As you explore PrisonInsight, you may notice that a prisoner’s ID number is essential for any type of communication with a prisoner—whether sending mail, answering phone calls, obtaining visitation permits, or sending money.
When your loved one is behind bars, you won’t be able to contact them if you don’t have their prisoner ID number. These numbers are required when you set up a phone account to receive calls from an inmate, or when setting up an account to send money to an inmate. You will also need to include this number on all correspondence by regular mail and will need to know it when you visit.
Since this is a very important piece of information, we think it’s important that you know how to easily obtain the ID number of an inmate when they are in jail.
Which leads me to today’s blog post: How to Find an Inmate ID Number?
In this blog post, I will cover the following topics:
- What is the ID number of the prisoner?
- Where can I find an inmate ID number?
- Will inmate ID numbers change?
What is the ID number of the prisoner?
A prisoner ID number is similar to a free man’s social security number. It is the number that the Department of Corrections or the Federal Bureau of Prisons uses to identify a prisoner on all of its personal paperwork and is used in all prison operations in which a prisoner participates.
When prisoners are called for visits, doctor’s appointments, or anything else in the prison community, their inmate ID is always included. This is especially important when the prison has multiple inmates with the same name.
The number is printed on the prisoner’s ID card, which they must carry with them at all times, as it is how they are identified. I haven’t heard my name in four years. Instead, it was my last name, prison nickname, or ID number.
Where can I find an inmate ID number?
The easiest way to find an inmate ID number is online. If your inmate is in a federal prison, you can find their number on the BOP website. If your inmate is in a state prison, you can find their number on the state’s DOC website.
To find an inmate number on the BOP website, you need the inmate’s first and last name. Any additional information you can provide will help the process. If you know the inmate’s middle name, gender, race or age, it will help the site narrow down the database so they can find your inmate.
The same goes for state prison inmates. Each state’s DOC website will provide the option to find your inmate, all you have to do is click that option and provide the information they need to share your inmate ID number.
You can also ask cellmates for this information when they answer your phone or when they send you a letter. Inmates must include their inmate ID number in their mail so the information will appear on the envelope.
If you don’t want to wait for a phone call or letter, the best way to find this information is online. If you call the prison and ask them to give this information over the phone, they probably won’t give it.
Will inmate ID numbers change?
Your prisoner ID number will not change as long as you are in the same system. For example, if you are a federal prisoner, your prisoner ID number does not change when you move between federal prisons.
The same goes for people in the state system. If you transfer between prisons in the same state, your inmate ID number will not change.
The only time your prisoner ID number will change is if you are released in one state and then jailed in another state. Your inmate ID number will vary from state to state. If you transfer from a state prison to a federal prison, or vice versa, your inmate ID number will change.
When your loved one is in prison, finding out their prisoner ID number is one of the first things you need to do. Without this information, it’s impossible to send them money or write letters, you won’t be able to get on their guest list, and you won’t be able to set up phone accounts.
Once your loved one is in prison, it’s important to find their identification number right away so you can keep in touch with them while they’re behind bars.
Do you have a horror story about looking up a prisoner ID number? Let us know in the comments below.
Sources: Inmate Locator Offender Search Inmate Locator