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
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...
Indiana Department of Correction Indexes includes...
Iowa, Consecutive Registers of Convicts, 1867-1970 at Ancestry/requires payment
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
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
Texas, Convict and Conduct Registers, 1875-1945 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
Return to: People Searching: Finding Living and Recently Deceased People in the USA
This list was updated on 11 November 2022.
© 2022 Joe Beine