Lawrence Booking Releases

Lawrence booking releases go through the Essex County Sheriff's Department. The county runs the main jail in Middleton and also has a pre-release center right in Lawrence on Marston Street. Essex County is one of the few Massachusetts counties with both an online inmate lookup tool and VINE participation. That gives Lawrence residents more ways to search for booking release data than most other cities in the state. This page covers all the search options, facility details, and records request steps for Lawrence booking releases.

Essex County Handles Lawrence Booking Releases

Lawrence is in Essex County. The Essex County Sheriff's Department manages all booking releases for people arrested in the city. Headquarters are at 20 Manning Avenue, Middleton, MA 01949. The main phone number is (978) 750-1900. Essex County is unique in Massachusetts because it is the only county besides the state DOC that participates in the VINE notification system. That means you can track Lawrence inmates through VINE as well as the county's own online lookup tool.

Lawrence has a direct connection to the Essex County corrections system that goes beyond the typical city-to-county relationship. The Essex County Pre-Release and Re-Entry Center sits at 165 Marston Street in Lawrence, MA 01841. Call (978) 750-1900 ext. 4309 to reach it. There is also a Community Corrections Office at 499 Essex Street in Lawrence, reachable at (978) 750-1900 ext. 4600. These local facilities mean that some people involved in the Essex County system live and report right in Lawrence.

The Middleton House of Correction is the main jail. It has a capacity of about 1,000 beds. Inmates can serve sentences of up to 24 months there. Longer sentences go to the Massachusetts Department of Correction.

Lawrence Area Detention Facilities

The Essex County Sheriff's Department runs multiple facilities that serve Lawrence. The main one is the Middleton House of Correction at 20 Manning Avenue. It handles all initial bookings for the county. When someone gets arrested in Lawrence, they are transported here for processing. The facility holds both pretrial detainees and sentenced inmates.

The sheriff's website provides contact info, facility details, and links to the online inmate lookup tool. Lawrence also has the Essex County Pre-Release and Re-Entry Center at 165 Marston Street. This facility is for inmates who are nearing the end of their sentence and transitioning back into the community. The Community Corrections Office at 499 Essex Street handles people on supervised release and probation. Both Lawrence locations are part of the Essex County system but do not handle initial bookings.

Female inmates from Essex County are housed at the Barnstable County Correctional Facility at 6000 Sheriffs Place in Bourne, MA 02532. If a woman is arrested in Lawrence, her booking release is still an Essex County record, but she may be physically held in Barnstable. Call 508-563-4300 to check on female inmates from Lawrence.

How to Search Lawrence Booking Releases

Lawrence residents have more search options than most Massachusetts cities. Essex County offers an online inmate lookup tool where you can search by name or identifier. Enter a first and last name. You can add a date of birth to narrow the results. Or use an identifier like a booking number or inmate ID. The tool shows booking dates, current charges, housing info, and expected release dates for people currently in custody.

VINE is the second online option. Go to vinelink.com, select Massachusetts, and search. Essex County is the only county jail system in Massachusetts that uses VINE. You can search by name, offender ID, or case number. VINE also lets you sign up for alerts. You get a call, text, or email when someone's status changes. This is useful if you need to know when a person is released from custody after a Lawrence arrest.

Phone works too. Call (978) 750-1900 at any time. Give staff the person's full name and date of birth. They can check all Essex County facilities at once. For the Lawrence Pre-Release Center specifically, use extension 4309. For the community corrections office in Lawrence, use extension 4600.

You can also visit the Middleton jail in person or file a written request. Under MGL c. 66, § 10, you have the right to access public records. The office responds within 10 business days for formal requests. Email info@essexsheriffma.org or mail your request to 20 Manning Avenue, Middleton, MA 01949.

Lawrence Booking Release Record Contents

A Lawrence booking release from Essex County contains the standard set of data that most Massachusetts jails collect. The record starts with the person's full legal name, date of birth, aliases, and a physical description. Booking photos and fingerprints are taken at intake. The Middleton facility logs the date and time of booking, the charges, and the arresting agency. For Lawrence arrests, that is usually the Lawrence Police Department.

The record also includes bail and bond info. The amount set, the bond type, and whether it was posted are all there. Housing assignment within the facility shows up too. When the person leaves, the release section tracks the date, time, and type of release. Under MGL c. 276, § 58A, defendants found dangerous by a court may face detention without bail. That status is noted in the booking release.

Private data stays out of public view. Medical records and mental health files are not shared. Under MGL c. 4, § 7(26), agencies can hold back data that would harm someone or invade privacy. Security classifications and victim info are excluded from what you can get.

Public Records and Lawrence Arrests

For certified copies of Lawrence booking releases, send a written request to the Essex County Sheriff's Department at 20 Manning Avenue, Middleton, MA 01949. You can also email info@essexsheriffma.org. Include the person's name, date of birth, and any dates you think they were in custody. Cite the Massachusetts Public Records Law.

Under 950 CMR 32, the first two hours of search time are free. Copies run $0.05 to $0.10 per page. The agency has 10 business days to respond. If the person served state time with a sentence over 2.5 years, contact the DOC Records Access Officer at doc.rao@state.ma.us or (508) 422-3436.

You can also deposit funds for inmates through AccessCorrections.com or call 1-866-345-1884. Lobby kiosks are available at the facility. The site ID for phone payments is 262. These are separate from the records process but useful if you are dealing with someone's custody situation after a Lawrence booking.

Massachusetts lets people seal old records. Under MGL c. 276, § 100A, misdemeanors seal after 3 years, felonies after 7. Dismissed cases seal automatically per MGL c. 276, § 100C. The CORI law page on mass.gov covers the full rules about what is public and what stays restricted.

Nearby Cities

These cities are near Lawrence and each has its own booking release page.