Schenectady County Inmate Search

VINE Takes a Name

VINE is the statewide service covering New York county jails, and it does what people mean by an inmate search. You type a name and it tells you whether that person is in custody.

Two things to understand before you trust a blank screen.

There is a lag. VINE shows what a county has sent it, and a booking has to be entered before it can be transmitted. Somebody arrested this evening will often not be there yet.

Empty is not proof. A blank result means there is no record in VINE right now. It does not mean nobody is sitting in a cell on Veeder Avenue.

VINE will also register you for notifications about custody changes, which is more useful than checking a page every morning.

The Corrections Division Answers Its Phone

For a booking in the last day or two, 518-388-4300 is the better route, and it is not close.

A staffed line confirms somebody is there while a database is still waiting on an overnight update. That one call is the fastest answer available for a fresh arrest, and it is the one we would make first.

Ask for the Criminal History Number While You Are On the Phone

This is the piece of practical advice worth acting on now rather than later.

Schenectady identifies people in its custody by a Criminal History Number, which the county shortens to CHN. You will need it, because the county states that family and friends must know the inmate’s full name and CHN before depositing money into a commissary account.

The Corrections Division can give you the number. Getting it on the first call saves a second one after a deposit fails at the kiosk.

Three Names, One Building

Official sources do not agree on what this facility is called, which makes searching harder than it should be.

Who says it	What they call it
NYS Commission of Correction	Schenectady County Jail
The county’s own rules text	Schenectady County Correctional Facility
The county’s contact block	Schenectady County Corrections

All three are 320 Veeder Avenue, Schenectady, NY 12307, on 518-388-4300. If a search under one name turns up nothing, the name is not the reason, but it is worth knowing that official paperwork will use whichever of the three suits the office writing it.

When the Arrest Was Only Hours Ago

Nothing online will help yet, and refreshing will not change that.

Somebody picked up this evening may still be with the arresting agency rather than at the jail, and no record exists in any system until booking is finished. Give it a few hours and then ring 518-388-4300.

Once you know where they are, a letter can go out the same day. Pigeonly handles photos and letters into the jail while everything else is still being worked out.