What Are Rhode Island Inmate Records?

Rhode Island inmate records are documents proving information on arrests, bookings, detentions, and imprisonments of persons in jails and correctional facilities in the state. The Rhode Island Department of Corrections (RIDOC) maintains records of inmates housed in state prisons and correctional facilities. Rhode Island inmate records contain information such as:

• Inmate’s full name and known aliases
• Biographical information such as nationality, gender, date of birth
• Physical descriptors such as height, weight, tattoos, eye color, and hair color
• Details of arrest, charges, and convictions
• Location and address of the holding facility
• DOC number
• Bail/Bond amounts
• Sentences
• The court or release date
• Probation details

Under the Rhode Island Access to Public Records Act (ARPA), inmate records in the state are public records maintained by law enforcement agencies. Hence, citizens retain the right to access inmate records.

How To Find An Inmate In Rhode Island?

The Rhode Island Department of Correction (RIDOC) is the state agency with administrative responsibility for the state’s correctional facilities. Rhode Island runs a unified correctional system with seven Adult Correctional Institutions (ACIs) situated within the Pastore Government Center Complex in Cranston. These ACIs hold detainees, persons awaiting trial, and sentenced offenders, irrespective of the length of their sentences. Citizens may find an inmate in the ACIs by visiting any of the ACIs at: 

Pastore Government Center Complex
40 Howard Ave 
Cranston, RI 02920
Phone: (401) 462–1000

The RIDOC also maintains an online service to provide certain inmate information to the public. RIDOC insists that the information obtained from the online service should not be relied upon as an official record. The RIDOC inmate search tool allows requestors to complete a search by providing the inmate ID. If the inmate ID is unknown, requestors may also provide the inmate’s last or first name. Other filter options available on the online tool that users may find helpful include gender, age, race, and the offender’s last known city. 

The search result page returns a list matching the information provided by the requestor. Select the inmate details option to view the full record of the inmate in question. Inmate information accessible through the RIDOC search tool include case number, sentencing status, term status, description of charges, good time release date, offense description, disposition, bail type, bond amount, offense date, and other biographical data.

How To Find A Federal Inmate In Rhode Island?

Rhode Island does not have a federal prison. However, the state has a publicly owned and privately operated adult correctional facility housing detainees in the custody of the United States Marshals Service, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE), United States Navy, and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe. The facility is named the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility located in Central Falls. 

To find inmates in the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility, use the Inmate Locator tool provided on the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) website. The BOP tool can only find information about current inmates and inmates who have been released, dating back to 1982. For persons interested in an inmate’s release date, note that the release date information available on the BOP tool may not be up-to-date. Under the First Step Act, inmate sentences are periodically reviewed and recalculated to address pending good conduct time changes.

The BOP inmate locator tool allows users to search for federal inmates by providing their number or name. Users may provide any of the following numbers to complete a search:

• Bureau of Prisons (BOP) register number
• D.C. Department of Corrections (DCDC) number
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) number
• Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) number

To complete a search for an inmate by name, both the first and last names are required. Other information such as middle name, race, sex, and the inmate’s age should be provided, if known, for a more accurate search result.

To obtain inmate records for persons released before 1982, make a direct request to the National Archives Records Administration (NARA). To assist NARA in determining whether the requested record is available, provide the following in the request:

• Inmate’s full name including initial or middle name
• Inmate’s birth date or approximate age at incarceration
• Inmate’s race/ethnicity
• Approximates dates in prison
•  

Inmates incarcerated in the Donald W Wyatt Detention Facility may also be contacted at:

Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility
950 High Street
Central Falls, RI 02863
Phone: (401) 729–1190

How Do I Find Inmate Records In Rhode Island?

To obtain an inmate record from the Rhode Island Department of Corrections, requests may be made by telephone, letter, fax, or email. RIDOC also provides an online form for requestors to request inmate records. It may take up to 10 business days, sometimes 20 business days (for voluminous requests or due to large pending requests) for a response to return from RIDOC.

Inmate records cost 15 cents per page and $15 per hour of search or retrieval. No fee is incurred for the first hour of a search or retrieval. For more information or inquiries on obtaining an inmate record, contact the RIDOC Office of Legal Counsel at:

40 Howard Ave
Cranston, RI 02920
Phone: (401) 462–2622
Fax: (401) 462–2583
Email: mailto:doc.legal@doc.ri.gov

To obtain a record of an inmate in the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility, submit a request to:

The Central Falls Detention Facility Corporation (CFDFC)
Attn: Facility Warden
950 High Street
Central Falls, RI 02863

Requests to the CFDFC may also be hand-delivered to the facility at the lobby or emailed to ABoucher@wyattdetention.com.

Records that are considered public may be accessible from some third-party websites. These websites often make searching simpler, as they are not limited by geographic location, and search engines on these sites may help when starting a search for a specific or multiple record(s). To begin using such a search engine on a third-party or government website, interested parties usually must provide:

• The name of the person involved in the record, unless said person is a juvenile
• The location or assumed location of the record or person involved. This includes information such as the city, county, or state that the person resides in or was accused in

Third-party sites are independent of government sources and are not sponsored by these government agencies. Because of this, record availability on third-party sites may vary.

How To Put Money On Jail Inmates Book In Rhode Island?

The Rhode Island Department of Corrections (RIDOC) allows family and friends of inmates to send money into inmate accounts online, by mail, or over the phone at the deposit kiosk located at a holding facility. Depositors are required to be on an inmate’s visiting list to deposit funds. However, inmates are allowed a 30-day grace period to put persons on the list. During the grace period, anyone may deposit funds. Also, inmates are allowed two “money purposes only” names on their visitor list apart from the permitted nine authorized visitors. RIDOC makes this provision for out-of-state family and friends who are required to pass a background check to make deposits but are unable to visit.

To transfer funds into an inmate’s account via mail, friends or family may send a check, bank draft, or money order to:

RI Department of Corrections
Inmate Accounts Office
51 West Road, Bldg. 138
Cranston, RI 02920

Checks and money orders should be made payable to the RI Department of Corrections with the inmate’s name and ID number on the memo line. Persons who send a self-addressed stamped envelope to the RIDOC address above will receive a deposit slip in return. Deposit slips help ensure that the funds are deposited into the correct inmate’s account.

RIDOC is in partnership with Keefe Commissary Network to provide an online service for family and friends to deposit money into inmates’ accounts by wire transfer. To transfer money electronically, visit www.accesscorrections.com. Access Corrections offers an Android or iOS app to make wire transfers easier. The company also has cash walk-in or retail outlets in several neighborhoods to make a quick deposit transaction. To find out the locations of their retail outlets, visit www.cashpaytoday.com or call (844) 340-CASH(2274). For more information about how to use Access Correction services, speak to bilingual representatives on their toll-free line - (866) 345–1884.

Deposits may also be made in person at the Inmates Accounts Office at West Road (Bldg. #138), Cranston, RI between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. or 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Note that a photo ID is required to make any deposits. Acceptable forms of identification are driver’s licenses, state IDs, or Passports.