Wake County, North Carolina Inmate Search
In Wake County, the Detention Division of the Wake County Sheriff’s Office handles law enforcement and detention operations. The Detention Division operates two detention facilities in the county: the Wake County Detention Center and the John H. Baker, Jr. Public Safety Center. Inmate searches usually include basic information such as names, physical descriptions/identifiers, booking numbers, dates, housing location, custody status, specific charges, and bond details.
Municipal police departments in Wake County, such as the Raleigh Police Department and the Cary Police Department, do not have separate jail operations and process their offenders through the county detention system.
The Wake County Sheriff’s Office is located at:
Wake County Sheriff’s Office
330 S. Salisbury St.
Raleigh, NC 27601
Phone: (919) 856-6900
How to Find an Inmate in Wake County Jail
Record seekers may find inmates serving time in detention centers operated by the Wake County Sheriff’s Office through the Police-2-Citizen Inmate Search Portal. This portal lets users search for inmates by name and filter booking dates from the last 24 hours. Information may also be obtained from the sheriff’s office and the detention facilities directly using the following contact information.
Wake County Sheriff's Office
John H. Baker, Jr. Public Safety Center
330 S. Salisbury Street
Raleigh, NC 27601
Phone: (919) 856-6900
Wake County Detention Center
3301 Hammond Road
Raleigh, NC 27610
Phone: (919) 773-7930
How to Use the Wake County Jail Roster
To look up individuals in custody at the Wake County detention facilities, you may access the online database maintained by the sheriff’s office through these steps.
- Open the Wake County Sheriff’s Office Police-to-Citizen (P2C) portal.
- Select Inmate Inquiry from the home page.
- The page shows a full list of recent bookings, and the search tool allows searches by name.
- There are also other filters available to streamline the list by gender
- Search results include inmate ID number, housing location, arrest dates, charges, and bond details
For additional information, contact the sheriff’s office directly at (919) 856-6900 or the detention center at (919) 773-7930. Inmate lists may also be available from the public kiosks found in the lobbies at the John H. Baker Jr. Public Safety Center and the Wake County Detention Center.
What Information is Included in the Wake County Inmate Roster
The Wake County inmate inquiry portal provides basic standardized details about the inmates currently in custody at the county’s two facilities.
- The complete legal name of the inmate, including first, last, and any middle names given at booking.
- The unique booking number assigned to the inmate during the intake process.
- The exact arrest date
- A general description of the charges and the statutes they violated
- The inmate's current housing location/specific facility
- The inmate's current status (whether in custody or released)
- Bond information and amount
- Court information such as dates, if applicable
Arrest and inmate information is subject to Chapter 132 of North Carolina’s general Statutes. This generally allows access to government records, including arrest and inmate records. However, the law allows law enforcement to exempt or restrict certain information from the public. Juvenile records, criminal investigative logs, active intelligence files, and expunged records are typically restricted from public access.
Contact Details for Wake County Jail or Sheriff’s Office
The most efficient way to look up inmate information for Wake County, other than their online inmate inquiry, is to contact the county sheriff’s office or the detention centers directly. The following contact details are useful when attempting to reach staff of these facilities in person for inmate information or other services.
| Facility | Address | Phone Numbers | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wake County Sheriff's Office | 330 S. Salisbury Street Raleigh, NC 27601 | Phone: (919) 856-6900 Visitation: (919) 857-9103 | Wake County Sheriff’s Office |
| Wake County Detention Center | 3301 Hammond Road Raleigh, NC 27610 | (919) 773-7930 | Wake County Detention Center |
| John H. Baker, Jr. Public Safety Center | 330 S. Salisbury Street Raleigh, NC 27601 | (919) 856-5952 | John H. Baker, Jr. Public Safety Center. |
Jail Facility Overview in Wake County
Wake County operates two adult detention centers managed by the Detention Division of the local sheriff’s office. The largest is the Wake County Detention Center with over 1000 inmates, and the other is the John H. Baker, Jr. Public Safety Center with about 500 beds. The facilities are considered primarily medium-security facilities and house adult male and female inmates. These include pretrial detainees and inmates serving sentences.
| Agency | Office and Mail Address | Phone Number | Office Hours | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake County Sheriff's Office | 330 S. Salisbury Street Raleigh, NC 27601 | Phone: (919) 856-6900 | 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday | wcso.pio@wake.gov |
| Wake County Detention Center | 3301 Hammond Road Raleigh, NC 27610 | (919) 773-7930 | 24 hours a day, 7 days a week | No public email address. Inmate messaging is managed via GettingOut electronic services |
| John H. Baker, Jr. Public Safety Center | 330 S. Salisbury Street Raleigh, NC 27601 | (919) 856-5952 | 24 hours a day, 7 days a week | Same as above. |
How to Send Money to an Inmate in the Wake County Detention Center?
The Wake County Detention Center provides several options for sending money to inmates.
- Inmate deposits may be made online using the Access Corrections website. Create an account on the website. Click “Send Money”, search for the inmate, and follow instructions to make payments to their account.
- Transactions may be made in person at the Wake County Detention Center visitation window on the first floor on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Tuesday and Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Inmates may also have funds sent to them by money orders, certified checks, and payroll checks sent via mail. These must be made payable to the inmate and have their full name and ID number. Money orders, certified checks, and payroll checks are subject to a 14-day escrow holding period to allow time to clear. It is advised to call the center or the detention division in advance to confirm the correct mailing procedures and address at (919) 773-7930.
Inmate Search by Jail Facility
Wake County has two adult detention centers. Information on inmates housed in these facilities is available on the same jail roster. The Wake County Sheriff’s Office Police-to-Citizen (P2C) portal, Inmate Inquiry. The results provided by the search tool typically state which of the two facilities currently houses the inmate in question. Specific information for each facility may also be obtained by calling the Sheriff’s Office at (919) 856-6900, the Detention Center at (919) 773-7930, or the Public Safety Center at (919) 856-5952.
Wake County Visitation Rules and Schedules
All visitation is conducted by video at the facilities provided by the Wake County Detention Center. All visits must be scheduled at least 24 hours in advance by calling the visitation line, (919) 857-9103, from Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Each inmate is entitled to one 30-minute visit each week. Visitors are restricted to two visitors per visit: 2 adults or an adult and a child. Visitors under 16 years old must be accompanied by an adult. Every visitor over 16 years old must bring a government-issued Photo ID. Bags, purses, cellphones, and smartwatches must be stored in the provided lockers before the visit. All visitors must follow the dress code in the jail visitation policy, and disruptive or intoxicated visitors will be denied visitation privileges.
For more comprehensive instructions, visitors must consult the Jail Visitation Policy provided by the Wake County Sheriff Detention Division.
| Jail Facility | Visitation Hours |
|---|---|
| Wake County Detention Center | Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. |
Mailing and Commissary Information | Wake County Jail
All personal mail, including written letters, pictures, and drawings, is mailed to a scanning facility where it is scanned and digitally delivered to inmates using the provided kiosks or tablets at the facility. Inmate mail should be addressed to the scanning facility at:
Facility Name (Wake County Detention Center North Carolina)
Inmate Name, Inmate Identifier
P.O. Box 247
Phoenix, MD 21131
The sender's full name and physical address should also be clearly written in the top left corner of the envelope. Prohibited items that must not be sent include the following.
- Cash and Personal checks
- Contraband or unauthorized items
- Explicit or sexually inappropriate photographs
- Gang-related material
- Stickers, glitter, perfume, or other substances added to correspondence
- Items intended to conceal other materials in the message
- Food or clothing
Legal correspondence may be mailed directly to the facility where the inmate is housed using the appropriate address.
Inmate Full Name, Inmate ID NumberWake County Detention Center
P.O. Box 2479
Raleigh, NC 27602-2479
To send money to an inmate's commissary, use any of the following approved methods.
- Online deposits through the Access Corrections website.
- In-person deposits at the visitation window of the Wake County Detention Center on the first floor on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- In-person deposits at the John H. Baker Jr. Public Safety Center lobby from Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Mailing certified checks, money orders, and payroll checks to the inmate.
Call the Wake County Detention Division to confirm mailing policies and addresses before sending any correspondence by mail.