Minnesota Inmate Search

Minnesota prison inmates are held by the Minnesota Department of Corrections at Stillwater in Bayport, Oak Park Heights, St. Cloud, Faribault, Lino Lakes, Moose Lake, Rush City, Willow River and Shakopee for women. County jails run by the 87 sheriffs hold pretrial detainees and sentences of up to a year, and Minnesota's sentencing guidelines send most first time felony offenders to probation rather than prison, so the prison population is small for the state's size.

The DOC Offender Locator covers people in prison and people on supervised release, keyed to the offender identification number or the name.

Official sources on this page were checked on September 25, 2026.

The Minnesota Offender Locator returns the offender ID, name, date of birth, race and sex, the facility or the supervising district, the custody status, the anticipated release date, the sentence expiration date and each offense with the county, the sentence length and the sentence date. A search by name across the state works, and the offender ID separates people with the same name. Minnesota does not post photographs in the locator.

• Minnesota DOC Offender LocatorSearch Minnesota prisoners and people on supervised release, checked September 25, 2026
• Minnesota Department of CorrectionsFacilities, visiting, mail, phone and money deposits, checked September 25, 2026
• Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension public criminal historyFree public search of Minnesota convictions within the last 15 years, checked September 25, 2026
• VINELink MinnesotaCustody alerts for Minnesota county jails and state prisons, checked September 25, 2026

The Hennepin County Sheriff's jail roster covers the Adult Detention Center in Minneapolis and lists the booking date, charges and bail. The Ramsey County jail in St. Paul, the Dakota County jail in Hastings, the Anoka County jail, the Washington County jail in Stillwater, the St. Louis County jail in Duluth, the Stearns County jail in St. Cloud and the Olmsted County jail in Rochester post rosters as well. Minneapolis Police and St. Paul Police book into the county jails.

• Minnesota County Sheriff DirectorySheriff offices and jail rosters for all 87 counties
• Minnesota Police DepartmentsCity police records and arrest logs
• Minnesota Criminal RecordsCriminal history through the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
• Minnesota Most WantedFugitives and outstanding warrants

The Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, chapter 13 of the Minnesota Statutes, classifies custody data as public: name, offender ID, facility, offenses, sentence and release dates. Booking photos are public data in Minnesota, and sheriffs post them. Medical and mental health data, the pre-sentence investigation, classification, disciplinary and investigative data are private or confidential under chapter 13. The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension offers a free public search of convictions within the last 15 years, and Minnesota Court Records Online shows criminal cases statewide.

Minnesota has no parole board for most crimes. A prison sentence is served two thirds in custody and one third on supervised release, and the Department's Hearings and Release Unit handles violations; only life sentences go before the Commissioner of Corrections for release decisions. Supervision after release is provided by DOC agents in some counties and by county community corrections departments in others, including Hennepin and Ramsey. Probation is run by the same county or DOC agents. The judgment sits with the court administrator of the district court in the convicting county.

• Minnesota Court RecordsMinnesota Court Records Online case searches
• Minnesota ExpungementsExpungement and the Clean Slate Act in Minnesota

If the Minnesota locator returns nothing, check the Hennepin County jail roster for a Minneapolis arrest, the Ramsey County roster for St. Paul or the county jail for the county of arrest, since Minnesota's guidelines send most first felonies to probation and jail rather than prison. Check Minnesota Court Records Online for the case, the federal Bureau of Prisons locator for a federal case, including the federal medical center in Rochester, and VINELink for a recent release.

These federal and national sources complement Minnesota's state-level records. They are the authoritative sources you should cross-check when Minnesota state records are incomplete or out-of-state activity matters.

Federal BOP, Inmate Locator The Federal Bureau of Prisons locator returns federal inmates held since 1982 in any BOP facility, contract facility, or community corrections center.

VINELink, Victim Notification Operated by Appriss for the U.S. Department of Justice's victim-notification program. Free, anonymous registration for custody-change alerts across participating states.

U.S. Marshals, Prisoner Tracking The USMS Prisoner Tracking System is the authoritative source for federal detainees in pre-trial custody (before BOP designation).