Execute a Free Nebraska Inmate Search (Prisoner Lookup)

Run a Nebraska inmate search for free with the streamlined guidance offered in this step-by-step resource.

Most jails and prisons offer transparency concerning inmates, often in convenient online databases.

An inmate is someone who has been alleged or convicted of committing a crime and is now serving time behind bars in a correctional facility. An inmate can also find themselves in jail or prison by violating a court order issued by a judge. Regardless of the reason for the incarceration, inmates can be found by searching the right resources, and the details in this article will reveal how to find them anywhere in Nebraska.

Being Incarcerated in a Jail vs Prison

Before an interested party can find out where an inmate is located, it is important to know the difference between a jail and a prison.

Jails are typically run by the counties in which they reside, and typically the sheriff’s office is the department responsible for its operation and maintenance. Jails are regulated detention centers that hold people who have been alleged to have committed a crime.

These people have been arrested for violating a Nebraska criminal statute, city or town ordinance, or court order issued by a judge.

Although the arrested person is innocent until proven guilty, they are still booked in jail. They will remain in county jail until the trial occurs, or they are able to pay the bond amount decided in the pre-trial hearing, or they are released on a personal recognizance bond.¹ Those alleged to have committed felonies and misdemeanors are both placed in a county jail. The distinction between jail and prison comes in the event of a conviction.

There are specific rules under the Nebraska Crimes & Punishment law that detail the specific detention facility that people go to upon a criminal conviction.

When a person is convicted of committing a felony, meaning a crime for which the penalty is at least one-year incarceration, they will serve the time in a Nebraska state prison. Misdemeanors are crimes for which the penalty is less than one year, and those sentences are served in county jails.

In Nebraska, the prisons and jails are run by the state department of corrections. The Federal Bureau of Prisons provides dates of incarcerated individuals convicted of committing federal crimes.² There are also municipal jails that hold individuals who have been arrested for violating city ordinance violations or waiting on a pretrial hearing.

However, the cities and towns in Nebraska do not have municipal jails. Learn how to conduct a Nebraska convict search on the state, county, and federal levels using the resources below.

How To Perform a Nebraska Inmate Search

There are several county jails throughout Nebraska. Interested parties can review the Free Nebraska Criminal & Arrest Records resource that displays every county jail location and contact information in the state.

A Nebraska convict search for individuals located in jail can be conducted by searching the name of the county where they were arrested. In the most populous county in Nebraska, the Douglas County Jail provides the public with a free Inmate Locator.³ Researchers only need to input a last name, first name, or data number for the search to yield results.

If you search by name, the generated results will display all individuals with the same name as the one input into the search. If you search by data number, only the person assigned the specific number will be displayed. The results will also provide the admission date, race, sex, and age.

By clicking on a person’s name, you will be able to view the charges, bond amount, physical characteristics, and whether an inmate is eligible for release.

Interested persons may also contact the County Jail to inquire about inmates.⁴

Douglas County Department of Corrections
710 S. 17th St.
Omaha, Nebraska 68102

Phone: 402.444.7400

Obtain Nebraska State Prisoner Details

A Nebraska convict search on the state level is performed by visiting the Department of Correction Incarceration Records portal.⁵

This search tool provides the public with a free inmate locator for those convicted of committing criminal felonies in Nebraska and serving at least one year in prison.

Knowing an inmate’s department of corrections ID number will provide the most accurate result. If a researcher does not know this number, searching by name is also an option. A researcher only needs to input a last name for the search to yield results.

Results will show current inmates and past inmates. Current inmates will be listed as ‘In Custody’ while past inmates will be listed as ‘Discharge’. The specific state prison that holds current inmates will be listed under ‘Facility’.

By clicking on an inmate’s name, researchers will be able to view additional information including sentencing, parole, release information, and the offense.

For more information about the inmates in Nebraska, such as the facilities’ locations and visiting hours, the following links may be viewed:

• Nebraska State Prison Locations & Contact
• Nebraska State Prison Visiting Hours⁶
• Nebraska Victim Restorative Justice

Get Information on Someone Incarcerated in Federal Prison

If a person is convicted of violating the United States code and is sentenced to active incarceration they will be placed in a federal prison.

There are no federal prisons currently located in the state of Nebraska. However, interested persons can look up federal convicts who are or were located in other prisons across the country by using the Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator.⁷

Inmates can be searched by name, bureau of prisons register number, FBI number, and more.

If searching by name, interested parties must input both the last and first name. Results can be further narrowed by including a middle name, race, age, sex, and release date. Results will show inmates with the same name who are currently located in federal prisons or once were.

If an inmate is currently in federal prison, it will be displayed under the ‘Location’ heading.

From there, researchers can get more information about the specific prison by going to the Federal Bureau of Prisons location page. Researchers can click on the corresponding link to the federal prison in the Inmate Locator and view the prison’s contact information and address; they can also use the interactive map of federal prisons to locate facilities.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator shows the location of incarcerated individuals from 1982 to the present. Although a current inmate’s prison location may be displayed, sometimes they are transferred to different locations, and the locator is not updated to reflect the change. This is also true for inmates granted parole, as the listed release date may also not be accurate.

Researchers looking for federal inmate records before 1982 may visit the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration website.

If the details acquired about a federal inmate are insufficient, interested individuals may run a case search through the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) for a fee.⁸ PACER offers various options to find a case upon logging in to their account.

Interested parties can contact a jail or prison after searching for an inmate online to get the most accurate and up-to-date details surrounding the detention. A Nebraska inmate search is readily available to anyone who follows the information contained in this streamlined resource.