Find Indiana Booking Releases Online
Indiana booking releases are public records created each time someone is booked into a county jail or state facility. Each record shows the person's name, booking date, charges, and bond information. These records are open to the public. You can search them through the Indiana County Jail Public Portal, county sheriff websites, or by contacting a jail directly. The state Department of Correction also maintains an online tool for people held in state prisons. This guide covers every resource available to find Indiana booking releases across all 92 counties.
Indiana Booking Releases Quick Facts
What Are Indiana Booking Releases
Booking releases are public records that document when someone is taken into a county jail or state correctional facility. Each record is created at the point of intake by jail staff or sheriff deputies. It captures the person's full name, date of birth, booking date and time, charges filed against them, and the bond amount set by the court. Many of Indiana's 92 county jails update these records each day and post them online for free access. You can search current inmates, view recent bookings, or confirm whether someone has already been released from custody.
Indiana has two distinct systems that hold booking and inmate records. The first is county jail booking records, maintained by each county sheriff. People who are arrested are held in the county jail while awaiting trial, serving a short sentence, or waiting for transfer to a state facility. The second system covers the Indiana Department of Correction, which oversees 18 adult state prisons and other IDOC facilities. These two systems do not share a single database. A person arrested may still be in a county jail if their case is unresolved, or they may have been transferred to a state prison following sentencing. Knowing which system to check first saves time when you are searching Indiana booking release records.
Note: Booking records show that a person was arrested. Arrest is not a conviction. All people named in Indiana booking records are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
Indiana Department of Correction Offender Search
The Indiana Department of Correction runs 18 adult facilities and 3 juvenile facilities across the state. IDOC handles people who have been sentenced and are serving time in a state prison rather than a county jail. The department also oversees parole services, community corrections programs, and reentry support for people returning to communities after release. Their main office sits at 402 W. Washington Street in Indianapolis. You can reach them by phone at (317) 232-5711 or through the contact page at in.gov/idoc/contact-us.
The IDOC Offender Locator at offenderlocator.idoc.in.gov lets you search for anyone currently in an Indiana state prison by last name or by both first and last name.
The Offender Locator returns the person's current facility assignment, their DOC number, and housing status within the Indiana state prison system.
Keep in mind that IDOC only covers people in state prisons. If someone was recently arrested and has not yet been sentenced, they are most likely in a county jail. Start your search with the county jail system for recent arrests in Indiana.
Indiana County Jail Public Portal
The Indiana County Jail Public Portal, known as INjail, is a shared database that lets you search inmate records from multiple Indiana counties at once. It is available free at public.indianajail.gov. You can search by last name, first name, or date of birth. A county filter lets you narrow results if you know which county you are looking for. The portal shows both current inmates and recent releases from participating counties, including Brown, Carroll, Elkhart, Fountain, Grant, Hendricks, and more.
The Indiana County Jail Portal lets you search inmate records from several counties using one shared search tool at public.indianajail.gov.
The portal's county filter narrows your results quickly when you know which Indiana county held the person you are looking for.
Not every Indiana county uses the shared portal. Some counties run their own online search systems, and others do not post inmate records online at all. Marion County, which covers Indianapolis, uses a completely separate system. The Marion County Inmate Lookup at inmateinfo.indy.gov/IML lets you search by name or by booking number, permanent number, state ID, county ID, FBI number, or ICE number. It also includes a checkbox to pull up released inmates in your results.
Searching Indiana Booking Releases Online
Most people start their search online. For state prison inmates, use the IDOC Offender Locator. For county jail inmates, try the Indiana County Jail Portal first. Marion County has its own inmate tool. For all other counties, check the county sheriff website. Many have their own inmate search pages or daily booking logs. If a county has no online tool, call the jail directly or visit in person to ask for inmate data.
Indiana courts also keep records linked to arrests and bookings. If you need to look up case details, see what charges were formally filed, or check hearing dates, the Indiana Court Case Search at public.courts.in.gov/mycase lets you search cases by name or case number. It covers the statewide court system and can fill in details that a jail booking record alone does not include.
Use the Indiana Court Case Search at public.courts.in.gov/mycase to look up charges, hearing dates, and case status tied to an Indiana booking.
Court search results show the charges filed, upcoming hearing dates, and the current status of any case connected to an Indiana booking record.
Several Indiana counties with strong online tools are worth knowing. Allen County in Fort Wayne offers 24/7 inmate search at allencountysheriff.org/inmate-search. Vanderburgh County in Evansville posts recent booking records with charge and bond details at vanderburghsheriff.org. St. Joseph County in South Bend has an inmate search at sjcpd.org. The county pages on this site list every local search tool available across all 92 Indiana counties.
Indiana Booking Releases and Public Records Law
Indiana booking releases are public records under the Access to Public Records Act, commonly called APRA. The law is codified at Indiana Code 5-14-3. Under IC 5-14-3-3, any person may inspect and copy public records held by a public agency during regular business hours. You do not need to give a reason. You do not need to be connected to the case or have a direct interest.
Sheriff offices and county jails in Indiana are required to maintain daily logs and booking records. These logs must include the defendant's name and age, the charges filed, the date and time of arrest, the arrest location, and the case number. Under IC 5-14-3-5, law enforcement agencies must make these daily records available to the public. Booking photos and mugshots are generally treated as public record in Indiana. Most county jails will provide access to a booking photo if asked, and some post them online as part of their inmate search systems.
Indiana's public records law at Indiana Code 5-14-3 is the foundation for public access to booking records statewide.
The Indiana Office of the Public Access Counselor publishes a full guide to APRA at in.gov/tos, covering agency obligations, response timelines, and how to formally request records.
Some records are protected from public release. Under IC 5-14-3-4, agencies may withhold medical and mental health records, Social Security numbers, home addresses, information that could compromise facility security, juvenile records, and victim names when the victim is under 18. These protections apply to all Indiana public agencies, including county jails and the IDOC.
Indiana SAVIN Victim Notification Service
Indiana SAVIN is a free, statewide service that sends automatic alerts when an inmate's status changes. SAVIN stands for Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification. It covers both county jails and Indiana state prisons. You register at indianasavin.in.gov and enter the name of the person you want to track. When that person is booked, released, transferred, or has any status change, you receive an alert by phone, email, or text message.
Register for free inmate status alerts from Indiana county jails and state prisons through the Indiana SAVIN service at indianasavin.in.gov.
SAVIN sends alerts by phone, email, or text the moment an inmate's custody status changes anywhere in the Indiana jail or prison system.
The service is open to anyone who wants to track an inmate's status in Indiana, not only crime victims. Some Indiana county jails also work with the VINELink system, reachable by phone at 1-866-959-VINE (8463). SAVIN can also send emergency notifications if a person escapes from or is released from a facility near your address. Registration takes only a few minutes and costs nothing.
County Sheriffs and Indiana Jail Booking Records
Each of Indiana's 92 counties has an elected sheriff who runs the county jail and maintains booking records. The sheriff is the primary keeper of county-level booking release data in Indiana. Most sheriffs have websites that include jail information, inmate lookup tools, and direct contact details. When an online search is not available, the best approach is to call the sheriff's jail line directly.
Staff at any Indiana county jail can confirm whether someone is currently in custody, state the charges, and provide the bond amount. Some jails will not give details over the phone and ask for an in-person visit or a written request under Indiana public records law. The approach varies by county, so checking the sheriff website before calling is a good habit. The Indiana State Police publishes a directory of all 92 county sheriffs through its NIBRS initiative page, which lists sheriff names, addresses, and phone numbers in one place.
Find every Indiana county sheriff's contact information through the Indiana State Police sheriff directory at in.gov/isp/nibrs.
The sheriff directory lists every county in Indiana with the sheriff's name, office address, and direct phone number, making it the fastest starting point when you are not sure which county office to contact.
Browse Indiana Booking Releases by County
Indiana has 92 counties, each with its own sheriff and jail system. Click a county below to find local contact information, inmate search tools, and booking record resources for that area.
Indiana Booking Releases in Major Cities
Residents of major Indiana cities can look up booking releases through the county jail that serves their area. Pick a city below for local jail resources and inmate search tools.