Editorial Policy & Public Records Integrity
InmateRoster.net operates as an independent civic information platform committed to the accurate, ethical, and transparent dissemination of publicly available law enforcement and corrections data in the United States.
1. Sources
Roster records are copied from public rosters, nearly all published by the county sheriff itself or through its jail software vendor. Where an official roster is not yet connected, a few counties use another public roster website; the data sources page lists the source of every county. Facility, court and prison details come from:
- County Sheriff Offices and County Detention Departments
- Municipal Police Department Holding Facilities
- State Departments of Corrections (DOC) Inmate Databases
- County Clerks of Court and Official Judicial Dockets
We do not accept anonymous tips, user submissions or social media claims as data, and we never fill in a value (charge, bond, age, booking number or date) that the source did not publish.
2. Presumption of Innocence and Legal Neutrality
Under the Constitution of the United States, every individual accused of a crime is legally presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
A booking entry or statutory charge indexed on our directory indicates only that an administrative intake occurred and formal allegations were lodged at the time of booking. **InmateRoster.net does NOT publish booking photographs (mugshots) in order to protect personal privacy, prevent reputational harm, and uphold the constitutional presumption of innocence.** An arrest record does not establish guilt, an admission of culpability, or a judicial conviction. We maintain strict editorial neutrality, presenting factual public data without sensationalism or editorial bias.
3. Automated Synchronization and Timestamp Transparency
Detention populations are inherently dynamic. Individuals are booked, post bond, are transferred, or are acquitted on a continuous basis. To ensure transparency:
- Every county jail page shows the date its roster was last refreshed. Rosters are refreshed about once a day and are not real-time.
- If a source is unavailable, the previous copy is kept and the page is labeled out of date after 7 days; we never replace it with generated entries.
4. Expungement, Sealed Records, and Correction Protocol
We respect judicial orders granting expungement, record sealing, and dismissal. Our editorial desk operates a dedicated, free Record Removal & Correction Portal.
Unlike commercial mugshot extortion websites, InmateRoster.net does not publish booking photos and **never charges a fee** to review, correct, or suppress qualifying records. In full adherence to state commercial booking photo and arrest record removal statutes, requests accompanied by court documentation, dismissal dockets, or verifiable case docket numbers are acknowledged within 24–48 business hours and processed at 100% zero fee by the site editor. Certified copies are not required for non-convictions.
5. Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) Compliance
InmateRoster.net is an independent informational publisher and is not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA, 15 U.S.C. § 1681). Users are strictly prohibited from utilizing data found on this website to make decisions concerning employment, tenant screening, insurance, credit eligibility, or any other commercial purpose governed by the FCRA.