Delaware Department of Corrections (DE DOC) — Inmate Records & Recent Arrests

Delaware DOC: Locating an Inmate, Visits, Money & Mail

This page holds the inmate records we have on file for the Delaware Department of Correction (DE DOC). Like Connecticut, Delaware operates a unified system that combines what other states split into jails and prisons — the same agency holds people awaiting trial and those serving sentences across a handful of facilities statewide. The identifier that ties everything together in Delaware is the person's SBI number, and you will need it for nearly every practical step, so it is the first thing to track down. For more on this facility — history, programs, and what to expect — see our full facility profile.

How to locate a Delaware inmate

Delaware provides an official online inmate locator through the Department of Correction's website, where you can look someone up and see the facility that holds them. For custody-status changes, the state also points people to VINELink (Victim Information and Notification Everyday), a national service you can use to look up an offender's status and register for automatic notifications by phone, email, or text when that status changes — useful if you want to know the moment someone is moved or released. On this page you can browse the records we hold by last name, gender, or age to find a person, then confirm their current facility and SBI number through the state locator.

Scheduling a visit

Visits in Delaware must be scheduled in advance, typically for the following week, and you arrange them by contacting the facility where the person is held. When you schedule, be ready to provide the offender's SBI number and date of birth, and your own information — some facilities ask for visitor addresses and phone numbers as well. As at any correctional facility, you will need valid photo identification, you will pass through search screening, and there are limits on what you can bring inside. Each facility sets its own visiting days and hours, so confirm those directly once you know where your person is housed, and arrive early to allow time for check-in.

Sending money by money order

Delaware does not accept personal checks for inmate accounts. Instead, money orders can be mailed in or dropped off during a scheduled visit. Every money order must include the offender's full name, their SBI number, the institution where they are assigned, and the name of the person sending it. Getting all four details right is what keeps a deposit from being rejected. Money on a person's account lets them buy commissary items and cover phone time, which is often the most practical, immediate support a family can provide — especially for someone recently arrested who arrived with nothing.

Writing to a Delaware inmate

Mail is a dependable way to stay in touch, but every piece is opened and inspected for contraband. Address your letter with the person's committed name and SBI number, add a clear return address, and keep it simple — no stickers, glitter, adhesive, or unusual materials that trigger a rejection. Because Delaware's facilities range from secure prisons to community corrections centers, the exact mail handling can vary by institution, so if you are unsure about a particular enclosure, leave it out and ask first. Our letter service handles formatting and postage so your mail meets the rules and reaches the right person.

Phone calls and staying connected

Phone contact is one of the fastest ways to reach someone in Delaware custody, particularly in the first days after an arrest when a family is anxious for any word. Calls are placed by the incarcerated person out to numbers on their approved list — you generally cannot call into a facility and be connected — so the practical task on your end is making sure your number is set up and funded with the facility's phone provider before the first call comes. Prepaid accounts avoid the higher cost and interruptions of collect calls, and for families who expect to talk regularly across a longer stay, lower-cost calling arrangements can keep the expense manageable. Keeping a small balance on both the phone and commissary accounts removes the two most common reasons a call or purchase fails.

One system, several kinds of facility

Delaware's unified system includes more than the large secure prisons most people picture. It also runs community corrections centers and work-release and boot-camp style facilities — places such as community corrections centers in Wilmington and Dover, among others — where people may be held closer to release or under lighter supervision. That matters when you are locating someone, because a person can move from a high-security institution to a community-based facility as their status changes, which in turn changes the visiting rules and the address you use. Whenever a person is harder to reach than before, re-checking the locator will usually show that they have been reassigned.

What the records here mean

The entries on this page come from public data and reflect booking and custody records at a moment in time rather than a live count. In a unified system with frequent movement between pre-trial and sentenced status and between facilities, a record can lag behind a transfer or release, and some fields may be incomplete. That is a limitation of the source, not a statement about the person. Use an entry as a lead, then confirm the current facility, status, and SBI number through the state's official locator or VINELink before you act.

Bail and next steps

Because DE DOC also holds pre-trial detainees, some people listed here have not been convicted and may be eligible for release on bail while their case is pending; if a bond has been set, a licensed bail agent can walk you through it. For those serving sentences, the focus turns to staying connected and preparing for reentry. Everyone listed is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. Start by confirming the SBI number and current facility, then take the next step — schedule a visit, send a money order to their account, or mail a first letter. The Delaware Department of Correction, at 245 McKee Road in Dover, can be reached at (302) 739-5601 to confirm current details.

Sources: doc.delaware.gov/views/inmate_locator.blade.shtml, doc.delaware.gov/