Frequently Asked Questions

Search by name and state on PrisonAssist.com. Records usually appear after booking is complete, which can take a few hours, and each facility updates its roster on its own schedule. If you cannot find someone yet, wait a little while and try again, or search by last name only in case the first name was entered differently. Confirming the facility and county also helps you narrow results when a name is common.

Have the inmate's full legal name and, ideally, their booking or inmate ID number, along with the facility name and county. These details are required for mail, care packages, money transfers, and bail, so confirming them first saves time and prevents rejected items. If you are unsure, the record on our Site and the facility itself can help you verify the correct spelling and identification number.

If you use a bail bond agent, you typically pay a non-refundable premium of about 10% of the total bail amount, and the licensed agent posts the full bail with the court. For example, on a $10,000 bail you would generally pay around $1,000. The agent may also request collateral for larger bonds, which is returned once the case concludes and all court obligations are met. You can also pay the full cash bail directly to the court yourself, which is refundable but ties up the entire amount.

Release times vary widely by facility, from a couple of hours to much longer, depending on how busy the jail is, the time of day, and the facility's own processing steps. Weekends, holidays, and overnight hours often take longer. Once a bond is posted, the timing is largely in the facility's hands, but working with an experienced bail agent helps the paperwork move as smoothly as possible.

Facilities reject mail and packages over strict, facility-specific rules such as a missing inmate ID, the wrong type of paper, stickers or glitter, certain ink colors, prohibited content, or unapproved items. These rules change often and differ from place to place. We apply each facility's current rules before anything is sent, which dramatically reduces rejections compared with mailing or shipping on your own.

It depends entirely on the facility, which publishes an approved list — typically certain snacks, hygiene products, and basic essentials drawn from its commissary or approved-vendor catalog. Items that are not on the approved list, or that exceed quantity limits, are turned away. When you build a package with us, we show you what is allowed for that specific facility so you are not paying for items that would be rejected.

Facilities contract with a single phone provider, and calls are billed at high per-minute rates plus fees. Because there is no competition inside the facility, prices stay high. We've built direct relationships with these facility phone providers, so we can offer a flat $10 a month for 500 minutes instead of per-minute billing, which can dramatically cut what you spend over a month of staying in touch.

It depends on the service and how far along the order is. In general, you can cancel for a full refund before an order is fulfilled — before a letter is printed and mailed, before a package ships, or before a bond is posted. Once an item is fulfilled it usually cannot be refunded. If something went wrong on our end, we will make it right. See our Refund & Cancellation Policy for the details by service.

Use our Record Removal & Correction page to request removal or a correction, including for cases that were dismissed, sealed, or expunged. We review every request and update or remove information on our Site where appropriate. Note that removing a record from our Site does not remove it from the original government source or from other websites we do not control.

The records are compiled from public sources such as county jail rosters, state corrections locators, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and they may be incomplete, outdated, or contain errors made at the source. We refresh data on a recurring schedule, but there is always a lag between what a facility shows and what appears here. Always confirm critical details — especially a bail amount or facility location — directly with the jail or court before acting.

No. An arrest is not a conviction, and everyone is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. The information on our Site reflects public records at a point in time and is not a statement of guilt about any individual. It also may not be used for any purpose regulated by the Fair Credit Reporting Act, such as employment, housing, or credit decisions.

Our directory spans jails and prisons across {{ site.state_count }} states, including state prisons, county jails, and municipal holding facilities. Search by name and state to locate the specific facility and see the services available there. If a very recent arrest has not appeared yet, it may simply not have been published by the source facility, so try again later.

Yes. We only collect the information needed to operate the Site and fulfill your orders, we do not sell your personal information, and we share it only with the providers required to deliver a service you requested. Payments are handled by secure third-party processors, and we do not store full card numbers. See our Privacy Policy for full details on what we collect and the rights you have.

You can reach us anytime through our Contact page, or by emailing our support address. We aim to respond quickly, and we offer help around the clock for urgent bail questions. Whether you are stuck finding someone, unsure which service you need, or have a question about an order, we are glad to help you take the next step.