Free Inmate Lookup for Upstate Correctional Facility

The Tool, and What It Costs

Nothing. The lookup is at nysdoccslookup.doccs.ny.gov, it is run by the state, and it is open to anyone. No sign-up, no fee, no limit on how often you use it.

It returns people held in New York state prisons. Upstate is one, so the free inmate lookup for Upstate is this search with a name typed into it.

Searching by Name

With a DIN in hand, enter that. It is exact and it is the fastest route.

Without one, the search takes a last name and first name. Three things decide whether it comes back:

• The legal name beats a nickname.
• A maiden name is worth trying if one might be on record.
• The spelling has to be right, because the tool matches what you type exactly.

Malone Is Not an Answer

Here is the part that is specific to this prison.

Two New York state prisons operate at Malone, on Bare Hill Road, roughly 250 yards apart. A result giving you the town narrows nothing down. A result giving you the facility name settles it.

	Upstate	Franklin
Street	309 Bare Hill Road	62 Bare Hill Road
Post box	P.O. Box 2000	P.O. Box 10
Security	Maximum	Medium
Phone	518-483-6997	518-483-6040

Four differences, one road. Read the facility line.

The DIN Is the Key to Everything Else

What the lookup returns is a Department Identification Number, and nothing else you do works without it.

Where you need it	What happens without it
The envelope	Mail is not matched to a person
The JPay deposit slip	Deposits are matched to the DIN, not a name
Any call to the prison	It is the first thing you will be asked

Write it down once, carefully, and you will not be looking for it again.

Upstate Is a Facility Name, Not a Region

A search for the words “upstate” and “prison” returns half of New York, because upstate is what most of the state is called.

The prison is Upstate Correctional Facility, at Malone, in Franklin County. Searching the full name with New York attached avoids the problem, and so does searching the DIN.

County Jails Are a Separate System

The DOCCS lookup covers state prisons only.

Somebody awaiting trial, serving under a year, or recently arrested is usually held in a county jail, and every county runs its own roster. A blank result frequently means the county is the right place to look, not a sign the search failed.

People also move into state prison after sentencing, so a name that was in a county jail last month can be at Malone now.

Nothing Comes Back

Work through it in this order.

1. Spelling, then variants, then a maiden name.
2. Not yet in state custody. Sentencing comes first, then transfer.
3. Transferred. New York moves people between prisons and the lookup follows, so search again instead of assuming the last facility still holds.
4. County or federal custody. Separate systems with separate tools.

Search Again After Any Gap

A transfer between prisons changes the address and the facility on the deposit. If a few weeks have passed since you last looked, re-run the lookup before you post a letter or send a deposit.

After the Number

Once you have the DIN, Pigeonly sends letters and photos from your phone, addressed to Upstate’s P.O. Box 2000 rather than Franklin’s P.O. Box 10 down the road.