What are Rhode Island Inmate Records?

Rhode Island inmate records are the documents, forms, and digital media that follow an inmate through the criminal justice system. They may consist of audio, video, mugshots, fingerprints, police reports, court records, and computerized records.

Typically, inmate records contain the offender’s name, date of birth, age, race, gender, and a physical description, including their eye and hair color, height, weight, and any scars or tattoos.

The State of Rhode Island Department of Corrections (RIDOC) is the state agency in charge of all inmate records, correctional facilities, and the inmates themselves.

Rhode Island Prison and Jail System

Rhode Island is one of the few states in the U.S. with a unified correctional system. That means that all pretrial detainees, arrested individuals, and long-term inmates are held under the responsibility of the State of Rhode Island Department of Corrections.

The Rhode Island Department of Corrections operates seven correctional facilities located in Pastore Government Center Complex in Cranston, Rhode Island. There are approximately 2,900 inmates in state prisons in Rhode Island and 530 in federal prisons.

Some local Sheriff’s offices do have local county jail houses to hold inmates before they are moved to the RIDOC’s control.

How to Search for Inmates in Rhode Island

The State of Rhode Island Department of Corrections has an offender locator tool on its website. However, they have a long disclaimer stating that the records are available “as is,” and they may not reflect the official record.

You must agree to the disclaimer to access the tool. Then you can search by inmate ID, name, race, gender, age-range, or last known location. The results display in a nice orderly list with a link to see more information. The additional details will show a lot of information about all criminal charges and sentencing. You may also find the offender’s possible release date and facility information.

You can also use a third-party tool like InfoTracer to quickly and easily find someone incarcerated in the state of Rhode Island. 

Types of Jails in Rhode Island

How to Contact, Send Money to or Visit an Inmate in Rhode Island

The state of Rhode Island has a lot of strict rules about inmate visitation. For example, if you are a convicted felon and not an immediate family member, you cannot visit. Inmates and visitors must follow all the rules during visitation. They do offer video visitation also. Anyone visiting must be on the inmate’s approved visitor list.

You can send money to an inmate in Rhode Island online or at kiosks. Review the instructions here to do so. You may not send money or checks to an inmate in prison in Rhode Island through the mail.

Rhode Island contracts with the Securus company for outgoing inmate phone calls. Learn more about that here.

Inmates are also allowed regular mail, but it is subject to a whole list of rules. You may review the information on this page before sending mail or packages to an inmate in Rhode Island.