Search Bristol County Booking Releases

Bristol County booking releases are managed by the Bristol County Sheriff's Office, which operates several correctional facilities in North Dartmouth and New Bedford. The sheriff's office has an online inmate locator that lets you check who is in custody right now. You can also call the inmate info line or visit the main facility on Faunce Corner Road. Bristol County processes booking releases for all towns and cities in the county, including New Bedford, Fall River, and Taunton. This page covers how to search these records, what they contain, and where to send a public records request for Bristol County booking releases.

Bristol County Sheriff's Office

The Bristol County Sheriff's Office is the main source for booking releases in this part of Massachusetts. Their headquarters sits at 400 Faunce Corner Road in North Dartmouth, MA 02747. You can reach the main line at (508) 995-6400. For inmate info specifically, call extension 2535. The office handles all bookings for arrests that happen in Bristol County towns. Staff are on site during normal hours, and the jail phone line is open around the clock for basic custody checks.

Bristol County runs five correctional facilities. The House of Correction on Faunce Corner Road is the main one. It holds medium security inmates who are pre-trial or serving up to 2.5 years under MGL c. 126, § 16. The Bristol County Jail at the same address holds pre-trial detainees with tighter security. A Women's Center on the same campus serves female inmates with gender-specific programs. The Ash Street Jail at 226 Ash Street in New Bedford is one of the oldest operating jails in the country. You can call that facility at (508) 996-6704. There is also an immigration detention unit on the Faunce Corner Road campus.

The Bristol County Sheriff's Office website is the starting point for any online search of Bristol County booking releases.

This site has links to the inmate locator, visitor info, and contact details for each division. It loads fast and works on mobile. Check back often since roster data changes daily.

How to Search Bristol County Booking Releases

Bristol County has an online inmate locator on the sheriff's website. This is the fastest way to find booking releases. Go to the BCSO website and look for the inmate info or inmate lookup link. You can search by name, date of birth, or inmate ID. Results show basic custody data. The system updates daily, so it may not reflect same-day bookings or releases right away.

Phone is another good option. Call (508) 995-6400 and ask for extension 2535. Staff can tell you if someone is in custody at any Bristol County facility. Have the person's full legal name and date of birth ready. This line works during regular hours. For after-hours checks, the main jail number takes calls 24/7, though the info you get may be more limited.

You can also go in person. The records office at the Faunce Corner Road facility is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Bring a valid government ID. You will need to fill out an information request form at the public desk. Staff can pull up current and recent booking releases while you wait in some cases. For older records, expect a short wait or a follow-up by mail.

Bristol County Booking Process

When someone is arrested in Bristol County, local police transport them to one of the sheriff's facilities. The booking process starts right away. Officers take fingerprints and photographs. They run a health screening. All personal property gets logged in an inventory. The person gets an inmate ID number and a housing assignment based on their charges and risk level. This whole process creates the booking release record.

A typical Bristol County booking release includes the person's full name and any known aliases. It lists date of birth, gender, and physical details like height and weight. The booking date and time are on there, along with the arresting agency. Current charges show up with their statute codes. Bail or bond amounts are listed too, plus the expected release date if one has been set. The facility name and housing unit round out the record. Under MGL c. 66, § 10, most of this data is public. Anyone can ask for it.

Some info stays private. Medical records, mental health files, and security classification papers are not part of the public booking release. Victim data and social security numbers are kept out as well. The law draws a clear line between what is open and what is not. MGL c. 6, §§ 167-178B governs how CORI data gets handled in Massachusetts, and booking releases fall under this framework.

Bristol County holds roughly 1,000 to 1,200 inmates across all five facilities at any given time. That means a lot of booking releases flow through the system each year. The daily booking logs go to multiple agencies as part of routine operations.

Bristol County Booking Records Requests

For a formal public records request, write to the Records Access Officer at the Bristol County Sheriff's Office, 400 Faunce Corner Road, North Dartmouth, MA 02747. Include the person's full name, date of birth, and any other details you have. Be specific about which records you want. The office has up to 10 business days to respond under Massachusetts public records law.

Fees are low. Copies cost $0.05 to $0.10 per page. The first two hours of search time are free under 950 CMR 32. If your request goes beyond that, the office can charge a prorated hourly rate. You can ask for records in paper or electronic form. Most people find that email or mail requests work fine. Phone requests are possible but not always accepted for formal booking release records.

Under MGL c. 276, § 100A, some older booking releases may be sealed. Misdemeanor records can be sealed after 3 years. Felony records can be sealed after 7 years. If a record is sealed, it will not come up in a standard search. MGL c. 276, § 100C also allows automatic sealing after a not guilty verdict or case dismissal. Law enforcement can still see sealed records, but they will not show in public queries for Bristol County booking releases.

The civil process division handles a different set of records. Their office is at 421 Faunce Corner Road, and you can reach them at (508) 992-6631. There is also a Taunton office for civil process at 4 Court Street, Suite 106. That number is (508) 828-1832.

Visiting Inmates in Bristol County

If you need to visit someone held in Bristol County, the sheriff's office has specific rules. The visitor information page on the BCSO website lays out the schedule, dress code, and what you can bring.

Each facility has its own hours. Check the page above for the most current times. You will need a valid photo ID. There are limits on how many guests can visit at once. The site also covers rules for sending mail and depositing money into an inmate's account. Visitation and booking release data are handled by different departments, but both start with the same inmate ID number assigned at booking.

For state-level booking releases, the Massachusetts DOC inmate search page covers state prison inmates. Bristol County facilities hold county-level inmates only. If someone gets sentenced to more than 2.5 years, they transfer to a state DOC facility, and their booking release moves with them. Under MGL c. 127, the Parole Board handles release decisions for state inmates.

Cities in Bristol County

Bristol County covers several cities and towns in southeastern Massachusetts. Three cities in the county have their own pages on this site with more detail on local booking release procedures. All arrests in these cities get processed through Bristol County Sheriff's facilities.

Nearby Counties

If you are looking for booking releases in a neighboring area, check these counties that border Bristol County.