Montana Inmate Search

Are Montana Inmate Records Public Information?

Yes, Montana inmate records are public information according to the State Public Records Act. Hence, members of the public can obtain certified copies of inmate records in Montana from the State Department of Corrections (DOC). The DOC has a Montana inmate lookup tool where individuals can conduct a search by I.D. Number or name. The search results will reveal the offender's information like:

Montana mugshots, DOC ID, full name, custody status, gender, and probation
Physical and demographic characteristics, including hair and eye color, height, weight, race, skin color, place and year of birth, and skin tone
Scars, marks, tattoos, and other physical conditions
Legal records include docket, county, judge, sentence date (or life sentences), offense, offense date, sentence, and legal type.

Alternatively, a record seeker can use the inmate locator provided by the Federal Bureau of Prison to conduct a federal inmate search or a Montana inmate search. This is beneficial for individuals seeking how to find out if someone is in jail.

Montana Inmate records are documents that contain official information on incarcerated individuals in the State correctional institutions. Generally, persons who obtain inmate records can expect to see Montana inmate mugshots, biodata, offense(s) committed, facility of incarceration, custody status, imprisonment term, and release date/life sentences.

This information is available to interested members of the public per the Montana Public Records Act. Requestors seeking to find who’s in custody can use the Montana inmate locator available on the State Department of Corrections website. Alternatively, contact the prison administrator by phone at (406) 444-3930, email at corpio@mt.gov, or mail to request how to find someone in jail.

Inmate records are considered public in the United States and, therefore, are made available by both traditional governmental agencies as well as third-party websites and organizations. Third-party websites may offer an easier means to search, as these services do not face geographical limitations. However, because third-party sites are not government-sponsored, the information obtained through them may vary from official channels. To find inmate records using third-party aggregate sites, requesting parties must provide:

The location of the sought-after record, including state, county, and city where the inmate resides.
The name of the person listed in the record, unless it is a juvenile.

How to Find Someone in Jail in Montana

Requesters seeking to understand how to find someone in jail can use the inmate locators available on law enforcement agency websites or visit their offices in person. For instance, interested persons who want to know how to find out why someone is in jail in Ravalli County can use the Community Law Enforcement Portal. Here is how to find someone in jail via this portal:

Click on the “Inmates” menu on the portal.
Conduct a search by name, sex, custody date, holding agency, arrest date, and release date.
Submit the search to retrieve the information about the offender

Search results reveal inmate information like mugshots, full name, sex, holding agency, charges, arrest, and release dates. Alternatively, record seekers can find out if someone is in jail by conducting a federal inmate search on the Federal Bureau of Prison (BOP) website. Contact the BOP on how to find out why someone is in jail.

Facilities Operated by the Montana Department of Corrections

The Montana Department of Corrections (DOC) is the administrative head of 21 state-owned and contracted prisons in Montana. Generally, state prisons hold felony offenders - that is, persons convicted for more than one year. Interested persons may obtain the physical address and contact information of Montana prisons on the prison lookup tool. Additionally, individuals can retrieve information on inmate records in Montana online or in person from the DOC. This helps record seekers to know who’s in custody and other information about the inmates, such as full name, race, gender, DOC ID, life sentence or sentence date, custody status, and release date.

The following are the addresses and contact information of state prisons and correctional facilities in Montana:

Butte Pre-Release & Women's Transition Center
62 West Broadway,
Butte, MT 59701

Connections Corrections Program
111 West Broadway,
Butte, MT 59701

Great Falls Youth Transition Center
4212 3rd Avenue South,
Great Falls, MT 59405

MT DOC - Gallatin County Re-Entry Program (GCRP)
675 South 16th Avenue,
Bozeman, MT 59715

MT DOC - Montana State Prison
400 Conley Lake Road,
Deer Lodge, MT 59722

MT DOC - Montana Women's Prison
701 South 27th Street,
Billings, MT 59101

NEXUS Treatment Center
P.O. Box 1200,
Lewistown, MT 59457

Pine Hills Youth Correctional Facility
4 North Haynes Avenue,
Miles City, MT 59301

Reintegrating Youthful Offenders (RYO) Correctional Facility
360 Galen Street,
Deer Lodge, MT 59722

Riverside Youth Correctional Facility
P.O. Box 88
2 Riverside Road,
Boulder, MT 59632-0088

Riverside Youth Correctional Facility - Girls
3700 Highway 69
Building 13,
Boulder, MT 59620

Sanction Treatment Assessment and Revocation Transition (START) Program
801 Highway 48
P.O. Box 1389,
Anaconda, MT 59711

Warm Springs Treatment & Change (WATCh) Program
P.O. Box G,
Warm Springs, MT 59756

How to Send Money to an Inmate in Montana Prison and Jail

Only the immediate family members, the inmate's lawyer, and approved non-family members can send money to incarcerated individuals in Montana prisons. These individuals can send money electronically using the Inmate Trust Account Deposits service through a US Postal Money Order or Cashier's Check. The total amount sent through the online service must not exceed $250. To use this service, parties can follow the steps provided:

Visit the website and click on 'Create an Account.'
Enter username and password along with other required information
Provide the last four digits of your social security number (SSN)
Once logged in, the service allows you to see an approved list of inmates permitted to receive money from you.
Enter the amount of money you wish to send
Review the amount to be sent along with applicable fees before submission
A receipt will be sent when the transaction has been processed

For further inquiries, contact the Montana State Prison at cormspmailroom@mt.gov or the Montana Women's Prison at cromwpdeposits@mt.gov. This online service is available to inmates at the following prisons:

Montana State Prison
Great Falls Regional Prison
Dawson County Correctional Facility
Crossroads Correctional Center
Montana Women's Prison

Below is the information required from the sender when using a money order or a cashier's check, which should be directed to the inmate's mailing address:

The inmate's full name and Department of Corrections (DOC) number
The sender's name and address

Typically, the inmate receives the money within 20 days from when the sender purchased the money order. The envelope with the cashier's check or money order has to be postmarked from the location of the approved sender's noted residence.

On the other hand, the procedure for sending money to persons serving time in county jails differs with the facility of incarceration. The Missoula County Detention Facility, for instance, allows visitors to make a credit, debit, or cash deposit at the kiosk in the facility's lobby. There are no charges for using the envelopes and the safe next to the kiosk when depositing cash, money orders, or cashier's checks.

Money orders and cashier's checks require the inmate's name, sender's name, sender's address, and all correct fields completed. There is a $200 limit for money orders and cashier's checks. Both will be returned to the sender if all relevant information is not provided. The envelope used to send the money order and cashier's check should include the sender's name and address and should be addressed to the inmate and the facility's location.

How to Get Approved to Visit an Inmate in Montana Prisons and Jails

The Montana DOC offers visiting privileges to inmates consistent with the facility's security. For state prisons, the visitor must first obtain approval from the facility of incarceration before scheduling a visit. Generally, Montana prisons require visitors to complete an application form and submit it in person or by mail. Once approved, visitations to a correctional facility are per the facility's policies, requirements, and restrictions, including:

Visitors go through a criminal background check.
Visitors under 18 years cannot visit an inmate unless approved by the facility administrator or accompanied by an approved adult.
Visiting privileges will be permanently revoked if a visitor attempts or successfully delivers contraband to an inmate.
If visiting privileges have been permanently revoked from one facility or program, they are automatically revoked from another contracted or department-owned facility or program.
Visitors will go through a metal detector sweep and will be subject to a clothed body search.

Meanwhile, video visitations can also be scheduled. However, the intending visitor must first obtain approval from the facility of incarceration before scheduling visits. Visits typically cost $4 for a 25-minute visit, as billed by ICSolutions, Century Link's billing agent. Upon visitation approval, follow these video visitation instructions to set up a video visit. For further inquiries, you can contact ICSolutions at (888) 506-8407. If there are any questions concerning in-person visitations, contact the appropriate correctional facility.

For county jails, visitation procedures are specific to each county. For example, the Missoula Detention Facility visitation procedure includes the following:

The inmate is responsible for ensuring they are available for video visits by making an online schedule
Visitors must call at least a day before to schedule visitation
An inmate can be visited twice a week for 30 minutes per visit
Visitors are limited to 3 for one inmate

How to Find a County Inmate Roster in Montana

An inmate roster or jail roster (as referred to in some counties like Flathead County) can be found on county Sheriff's Office websites. This information is provided to Montana residents to enhance public safety. Requesters who want to know how to find out why someone is in jail can use the county inmate rosters. Most inmate rosters are available at the sidebars or above the footer of the county sheriff's websites, and they contain Montana mugshots, full name, age, charges, bond, holding agency, booking date, bail, and court date. Jail roster mugshots are accessible to the public for the purpose of identification.

How to Perform a Montana Prison Inmate Search

Interested persons may use the Montana inmate lookup tool to perform a free inmate search by name and identification number. Alternatively, a searcher may contact the prison administrator by phone, email, or mail to find a person in jail - call (406) 444-3930 or send an email to corpio@mt.gov. Note that Montana state prisons are facilities where persons with prison sentences of length longer than twelve months serve time. Also, individuals may use the federal inmate search tool available on the Federal Bureau of Prison website to retrieve information on Montana offenders housed in federal prisons.

How to Perform a Montana County Jail Inmate Search

County jails in Montana hold inmates awaiting trial or inmates sentenced to terms of less than a year. Generally, county jails keep a public jail roster of incarcerated individuals in their detention facilities. Interested persons may access these public jail rosters by visiting the official website of the local law enforcement. For example, the Yellowstone County Detention Center provides an online portal for inmates in its custody. Searchers must use the inmate's first or last name to look up inmates on this website. The search results reveal information about who’s in custody, like the inmate’s full name, housing unit, charges, total bond, booking date, and date of birth. Typically, record seekers will not find jail roster mugshots on the Yellowstone County Detention Center website.

Alternatively, interested searchers may contact the jail administrator by phone, email, or visiting in person during business hours.

Montana State Prisons and County Jails: Understanding the Difference

Montana's state prisons and county jails are operated by the state government. The Montana Department of Corrections is responsible for the state's prison system, while the county sheriff's departments are responsible for the county jails.

Montana has a total of five state prisons, which are located in four different cities across the state. The largest prison is the Montana State Prison, which is located in Deer Lodge County. It can house about 1,600 male inmates. As of late November 2022, there were about 1,869 inmates in the state prisons. The majority of inmates in Montana's prisons are male, with 1,630 inmates as of late November 2022, while female inmates were just 239.

In addition to the state prisons, there are also 37 county jails in Montana. These jails are operated by the sheriff's department in each county. The largest county jail is the Yellowstone County Jail, which is located in Billings. Other large county jails include the Missoula County Jail, located in Missoula, and the Cascade County Jail, located in Great Falls.

How to Find an Inmate Release Date

Besides the inmate's biodata and offense information, a Montana inmate search will typically turn up the inmate's release date. However, under certain circumstances, a record custodian may sequester this information from public perusal - such as when releasing the date puts the inmate at personal risk. In such cases, only eligible persons will have access to the inmate's release date. These include the inmate's immediate family members, crime victims, attorneys, and authorized law enforcement officials.