had been held in a state prison before being transferred to a private prison; when searching for their details, you will still use the state prison search provided above.
The same with the inmate held in federal prison and then transferred to a private prison. You will still use the federal inmate search procedure to locate their information despite being transferred to a private prison.
However, if the inmate goes straight into a private prison after sentencing, there are other alternative ways exist to get data on them. You may use a platform like Victim Information and Notification Everyday” (VINE).
The platform will give you updated inmate data. All you need is to get into the VINE website, register and provide the inmate’s name or identification number.
Final Thoughts
There are three possible prisons where an inmate may be held in America. They may be in a federal prison, a state prison, or a private prison.
If they are in federal prison, they could fall under any of the five categories of security depending on the kind of crime they committed, their criminal history, and their commitments towards serving their sentence
An inmate may also be held in state prisons if found guilty of breaking state laws. In state prisons, they may be held in maximum, medium, or minimum state prisons.
When correctional facilities are overpopulated, the federal government or state government may come into agreement with privately owned prisons to take in some prisoners.
