During the booking process, a law enforcement agency will take a photograph of the offender soon after the booking process has been completed. These photos, also known as mugshots, are supposed to be in the public domain. Unfortunately, they can be hard to track down, and the bureaucracy in most law enforcement agencies can make it even harder to get a hold of this booking information.
Use a background check website or app.
Using an app like GoLookUp is one of the easiest and quickest ways to lookup mugshots online. GoLookUp not only helps you find identification photographs, but with it, you can also find everything else you need to know about incarcerated persons, such as their arrest record, social information, current location, any aliases they may be using, and more.
To find a person’s mugshot, simply open the app, and it’ll prompt you to key in the state where the arrest took place, the offender’s first name, and their last name, and the app will set about scanning the billions of public records it has in its database. The search is really quick, and it’ll offer you a comprehensive breakdown of the incarcerated person’s criminal background.
Visit your local sheriff and police department websites.
If you’re lucky, you may be able to find an inmate’s arrest data on your local law enforcement agency’s website for free. Given how often this option disappoints with its search results, try and explore other options first before settling on this one. To use this option, key in the name of the police department, for instance, Harris County Police Sheriff’s Office, visit the website, and begin your search.
Visit the PrisonHandbook website.
PrisonHandbook is a website that allows people from every state to find mugshots online. If you know what jail the inmate in question is housed in, type in the jail name on the website’s search bar and you’ll find a link to direct you to the said jail’s website. Not all jails make their mugshots or other arrest records available online, so if this doesn’t work, you may have to visit the jail in person.
Visit your local department of corrections website.
In the United States, individual states run their department of corrections website to help keep locals informed, as well as to provide other state services. These services also stretch to include a mugshot directory. To find the mugshot you’re looking for, you need to include the state where the arrest took place. For instance, if the offender in question was arrested in Florida, visit the Florida department of corrections website. Once you’re on the website, look for the “Offender Search,” “Prisoner Search,” or “Prisoner Locator” tabs and click on these to get the best search results.
Search your local sex offender registry.
In the United States, each state also has a sex offender directory, which can be easily accessed through a quick Google search. In some states like Louisana where mugshots aren’t made available in the public domain, a sex crimes directory is a great tool because it also includes mugshots.
To make use of your state’s sex offender directory, simply type in basic identifying information such as their first and last name. If you’re interested in viewing a comprehensive list of all the offenders in your state, you can also search by location. The only drawback to using this resource is that the inmate you’re interested in learning more about/getting more information on must have been convicted/booked for a sex crime for their arrest data to appear on the sex offender registry. As a result of this, the number of mugshots available on the sites could also be limited.
