About Tennessee Department of Corrections

Use this website for informational purposes only.

The Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) is responsible for the operation of prison facilities within the state. It strives to operate safe and secure prisons and provide effective community supervision to promote public safety. The TDOC oversees the management of state prisons, while county jails and city jails are generally under the jurisdiction of the respective local law enforcement agencies.

Types of Correctional Institutions in Tennessee

There are three primary types of correctional institutions in Tennessee:

1. State Prisons: These are operated by the Tennessee Department of Correction. As of my knowledge cutoff in September 2021, there are 14 state prisons in Tennessee that house adult felons. These include the Northwest Correctional Complex, the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution, and the Tennessee Prison for Women among others.
2. County Jails: County jails are operated by the county sheriff's office and generally house inmates who are awaiting trial or serving sentences less than a year. Each of Tennessee's 95 counties has at least one county jail. The Shelby County Jail and Davidson County Jail are some of the most populous.
3. City Jails: These are usually smaller facilities run by city police departments to house people shortly after their arrest, before they are transferred to a county jail or released on bail.

Please note that for the most current and comprehensive list of correctional facilities in Tennessee, you should visit the official website of the Tennessee Department of Correction.

Inmate Search Options in Tennessee

To connect with someone in a Tennessee correctional facility, there are several search options available. Please remember that the privacy rights of inmates are protected by law, and the amount of information that can be released about a particular inmate may be limited.

State Prisons

1. Online: The TDOC provides an Inmate Search tool which allows you to search for inmates in state prisons by name or TOMIS ID (the unique identifier assigned to an inmate by the TDOC). This tool provides information about the inmate's current location, sentence history, parole status, and release date.
2. Offline: For information not found online, you can contact the TDOC directly by calling their information hotline at 1-844-TDC-FIND (1-844-832-3463).

County Jails

1. Online: Many county jails in Tennessee have online inmate search tools available on their respective websites. For example, the Shelby County Sheriff's Office and the Davidson County Sheriff's Office provide online search options.
2. Offline: If online information is not available or insufficient, you can call the sheriff's office of the respective county. Contact information for each sheriff's office can typically be found on the county's official website.

City Jails

1. Online: Some city police departments may have online tools to search for inmates in their jails. This can vary widely from city to city.
2. Offline: In most cases, you can obtain information about an inmate in a city jail by calling the city's police department directly.

Please note that the availability and scope of inmate search options can vary significantly between different jurisdictions and facilities. It is always best to start your search on the official website of the relevant correctional institution or law enforcement agency.

This site is not owned or operated by any state government agency, read more.

Types of Correctional Facilities in Tennessee

Tennessee Prisons and Jails