Search Buffalo Released Inmates

Buffalo released inmates are tracked through the Erie County jail system, which processes about 23,000 people every year. The Erie County Sheriff runs two facilities that serve the city and the rest of the county. Buffalo is the second largest city in New York, and its Central Booking unit handles all local arrests before sending people to the county jail. If you need to look up whether someone from Buffalo has been released or is still in custody, Erie County publishes a daily inmate roster in PDF form. This page covers that tool along with state databases, court records, and other ways to search for released inmates from Buffalo.

Erie County Handles Buffalo Released Inmates

Buffalo is in Erie County. The Erie County Sheriff's Office runs the jail system for the whole county. People arrested in Buffalo go through Central Booking first, then transfer to a county facility. The sheriff manages both the downtown holding center and a larger correctional facility in Alden.

The Erie County Holding Center sits at 40 Delaware Ave, Buffalo, NY 14202. This is where most Buffalo arrestees go after booking. The phone number is (716) 858-7636. The other facility, the Erie County Correctional Facility, is at 11581 Walden Ave, Alden, NY 14004, with a phone number of (716) 937-5800. Sentenced inmates often go to Alden. Pretrial detainees usually stay downtown.

State prison is a different matter. Anyone with a sentence over one year gets transferred to a DOCCS facility. At that point, Erie County no longer holds them and you need to search the state system.

Erie County Released Inmates Facilities

The Holding Center downtown is mainly for short-term stays. People come through after arrest, wait for arraignment, and either get released on bail or stay until their case moves forward. The building is old and has been the subject of discussion about conditions and capacity for years.

The Alden facility is about 25 miles east of Buffalo. It holds sentenced inmates and some pretrial detainees when the downtown center is full. Both places process releases when bail is posted or a sentence is completed.

Central Booking in Buffalo is the intake point for most city arrests. Police bring people there, paperwork gets done, and then the person moves to the Holding Center. This all happens before a judge sets bail or makes a release decision.

How to Search for Released Inmates from Buffalo

Erie County publishes a daily inmate roster as a PDF. You can download it at erie.gov inmate list. This file lists everyone currently in custody at both the Holding Center and the Alden facility. Check it each day if you are tracking someone. When a name drops off, that person was likely released or transferred.

You can also call either facility directly. The Holding Center number is (716) 858-7636. The Alden number is (716) 937-5800. Give the person's name and date of birth. Staff can confirm custody status.

The state system covers people in prison. The DOCCS Incarcerated Lookup at doccs.ny.gov lets you search by name or DIN. Anyone in a state correctional facility shows up there. For those released on parole, the Parolee Lookup at doccs.ny.gov/parolee-lookup shows their status and supervising office.

Court case records are available through the CHRS system at ww2.nycourts.gov. This statewide database has charges, case outcomes, and dates. Erie County criminal cases appear here once they reach disposition.

Federal cases go through the Western District of New York, based in Buffalo. The BOP Inmate Locator at bop.gov covers federal inmates. Buffalo sees a fair number of federal cases due to its proximity to the Canadian border.

VINE Alerts for Buffalo Released Inmates

VINE is a free notification service. Go to vinelink.com and register with the person's name or ID number. You choose how to get notified: call, text, or email. When the person's status changes, the alert goes out right away.

This works alongside the daily PDF roster. The roster tells you who is in custody today. VINE tells you the moment something changes, whether you check the roster or not. It covers Erie County and state facilities.

Sex offenders in the Buffalo area can be found through the New York Sex Offender Registry at criminaljustice.ny.gov/nsor. Under New York Correction Law Article 6-C, Level 2 and Level 3 offenders have public listings. Search by name, zip code, or county.

FOIL Requests for Released Inmates Records

Under Public Officers Law Article 6, New York's Freedom of Information Law lets you request records from government agencies. For Erie County jail records, send your written FOIL request to the Erie County Sheriff's Office.

Include the person's full name, date of birth, and what documents you want. Be specific about the time frame. The agency has five business days to acknowledge your request. Response time for the actual records depends on complexity. Medical records and certain investigative files may be withheld.

Court records come from the Erie County Clerk. Criminal cases that have reached a final disposition are public. Sealed cases under Criminal Procedure Law Section 160.50 cannot be released. The clerk can tell you whether a case is sealed or available.

For older state prison records, the New York State Archives at archives.nysed.gov holds historical materials including admission books, parole files, and discharge records from decades past.

Nearby Cities

Other towns near Buffalo also fall under Erie County or neighboring counties. While most are smaller than Buffalo, some have their own police departments that feed into the same county jail system.

Amherst, Cheektowaga, Tonawanda, and Hamburg are nearby but do not have their own released inmate pages on this site. All of them use the Erie County facilities described above.