How do I find an inmate or search a jail roster?

Massachusetts Department of Correction - DOC (state prisons) / County Sheriff's Office (county jails - Note: Massachusetts jails ARE county-level even though most county government is abolished)

Details

What you need to know

Fee

Online searches free; certified records requests may involve fees ONLINE OPTION: Yes - Massachusetts DOC Inmate Locator at mass.gov/corrections; county Sheriff websites for county jails WHERE TO GO: Massachusetts DOC (state prisons); County Sheriff's Office or jail (county pre-trial and shorter-sentence inmates)

Online Option

Yes - Massachusetts DOC Inmate Locator at mass.gov/corrections; county Sheriff websites for county jails

Where to Go

Massachusetts DOC (state prisons); County Sheriff's Office or jail (county pre-trial and shorter-sentence inmates)

County-specific variations apply

Massachusetts's 14 county Sheriffs each operate their own jail facilities and online access varies. Suffolk County (Boston) and Middlesex County (Cambridge/Lowell) have the most robust online inmate search tools. Nantucket and Dukes (Martha's Vineyard) counties have very small facilities and more limited online presence - direct phone calls are often necessary for smaller counties.

Massachusetts Notes

Important state-specific details

Massachusetts DOC operates state prisons for inmates with sentences over 2.5 years; sentences of 2.5 years or less (including pre-trial detainees) are housed in county Houses of Correction operated by county Sheriffs.
IMPORTANT DISTINCTION: In Massachusetts, both sentences of up to 2.5 years AND longer state sentences share a "county jail or state prison" routing based on sentence length - recent arrests will typically be in county facilities.
Massachusetts sex offender registry: mass.gov/sorb (Sex Offender Registry Board) - searchable online.
Massachusetts CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information): available for background checks through CHSB - mass.gov/cori.
For visitation, phone calls, sending money, commissary, or mailing to a Massachusetts inmate: inmateaid.com has DOC and county jail facility details.

Official Source

State office contact

State Office

Massachusetts Department of Correction - mass.gov/corrections | (508) 422-3300; DOC Inmate Locator: mass.gov/corrections (look for "Inmate Locator" or "Inmate Information")