How to Do a Suffolk County Inmate Search
The fastest way to confirm county custody is by phone. The Sheriff's Central Records unit answers custody and bail questions around the clock. You should have the person's full name and date of birth ready, since common names are hard to match without it. For people held in state prison or federal jail, you use a different locator.
Follow these steps for a Suffolk County inmate lookup.
- Call Central Records at (631) 852-2241, open 24 hours a day, with the person's name and date of birth.
- Ask which facility holds the person, Riverhead or Yaphank, and whether bail is set.
- For visiting, register first, then call the reservation line to book a slot.
- For a written incarceration record, file a Sheriff FOIL request.
- For state or federal custody, use the state DOCCS locator or the federal BOP locator instead.
Each path answers a different question. Central Records confirms custody now, while a FOIL request creates a written record.
Is There an Online Suffolk County Jail Roster?
No public online inmate roster or jail lookup was found on the Suffolk County Sheriff pages. That is not unusual for a county jail. Custody changes fast as people are booked, bailed, transferred, or released, and the Sheriff handles those questions through Central Records rather than a live web list.
So treat any third-party site claiming a live Suffolk jail roster with caution. The official, reliable source is the Sheriff's Office. The Sheriff's FOIL page also notes it can generally provide incarceration records only for people held in Suffolk correctional facilities.
This shapes how you search. Rather than hunting for a roster that does not exist, go straight to Central Records for a custody check, or file a FOIL request for a written record. The phone route is fastest for a yes-or-no answer, while the FOIL route creates a document you can keep. Both come from the Sheriff, the one office that actually holds Suffolk jail data.
Riverhead and Yaphank Correctional Facilities
The Suffolk County Sheriff's Office, led by Sheriff Errol D. Toulon, Jr., operates two jails. Both house men and women at minimum, medium, and maximum security, and both have medical, dental, and mental health units. The contact cards below give the address and phone for each.
Riverhead Correctional Facility
100 Center Drive South
Riverhead, NY 11901
(631) 852-2200
Central Records (631) 852-2241
Yaphank Correctional Facility
200 Glover Drive
Yaphank, NY 11980
(631) 852-2200
START Center (631) 852-5391
The Sheriff's facilities page lists both addresses with directions.
Source: Suffolk County Sheriff facilities.
Riverhead sits on the same Center Drive campus as the courts, while Yaphank is a few miles south near the probation offices.
Jail Capacity and Housing
The Corrections Division publishes the capacity of each jail. Riverhead holds up to 840 and uses linear and podular housing, plus the Choose Your Path program. Yaphank holds up to 976 and runs specialized pods, including the Sheriff's Addiction Treatment Program, a Veteran's Pod, a 55+ Pod, and the Choose To Thrive program for women.
| Facility | Capacity | Notable housing and programs |
|---|---|---|
| Riverhead Correctional Facility | 840 | Linear and podular housing; medical and rehabilitation units; Choose Your Path. |
| Yaphank Correctional Facility | 976 | Dormitory and podular housing; SATP; Veteran's Pod; 55+ Pod; Choose To Thrive; START Center. |
| Total official capacity | 1,816 | Sum of both Sheriff-published capacities. |
The Corrections Division page describes this structure.
Source: Suffolk County Sheriff Corrections Division.
For population data over time, see the inmate population page.
Booking and Bail in Suffolk County
After an arrest, a person may be booked into one of the two jails. Bail can then be posted to secure release. Anyone posting bail must know the incarcerated person's date of birth, and on-site posting can take several hours.
Posting locations and hours are set. Riverhead accepts bail around the clock, while Yaphank accepts it seven days a week from 7:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. All bonds, and any bail after 10:30 p.m., go through Riverhead only. Payment types include cash, bank check, cashier check, and credit card. Credit card bail adds a 7% charge, the total cannot exceed $10,000, and the cardholder must appear in person with valid photo ID.
The Sheriff's bail page covers these rules.
Source: Suffolk County Sheriff bail information.
Note: Bank and cashier checks are accepted only during normal banking hours and must be payable to "Sheriff of Suffolk County, N.Y."
Sheriff FOIL Incarceration Requests
For a written incarceration record, file a Freedom of Information Law request with the Sheriff. The office can generally provide incarceration records for people held at Suffolk correctional facilities. The request takes a few clear steps.
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1. Complete | Fill out section 1 of the FOIL form online. |
| 2. Print and sign | Print the form and sign it. |
| 3. Submit | Send it to the Freedom of Information Officer, Suffolk County Sheriff's Office, 100 Center Dr., Riverhead, NY 11901. |
| 4. Scope | Records are limited to Suffolk correctional facilities; other agencies hold police and accident reports. |
The Sheriff FOIL page explains what records are available.
Source: Suffolk County Sheriff FOIL requests.
Requests for police reports, accident reports, or 911 transcripts go to the Suffolk County Police Department, not the Sheriff.
Visiting a Suffolk County Inmate
Family visits run by appointment only. You must register before you can book, and you call a reservation line to set a time. Visits are limited to two adult visitors per incarcerated individual. The schedule below shows the family visiting blocks.
| Day | Visiting Times | Reservation |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday-Friday | 2:30-3:30, 4-5, 6:45-7:45, 8:15-9:15 PM | By appointment; call (631) 852-1893 |
| Saturday | 8:30-9:30, 10-11 AM, 1-2, 2:30-3:30 PM | By appointment; call (631) 852-1893 |
Bring acceptable photo ID. Accepted forms include a valid state driver's license or permit, a DMV non-driver ID card, a U.S. Military ID, or a foreign passport in English with a photo. Attorney visits use non-contact booths and are scheduled through Attorney Visiting at (631) 852-3356.
The Sheriff's visiting page lists hours and ID rules.
Source: Suffolk County Sheriff visiting information.
Guest Registration Form Fields
You register each visitor before booking a visit, and you file a separate form for each incarcerated person you wish to see. The form asks for both the incarcerated individual and the visitor. The table lists the main fields.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incarcerated Individual Name | Text | Yes | First and last name. |
| Date of Birth | Date | Yes | Marked required. |
| PIN # | Text | No | Six-digit number issued by the Sheriff's Office. |
| Visitor Name | Text | Yes | Guest section. |
| Additional Guests | Text | No | Up to two more, each registered first. |
People under 18 must come with a parent or documented legal guardian, or have a signed Parental Acknowledgement Form on file. An original birth certificate or court paper is required for any child.
Sending Mail to a Suffolk County Inmate
Mail goes to the incarcerated person care of the Suffolk County Correctional Facility, 110 Center Drive South, Riverhead, NY 11901. For a common name, add the date of birth on the envelope so staff can match it. The rules are strict about what comes in.
The jail bans colored envelopes, since only white is allowed, and it bars loose stamps, Polaroid photos, pictures larger than 5 by 7, cards larger than 6 by 9, stickers, and hard-cover books with the cover attached. Books, magazines, and current newspapers must ship directly from a publisher or a reputable vendor such as Amazon or Barnes & Noble, so visitors can no longer bring or mail them. The Sheriff promotes a service called LIAM Safe as the most secure way to send letters and photos online, where items are encrypted and printed at the facility, sometimes the same day.
Phone, Commissary, and Money
Phone service runs through Securus, and commissary through Keefe Commissary Service. Money for an account can be brought at booking, mailed by money order, dropped at lobby kiosks in the Riverhead or Yaphank visiting areas, or sent online by credit or debit card. No personal checks are accepted.
A few limits apply. A deposit posts in about 15 minutes or sooner, the cap is $100 per deposit, and a service fee reduces the amount that reaches the account. Any balance left at release is returned on a debit card. For allowed property, clothing must be plain with no pockets or drawstrings, and the Sheriff defines the permitted "Hunter Green" as the color of a New York Jets football jersey.
Programs for Incarcerated Individuals
Custody is not only about housing. Both jails run rehabilitation units, and Yaphank carries most of the specialized programming. The Sheriff's Addiction Treatment Program serves people with substance use needs. A Veteran's Pod groups former service members, and a 55+ Pod houses older incarcerated people. The Choose To Thrive program supports women at Yaphank, while Riverhead runs the Choose Your Path program.
These programs feed directly into reentry. The START Resource Center at Yaphank interviews people during their stay, assesses needs, and builds a discharge plan that can cover identification, housing, treatment, and job help. For what happens at and after release, see the released inmates page.
State and Federal Custody
The county jail is only one system. People sentenced to state prison are held by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, searchable through the DOCCS incarcerated lookup. Federal inmates are tracked by the Bureau of Prisons. The federal BOP locator covers federal inmates from 1982 to the present, searchable by register number or by name with race, age, and sex filters.
So a county jail search, a state prison search, and a federal search are three separate steps. For release verification and notifications, see the released inmates page. For pending charges behind the custody, see the arrest records page, and check warrant records if a court date was missed.