Free Oklahoma Inmate Search: Find Anyone Behind Bars in OK

Perform a free Oklahoma inmate search to uncover details of anyone incarcerated in the state.

Access to inmate information through free online search tools, in-person requests, and more is available throughout the state. The Oklahoma Open Records Act requires documented inmate records to be available to members of the public.

An inmate is a person incarcerated in either prison or jail after being convicted of – or at least arrested for – a crime. This streamlined resource can guide you on how to find an inmate regardless of where they’re incarcerated. Inmate information can be used to learn why a person was arrested, what charges were brought against them, where they’re incarcerated, and more.

You can review inmate details at the state, county and municipal levels once you discover how to access or request them. Below are clear instructions on how to find inmate information with various custodians in Oklahoma.

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

Jail Inmates vs Prison Inmates

An inmate may be located in either a jail or prison. While they serve similar purposes, jail and prison are two different types of facilities for incarceration. Understanding where a subject is likely to be located can greatly assist in your Oklahoma inmate search.

Oklahoma jails are maintained at the county and municipal levels. City police departments maintain municipal jails and are primarily used to detain someone temporarily after arrest and while awaiting trial or to post bail. County jails are maintained by the sheriff’s office and are used to house a variety of sentenced inmates and those awaiting trial or transfer to a state or federal prison.

Oklahoma state prisons are used to house inmates incarcerated for serious crimes and are considered maximum security facilities. Prisons are responsible for violent offenders, including death row prisoners.

Another place a person may be incarcerated in is federal prison. There are three federal prison facilities in Oklahoma, which the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) maintains.¹ These facilities are responsible for housing people convicted of a federal crime against the United States.

How To Look Up Information on Any Oklahoma Jail Inmate

If you want to look up information on an inmate in an Oklahoma jail, there is some basic information that is incredibly helpful. Having the person’s name and the county or city where they were arrested can help focus your Oklahoma inmate search.

At the county level, the jails are maintained by the sheriff’s office. Depending on the county, inmate information may be accessed through online search tools, formal records requests and other informal means (e.g., phone call, in-person request). To understand how to look for information at this level, below are the steps and resources necessary to perform an inmate search in Oklahoma County, the state’s largest county by population.

The quickest way to find inmate information is by performing an Oklahoma County Detention Center online search.² An individual can use this tool to perform a name-based search. Once a search is performed, the result page will provide all matching inmates’ names, booking dates, and release dates.

You can then click “View More” on any inmate to get additional information. Here, you have access to the following additional information:

• Mugshot
• Descriptive information (e.g., height, weight, hair color, race, etc.)
• Charge description
• Arresting agency
• Criminal case number
• Next court date & location
• Bond type & amount

You can submit an open records request to [email protected] for additional inmate information.

For general inquiries, you can email the Oklahoma County Detention Center at [email protected] or call them at 405-713-1930.³ You can also contact them at the address below:

Oklahoma County Detention Center
201 N. Shartel Avenue
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102

You can do the same in other counties with Oklahoma arrest and criminal resources that can provide you the contact information for every county jail and any inmate search tools.

You can also search for inmate information through certain municipal jails. As an example, below is information on how to access inmate information in the city of Tulsa.

The Tulsa City Jail is managed by the city’s police department.⁴ To access inmate information, you can perform a search using the Tulsa Municipal Jail Directory.⁵ The directory allows you to search for inmates by name.

In addition, you can set a booking date range and choose to search either current inmates or anyone incarcerated in the last ninety days.

Once you perform a search, a record seeker can view the following summary information:

• Name
• Gender
• ID number
• Booking date
• Inmate status

You can then click on the “details” link to get additional information. Here, you can view additional descriptive information about the inmate (e.g., height, weight, etc.) and the agency that arrested them. In addition, you can view detailed information on any charges, such as the offense description, docket and warrant number, next court date and any bond details.

For additional information, you can contact the Tulsa Municipal Jail by phone at 918-596-2347.⁶ You can also contact them at the address below:

Tulsa Police Courts Building
600 Civic Center
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74103

If you still need assistance, you can contact the Tulsa Police Headquarters for assistance at 918-596-9222. They are available Monday through Friday, from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

How To Obtain State Prisoner Details (Oklahoma Inmate Search)

State prisons are maintained by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (DOC).⁷ To perform an Oklahoma inmate search for prisoner information, a citizen can use the DOC Offender Search Tool.⁸

To use this online tool, a citizen can search for an inmate by their Oklahoma DOC number or name. A searcher can also include the inmate’s date of birth to narrow down results. Two final options with this search tool include the ability to search for aliases and include results for similar-sounding names.

For any matches, the search results page will provide the following summary information:

• Thumbnail mugshot
• Oklahoma DOC number
• Name
• Gender
• Race
• Date of birth
• Facility (“Inactive” means the person is no longer incarcerated)

If you click on an inmate’s Oklahoma DOC number, you can view a larger mugshot and get additional descriptive information and detailed sentencing information. This includes the following:

• Offense Description
• Court
• Criminal Case Number
• Conviction Date
• Sentence Length
• Type of Sentence
• Reception Date
• Discharge Date

For additional inmate information, you can contact the Oklahoma Department of Corrections by calling them at 405-425-2500. You can also contact them by mail or in person at the address below:

Oklahoma Department of Corrections
3400 N. Martin Luther King Ave. P.O. Box 11400
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73111

Here are some additional inmate resources that may prove to be helpful:

• Victim Services⁹
• Facilities
• Visitation Information¹⁰
• Send Money to Inmate
• Offender Information & Resources¹¹

How To Execute a Federal Prisoner Search

In addition to inmate information for state crimes, you can also access similar information for individuals incarcerated in federal prisons. There are three federal prisons in Oklahoma and many throughout the United States, all of which are maintained by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP).

You can access this type of inmate information through the Federal BOP Inmate Locator.¹² This search tool allows you to search for inmate information throughout every federal facility. The search tool stores inmate information for anyone incarcerated from 1982 to the present.

To use this search tool, an individual can enter either an inmate’s identifying number (e.g., BOP, FBI, etc.) or their name. When performing a name-based search, a record seeker also has the option to include certain descriptive information to narrow their results (e.g., age, race, sex).

The results of a citizen’s search will provide the inmate’s full name, register number and descriptive information. If a person is no longer incarcerated, you can view the date they were released. If the inmate is still incarcerated, you can view the federal facility they are located in and their scheduled release date.

If you are looking for additional information on any federal inmates, contact the BOP at 202-307-3198 or at the address below:

Federal Bureau of Prisons
320 First Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20534

For federal inmate records before 1982, you can search the available records provided by the National Archives Records Administration (NARA).¹³ NARA has several available prison indexes and other types of documents available to be inspected. If there are any documents you want to retain, you can request a copy.¹⁴

To look for records in person, you can go to any available NARA locations. If you have any questions about accessing these archived inmate records, you can contact them at 866-272-6272.

If you still need inmate information, you have the option of performing a criminal case search with the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) Search Tool. While this is a paid service, it is another option for accessing federal inmate information.¹⁵

Oklahoma inmate information is available through many different state, county and municipal government agencies. With the information provided in this streamlined resource, you are now prepared to conduct a thorough Oklahoma inmate search.