Maricopa County Inmate Search | MCSO Jail Roster & Mugshots

Key Inmate Search Resources in Maricopa County, Arizona

Maricopa County jail and inmate information is managed by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, which operates several jail facilities and online tools for people held in county custody. Before searching, it helps to have the person’s full legal name, date of birth, and any booking number from court or arrest paperwork, and you can also review Arizona Public Records for broader statewide context.

This page is an independent information guide, not a government website, and it summarizes how to use official Maricopa County resources to check if someone is in jail, understand basic booking details, and see options for contact, visitation, phone calls, and money deposits, keeping in mind that jail records can change quickly and may not always show the very latest status.

Understanding Jail and Inmate Information

Most county-level inmate tools focus on people held in the local jail system, not everyone with a criminal case in Maricopa County or Arizona. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office system covers individuals booked into the Sheriff’s jails, generally for pretrial detention, short jail sentences, or while they are waiting to be transported elsewhere.

The main Maricopa County inmate pages describe a search by booking number as well as a search by name and date of birth. A booking number is assigned when someone is processed into custody and is the most specific way to match a record. Name and date-of-birth searches are useful when you do not have that number, but may return several people with similar names.

Separate public mugshot listings show recent bookings with columns such as booking number, first and last name, charges, and arresting agency, alongside the person’s photo. Those pages also remind users that all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court and that entries are based on information available at the time of posting.

Online jail information is described as informational only. The Sheriff’s Office notes that data can contain errors or delays, that people sometimes provide false identifying information, and that true identity is confirmed through fingerprint comparison, so any search result should be checked carefully before you rely on it.

Where Someone May Be Held After an Arrest

After an arrest in Maricopa County, a person may first be held briefly by a city police department or another law enforcement agency before being taken to the Sheriff’s Intake, Transfer and Release (ITR) facility at 2670 South 28th Drive in Phoenix. The ITR processes police custody bookings, all court-ordered self-surrenders, and all releases from the Maricopa County jail system, and it includes an attached short-term 512-bed housing area designed for stays typically up to a few days.

Once the initial booking and classification are complete, people are generally assigned to one of several jails operated by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office: the Fourth Avenue Jail in downtown Phoenix, Towers Jail, Watkins Jail, Estrella Jail, or Lower Buckeye Jail. These facilities house different mixes of men and women, security levels, medical and mental-health units, and sentenced working inmates, and movement between facilities is coordinated through a transportation hub connected to the ITR.

For court-ordered self-surrender, individuals park or are dropped off in the public lot near the ITR and enter through the door marked for self-surrender. All releases from custody are processed through the same ITR facility, and once release is completed, people are directed back to the public parking lot for pickup. Because intake and release involve multiple steps, the person’s online custody status may not change immediately.

The Sheriff’s “Bonds and Fines” information explains that bonds and fines are paid at the Fourth Avenue Jail Bond and Fine room and that, even after a bond is paid, it can take up to 24 hours for a release to be processed. It also notes that an immigration hold or another law-enforcement hold can keep someone in custody even after a bond is posted, and that once a bond payment is accepted no refunds are given. In many court systems, bond types such as cash, surety, or property bonds may appear on court paperwork, and the amount and type of bond can affect when a person is actually eligible for release.

If you are unsure about a bond or possible holds, the Sheriff’s Information Management Services line at (602) 876-0322 can be contacted before paying a bond to confirm what is currently showing in the jail system and whether additional holds may keep the person in custody.

Checking Maricopa County Custody Using the Inmate Search

The primary way to check if someone is currently in a Maricopa County jail is through the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Inmate Information pages, which offer search options tied directly to the jail booking system. You can go to the Sheriff’s website and open the official custody search, then choose the search method that fits the information you have.

When a booking number is available from court documents or prior jail paperwork, entering that number in the booking-number search is the most direct way to pull up a single record. The Inmate Information page describes this option as taking you straight to the person’s information once the correct booking number is entered.

If you do not know the booking number, the Inmate Information tool also allows a search by last name, first name, and date of birth in YYYYMMDD format. Using the full legal name and exact date of birth helps narrow results, especially for common names. Small variations in spelling, middle names, or missing hyphens can keep a record from appearing, so it is worth checking any alternate spellings the person may use.

The Inmate Information pages warn that the information presented should not be relied on for any type of legal action and that the Sheriff’s Office cannot guarantee it is current, accurate, or complete. They also explain that people may provide false identifying information and that only fingerprint comparisons can confirm identity, so results should be interpreted carefully and checked against court paperwork when possible.

If a search shows no match, it may be because the booking is very recent and has not yet been entered, the person has already been released, they are being held in another county or by a different agency, or their name or date of birth was entered differently at booking. Trying again later, checking for spelling variations, or using a known booking number are common ways to resolve “no record found” situations.

Interpreting Maricopa County Jail Booking and Custody Details

A successful search typically returns a record that includes the person’s booking number, name, and basic information about charges and where they are being held. The facility field may show a specific jail such as Fourth Avenue Jail, Estrella Jail, or Lower Buckeye Jail, or it may show that the person is at the ITR or another short-term facility while being processed, transferred, or released. Because transportation and housing decisions can change, the facility listed online may lag slightly behind the person’s actual location.

Booking, release, and transfer events are part of the same custody record, but not every detail appears on public pages. Someone can still appear as “in custody” while release paperwork is being processed at the ITR, and a person being moved between jails may briefly be in transit without the online system yet showing the new location. The Sheriff’s Office also notes on several pages that its crime and custody information is informational only and that errors or delays can occur in the way that data is collected, entered, and displayed.

Once you confirm that someone is in custody, the next concern is often visitation. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office explains that video visitation is handled through ViaPath’s GettingOut service. Friends and family must create and validate a ViaPath account to receive remote visits, and remote visits are charged at $0.25 per minute, with charges based only on the time actually used. For general public visitors, all on-site video visits are currently suspended, and only the incarcerated person can start an on-demand “Visit Now” video session. For attorneys and certain professional visitors, remote visits that are not recorded or charged are arranged through visitation centers at the Fourth Avenue and Lower Buckeye jails after showing appropriate professional identification.

Mail to inmates is routed through a central mailroom at Lower Buckeye Jail, and all incoming mail, newspapers, magazines, and books must use the inmate’s name and booking number along with the Lower Buckeye Jail street address. The Sheriff’s rules require almost all personal mail to be sent as standard-sized postcards with metered or stamped postage, written only in blue or black ink, and without stickers, tape, perfume, or other additions. Publications must be soft-cover books, newspapers, or magazines sent directly from a publisher, and inmates are limited to a small number of books and periodicals at any one time. Photographs are restricted to small prints in clearly marked envelopes, and images showing nudity, weapons, criminal activity, or gang references are not allowed.

Money for commissary and other jail-approved purchases is deposited to inmate accounts through TouchPay. According to the Inmate Account Deposits information, deposits can be made three ways: over the phone using a toll-free TouchPay number, online through the TouchPay website, or in cash at TouchPay kiosks located in each jail. Kiosks accept cash, Visa, and MasterCard, and deposits can be made using the inmate’s name or booking number. Funds are generally available for the inmate’s use after verification, often within about an hour, and fees apply to these services. Once money is on the account, inmates can use it for approved items such as canteen purchases and calling cards.

Telephone access is handled through the Inmate Telephone System, which is managed by Global Tel*Link (GTL). The jails allow only outgoing inmate calls, typically available from about 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., with a maximum call length of 20 minutes and possible unit-level variations or restrictions. Personal outgoing calls are recorded and monitored, and friends and family can receive calls through collect billing or prepaid GTL options such as AdvancePay and PIN Debit accounts, with deposits made by phone, online, or via mobile app. Legal calls to attorneys registered with the State Bar of Arizona are recognized by special numbers and are not recorded, and if a lawyer’s number has changed or is not in the legal-call database, the Sheriff’s Office asks that they contact the office so the number can be verified and updated. If GTL caller ID numbers are flagged as spam by a mobile carrier, the carrier’s spam-blocking settings may need to be adjusted so jail calls can come through.

If You Can’t Find Someone Online: Practical Next Steps

When the online search does not show the person you are looking for, the first step is to double-check the information you are entering. Confirm the spelling of the last and first names, make sure the date of birth is in the format used by the Inmate Information page, and use a booking number if you have one, since that is less likely to be affected by spelling or punctuation differences.

If you believe someone was just arrested, they may still be in the process of being booked at the ITR or a short-term holding facility and not yet fully entered into the public jail system. It is also possible that they were released quickly, transferred to another jurisdiction, or are in the custody of a different county, state prison system, or a federal agency, which would not appear in the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Inmate Information search.

For urgent situations, you can call the main jail information line at (602) 876-0322 to ask whether a person is currently showing in the jail system and, if so, which facility is listed. For questions specifically about bond payments and release timing, the Sheriff’s Information Management Services number at (602) 876-0322 is identified as the point of contact before paying a bond at the Fourth Avenue Jail Bond and Fine room.

  • Try alternate spellings, middle names, or hyphenated surnames if the name might be recorded differently.
  • Use any booking number from court or arrest paperwork whenever possible instead of searching by name alone.
  • Wait a short time and search again if the arrest was very recent, since booking information may not post immediately.
  • Consider whether the person might be held in another Arizona county, in state prison, or by a federal agency.
  • Contact the jail information line if you still cannot locate the person but have reason to believe they are in custody.

The Sheriff’s Office also participates in community tools such as offender-mapping and crime-mapping services, which are described as informational and subject to error; these are intended to help residents understand crime patterns and known offender addresses rather than to verify real-time jail custody.

Maricopa County Jail Contacts and Official Resources

For in-person matters such as bonding, visitation center access, or questions about where someone will be housed after booking, it is often helpful to know the locations of the main Maricopa County jail facilities. Public access points and housing units are spread across several jails, each with its own address but a common jail information phone number.

The facilities below are the primary jails and booking locations mentioned in the Sheriff’s information for Maricopa County. Each location shares the same main jail information number, but has a different physical address and different roles within the jail system.

Facility Name Physical Address Phone Number
Fourth Avenue Jail 201 South 4th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85003 (View on Google Maps) (602) 876-0322
Towers Jail 3127 West Gibson Lane Phoenix, AZ 85009 (View on Google Maps) (602) 876-0322
Watkins Jail 2680 South 28th Drive Phoenix, AZ 85009 (View on Google Maps) (602) 876-0322
Estrella Jail 2939 West Durango Street Phoenix, AZ 85009 (View on Google Maps) (602) 876-0322
Lower Buckeye Jail 3250 West Lower Buckeye Road Phoenix, AZ 85009 (View on Google Maps) (602) 876-0322
Intake, Transfer and Release (ITR) 2670 South 28th Drive Phoenix, AZ 85009 (View on Google Maps) (602) 876-0322

For questions that are not tied to one specific facility, such as general custody questions, jail-wide rules, or concerns about inmate telephone service, the Sheriff’s Office directs callers to a few countywide contact points and assistance lines instead of individual unit offices.

  • Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Headquarters: 550 West Jackson, Phoenix Arizona 85003, United States (View on Google Maps)
  • Phone: (602) 876-1000
  • Jail Information Line: (602) 876-0322
  • MCSO Information/Assistance for inmate telephone issues: (602) 876-5412
  • Email for blocking or unblocking inmate calls: MCSO_Inmate_Telephones@MCSO.Maricopa.gov

Always confirm current locations, phone numbers, and jail rules directly with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office before making decisions based on custody information.

How do I deposit money on an inmate's account in Maricopa County?
You can add funds to an inmate's account through TouchPay by making a deposit over the phone, using the TouchPay website, or using cash kiosks at the jails, and deposits made with the inmate's name or booking number are generally available for use after verification, usually within about an hour, though fees apply and official instructions should be checked for any changes.

How do video visits work at the Maricopa County jails?
Video visits are handled through ViaPath's GettingOut service, where friends and family create a validated account to receive remote video visits that cost $0.25 per minute, with on-site video visits currently suspended for the general public and only the incarcerated person able to start an on-demand Visit Now session, while attorneys and other professionals arrange non-recorded remote visits through designated visitation centers.