BOP Inmate Locator Scraper

Scrape the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Inmate Locator — the official public directory of people in federal custody. Search by name or register number, browse the register, and get register number, age, race, sex, release dates, and facility details for every record. HTTP-only against the public bop.gov service — no auth, no proxy needed.

What this actor does

• Three modes: searchByName, searchByNumber, browseAll
• Name search: first + last name (required), optional middle name/initial
• Number search: BOP register number, DCDC, FBI, or INS number
• Register browse: systematic sweep over the most common US first/last name combinations (deduplicated)
• Filters: race, sex, age range, keyword in name or facility
• Release data: projected and actual release dates, release status
• Facility data: current facility name, type, code, and location URL
• Empty fields are omitted

Data Source

The official U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator (www.bop.gov/inmateloc) — the public web service that powers the BOP's own search. HTTP-only against the public bop.gov service; no auth, no proxy required. The actor is not affiliated with the BOP.

Output per inmate

• registerNumber — BOP register number, e.g. 00123-871
• numberType — type of number the lookup matched (IRN / DCDC / FBI / INS)
• nameFirst, nameMiddle, nameLast, suffix, fullName
• age, race, sex
• releaseCode, releaseStatus — Released / Deceased / Escaped / Absconded / Not in BOP Custody
• projectedReleaseDate — projected release date (in custody)
• actualReleaseDate — actual release date (released)
• releaseDate — whichever release date applies
• facilityCode, facilityName, facilityType — e.g. CDT, Detroit, RRM
• facilityUrl — BOP facility page for the location
• sourceUrl — canonical locator deep-link for this register number
• recordType: "inmate", scrapedAt

Input

Field	Type	Default	Description
mode	string	searchByName	searchByName / searchByNumber / browseAll
nameFirst	string	john	First name (mode=searchByName)
nameLast	string	smith	Last name (mode=searchByName)
nameMiddle	string	–	Middle name or initial (mode=searchByName)
registerNumber	string	–	Register number, e.g. 00123-871 (mode=searchByNumber)
numberType	select	IRN	IRN / DCDC / FBI / INS (mode=searchByNumber)
race	select	Any	American Indian / Asian / Black / White
sex	select	Any	Male / Female
ageMin	int	–	Minimum age
ageMax	int	–	Maximum age
containsKeyword	string	–	Only emit inmates whose name or facility contains this keyword
maxItems	int	100	Hard cap (1–10000)
proxyConfiguration	proxy	off	Optional; auto-engaged only if bop.gov blocks direct requests

Example: search by name with filters

{
  "mode": "searchByName",
  "nameFirst": "john",
  "nameLast": "smith",
  "sex": "M",
  "ageMin": 40,
  "maxItems": 25
}

Example: lookup by register number

{
  "mode": "searchByNumber",
  "registerNumber": "00123-871",
  "numberType": "IRN"
}

Example: browse a segment of the register

{
  "mode": "browseAll",
  "race": "W",
  "ageMin": 30,
  "ageMax": 60,
  "maxItems": 200
}

Example: keyword-filtered search

{
  "mode": "searchByName",
  "nameFirst": "james",
  "nameLast": "williams",
  "containsKeyword": "Florence",
  "maxItems": 50
}

Limitations

• 100-record cap per query — the BOP service returns at most 100 records per name lookup. The actor paginates within that cap and reports when a query is truncated.
• browseAll is a name sweep, not a census — bop.gov has no "show everyone" query, so browse mode queries the most common US first/last name combinations and deduplicates. It covers a large share of the register but is not a complete enumeration of every inmate.
• First AND last name are required — bop.gov itself rejects searches with only one part.
• No sentence or case data — the public locator exposes only the fields listed above; case files require the BOP's FOIA portal.
• Captcha under aggressive use — the service may demand a captcha when queried too quickly; the actor spaces requests and retries automatically.
• Some fields are always absent for some records — e.g. released inmates have no projected release date. Empty fields are never emitted.

Use cases

• Legal research — locate federal defendants and verify register numbers and release dates
• Reentry services — discover projected release dates and receiving facilities for case planning
• Journalism & policy analysis — demographic breakdowns (race, sex, age) of the federal register
• Family support — confirm where a loved one is held and whether they have been released
• Compliance checks — verify an individual's federal custody status

FAQ

• What is the data source? The official U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator (www.bop.gov/inmateloc). This actor is not affiliated with the BOP.
• How fresh is the data? Every record is fetched live from bop.gov at run time.
• Why do some searches return fewer than 100 records? The BOP service returns at most 100 records per query and asks for a captcha when queried too aggressively. This actor spaces out requests and retries automatically.
• What happens with an inverted age range (ageMin > ageMax)? An inverted range can never match — the actor emits 0 records with a status message instead of filtering forever.
• Why does browseAll use a name sweep instead of a plain listing? bop.gov has no "show everyone" query — searches match exact name parts and cap at 100 records. The browse mode systematically queries the most common US first/last name combinations and deduplicates results, which covers a large share of the register while respecting the service's constraints.
• Why is a first AND last name required? bop.gov itself requires both fields; searches with only one return no results.
• Where is sentence / case information? The public locator only exposes the fields listed above (it has no sentence or case detail). Use the BOP's Freedom of Information portal for case files.
• Why are some fields missing from some records? Fields are omitted when the source has no value for them — for example, released inmates have no projected release date. Empty fields are never emitted.
• Do I need a proxy or account? No. The public service works without credentials or proxy. A proxy is engaged automatically only if bop.gov blocks direct requests.