Wake County Inmate Search
In Wake County, North Carolina, violating a law can lead to detention, arrest, or incarceration. Depending on the gravity of the offense committed, incarcerated individuals will serve time in county or state prisons. In North Carolina, records of arrested and detained individuals are considered public documents, so interested parties can always look up Wake County inmates. A Wake County Inmate search can provide interested parties with information about an inmate's arrest records. This information is considered part of Wake County Public Records and accessible to interested and eligible persons on request.
According to North Carolina Statutes, an arrest can be defined as the lawful detention of a person for the purpose of enforcing compliance with the law. Typically, an arrest happens when a citizen or law enforcement officer witnesses or hears a crime or public offense and makes a lawful response called arrest. North Carolina law permits private citizens to detain suspects of certain serious crimes. This is only possible in exceptional circumstances where a law enforcement officer has specifically requested assistance. In addition, arrests occur when a warrant is issued and when an officer has reasonable suspicion that a person has committed an offense. After a person is arrested in Wake, that person (the defendant) may undergo a booking procedure during which an official arrest report will be generated.
After a person is arrested in Wake, that person (the defendant) may undergo a booking procedure during which an official arrest report will be generated. Afterward, any of the following outcomes are possible:
- The arrested individual will be released if the prosecutor does not file any charges.
- The individual arrested will be required to post bail/bond or will be released with the promise to appear later for arraignment.
- The suspect will remain in police custody and be transferred to the district court for the court appearance.
Given the charge and case details at hand, a court may impose incarceration on a defendant, sending them to a local jail or state prison for a brief or prolonged period of time. Depending on the gravity of crimes committed and court sentences given, inmates may be housed in one of the two primary Wake County jails run by the Wake County Sheriff's Department. There are also four state-run prisons in Wake County. Only the Wake Juvenile Detention Center is directly managed by the North Carolina Department of Public Safety; the remaining three prisons are directly managed by the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction.
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.
Wake County Crime and Incarceration Statistics
The overall incarceration rate in North Carolina prisons has significantly decreased from 347 per 100,000 in 2011 to 272 per 100,000 in 2019. In 2020, the overall incarceration rate in North Carolina's prisons decreased to 163 per 100,000.
The FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Center reported 36,166 arrests in Wake County from 2013-2021, with only 4% of the lot being arrests for violent crimes. The peak year for arrests between 2013 and 2021 was 2016, with 5,267 arrests. Comparing these numbers to the 1639 arrests in 2021 demonstrates a steady decline in the county's arrest rate. Reported arrests of 5023 in 2017, 4565 in 2018, 3054 in 2019, 2401 in 2020, and 1639 in 2021 shows a 68.9% decline in arrest rates between 2016 and 2021.
However, it is important to note that although arrest rates decreased in Wake County during this brief period, over the past 45 years, the incarceration rate in Wake County Jails has increased by 1,051%, from 98 inmates per year to approximately 1,128 inmates at present.
Wake County Prison System
The Wake County Jail System is managed by the Wake County Sheriff's Department. The jail system houses individuals who have been sentenced to a term of confinement by the court, those who are awaiting trial/sentencing or transfer, and those who have violated the terms of their probation or parole.
The Wake County Sheriff's Office Detention Division manages two adult detention facilities, the only such facilities in Wake County under the Sheriff's jurisdiction.
The two facilities have a combined bed capacity of 1,568, as reported by the Sheriff's Office. The population of in-house detainees fluctuates significantly. The detainee population can range between 1,123 and 1,580 individuals.
In addition to the two jails managed by the Sheriff's departments, Wake County contains four additional State Prison detention facilities. This brings the total number of detention centers in Wake County to six. All state prisons have similar procedures for visiting inmates, sending money, and sending mail. It is important to note that these procedures differ from the established procedures for visiting inmates and sending money/mail at the County Detention Centers administered by the Sheriff's Office.
County Prisons in Wake County:
- Wake County NC Detention Division
- John H. Baker, Jr. Public Safety Center
State Prisons in Wake County:
- Central Prison (Managed by NC Department of Adult Correction)
- North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women (Managed by NC Department of Adult Correction)
- Wake Correctional Center (Managed by NC Department of Adult Correction)
- Wake Juvenile Detention Center (Managed by NCDPS)
How to Find an Inmate in Wake County
To find an inmate in Wake County, interested persons may call the Wake County Sheriff's Department directly on (919) 856-6900. A caller must provide the prisoner's complete name, date of birth, date of arrest, or booking number. Additionally, a person can access the county's Inmate Lookup System online to determine the location of an inmate.
The inmate roster lists those who are currently incarcerated at the Wake County jail. To conduct a quick search, inquirers should click the 'Filter Inmate List' button, then enter the inmate's last name, and submit. Furthermore, individuals can access information about an inmate through the Department of Adult Correction's inmate lookup system for State prison searches.
How Does a Wake County Inmate Search Work?
Wake County inmate records are accessible to interested individuals and open to the public per the North Carolina Freedom of Information Act. However, some information may not be disclosed if a local law prohibits it. Disclosable inmate information includes any of the following:
- An inmate's full name
- Sex, age and race.
- Date of birth
- Photograph
- Upcoming court date
- Bail amount
- Case information
- Arrest information
- Physical description (height, hair and eye color etc)
- Booking number
- Housing location
- Release information (release date, time, reason, description, and agency)
Where to Find a Wake County Inmate Locator
A search engine that gives information on inmates housed in a particular region or jail/prison facility is an inmate locator. Local, state, and federal correctional agencies provide inmate locator services frequently as a public service to promote community safety.
The Wake County Inmate Locator can be accessed online. To use the locator, however, the user must be looking for a Wake county jail inmate and have the inmate's last and first names. Besides this, additional search parameters, such as the inmate's date of birth and middle name, may be necessary.
Additionally, the Public Inmate Locator maintained by the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction can be accessed if an inmate is booked into the state prison system despite being located in any Wake County.
In addition to the inmate locators provided by correctional agencies, third-party public records websites may provide search tools for locating inmate records. These websites typically use an inmate's first or last name and the name of a U.S. state as search criteria. However, it should be noted that a fee may be required to view a record (this fee varies by site).
How to Send Money to a Wake County Inmate
There are principally two channels for sending money to Inmates housed in the two Wake County jails managed by the Sheriff’s Office, which are Detention Center Kiosks and Funds by Mail.
Detention Center Kiosks
Cash can be deposited into the inmate's account by using the Detention Center kiosks at Wake County Detention Center and the John H. Baker Jr. Public Safety Center. Transactions can be done anytime from 9am - 4pm, on any day from Monday to Friday.
Deposited monies are made available to the inmate the same day, sometimes immediately. However, money orders, certified checks and inmate payroll checks will be available to the inmate after a 14-day escrow period.
Sending Funds Via Mail
Senders can also deposit into the inmate's trust fund by sending money orders, certified checks, payroll checks through the mail. The money orders or checks should bear the inmate's full name. Money orders, certified checks, payroll checks, etc., will be held in escrow for 14 days, after which they are now made available to the inmate. No personal checks will be accepted.
On the other hand, sending money to state managed detention facilities in Wake County involves a slightly different process. This is because NCDPS partners with JPay to offer several options for sending funds to offenders in NCDPS prison facilities that are now managed by the Department of Adult Correction.
Payments through telephone, electronic, and walk-in options make money available in the inmate's account by the next business day. The standard method of mailing a money order remains a free alternative. Money orders must be accompanied by a deposit slip when sent to JPay at the designated JPay address listed below. The funds will be available to the inmate within 10 business days.
JPay
P.O. Box 173070
Hialeah, FL 33017
How to Visit a Wake County Inmate
All visits to Wake County jails managed by the Sheriff's office are conducted via video at:
Wake County Detention Center
3301 Hammond Road
Raleigh, NC 27610
Phone: (919) 857-9103
Visiting Hours: 9 AM - 1:30 PM and 4 PM - 6:30 PM on Mondays to Thursdays. All appointments must be made 24 hours in advance, and such visiting appointments can be made by calling the jail administrative desk. Each inmate is permitted two visitors, and visitors must follow th prison visitation rules.
Meanwhile, visits to inmates in Wake County prisons managed by the state are also processed by scheduled appointments. Calling the prison where the offender is housed to schedule an appointment is required. Aside from calling to schedule visits, visitors are required to call the day before a scheduled visit, in order to confirm the facility's visitation status. Video visitation is also available at most state prisons, allowing family and friends to conduct virtual visits if they so choose.
How to Send Mail to a Wake County Jail
To send mail to inmates at the two detention centers managed by the Sheriff's office, any of the following addresses should be used-depending on which facility the inmate is housed:
John H. Baker Public Safety Center
Inmate's Full Name
Public Safety Center
P.O. Box 2419
Raleigh, NC 27602
Wake County Detention Center
Inmate's Full Name
Wake County Detention Center
P.O. Box 2479
Raleigh, NC 27602-2479
Regarding mails to persons in state prisons in Wake County, those mails are sent only through Text Behind. Text Behind handles all correspondence sent to inmates in North Carolina state prisons. It is important to note that inmates only receive copies of their mail, not the originals. This reduces the amount of illegal substances and contraband entering prisons. TextBehind also provides an app for those who are comfortable sending letters and photos via smartphone or computer.
All inmate mail should be addressed to TextBehind's Maryland address:
Full Name and Opus Number
Name of Prison (No Abbreviation)
P.O. Box 247
Phoenix, MD 2113
Wake County Parole and Probation
Wake County courts offer probation as an alternative to incarceration. It permits the judge to "suspend" the active portion of a sentence and instead place the defendant on probation for a specified period of time. Unless the defendant's probation is revoked during that time, the active portion of a sentence may never be served.
Local and state courts determine whether to grant probation based on statutory conditions. According to these regulations, offenders are presumed eligible for probation unless their offense specifically prohibits probation.
Persons in prison may qualify for one of two types of probation in North Carolina:
- Supervised Probation: This represents an intermediate form of punishment. A person placed on this type of probation would be assigned a probation officer and required to meet with the officer at predetermined intervals throughout the duration of their probation.
- Unsupervised Probation: This is only available to defendants who qualify for community punishment.This type of probation does not require that the defendant meet with a probation officer.
Wake County Probation Office is the local agency responsible for monitoring court-ordered probation in the county. The Probation Office ensures that probationers comply with court-ordered conditions to avoid jail time and other punishments. The Probation Office carries out probation orders, engages in community-based supervision, and strives to reduce recidivism.
Wake County Probation Office
227 South Salisbury Street
Raleigh, NC 27601
On the other hand, a parole is the tentative release of an offender under supervision, prior to the expiration of their sentence. An inmate must meet parole requirements before the NCDP' Board and Commissions will consider the individual.
A parole-eligible offenders are re-valuated at least once a year, except in cases involving murder and sexually violent offenses. A paroled offender is expected to reside in the county where he or she last legally resided before incarceration, provided that they maintain good behavior in the community. Additionally, they must report in person to their parole officer at scheduled times.
NC Department of Public Safety
512 North Salisbury Street
Raleigh NC 27604
Mailing Address:
4201 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-4201
Phone: (919) 710-8885
Parolees residing in Wake County who violate the terms of their parole, risk being returned to the county jail, where they will serve the remainder of their sentence.
Wake County Jails and Prisons
The following are the names, contact information, and addresses of the jail and prison facilities in Wake County, California.
Prisons in Wake County managed by the Sheriff’s Office:
Wake County NC Detention Division
3301 Hammond Road (first Facility)
Raleigh, NC 27610
Phone: (919) 773-7930
John H. Baker, Jr. Public Safety Center
330 South Salisbury Street
Raleigh, NC 27601
Phone: (919) 856-6900
Prisons in Wake County managed by the State:
Central Prison (Managed by NC Department of Adult Correction)
Minimum, Medium and Close Custody / Male
1300 Western Boulevard
Raleigh, NC 27606
Phone: (919) 733-0800
North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women
Minimum, Medium and Close Custody / Female
1034 Bragg Street
Raleigh NC 27610
Phone: (919) 733-4340
Wake Correctional Center
Minimum Custody / Male
1000 Rock Quarry Road
Raleigh, NC 27610
Phone: (919) 733-7988
Wake Juvenile Detention Center
700 Beacon Lake Drive
Raleigh, NC 27610
Phone: (919) 212-3104
For further information on county jails in Wake County, interested individuals can visit the local law enforcement agency and the Department of Adult Correction website.
