The jail roster of New York County is a public resource that allows you to find out who is currently in custody in the city's correctional facilities. NewYorkCourt.us helps find publicly available information about individuals who are or were recently in custody. Additionally, you can use the official website of the NYC Department of Correction, call the institution, or visit in person. The roster search allows you to check the custody status of a person, find out the charges, and the location. In New York, the roster is maintained by the NYC Department of Correction; the data is regularly updated and available through the online tool P.I.C. Lookup.
Search Current Inmates in New York Jail
There are several ways to find information about a person who is in custody in New York County (Manhattan) and other boroughs of New York.
Online Search
- Visit NewYorkCourt.us to find publicly available information about court records and inmate data.
- Go to the official Person in Custody Lookup page of the NYC Department of Correction. This tool allows you to find the current location of a person in custody and basic case information.
- Enter the person's Last Name and First Name. The Book and Case Number will expedite the search if you know it.
- The results will show the detention facility, admission date, and basic case information.
If the person has been transferred to a state facility, use the DOCCS inmate search — the system of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. The State Commission of Correction also provides a list of inmate locators for searching city, county, and state facilities.
By Phone
Call the central line of the NYC Department of Correction. The operator can confirm if a specific person is in custody if you provide the full legal name.
In Person
Visit the reception of the relevant facility. Note: access to information about juvenile offenders through the public roster is closed.
Find New York Jail Booking Records Online
A booking record is created at the moment a person is officially admitted to a correctional facility. It is not a court verdict — just a record of the arrest and initial processing.
During booking, the following data is generated:
- Unique Book and Case Number
- Date and time of custody
- Charges
- Arresting agency (NYPD, Transit Police, etc.)
- Photo and biometric data
The main way to obtain this data online is through the P.I.C. Lookup tool. It displays basic information about individuals currently in DOC custody. More detailed records — such as a full arrest report — can be requested through the NYPD Records Request Unit. The Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) is responsible for obtaining an official statewide criminal history.
Note: DCJS considers criminal history confidential information, and access to it for private individuals is limited. A request for a record review must be submitted directly to DCJS.
Search the New York Jail Roster by Last Name or Booking Number
The P.I.C. Lookup system supports two main search methods.
Search by Last Name
Enter the last name in the appropriate field. Adding the first name will narrow the results, which is especially useful for common last names like Smith or Garcia. Some practical tips:
- Use the full legal name — aliases and abbreviations usually do not work.
- Check the spelling: one letter mistake can result in an empty result.
- If the last name contains a hyphen or apostrophe, try the version without them.
Search by Booking Number
If you know the Book and Case Number, enter it directly. This is the fastest way — the system will provide the exact record without the need to filter namesakes.
What to Do if the Search Yields No Results
- Ensure the name is spelled correctly, and try alternative spellings.
- The person may have already been released — the roster only reflects those currently in custody.
- If the arrest was recent, the data may not yet appear in the system due to processing delays.
- The person may have been transferred to a state facility; in this case, use the DOCCS search.
- Call the facility directly for clarification.
Jail Roster Updates and Search Limitations in New York
The NYC Department of Correction roster is updated regularly, but not instantly. There is usually a time lag between the actual booking and the appearance of the record in the online system — from a few hours to a day, depending on the facility's workload.
Key limitations to be aware of:
- Delay after arrest. A person arrested in the evening or on weekends may not appear in the system until the next business day.
- Disappearance of records after release. The roster reflects the current custody status. After release, transfer, or case closure, the record is removed. It is not an archive of all past bookings.
- Data entry errors. Sometimes there are typographical errors in names or birth dates, complicating the search.
- Minors. Records of individuals under 18 are not displayed in the public roster.
For searching archival records or information about individuals no longer in custody, submit an official request to the DOC or use the resources of the Division of Criminal Justice Services. If you need information about individuals in state correctional facilities, the DOCCS Incarcerated Lookup tool covers everyone serving sentences in state facilities and provides data on previously incarcerated individuals.