New York DOCCS Inmate Lookup Scraper

New York DOCCS Inmate Lookup Scraper

Scrape New York State inmate records by DIN, name, or birth date, up to a million per run. Every record returns custody status, facility, parole eligibility, and full sentence details. No login or API key. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

The New York DOCCS public inmate lookup website requires manual searches one at a time, with no bulk export. This Actor reads the public lookup directly, searching by Department Identification Number (DIN) or last name, and returns each matching inmate record in a fixed schema. You can filter by first name, middle initial, and birth date to narrow results before they reach your dataset.

Who uses it	What they scrape New York DOCCS Inmate Lookup for
Legal aid organizations	Build a searchable database of current inmates to identify clients eligible for parole or reentry services.
Journalists and researchers	Analyze incarceration patterns across facilities, sentence lengths, and demographic trends over time.
Private investigators	Locate an individual's custody status and facility assignment for casework or background checks.
Family members and advocates	Monitor a loved one's parole eligibility date and transfer history without repeated manual lookups.

What it does

This Actor collects New York State DOCCS inmate records by DIN or name search and returns each inmate as a flat row with custody, facility, and sentence data.

• 🔍 DIN lookup: Provide a Department Identification Number like 23A1234 to pull a single inmate record instantly.
• 📋 Name search: Search by last name, optionally narrowed by first name, middle initial, and birth month or year.
• 📊 Bulk collection: Set a high maxItems to pull every matching record across multiple search combinations in one run.
• 📅 Date filtering: Use birth month and birth year to disambiguate common names and zero in on the right person.

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

What you can do with New York DOCCS Inmate Lookup data

📈 Monitor parole eligibility windows.

A legal aid group runs a weekly name search for all inmates with a last name starting with A through D, filters by parole eligibility within 90 days, and flags cases for intake.

🗺️ Map incarceration by county.

A researcher scrapes the full inmate population by searching common last names, then groups records by county of commitment to study geographic sentencing disparities.

🔎 Locate a specific inmate.

A private investigator enters a DIN to pull one record and confirm current custody status and facility before scheduling a client visit.

📋 Build a reentry support list.

A nonprofit scrapes inmates with a maximum expiration date in the next six months, then cross-references with housing and employment programs by facility.

Why choose this scraper

	What you get
Custody status	Whether the inmate is in custody, released, or paroled
Facility name	The current correctional facility housing the inmate
Parole eligibility	Earliest release date, parole hearing dates, and maximum expiration
Sentence details	Conviction crimes, sentence terms, and county of commitment

How it compares

No other Store actor targets New York DOCCS Inmate Lookup the same way, so the honest comparison is with the alternatives teams actually weigh.

	New York DOCCS Inmate Lookup Scraper	Build it in-house	By hand
Setup	Run it now, zero config	Days of engineering	None, but hours per pull
When New York DOCCS Inmate Lookup 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 from a DIN or a last name search, and optional first name, middle initial, and birth date filters narrow results as each record is read so only matches reach your dataset. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

{
  "maxItems": 10,
  "lastName": "Smith"
}

A larger pull:

{
  "maxItems": 200,
  "lastName": "Smith"
}

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 New York DOCCS Inmate Lookup 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 New York DOCCS Inmate Lookup 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/new-york-doccs-inmate-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 you provided either a DIN or a last name. If you used both, the DOCCS site may prioritize the DIN. Try removing extra filters like birth month or middle initial to broaden the search.

The Actor returns fewer records than my maxItems setting.

The DOCCS website may have fewer matching inmates than your limit. Try a broader search, like a more common last name, or remove optional filters.

I got an error about an invalid DIN format.

DINs follow a pattern like 23A1234 (two digits, one letter, four digits). Check the format and try again. Older DINs may use a different pattern, but the current lookup expects this format.

The run timed out before collecting all records.

Lower your maxItems or split the search into smaller batches, like searching one birth year at a time. You can also increase the run timeout in the Actor's advanced settings.

Some fields are empty in the output.

The DOCCS website does not always populate every field for every inmate. Empty fields mean the data was not available in the public lookup, not that the Actor missed it.

FAQ

Question	Answer
Do I need a DIN to search?	No. You can search by last name alone. A DIN returns a single record faster, but name searches work for bulk collection when you do not have DINs.
How many records can I scrape in one run?	You set the maxItems limit, up to 1,000,000 per run. The Actor stops when it hits that number or exhausts the search results.
What if a last name search returns too many results?	Add a first name, middle initial, birth month, or birth year. The Actor applies these filters as it reads each record, so only matches count toward your maxItems.
Does this include sealed or expunged records?	No. The Actor only returns what the public New York DOCCS inmate lookup website displays. Sealed or expunged records are not available through this source.
Can I scrape historical inmates who have been released?	The public lookup includes some released individuals, but coverage varies. The Actor returns whatever the DOCCS website shows for a given search.
What format does the data export to?	You can export your dataset to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML from the Apify platform after the run completes.
Is there a rate limit on the DOCCS website?	The Actor runs at a respectful pace to avoid overwhelming the public server. If you need higher throughput, you can adjust the run settings or contact support.
Can I schedule this to run automatically?	Yes. Apify supports scheduled runs. Set a daily or weekly schedule to track changes in custody status or parole dates over time.
What if I only know a partial last name?	The DOCCS lookup requires an exact last name or DIN. Try common spelling variations as separate searches, or use a DIN if you have one.
Does this work for federal inmates or other states?	No. This Actor scrapes only the New York State DOCCS inmate lookup. Federal inmates are in the BOP system, and other states have separate scrapers.

Related actors

Browse the full ParseForge collection for more scrapers.

🆘 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 New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. 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.