Tennessee Inmate Search

Tennessee correctional institutions comprise state prisons, county jails, rehabilitation centers, private prisons, and specialized treatment programs. Tennessee is also home to several federal correctional facilities designed for persons facing federal convictions. Presently, the Tennessee correctional system consists of 14 state prisons, 95 county jails, and 4 contract and privately managed prisons. There are also 2 federal correctional institutions in the state.

Among the 14 state prisons in Tennessee are 3 female detention centers. These centers house female offenders providing them with gender-specific programs and care. Likewise, Tennessee has a Youth Development Center that serves minors between the ages of 13 to 18 committed to state custody for various juvenile offenses.

Tennessee Inmate SearchPrison in Tennessee

Tennessee prisons provide a secure and rehabilitative environment for inmates. The prison system comprises a range of facilities to accommodate the needs of various inmates across the state. These facilities include:

  • State Prisons: The state's correctional facilities accommodate persons convicted of felony crimes serving long sentences, usually above one year.
  • Private Prisons: Tennessee has 4 privately managed prisons that work in collaboration with the state prisons. Private prisons provide medium-security incarceration.
  • County Jail: County jails provide housing for persons convicted of misdemeanors and lesser felony charges. Typically, county jail confines persons with less than one year sentence and persons awaiting trial.
  • Specialized Facilities: Tennessee has several specialized facilities offering medical and mental health care services, rehabilitation programs, substance abuse programs, life skill development, and vocational training to inmates.

Tennessee prisons are structured to accommodate inmates based on their security needs. Therefore, high-risk inmates are remanded in maximum-security institutions, while lower-risk inmates are housed in minimum-security prisons. Furthermore, the state provides specialized facilities to cater to inmates with special needs, including inmates in need of intensive medical care.

Tennessee has an incarceration rate of 817 per 100,000 people. Its rate is significantly higher than the U.S. incarceration rate of 614 per 100,000 persons, meaning Tennessee locks up more people than the country. There are over 57,000 behind bars in various correctional facilities in Tennessee. Nearly 24,000 inmates are remanded in state prisons, while county jails house over 26,000 inmates per annum. Federal correctional stations house up to 7,000 inmates, while Youth and involuntary commitments account for over 450 inmates yearly.

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According to the Tennessee Department of Corrections, the state's correctional system includes 14 state prisons (including 3 women-only facilities), 95 county jails, 4 private prisons, and 2 federal prisons. The system houses approximately 24,000 state inmates, 26,000 county inmates, 7,000 federal inmates, and 450 youth/involuntary commitments, with an incarceration rate of 817 per 100,000 residents.

Tennessee Department of Corrections Inmate Search

The Tennessee Department of Corrections (TDOC) oversees the custody and rehabilitation of persons sentenced for various offenses in the state. Headed by a Commissioner appointed by the Governor, the TDOC ensures that all correctional facilities are safe and secure for inmates and correctional staff. It manages the daily operations of state prisons, including maintaining security, providing educational programs, preventing escapes, and offering substance abuse programs.

The TDOC is responsible for maintaining inmate records across state prisons. It provides an offender search tool, Felony Offender Information, on its website to look up information on persons currently incarcerated for felony crimes in the state. It also holds records of inmates previously incarcerated and released from state prisons. Inmate information such as their sentences, location, photo, and current status are accessible for free on the web tool.

Inmate records are accessible on the TDOC website by clicking offender search on the TDOC homepage. This takes users to the Felony Offender information page, which provides information about the search tool. A Search Now button underneath the page takes users to the official search page, where record seekers may input the required information to access the inmate record.

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Find Inmate by Name

Users can locate an inmate record from the Felony Offender Information web tool using the inmate's name. The portal requires a first and last name to facilitate the search. Entering partial names in the first and last name fields will return all search results that match the search criteria. For instance, using the name Mat will turn up names for Mattew, Mateo, Matteo, Matias, and Mattias. Additionally, searchers may check the box, if the search name matches the inmate's aliases. Also, where the inmate race is known, searchers may choose the appropriate race from the drop-down menu. Using additional parameters like the inmate race and aliases helps refine the search, ensuring that the specific inmate report is located.

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Find Inmate by Number

The Felony Offender Information platform also permits viewing inmate records using the inmate's TDOC ID. The TDOC identification number is an eight-digit number assigned by the Department of Correction. The number is unique to inmates and is used to identify offenders throughout the criminal justice system.

What Information is Contained in a Tennessee Inmate Record?

The TDOC provides an online publicly accessible tool to find inmate records. The web tool provides details of persons presently incarcerated in state prisons and persons previously incarcerated but released. Generally, the following information is contained on a Tennessee inmate record:

  • Name: Inmate records contain the full legal name of inmates. Inmate names are the primary identifier used to locate inmate records. Inmate record searchers using common names produce duplicate results. It helps to include known aliases to reduce duplication.
  • Register No: Inmate records include information on the inmate's TDOC ID and the state ID number. The state ID number consists of 8 digits. It is assigned to inmates by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations during fingerprint capturing.
  • Age: Inmate records include incarcerated individuals' age. The age reflects the inmate's present age rather than the age at release. The inmate's age is inferred from the date of birth given during the booking process.
  • Race: The inmate's race is included in the inmate records as part of the information constituting the individual's physical characteristics. Inmate races may be Hispanic, White, African American, Latiom, or native Hawaiian.
  • Sex: It relates to the gender recorded on an incarcerated person's records.
  • Release Date: It is the expected date the offender is due to leave the TDOC custody. The release date may be shortened for good behaviors and elongated for engaging in prohibited acts.
  • Location: The location refers to the detention facility where the prisoner is remanded. Inmates' location status within the TDOC is accessible information.

The release date reflects the expected date the inmate is released from custody. However, the release date may be adjusted based on good behavior or in situations where the inmate is granted parole. Where an inmate's release date is stated as "unknown" it implies that there is no set date for the inmate's release. This is especially true for inmates serving life sentences or having an appeal process that could change their sentence.

Parole refers to the conditional release of an inmate from custody before the scheduled release date. The inmate serves the remainder of their sentence outside the detention facility. The location on the prison record reflects the specific correctional institution the inmate currently resides. Generally, inmates may be transferred between facilities. When this happens, the inmate's location on the record states In Transit.

Tennessee Inmate Records by Counties

Tennessee inmate records are either state inmate records or county inmate records. State inmate records are managed at the TDOC. County inmate records relate to incarceration records for persons confirmed in county jails. Managed by the local county sheriff's office, county jails operate separately from the TDOC correctional institutions. Therefore, their records are not included in the state central database.

The county sheriff's office is the record custodian for county inmate records. Accessing inmate records varies per county. Most counties in Tennessee provide online access to inmate records. Counties, like Anderson and Gibson County, provide a list of all inmates incarcerated in their jail houses. Other counties without online inmate search tools, such as Bradley County, require submitting a public request form to access inmate records.

Are Incarceration Records Public Information in Tennessee?

Yes. Incarceration records are public information in Tennessee. The Tennessee Public Records Act allows citizens to view government public records including incarceration records held by the TDOC and local sheriff's offices. The act permits public copying and inspection of inmate records except such records are excluded from the public by federal or state law, or by court order. Per state law, the inmate's full name, date of birth, age, inmate identification number, custody status, facility location, booking information, offense, and sentence information are open to the public. Likewise, the release date, parole eligibility, and death records for inmates who died in custody, are accessible to the public.

While most incarceration records are open to the public, certain sensitive information is restricted or redacted to protect inmates' privacy. In Tennessee, medical and mental health records, incarceration records for minors, and inmates' exact housing units within jail or prisons are exempted from public view. Similarly, inmate social security numbers and personal home addresses are redacted from incarceration records.

Federal Prisons in Tennessee

The federal prisons in Tennessee house inmates convicted of federal crimes or awaiting trial for federal crimes such as drug trafficking, financial fraud, and manslaughter. The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) runs the daily operations of all federal prisons in Tennessee. Federal correctional institutions provide strict security and surveillance to ensure the safety of inmates. The BOP classifies federal prisons into 4 categories of security levels - minimum, low, medium, and high. These categories indicate how secure a facility is, the type of detection devices used, and how the facility housing is styled. Tennessee has a federal prison camp and a federal prison. These facilities are classified as follows:

Federal Correctional InstitutionLocationCapacitySecurity Level
Federal Correctional Institution MemphisShelby County, Memphis1,100Medium security level
Federal Correctional Institution Memphis CampShelby County, Memphis100Minimum security level

Frequently Asked Questions about Inmate Records

You can request public records from the Tennessee Department of Corrections by completing and submitting the Inspection/Duplication of Record Request form by email to TDOC. Alternatively, you may request public records from the TDOC by submitting a Citizen Inquiry .

You may look up inmate records for free online in Tennessee using the Offender Search tool on the TDOC website. You will need the first and last name of the inmate to begin the search. To help narrow down the results, you may include known aliases of the inmate and select the appropriate Race. It helps ensure the right inmate record is located. Searchers may look up inmate records from county jails for free from the county sheriff's offices. Most local sheriff's offices provide a list of all inmates currently incarcerated in their facilities on their websites.

Old inmate records in Tennessee are accessible by submitting an Archived Record Request for historic inmate records to the Department of Correction. You may access old inmate records from county jails by writing to the local sheriff's office.

You may contact the TDOC to find inmate death records for inmates who passed while in custody in state prisons in Tennessee. Also, contact the county clerks' offices to locate records of inmates who died while serving their sentences in county jails.

The TDOC regularly updates inmate information on the Offender Search Portal. However, there may be slight delays for information regarding inmates released or transferred to reflect on the portal.

You can send money to an inmate trust fund account in Tennessee only through JPay or ViaPath. The state does not accept cash deposits in the inmate's trust fund account nor are deposits receivable at any TDOC facility.