How Long Does It Take for an Inmate To Be Processed?

November 25, 2024 Arrest Records | Mugshot Removal | Uncategorized

This article answers the question, “How long does it take for an inmate to be processed?” and discusses when you can expect your personal information and mugshots to appear online following the intake process.

For those entering prison, a pressing concern is how long the intake process will take. Having to live in a prison facility with other inmates is dramatic enough, and following the reception process, your sensitive information will be online for anyone to find.

While there’s nothing a person entering prison can do to control the intake process, simply knowing what to expect can help prepare you for what’s to come.

For immediate help, call our content removal experts today at 844-935-1118 for a free consultation.

Basics Steps of the Intake Process When Entering Prison

The following steps are generally part of the arrest process, though they may differ based on the federal prison or other facility you’re entering.

1. Intake staff record your information.

As soon as you enter the federal prison, county jail or holding facility, the booking process begins. An intake officer will start a new record with your full name and date of birth. They also record the charges against you.

This is now all computerized, with most counties still keeping a physical official arrest record on hand.

2. Your booking photograph will be taken.

The booking photograph or mugshot is the second big step in the intake process. Before digital cameras, this process used to take days, but now it takes seconds. The intake staff line you up and take two side and front shots. Officials upload these mugshots into the record.

3. The pat-down or full-body search.

There will always be a cursory pat-down during the booking process. However, the officers can choose how thorough the search is. What officers choose can impact how long it takes for an inmate to show in the system. Note that a strip search may happen even if you face arrest on a minor charge, such as failure to pay a fine. Jail and prison rules will vary based on the facility.

4. The facility takes your personal property.

Depending upon the situation, the reception process may also involve staff taking your clothing. All the items taken from you get returned upon your release, except for those that they determine are contraband or evidence of a crime. Police will likely prevent you from keeping anything of value on your person.

5. Police take your fingerprints.

Fingerprints are a standard and necessary part of every inmate’s processing, whether you’re at county jail or federal prison. However, some counties may take fingerprints before they take booking photographs. In any case, officials scan and upload your fingerprints into both a local and nationwide database.

6. Checking for any outstanding warrants.

Now that your full name, photograph, and fingerprints are in the system, a search begins. The booking officer will look for any outstanding warrants, charges, and fines.

7. Health screening and potential DNA sampling.

Due to COVID-19, jail and federal prison health services are more in-depth than before.

In the past, health officials gave screenings for a basic inmate booking on a case-by-case basis. Today, most facilities have this as a mandatory health services unit step. Officials may also ask for a DNA sample.

The booking record only becomes complete after the above steps are completed. At that point, police save your record and enter your info into the system.

How Long Does It Take for an Inmate To Show in the System?

When incoming inmates will show up in the system depends on the county or federal prison and its policies.

In general, all correctional and intake facilities have a complete list of all inmates uploaded to their system daily. 

Your info may be searchable as soon as two hours after the date you entered the facility.

The facility recording your inmate information for their records is only the first step. Remember, during the intake process, booking personnel checks against other records for additional arrests, warrants, and fines. Searches are conducted by name, photo, fingerprint, and possibly even DNA.

This means other facilities and organizations will likewise receive your arrest records. One important organization to know of is VINELink.

What is VINELink?

VINELink is an organization that works with many local and state agencies. Their goal is to ensure data is accurate and that victims of crimes can have reliable information about their offenders.

Unfortunately, by doing so, they step on the rights of people who may eventually have charges dismissed.

This is because VINELink stores all the offender information it receives from local law and state facilities. They then make some or all of that information available through their website. They also will notify victims if and when inmates walk free.

Police update this organization’s inmate system near-simultaneously with official facilities, as long as the connected facility is online and connected. If you are trying to locate or find an inmate and aren’t having luck with an official source, this is the second-best choice for non-federal inmates. It will typically take between two hours and a day for an inmate to show up in this system.

VINE reports that it will not remove offender information. Instead, it recommends that anyone concerned with their information report to their arresting facility any incorrect data.

The good news is that expert lawyers and removal groups can act as critical third parties. They can even remove certain information in select situations.

But whether a given inmate can apply for information removal will depend upon the specifics of your case.

How Do You Get Removed From an Inmate Search?

Once you leave a county or state correctional facility, you will typically get removed from the inmate search. This occurs between two hours before release time to a full day after your release date.

This, however, isn’t necessarily true for those in federal prison systems. In a federal prison, information on all inmates entered and released after 1982 remains online.

But that isn’t all. Some people who didn’t even serve time in a federal prison facility may still have their information available via the federal system.

Why? Because the federal records may still include information on individuals who were:

• Detained pre-trial
• Held as a material witness
• In lockup for civil contempt

It requires a special court record and proceeding to remove your info from a federal system. As such, we recommend hiring a lawyer. Only an experienced lawyer can speak to the specifics of any one case and make the best recommendations.

How Long Does It Take for Inmate Records to Show Up On Mugshot Websites?

On average, mugshots and all related booking information will show up online within one to three days of an arrest.

Keep this in mind: If you are searching Google for inmate information about yourself or someone you love, don’t click mugshot website results. Also, don’t click any mugshot photos found via a Google Images search.

Every time someone clicks a direct link on Google, its algorithms will take note. The more people visit a website, the more relevant it becomes and the more prominently that information will show up in search results.

The last thing anyone wants is Google thinking inmate information and booking photographs are relevant responses to a Google search of your name.

Instead of clicking links via Google, use alternative search engines. Private search engines like DuckDuckGo and non-U.S. search engines like MetaGer are ideal. However, the best option is to not go to mugshot websites at all. Instead, contact an experienced mugshot removal team to handle content removal for you.

Call us today at 844-935-1118 to speak with an online reputation expert who can give you advice about mugshot removal.

Remove Your Private Information From Online Search Results

The best way to remove inmate records and photographs from public online search results is to act fast. If you or someone you know is arrested and they’re concerned about the impact on their online reputation, being proactive is key.

Our team provides fast, around-the-clock monitoring of inmate records across the internet. We also have connections in every state and understand how to reach all the major national and regional mugshot websites.

As such, we can identify and remove inmate records as they appear in search engine results. In some cases, we can even do so before they are made available. This type of preemptive work can really save a person’s relationships, career and future.

If you or someone you love has already been arrested and gone to jail, don’t fret! Our expert team can still assist.

At RemoveMugshots, we’re able to find every instance of your listing online. We’ll eliminate those mentions of your name wherever possible. We can also repair your image by building a more positive online presence.

Contact our team today by calling (844) 935-1118 to learn more.