South Carolina Inmate Search

The South Carolina correctional system receives inmates daily on suspicion of a crime. They may occasionally spend a night or two for misdemeanor charges. But sometimes, their stay could last several months or years for a felony charge. Inmates in South Carolina are incarcerated in different facilities depending on their convictions. 

Felonies are serious crimes that guarantee a sentence of more than one year and hefty fines. Misdemeanors are less serious crimes that can lead to a sentence of less than one year and small fines. Those convicted with felonies are incarcerated in federal or state prisons, while those convicted with misdemeanors are housed in jails. 

We'll walk through how to search for an inmate in South Carolina and explore the best ways to find which jail or prison they are housed in.  

How to Search for an Inmate in Jail 

To find someone in jail, you can start with the local law enforcement agency responsible for the jail. The agency can either be a county sheriff's office or a municipal police department. The easiest way to search is by visiting the agency's website and looking for an inmate search function. Most search functions use the inmate's first and last name or date of birth. 

Some jails do not have online search functions, and the alternative may be to call the agency via phone and request the information. If the inmate is not in that jail, contact nearby jails.  

How to Search for an Inmate in A State Prison 

If an inmate is housed in a state facility, you ought to start your search with the South Carolina Department of Corrections. The South Carolina DOC offers inmate records on its website. The department's website has an offender search tool that uses the DOC id number and the inmate's first and last name. Each inmate has a unique DOC number, simplifying and expediting the ID search. You can also use the full name or a partial name to search. When using a partial name, the inmate must be sorted through a list of inmates who share the same name. The results from the search include the following.  

• Name 
• Date of birth 
• Race 
• Gender 
• Physical descriptions 
• Location 

The results also show the sentencing information, such as charges, sentence length, release dates, and booking dates. Inmate records are only made available for informational purposes. The South Carolina Department of Correction does not guarantee the information's accuracy. Any harm or damage brought on by the improper use of the information is solely the user's responsibility. 

How to Search for an Inmate in A Federal Prison 

Federal prisons house inmates for breaking federal laws. Concentrate your search on the Federal Bureau of Prisons' website if an inmate is in a federal facility. The bureau's website has an inmate search function labeled "find an inmate" with records of current and formerly incarcerated inmates. The search function has two sections. One section searches by number and has the following options. 

• The BOP register number 
• The NCDC number 
• FBI number 
• INS number 

The second section uses the inmate's name for the search. The section also includes the inmate's age, race, and sex.