BOP Federal Inmate Locator Scraper

BOP Federal Inmate Locator Scraper

Scrape BOP Federal Inmate Locator records by register number, up to a million per run. Each inmate comes with their name, age, race, sex, release date, and facility location. No login or API key. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

The BOP Federal Inmate Locator is the official public database of federal inmates, but its web interface is slow, reCAPTCHA-protected for name searches, and impossible to export. This Actor reads the public inmate records directly from register numbers you provide, filters as it goes, and returns each match in one fixed schema. No browser, no captcha solving, no manual copying.

Who uses it	What they scrape BOP Federal Inmate Locator for
Journalists and researchers	Tracking the status and location of specific federal inmates for investigations
Legal professionals	Monitoring release dates and facility assignments for clients or cases
Background check providers	Enriching reports with current federal incarceration data
Data analysts	Building datasets of federal inmate populations for statistical analysis

What it does

This Actor collects BOP Federal Inmate Locator records by register number and returns each inmate as a flat row with their demographic, sentence, and facility details.

• 🔢 Register number lookup: Provide a list of BOP register numbers (format NNNNN-NNN) and the Actor fetches each record.
• 📊 Structured output: Every inmate is returned as a flat row with consistent fields for easy analysis.
• ⚡ Bulk collection: Set maxItems up to 1,000,000 to collect large batches in a single run.
• 📁 Multiple export formats: Download results as CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML directly from Apify.

Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.

What you can do with BOP Federal Inmate Locator data

📰 Investigative reporting.

A journalist tracks the incarceration status of individuals involved in a federal case by submitting their register numbers and receiving current facility and release dates.

⚖️ Legal case monitoring.

A paralegal monitors release dates for multiple clients by running the Actor weekly with a list of register numbers and exporting the results to a spreadsheet.

🔍 Background screening.

A background check company enriches its reports with federal inmate data by integrating the Actor into its data pipeline and pulling records on demand.

📈 Population analysis.

A researcher builds a dataset of federal inmates by collecting records for a sample of register numbers and analyzing demographic and sentence patterns.

Why choose this scraper

	What you get
No captcha or login	The Actor uses direct register number lookups, bypassing the reCAPTCHA that blocks anonymous name searches.
Bulk collection	Collect up to 1,000,000 inmate records in a single run, far beyond manual searching.
Consistent schema	Every record is normalized into a flat row, ready for spreadsheets or databases.
Official data source	Data comes directly from the Federal Bureau of Prisons public locator, ensuring accuracy.

How it compares

No other Store actor targets BOP Federal Inmate Locator the same way, so the honest comparison is with the alternatives teams actually weigh.

	BOP Federal Inmate Locator Scraper	Build it in-house	By hand
Setup	Run it now, zero config	Days of engineering	None, but hours per pull
When BOP Federal Inmate Locator changes	Maintained for you	You fix it	You re-learn the page
Proxies, retries, anti-bot	Built in	Your problem	Browser only
Output	Fixed JSON schema, CSV/Excel export	Whatever you build	Copy-paste
Cost	Pay per result	Engineering time	Analyst hours

Configure the run

Drive the Actor with a list of BOP register numbers and set a maximum number of inmates to collect per run. The Actor fetches each record and returns only the fields available from the public locator. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

{
  "inmateNums": [
    "12345-067"
  ],
  "maxItems": 10
}

A larger pull:

{
  "inmateNums": [
    "12345-067"
  ],
  "maxItems": 200
}

Pricing

Pay-per-result: $0.021 per result collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

Results collected	Approximate cost
100 results	$2.10
1,000 results	$21.00
10,000 results	$210.00

New Apify accounts start with $5 in free credit.

Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. Upgrade your Apify plan to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

Run it

1. Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit.
2. Open the BOP Federal Inmate Locator Scraper.
3. Set your inputs and any filters, then click Start.
4. Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the Dataset tab.

Run it programmatically through the Apify API (run-sync-get-dataset-items) or the ApifyClient for JavaScript and Python.

Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent live access to BOP Federal Inmate Locator through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

$claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=parseforge/bop-federal-inmates-scraper"

Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

Troubleshooting

Why am I getting no results?

Check that your register numbers are in the correct format (NNNNN-NNN) and that they are valid BOP register numbers. Also ensure that maxItems is set to at least 1. If the numbers are correct, the inmates may have been released and removed from the locator.

Why does the Actor skip some of my register numbers?

The Actor skips numbers that are not found in the BOP locator, which can happen if the number is invalid or the inmate has been released. Review your input list for typos or outdated numbers.

Can I search by name instead of register number?

No. The BOP Inmate Locator now requires a reCAPTCHA for name searches, which this Actor does not solve. You must provide register numbers. If you only have a name, you may need to find the register number through court records or other sources.

Why is the run taking a long time?

The Actor fetches each record sequentially from the BOP website, so a large list of register numbers will take time. You can reduce maxItems or split your list into smaller batches to speed up individual runs.

FAQ

Question	Answer
Can I search by inmate name?	No. The public BOP Inmate Locator now requires a reCAPTCHA for name-based searches, so this Actor only accepts register numbers. You must obtain the register number from court documents or other sources.
What is a BOP register number?	A BOP register number is a unique identifier assigned to each federal inmate, formatted as NNNNN-NNN (e.g., 12345-067). It is used by the Bureau of Prisons to track inmates across facilities.
How many records can I collect in one run?	You can set maxItems up to 1,000,000. The Actor will fetch records until it reaches that limit or exhausts your list of register numbers.
What fields are returned for each inmate?	The Actor returns all fields available from the public locator, typically including name, register number, age, race, sex, release date, and facility location. The exact fields are shown in the sample output.
Is this Actor affiliated with the Federal Bureau of Prisons?	No. This Actor is an independent tool that reads publicly available data from the BOP Inmate Locator website. It is not endorsed by or connected to the Bureau of Prisons.
Can I schedule this Actor to run automatically?	Yes. You can set up a schedule in Apify to run the Actor at regular intervals, such as daily or weekly, to keep your inmate data up to date.
What formats can I export the data in?	You can export the results as CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML directly from the Apify platform, or access them via API.
Do I need an API key or login for the BOP website?	No. The Actor accesses the public BOP Inmate Locator without any authentication. You only need an Apify account to run the Actor.
What if a register number is invalid or not found?	The Actor will skip that number and continue with the rest of your list. You can check the run log for any skipped numbers.
Is there a limit on the number of register numbers I can input?	You can input as many register numbers as you like, but the Actor will only collect up to maxItems records per run. If your list is longer, you can run the Actor multiple times or increase maxItems.

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🆘 Need help? Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.

⚠️ Disclaimer. This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Federal Bureau of Prisons. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.