Missouri Inmate Records

There are approximately 40,000 incarcerated persons in correctional facilities operating in Missouri. These include about 23,911 in state-run prisons, an estimated 6,450 in federal prisons, and about 9,700 in local jails. The numbers are responsible for Missouri's incarceration rate of 381 per 100,000 residents, which is a little higher than the national average of 355 per 100,000 United States residents. Missouri inmate records are maintained by each prison/jail authority overseeing the operations of each correctional facility at the state, local, and federal levels.

A typical Missouri inmate record contains information about someone who is currently held in a correctional facility in the state or an individual who was previously incarcerated within the state's prison system. It generally includes the following details:

• Personal Information - The inmate's name, race, sex, date of birth, age, mugshot, weight, and other physical descriptors like eye color, hair color, height, aliases, and marks (scars and tattoos).
• Court Details - These include the court case numbers, trial details, court judgments, fines, and orders.
• Sentence Information - This shows the inmate's active and completed offenses for which they are incarcerated, the length of the sentence, the assigned location, and the assigned officer's details.
• Arrest Details - These include charges, the location of the arrest, the date of the arrest, the time of the arrest, warrants, and the arresting agency information.
• Release and Parole Information - This shows the inmate's eligibility for parole and the expected release date.

Are Inmate Records Public in Missouri?

Yes, Missouri inmate records are public records. The Revised Statutes of Missouri, Chapter 610, grants members of the public access to any record stored or maintained by any government agency. These include records of all inmates housed in correctional facilities across the state and managed by relevant public bodies.

While most Missouri inmate records are considered public information or documents, some records and information in arrest records may not be disclosed to the public. These include expunged or sealed inmate records, inmate's medical records, mental health records, criminal psychiatric evaluations, and financial records.

What Agencies Are Responsible for Inmate Records in Missouri?

Agencies overseeing correctional facilities, supervising inmates, and/or keeping inmate records in Missouri include the following:

• The Missouri Department of Corrections (MODOC) - The Missouri Department of Corrections (MODOC) typically houses offenders convicted of property crimes, drug offenses, and violent crimes in state-run prisons. Prison facilities run by the MODOC include 19 adult correctional institutions and about 8 community supervision centers & community release centers in different parts of the state. Besides managing these facilities, the MODOC is responsible for keeping records of all inmates held in its correctional facilities.
• Police Departments - Although local police departments do not own facilities to hold convicted offenders, they maintain arrest information or logs of such individuals, particularly those arrested within their jurisdiction. It is safe to say that local police departments are custodians of certain inmate records because arrest details are a huge part of any inmate record in the state.
• County Sheriff's Offices - The county sheriff's offices across Missouri's 114 counties oversee the over 100 local county jails in the state and maintain the records of each inmate under their supervision. Each of these jail facilities holds offenders serving sentences for certain felonies and misdemeanors with not more than 1- year imprisonment and other individuals awaiting trial.
• Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) - Offenders convicted for violating federal rules in Missouri are incarcerated in any of the two federal prisons in the state. These prisons are managed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), which also keeps records of all inmates held in the two prisons.

How To Search for an Inmate's Information in Missouri

When someone identifies the correctional facility where an inmate is incarcerated in Missouri, they are halfway into the quest of locating the inmate and/or retrieving their information.

Find an inmate in Missouri State Prisons

The Missouri Department of Corrections (MODOC) offers the public an Offender Web Search that provides information about inmates incarcerated in state prisons and supervised by the department. Interested persons can find information about any active inmate in state-run prisons through this online resource using the inmate's name (first and last name) or DOC ID as the search criterion. They may also search by an inmate's alias under the name search field. Typical information retrieved from this search includes an inmate's full name, mugshot, vital personal information, active/completed offenses, location of incarceration, and the sentence summary (length of imprisonment).

Generally, pieces of inmate information obtained from online searches conducted on MODOC's Offender Web Search are often basic and lack some important details. As a result, anyone who wants more detailed information about an inmate held in one of Missouri's state-run prisons should consider going to the correctional facility where the inmate is physically housed. The record custodian will help locate the inmate's file and retrieve the sought record once the requester can provide details to help facilitate the search.

Find an Inmate in Local Jail

In Missouri, county sheriff's offices and local police departments keep records or information about inmates in local jails and make them accessible to the public through online search resources with different kinds of names. Examples of such names include inmate rosters, inmate listings, offender lists, and inmate locators. They are usually hosted on the county sheriff's offices' or local police departments' websites. In most cases, interested persons may look up inmates incarcerated in local jails using the inmates' names, ID numbers assigned by the local jails, and admission dates. However, the information retrieved is often basic.

Where a detailed record of an inmate held in a local jail is needed, it is best to visit the local jail facility in person and submit a request to the records custodian. While this may come at a cost, the custodian must search the inmate's file and provide the requester with more comprehensive details about the inmate whose information is sought than what anyone can retrieve online.

Find an Inmate in Federal Prison

The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) offers public access to records of inmates held in Missouri's federal prisons through the BOP Inmate Locator. With an inmate's name or BOP register number as the search parameter, anyone may find information on any inmate housed in St Louis RRM and Springfield MCFP from 1982 to the present through the BOP Inmate Locator. Typical inmate information retrieved after a search includes the inmate's name, age, sex, location, race, and release date.

How Can I Access Old Inmate Records?

Most online inmate search tools managed by Missouri's prisons/jails only have information about inmates who are currently held in custody. For instance, the MODOC Offender Web Search has no information on discharged offenders, otherwise known as former or old inmates.

Generally, the first place to begin any search for an old inmate in the state is to check the Missouri State Archives. For instance, the State Archives has the Missouri State Penitentiary Database of inmates received from 1836 to 1931. Interested persons may contact the State Archives at (573) 751-3280 to book an appointment for the in-person search of old inmate records or submit a search request online. Records of old inmates incarcerated in Missouri's federal prisons may also be accessed through the National Archives.

One of the few ways to find old inmate information in Missouri is to visit the facility where such inmates were incarcerated and request access to their records. However, this may come at a fee. Former inmates who served prison/jail terms in Missouri may also have their records stored online by reliable third-party websites like Missouripublicrecords.us. These websites periodically aggregate inmate records/information in the state and save them to their databases, where members of the public may access them at a nominal fee at any time.

Furthermore, interested persons may submit public record requests to the relevant government agency to retrieve information about individuals who have served jail or prison terms in Missouri. To obtain information about former inmates incarcerated in state-run prisons, submit a public record request to the MODOC by email. If the inmate served time in a federal prison, submit a FOIA request to the BOP to retrieve their record.

Can I Find a Missouri Inmate Record for Free?

Yes. Anyone can find a Missouri inmate record free of charge online through the inmate search tools offered by each prison/jail authority in the state. The only limitation is that each correctional facility can only provide information about inmates held in their facility. However, with credible third-party sites like Missouripublicrecords.us, interested persons may access records of all inmates incarcerated in the state, regardless of the facility housing them. These sites offer centralized access to information on inmates across the state, local, and federal correctional facilities in Missouri, all in one database.

Jails and Prisons in Missouri

The correctional facilities in Missouri, based on the management structure, include state prisons, local jails, and federal prisons. The state has no privately-run prisons.

• Local Jails - Over 100 local jails operate in Missouri under the supervision of local law enforcement agencies, including county sheriff's offices and local police departments.
• State Prisons - The Missouri Department of Corrections (MODOC) supervises at least 21 correctional facilities.
• Federal Prisons - The BOP manages two federal prisons in Missouri.

State Prisons in Missouri

Some of the state-run correctional facilities in Missouri are listed in the table below:

Private Prisons in Missouri

There are no private correctional facilities in Missouri.

Missouri Inmate Statistics

• Missouri Incarceration Rate - 381 per 100,000 residents
• Male Incarceration Rate - 700 per 100,000 males
• Female Incarceration Rate - 69 per 100,000 females
• Youth Custody Rate - 109 per 100,000 youths
• Number of Prisoners in Private Prisons - 0
• Black/White Imprisonment Disparity - 3.6:1
• Latino/White Imprisonment Disparity - 0.5:1
• Number of offenders under community supervision - 1,131 per 100,000 people
• Number on probation - 784 per 100,000 people
• Number on parole - 356 per 100,000 people
• Felony Disenfranchisement Rate - 1.7%

* Source: United States Bureau of Justice Statistics