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

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

Arizona

California

Colorado

Colorado State Penitentiary Index, 1871-1973; and State Reformatory Index, 1887-1939 also indexes some pardons

Connecticut

Wethersfield State Prison Records

Florida

Florida, State Prison Register, 1875-1959 at Ancestry/requires payment

Georgia

Idaho

PDF publications from the Idaho State Historical Society

Database at Ancestry

Illinois

Indiana

Indiana Department of Correction Indexes includes...

Iowa

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

Kansas

Louisiana

Missouri

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

Montana

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

Nebraska

Nevada

Nevada State Prison Inmate Case Files, 1863-1972

New Hampshire

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

New Mexico

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

New York

Ohio

Oregon

Pennsylvania

South Carolina

South Carolina, Sheriff Department Records, 1865-1966 at Ancestry/requires payment

Tennessee

Texas

Texas, Convict and Conduct Registers, 1875-1945 at Ancestry/requires payment

Utah

Washington

General

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 21 August 2024.

© 2023-2024 Joe Beine