Perform a Free Minnesota Inmate Search (Charges & Sentencing)

Complete a free Minnesota inmate search today to track down details on anyone throughout the state.

Inmates are incarcerated in prisons and jails for crimes they have been arrested or convicted of; you can find arrest and incarceration information using online search tools and other helpful sources.

Under the Minnesota Data Practices Act, citizens can access various government records, including inmate information. You can access these details for whatever reason without requesting consent, even if it is just to satisfy your curiosity.

Inmate records are held by various custodians and are provided in different ways; below, you will find guidance on the best ways to access inmate information at Minnesota’s state and county levels.

This resource was written by Attorney Robert Bailey Jr, who holds a Juris Doctorate from Widener University School of Law.

How To Differentiate Between Prison & Jail Inmates

In Minnesota, inmates may be incarcerated in either a prison or jail. Understanding the purpose of each facility and who is incarcerated in each can greatly assist you in your search for Minnesota inmates.

In Minnesota, prisons are used to house inmates convicted of felonies. These are serious crimes such as murder, armed robbery, manslaughter and others. The Department of Corrections operates the Minnesota prisons.

In contrast, jails in Minnesota are operated at the county level and are used to house individuals convicted of less serious offenses, called misdemeanors. Jails also house inmates who were recently arrested or are awaiting trial. The county sheriff’s office maintains the Minnesota jails.

There are also federal prisons that Minnesota does not operate. The three facilities located in Minnesota house individuals convicted of federal offenses. Examples of federal offenses include drug trafficking, racketeering and other crimes prohibited by the U.S. Constitution and federal laws.

How To Look Up Someone Incarcerated in a Minnesota Jail

In Minnesota, jails are run at the county level. While some states have cities that operate jails, that is not the case in Minnesota. When getting ready to perform an inmate search in a Minnesota jail, it’s helpful to know that county jails are maintained by the sheriff’s office.

Depending on the county, you may be able to access the information through an online search tool or by submitting a formal request. In some counties, you may only be able to access information over the phone or by going to the jail or sheriff’s office in person.

There are 87 counties in Minnesota. Minnesota arrest and criminal record resources are available that detail a complete list of all county jails and any online inmate search tools. To provide guidance on searching for inmate information in Minnesota jails, below are details on how to access this data in Hennepin, the state’s largest county.

The Hennepin County Jail is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and contains inmates in two separate facilities.¹ You can use the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office Jail Roster Tool to find an inmate incarcerated in this county.² With this tool you can find people incarcerated or released within the last seven days and the inmate database is updated on an hourly basis.

This search tool allows people to look up inmates by name or custody status (e.g., in custody, released, received by jail). The search results will provide the booking number, name, age and custody status of the person.

You can then click on the booking number to get the complete inmate information, including details about the arrest and the charges brought against the inmate.

For additional inmate information, you can email the jail at sheriff.jailinfo@hennepin.us or by phone at 612-348-5112. You can also go to either of the two facilities located at the address below:

Hennepin County Public Safety Facility
401 S. Fourth Ave., Ste. 100
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55415

Minneapolis City Hall
350 S. 5th St. 
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55415

If you still need assistance, you can also try contacting the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office. You can contact them at 612-596-9800 or at their headquarters:

Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office
Enforcement Services Division
9401 83rd Ave. N.
Brooklyn Park, Minnesota 55445

How To Check Whether Someone Is in a State Prison (Minnesota Inmate Search)

If you want to look for people incarcerated in prison, a record seeker can perform a Minnesota inmate lookup with the Department of Corrections Offender Locator.³

You can use this search tool to find an inmate either by their Offender ID number (six-digit number assigned by the DOC) or name. However, it’s important to note that this search tool will only show offenders who are either still incarcerated or under the Minnesota DOC’s supervision (e.g., probation or parole).

To perform a search, a citizen can enter any person’s name. If you do not know the inmate’s full name, you also have the option of just entering a partial or last name with this search tool. Once you conduct your search, you will see a list of all matching names.

Additional information provided in the results includes the offender’s birth date, ID number and current incarceration status.

To get additional information you can click on the inmate’s name. Here, you can view the offender’s mugshot as well as the following information.

Demographic Information: This section has basic identifying information. You can also view where they are incarcerated or the type of supervision they are under. In addition, you can view their sentence date and when it is set to expire.

Current Offense Details: Here, you can view both the highest rank offense as well as the criminal case file number. This can be used to search for additional information in the inmate’s criminal case record.

Other Links: The Minnesota DOC provides useful links to search a person’s criminal history or look up criminal case information.⁴

The Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) also provides other tools to search for past and present inmates. One tool is their Predatory Offender Search.⁵ This tool allows you to search for sex offenders under the state’s supervision.

A record seeker can search by city, county, zip code or name with this tool.

The other resource they have is a list of the Minnesota DOC’s Wanted Fugitives.⁶ Here, you can see the name and mugshot of all wanted fugitives of the Minnesota DOC.

If you click on their name, you can view the inmate information provided by the DOC Offender Locator.

For additional offender records information from the Minnesota DOC, you can email them at co-records.doc@state.mn.us or call them at 651-361-7200.⁷ You can also talk to someone at the address below:

Minnesota Department of Corrections
1450 Energy Park Dr., Ste. 200
St. Paul, Minnesota 55108

Here are some additional helpful resources:

• Contact an Inmate
• Visiting Information
• Victim Support

How To Find a Federal Prisoner

After you have performed an inmate search at the state and county level, there is still one place left to check. Depending on the type of crime a person committed, they may be incarcerated in a federal facility. In Minnesota, there are three federal prisons and one camp.

One tool for tracking federal inmates is to use the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Inmate Search Tool.⁸ This search tool allows you to access inmate information for any inmate incarcerated in the federal system from 1982 to the present.

This search tool has two options. First, you can search by one of the inmate’s identifying numbers (e.g., BOP, FBI, INS, DCDC).

Alternatively, you can search by their name. When performing a name search, you can also narrow down the search results by including their age, race or sex.

Once an individual performs a search, they can view any matching results with the inmate’s name, register number and descriptive characteristics.

In addition, you can view either the date they were released or scheduled to be released. If the person is still incarcerated, you can click on their name, and there are additional links to contact the inmate, send them money or visit.

For additional information, you can contact the BOP at 202-307-3198 or at the address below:⁹

Federal Bureau of Prisons
320 1st Street, NW
Washington, DC 20534

To perform an inmate search for older incarcerations, a record seeker can search through the prison records provided by the National Archives. They have various prison indexes that are available to be searched. For any inmate information you find, you can request copies to keep for your records.¹⁰

A last option is to perform a search using the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) Tool. This online search tool will allow you to search federal criminal cases to find inmate information. However, this particular search tool charges a fee per document searched.¹¹

With the information provided, you now have a solid foundation for understanding ways an inmate can be incarcerated in Minnesota. With this information, you are ready to perform a Minnesota inmate search for anyone incarcerated in the state’s jails and prisons.