In the interest of Public Safety, the Washington State Department of Corrections offers inmate information such as the location, name and identification number of prisoners incarcerated in state facilities. If you have been a victim of a crime and would like to know about the release dates of the perpetrator or where he/she is held, you can easily get this information from the DOC website.
Department of Corrections inmate information
The Department of corrections only offers information pertaining to inmates who are being held in state level facilities and not county jails. Also, your search will only bring back results about adult inmates and not juvenile convicts who are serving time in the Washington Prison System. Because the DOC offers data on current as well as past convicts that were housed in state jails, an inmate search is a simple way to find out if a person you know ever served time in a state run incarceration center.
Although the DOC database is frequently updated, you may have to wait a few days to get information on a criminal who has just entered the prison system in the state. Generally, convicts are transferred to various correctional facilities after spending 4 to 6 weeks at an assessment center where they are evaluated based on the nature of their crime, behavior, and risk level.
A prisoner who has committed a crime in a specific county may not always find himself/herself doing time in a correctional facility based in that very area. In fact, not all counties have state level correctional centers. This means that a resident of one county who was tried for a crime he/she committed in the geographical bounds of that area may very well be sent to any incarceration facility across the state.
Prisoners in County Jails
For information on prisoners lodged in county jails, you will need to contact the Sherriff’s Department of that particular county. If you are not sure where the inmate is being held, it would be a good idea to find out where the convict committed the crime for which he/she is being held.
Use this as a starting point and contact the Sherriff’s Office, they will be able to guide you along the right route. Even if the prisoner is no longer housed in a county jail, the law enforcement agency will still be able to give you information on the facility where he/she is being incarcerated. On the other hand, if the subject of your inquiry is being held at a county level correctional facility, the sheriff’s office will be able to offer advice on visitation rules, time and address of the facility etc.
Looking for Information through the DOC website
For an inmate search visit the webpage at https://www.doc.wa.gov/information/inmate-search/. You will see a query form that accepts last names as well as DOC identification number search requests. If you are looking for inmate details in a bid to find out background information on a person or about the perpetrator of a crime committed against you, simply insert the last name of the subject and click search to reach the results page.
However, if you are a relative of the inmate, you will have the DOC number on all documentation pertaining to case disposition and incarceration. Use this number to get more accurate search results.
Once you have entered the relevant information, you will be guided to the results page that will offer details such as the name of the inmate, DOC number and name of the facility where the convict is serving time. Click on the facility to get information on the address, visitation rules and programs. In fact, you can also get driving instructions to the facility from this website.
If an online search is not for you, it is also possible to get inmate information over the phone. You may want to use this search options for newly convicted prisoners as well. For details on inmates who are residents of Washington state call on 360-725-8213 and for convicts who are held in state facilities but are not residents, call on 360-725-8900. The Department of Corrections accepts inmate information inquiries Monday to Friday during business hours. If you are looking for information on inmates who were charged for sexual offenses, the state or nationwide sex offender registry is a better search option is