U.S. Prison, Convict, and Inmates Records and Indexes on the Internet

Note: this is generally not the place to look for databases of currently incarcerated prisoners. This guide is for historical prison records, indexes, and databases for genealogy and other biographical research.

Alabama, U.S., Death Record of State Convicts, 1843-1951 at Ancestry/requires payment

• Arizona Historical Prison Register: Alphabetical Listing of Inmates Received Prior to 1972
• Arizona Historical Prison Register: Life Imprisonment and Death Sentences, 1875-1966
• Arizona, State Prison Records, 1875-1929 at Ancestry/requires payment
• Arizona, Yuma, Prison Records, 1884-1910 at FamilySearch; from the Yuma Territorial Prison

• Folsom and San Quentin State Prison Records...
• California, Prison and Correctional Records, 1851-1950 at Ancestry/requires payment; includes Folsom and San Quentin State Prison Records and Youth Authority Dept. Records; coverage varies by prison
• Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary Indexes...
• California, U.S., Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, Prisoner Index, 1934-1963 at Ancestry/free with registration
• Former Alcatraz Inmates List from the National Archives
• Alcatraz Island Warden's Notebook Pages, 1934-1963 from the National Archives

Wethersfield State Prison Records

Colorado State Penitentiary Index, 1871-1973; and State Reformatory Index, 1887-1939 also indexes some pardons
Choose "Corrections" on the "Record Type" pull-down menu.

Atlanta Federal Penitentiary Case Files Index from the National Archives

Old Idaho Penitentiary Inmates Catalog includes...

• All Inmates 1864-1947
• SubCatalog: Women 1864-1947
• SubCatalog: Miners 1865-1910
• Index to Inmates 1948-1975

• Register of Illinois Prison Records
• This database provides an index for the Registers of Prisoners received at the Illinois State Penitentiary at Alton Prison (1833-1841; 1847-1858), the Illinois State Penitentiary at Joliet (ca. 1858-1901) and Southern Illinois Penitentiary at Chester (Menard) (ca. 1865-1908).
• Transcriptions of the Alton Prison registers up to 1860 and the Joliet Prison registers

Indiana Department of Correction Indexes includes...

• Indiana State Prison North 1897-1945 (23252)
• Indiana State Reformatory 1898-1926 (15249)
• Boys' School (14322)
• Indiana Women's Prison (12698)
• Indiana State Prison South (11995)
• Indiana State Prison North (10574)
• Girls' School (5737)
• Indiana State Farm (1174)
• Board of State Charities Life Prisoner Statements (204)
• Coverage varies by prison

Iowa, Consecutive Registers of Convicts, 1867-1970 at Ancestry/requires payment

• Kansas, Leavenworth Penitentiary, Name Index to Inmate Case Files, 1895-1936 at Ancestry/free with registration
• Name Index to Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary Inmate Case Files, 1895-1931 from the National Archives

Louisiana, State Penitentiary Records, 1866-1963 from FamilySearch

Missouri State Penitentiary Database, 1836-1931 from the Missouri State Archives

Montana, Prison Records, 1861-1968 at Ancestry/requires payment

Nebraska Prisoner Records Database

Nevada State Prison Inmate Case Files, 1863-1972

New Hampshire, U.S., Prison Records, 1812-1968 at Ancestry/requires payment

New Mexico, Prison and Correctional Records, 1905-1958 at Ancestry/requires payment

• New York State Archives: Prisons and Inmates Name Index includes Attica, Sing Sing and other prisons; coverage varies by prison
• New York: Indexes to Prison Inmate Case Files for many individual prisons in New York
• New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision: Inmate Lookup (since the 1970s)
• New York Prison Records at Ancestry (these require a fee-based subscription to Ancestry.com)...
• New York, Auburn Prison Records, 1816-1942
• New York, Clinton Prison Admission Ledgers, 1851-1866, 1926-1939
• New York, Great Meadow Correctional Facility Records, 1911-1933
• New York, Prisoners Received at Newgate State Prison, 1797-1810
• New York, Sing Sing Prison Admission Registers, 1865-1939
• New York, Governor's Registers of Commitments to Prisons, 1842-1908
• New York, Discharges of Convicts, 1882-1915
• New York, Executive Orders for Commutations, Pardons, Restorations, Clemency and Respites, 1845-1931

Ohio Incarceration Records Index Search, 1888-1923 (Bertillon Card Index)

Pennsylvania, Prison, Reformatory, and Workhouse Records, 1829-1971 at Ancestry/requires payment; includes the Allegheny County Workhouse, the Eastern State Penitentiary, the Pennsylvania Industrial Reformatory (Huntingdon), and the Western State Penitentiary; coverage varies by facility

• Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary, 1831-1850
• Inmates of the Tennessee State Penitentiary, 1851-1870

• Corrections Department, Washington State Penitentiary, Commitment Registers and Mug Shots, 1887-1946 from the Washington State Archives - Digital Archives
• Washington, U.S. Penitentiary McNeil Island, Photos and Records of Prisoners Received, 1887-1939 at Ancestry/requires payment

Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Name Search for Inmates in Federal Prisons, 1982 to the present

For some Civil War prisons see: Online Civil War Records and Indexes

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This list was updated on 22 May 2022.

© 2022 Joe Beine