Perform a Free Oregon Inmate Search (Jail & Prison Lookup)

Conduct a free Oregon inmate search to track down details of anyone incarcerated in a jail or prison within the state.

Inmates are individuals confined in jail or prison. This resource will explain how interested parties can find any inmate regardless of the facility they’re being held in.

If you’re looking for inmate information in Oregon, this article is for you. You’ll discover how to access details of inmates in Oregon correctional facilities, look up their offenses, and more.

What’s the Difference Between Prison & Jail Inmates?

In the state of Oregon, inmates are defined as individuals held and monitored by the Department of Corrections but are not on parole, probation or post-prison supervision.¹ Inmates in Oregon may be held at state or county correctional facilities.

There are a number of correctional facilities in the state, including the state penitentiary. The Oregon Department of Corrections lists 12 state-run facilities excluding other county jails and regional facilities.^{2, 3} The county jails are commonly run by the sheriff’s offices while regional facilities are operated by different counties that have merged to establish the facility.

These regional and county jails detain inmates they have arrested for crimes with short period sentences or while the inmate is on trial, waiting for their sentence, and have not bailed. State prisons, on the other hand, are where individuals who committed state crimes such as murder or rape are held; these are run by the state’s department of corrections.

Both of these are the types of inmates you can expect coming across when you do an inmate search in Oregon.

When a crime crosses borders like kidnapping, online theft; is related to national finance such as tax evasion, bank robberies or fraud; or poses a threat to the whole nation like terrorism, that’s where the federal prisons come in.

How To Execute an Oregon Jail Inmate Search

Oregon has 36 counties and over 200 municipalities. There are also 36 county jails and in 2020, the jail population was at 7,100 according to the National Institute of Corrections.⁴ Some of these counties have their own incarcerated lookup tool while others provide lists instead which makes it accessible for anyone to run an inmate search.

Multnomah County, Oregon has a booking information search tool where you can look for inmates currently in custody or individuals that are recently released.⁵

Initial search results will list the names and booking dates of the individuals. Clicking on the name will expand the information which also displays the inmate’s SWIS ID, basic information, identifying characteristics, arresting agency, assigned facility, projected release date, and charges.

Interested parties can also contact the county’s jail information line at 503.988.3689.

The counties of Wasco, Hood River, Sherman, and Gilliam also have a joint regional facility— the Northern Oregon Regional Corrections Facilities (NORCOR), and it provides a list of adults in custody under their jurisdiction.^{6, 7} It displays the name of the inmate, their booking date, charges, bail, and scheduled release if applicable.

There is no convenient way to search for inmates in Oregon municipal jails however. Fortunately, the majority of the state’s counties have jail rosters available online. This helpful Oregon Arrest & Criminal Records Resource lists every county jail rosters that are available in the state, as well as their links, addresses, and contact information— helping you save time instead of searching individually.⁸

How To Conduct a Prisoner Lookup: Oregon Inmate Search

Anyone who would want to conduct an Oregon inmate lookup may do so using the Oregon Department of Corrections’ offender search.⁹ Results of the search will list the inmates’ state identification number, full name, and date of birth.

When you expand the information of an individual, it will also show you their basic information, identifying characteristics, location, status, admission date, earliest release date, case load, and other names used. Their list of offenses is displayed as well, containing the docket number, county, crime, sentence type, and the start and termination dates.

However, the state’s Department of Corrections (DOC) provides this information for public service and does not guarantee accuracy or completeness thus, it is advised by the department to not treat any of the information as official. If an individual wants to get a certified copy or official records, they can submit a public records request that may require using the Information Request Form or Pen Pack Request form.^{10, 11}

Requests should be submitted directly to the institution that holds the information.¹²

The state of Oregon also used to utilize VineLink for providing victims the jail information and notifications of the state prisoners. However, they recently transitioned to their own information system— the Victim Information System in Oregon (VISOR), where interested parties can search for inmate information and request for notifications with or without a VISOR account.¹³

If you hope to track down other state prisoner information, here are some additional helpful sites you can check out:

• Oregon DOC Prison Locations: Lists the 12 prison facilities in Oregon, including location, history, and offered services and programs.
• Oregon DOC Contact Information: Provides the phone numbers of the DOC and its other facilities, as well as contact information for specific divisions and subjects.
• Oregon DOC Visiting Information: Outlines visitation guidelines and provides related informational links.
• Contact an Adult in Custody of Oregon DOC: Discusses the methods available to contact an adult in custody.
• Sending Money to Adult in Custody of Oregon DOC: Provides a guide on the different ways to send money to an adult in custody.
• Oregon DOC’s Most Wanted: Displays the mugshots of the fugitives who failed to appear or have escaped from DOC. Information about the fugitive is presented when the mugshot is selected.
• Oregon State Police Sex Offender Registry Section: Offers a search tool that displays sex offender information. This resource only lists high risk sex offenders, classified as level 3.
• Oregon Board of Parole Hearing Calendar: Briefly covers types of board hearings and displays parole hearing schedules in a calendar form. Details of the hearing are provided when a schedule is selected.
• Oregon Board of Parole Victim Services: Compiles resources relevant to crime victims.

How To See Who Is in Federal Prison

Interested parties wanting to search for federal prisoners can use the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator anytime.¹⁴ This database stores information about inmates from 1982 up to the present time.

Results of the inmate search will list the following information: name, register number, age, race, sex, release date, and location.

When you click on the name of a certain inmate, it will give you related links about how to contact the inmate, send mail/package/money, visit, or file a concern.

You can also submit a request to the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) through their Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) request for more details about the inmates.¹⁵

Citizens who want to look up information about federal prisoners prior to 1982 may go to the National Archives & Records Administration (NARA) or use the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) case tool.^{16, 17} It is important to note, however, that PACER comes with fees, and you need to register for an account before you can run a search.

Aside from an online view, prison records can also be requested by contacting NARA if they are available. Interested individuals can also order court records from Federal Record Centers.^{18, 19} Federal records in Oregon are maintained by the National Archives at Seattle which is open from Mondays through Fridays, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM by appointment.²⁰

National Archives at Seattle
6125 – Sand Point Way Northeast
Seattle, WA 98115 7999

Phone: 206.336.5132
Fax: 206.336.5112
Email: seattle.archives@nara.gov

Here are other helpful links if you want to know more about federal prisons and correctional facilities through the Bureau of Prisons (BOP):

• BOP Facilities 
• BOP Offices
• BOP Maps (Locations in Each State)
• Sheridan Federal Correctional Institution

With all the available federal and state search tools, and the number of counties that have jail rosters or own lookup tools online, gathering information is pretty accessible in the state. This makes it convenient for any interested individual to conduct an Oregon inmate search anytime they need to.