About Louisiana Department of Corrections
In Louisiana, Information about incarcerated people is open to the public. Governmental agencies and records from authorized third-party record providers have portals that make such details available to the public. However, if you are tracking down an inmate in Louisiana, you'll need to gather some information. Having the inmate's details, with more being merrier, makes finding a Louisiana convict much simpler.
The Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections keeps and oversees inmate records and correctional facilities. The department offers an offender locator service that helps the general public locate detained individuals within the state.
How Do You Find Someone Who Has Been Incarcerated?
Finding an inmate in Louisiana is a breeze if you know which data to use when searching. Multiple online databases are available for no cost. The databases usually contain information on inmates. However, most importantly, searching for detained persons requires you to have some information about them to begin with. Below are steps you can follow to find someone incarcerated in Louisiana:
Step 1: You can use the state-wide Prisoner Lookup Tool to locate incarcerated or released loved ones.
Step 2: Enter the inmates' names or I.D. numbers into the search bar to narrow the results. The tool can help you learn more about a prisoner held by the county, private, federal, state, DHS, or ICE.
Step 3: You will get a list of current and former inmates whose information matches the one you entered.
Step 4: Selecting a name will take you to a website with further information about that individual.
How Do I Perform a Louisiana Jail Inmate Search?
Nearly all of Louisiana's parishes have websites where you can look up an inmate. Inmate lookup tool engines are on some parish and county websites. An interested party can check if an inmate is held in a particular county or parish by visiting one of these websites and viewing the inmate roster. Consider the examples below:
- The sheriff's office in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, maintains an online search tool where you may look up inmates by gender, race, or name.
- St. Tammany Parish provides an online inmate roster that includes currently incarcerated individuals and those discharged during the last 48 hours.
- The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office keeps an inmate list of all incarcerated in the parish's various prisons.
- The Orleans Parish sheriff's office offers an inmate master search.
Using LAVNS Offender Locator System
You can find your loved ones if they are detained in a Louisiana correctional facility in several ways. The Louisiana Automated Victim Notification System is possibly the most straightforward approach (LAVNS).
The LAVNS (Louisiana Automated Victim Notification System) allows the general public to look up inmates in state prisons via www.vinelink.com. The Department of Public Safety and Corrections updates LAVNS. The system regularly keeps you apprised of an inmate's progress through the judicial system.
Subscribers can also check on an inmate's current incarceration and case progress through the system. You can get updates via SMS, email, and voice calls on the system. The website is updated daily, making it simple to search by name, location, and I.D./case number. It also details incarcerated inmates and those on community supervision like probation or parole.
Family and friends of an inmate can use the LAVNS system to track them down. However, LAVNS also has other use cases. For example, a victim can check an adult inmate's current custody status and location through the system. Moreover, victims can sign up to get automated updates on the status of cases, including when the inmate is:
- Released from detention.
- Changes the case's status.
- Flees from the parish facility.
- Moved from one facility to another.
Is There an Alternative to Using the LAVNS System?
You can always contact the relevant county or parish if you would rather not use the LAVNS system. Calling the parish or county facility will help you be sure that an inmate is detained in Louisiana. There are available online directories of facility phone numbers.
The automatic Inmate Locator hotline is available 24/7 at 225-383-4580. To determine the inmate's specific detention facility, the caller must provide the following inmate's details:
- Department of Corrections (DOC) number
- Full legal name, or
- Date of birth.
Those who visit the office in person may do so at their physical address, 504 Mayflower Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802. Interested parties may also send correspondence to P.O. Box 94304, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70804-9304. You can also reach them at their official telephone number, (225) 342-6740. Get more information by visiting their official website.
