New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJ DOC) — Inmate Records & Recent Arrests

New Jersey DOC: Inmate Lookup, Visits, Money & Mail

This page holds the inmate records we have on file for the New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJDOC). New Jersey runs a statewide system of state prisons, and the person you are looking for could be housed at any of them and may be transferred during their sentence. The records below are a historical directory of custody entries we hold — a starting point for identifying the right person and taking the next step — not a live count of any single facility, so confirm anything current against the state's official inmate lookup. For more on this facility — history, programs, and what to expect — see our full facility profile.

How to find someone in NJDOC

New Jersey provides an inmate lookup on the NJDOC website for locating people held in its state prisons. On this page you can also browse the records we hold by last name (A–Z), gender, or age to narrow a common name, then confirm the current facility and identification number through the state lookup. Because people are transferred between New Jersey institutions as their classification changes, a record here can lag behind a recent move, so verify before you plan a visit or send anything. If a newly sentenced person does not appear yet, they may still be moving through intake or the county jail where they were held, so check again after a few days or search by last name only in case the name was recorded differently than you expect.

Contact visits, window visits, and video visits

New Jersey allows each facility to set its own visitation schedules and eligible visitors, and the state offers a few different kinds of visit. Prisons provide both contact visits and window visits, though not every incarcerated person is eligible for both. There are also video visits, which must be scheduled at least three days in advance and are limited to one per week to keep access fair; video visits are available at all NJDOC facilities except Northern State Prison and the Special Treatment Unit, generally between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. and again between 5:50 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Get on the approved list, confirm your person's facility rules and eligibility, and bring valid photo identification for in-person visits.

Sending money through JPay (transitioning to ViaPath)

New Jersey contracts inmate fund transfers to JPay. You can send money online at JPay.com with a credit or debit card, call (800) 574-5729 to speak with an agent 24/7, or send cash at retailers including CVS, Albertsons, and Walmart (for MoneyGram, use code 1233). JPay does not charge a processing fee for funds sent by money order, and deposits are typically available to the person within 24 to 48 hours. Note an important change: beginning in March 2025, NJDOC is gradually transitioning services from JPay to ViaPath Technologies, so check which provider is active for your person before setting up an account or buying credits.

Writing to a New Jersey inmate

To write to someone in a New Jersey state prison, address the letter with the inmate's full name and identification number and the correct facility address. All incoming and outgoing mail is opened, inspected, and read, with the exception of legal mail, which may be opened and inspected — but not read — and must be handled in the inmate's presence. Keep enclosures simple, include a clear return address, and avoid stickers, glitter, or adhesive that could get a letter rejected. Our letter service handles formatting and postage so your correspondence meets facility rules and reaches the right person.

Phone calls and messaging

Calls are placed by the incarcerated person out to numbers on their approved list, so set up and fund an account with the current provider in advance and make sure your number is approved so their calls connect — and keep the JPay-to-ViaPath transition in mind when you do. Many New Jersey facilities also offer tablet-based electronic messaging, which can be faster than paper mail for short notes. For families who talk frequently, lower-cost calling arrangements can meaningfully reduce the expense over a long sentence, and pairing calls with visits and steady mail keeps the connection strong.

Programs, parole, and reentry

Because NJDOC holds sentenced people, many families are also navigating classification, program participation, and parole rather than a pending trial. New Jersey offers education, vocational, and treatment programming, and engagement can matter both for daily life and, in some cases, for a person's parole prospects. Staying closely involved — encouraging participation and helping plan the practical pieces of reentry, such as housing and identification — is one of the most effective things a family can do, and consistent contact is associated with smoother transitions back to the community.

Reading this page responsibly

Every entry here is drawn from public records and captures a moment in time rather than the live state of New Jersey's prison system. People are reclassified, transferred, and released, so a listing can be out of date, and details such as a name, an identification number, or an age may be recorded imperfectly — a reflection of the underlying data, never a comment on the individual. Read any record as a pointer, and settle the facts through the NJDOC inmate lookup, which is the authoritative source. If a person you know is missing, they may be held locally, moving through intake, or newly admitted, so give it a day and try again, or search on the last name alone. Above all, an arrest or a listing is not a conviction; everyone here retains the presumption of innocence.

Next steps

Confirm your loved one's identification number and current facility through the NJDOC inmate lookup, then use this page to keep track and take the next step — get on the visiting list and schedule a contact, window, or video visit, set up the current money provider so basics are covered, and open a steady line of mail. Everyone listed here is presumed innocent or is serving a sentence after conviction; a listing here is not a judgment. Verify anything time-sensitive with the facility before you travel or send anything.

Sources: www.nj.gov/corrections/pages/OffenderInformation.html, www.nj.gov/corrections/pages/StayingConnected.html