Search New Jersey 24 Hour Booking Records
New Jersey 24 hour booking records track arrests made across the state's 21 counties. These records show who was booked into a county jail, when the arrest took place, and what charges were filed. You can search booking records, inmate rosters, and custody status through several New Jersey databases. County jails post new booking data within 24 hours of each arrest. This page covers every tool and resource you need to find 24 hour booking records in New Jersey.
New Jersey 24 Hour Booking System
New Jersey uses a three-tier system for holding people after an arrest. The structure matters when you search for 24 hour booking records because each tier keeps its own inmate data and arrest records. State prisons fall under the New Jersey Department of Corrections. County jails are run by each county sheriff. Municipal police handle local arrests and initial booking before transfer to a county facility. Knowing which tier applies helps you find the right booking record and custody status fast.
The New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJDOC) manages state prisons. These hold inmates who receive sentences of more than one year. The NJDOC runs an online inmate search tool called the NJDOC Offender Search. This inmate lookup tool lets you find current and former inmates by name or SBI number. The database is updated on a biweekly basis. You can use a wildcard search with an asterisk to broaden your results. For instance, typing "Sm*" in the last name field returns all inmates whose last name starts with those letters. The NJ DOC Offender Information page provides full details on how to use the search and what data is available. Results include the inmate's name, SBI number, date of birth, admission date, maximum release date, and current facility. This is one of the most useful tools for tracking 24 hour booking records that lead to state prison sentences in New Jersey.
County jails hold two groups of people. Pre-trial detainees await their court dates and their custody status is tracked in the county booking system. Sentenced inmates serve terms of 364 days or less under N.J.S.A. 2C:43-8. Each county jail maintains its own 24 hour booking log with inmate information updated daily. Most counties post recent arrest records on their sheriff's office website. Municipal police make the initial arrest and complete booking at the local station. This creates the first arrest record. If the charges are serious enough, the person is transferred to the county jail within hours. That transfer generates a second booking record in the county inmate search system.
You can view the NJDOC Offender Search tool on the official state website shown here.
The NJDOC inmate search covers all nine state prison facilities in New Jersey, plus halfway houses and satellite units that house inmates with active custody status.
How to Search Arrest Records in New Jersey
The New Jersey Courts system offers online access to criminal case records and arrest records. This is a key resource for finding booking records linked to 24 hour booking data. The NJ Courts Case Search page serves as the starting point. From there, you can reach two main tools that cover different court levels in New Jersey.
PROMIS/Gavel is the case management system used by Superior Courts across all 21 New Jersey counties. It tracks indictable criminal cases and arrest records for felony-level offenses. When someone is arrested and booked on a serious charge, the case enters PROMIS/Gavel after the grand jury returns an indictment. You can search by defendant name, case number, or SBI number. Results show the charges filed, court dates, and case disposition. This arrest record system is the main way to track what happens after a 24 hour booking on an indictable offense in New Jersey. Each booking record links to the court case through the SBI number assigned at the time of arrest.
For lower-level charges, the Municipal Court Case Search (MCCS) covers all 539 municipal courts in New Jersey. It handles disorderly persons offenses, petty disorderly persons offenses, and local ordinance violations. These are the types of charges that most often appear in 24 hour booking logs at the municipal level. You can run an inmate lookup by defendant name, date of birth, or complaint number. The MCCS is free to use and open to the public. It provides custody status, hearing dates, and final outcomes for arrest records processed through municipal courts in New Jersey. Booking records from municipal arrests feed into this system as cases are filed.
The NJ Courts case search portal is shown in the screenshot below.
Both court systems are updated regularly as new arrest records and 24 hour booking data flow through the New Jersey court process.
Note: The PROMIS/Gavel system and MCCS are separate databases, so you may need to search both to find all arrest records for one person in New Jersey.
VINE Custody Status Notification
VINE stands for Victim Information and Notification Everyday. It is a free custody status service that lets you check inmate information for any person held in New Jersey. You can also sign up to get alerts when an inmate's custody status changes. This is useful for tracking someone after a 24 hour booking event at any county jail or state prison in the state. The inmate search function works across all New Jersey facilities.
The VINE system covers all 21 county jails and all state prison facilities in New Jersey. You can perform an inmate lookup by name or offender ID number. Results show the custody status of the person, whether they are still in custody after a 24 hour booking, have been released, or have been transferred to a different facility. VINE operates around the clock, every day of the year. If you register for alerts, you will receive a phone call, email, or text message when the inmate's custody status changes. This includes release from jail, transfer to another facility, or escape. These custody status alerts are tied to the booking records created at intake. VINE is run by Appriss Safety and is used in most states across the country.
You can also reach VINE by calling the toll-free number 1-877-VINE-4-NJ (1-877-846-3465). The phone line is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Operators can help you run an inmate search and register for custody status notifications on any booking record. This is a good option if you do not have internet access or prefer to speak with someone directly about a recent 24 hour booking and arrest record in New Jersey.
The VINE custody status search page is accessible at the link shown here.
Registration for VINE custody status alerts is free and confidential for anyone searching inmate information in New Jersey.
New Jersey OPRA and Public Records Access
The Open Public Records Act gives you the right to access 24 hour booking records, arrest records, and other government documents in New Jersey. OPRA is codified at N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq. It applies to records held by state agencies, county offices, and municipal governments. Booking logs, arrest reports, inmate information, and custody records all fall within the scope of OPRA. Any person can file a request for booking records without giving a reason for wanting the records.
To make an OPRA request for arrest records or 24 hour booking data, you submit a form to the records custodian at the agency that holds the booking records you need. Each agency has a designated custodian. The agency must respond within 7 business days. It can grant access, deny the request with a stated reason, or ask for an extension if the request is large. Copy fees are set by law at $0.05 per letter-size page and $0.07 per legal-size page. Special service charges may apply if the request requires extensive use of staff time or technology resources. You can learn more and find the request form at the official OPRA portal.
In 2024, the New Jersey legislature passed amendments to OPRA that changed several key provisions. One major change bars anonymous complaints against records custodians. Requesters must now identify themselves when filing a complaint about a denied request. The amendments also added new exemptions and adjusted fee structures for commercial requesters. These changes affect how you obtain 24 hour booking records and arrest records through the OPRA process in New Jersey. If your request is denied, you can appeal to the Government Records Council. The GRC reviews disputes between requesters and agencies at no cost to the requester.
The official New Jersey OPRA portal is shown in the image below.
OPRA is one of the strongest public records laws in the country and is a vital tool for accessing arrest records, booking records, and inmate information in New Jersey.
Criminal History Record Requests
The New Jersey State Police maintain the Criminal History Record Information (CHRI) system. This is the official state database of arrest records, booking records, and criminal case outcomes for all of New Jersey. It goes well beyond what a single 24 hour booking log shows. A CHRI report contains every arrest record on file for a person, along with court dispositions, custody status history, and sentencing information. It is the most complete record of a person's booking history in New Jersey.
You can request your own criminal history through the NJSP Personal Record Request portal. The process requires fingerprinting. You must visit an IdentoGO location and use service code 2F1BJG. The cost is $45.73 for the full process. Once your fingerprints are submitted, results are typically available within 24 to 72 hours. The arrest record report is valid for 90 days from the date it is issued. It shows every 24 hour booking and arrest on your record in New Jersey. Employers, licensing agencies, and other authorized entities may also request criminal history checks through separate channels maintained by the New Jersey State Police.
If your criminal history report shows old arrest records or 24 hour booking entries that resulted in dismissed charges, you may be eligible for expungement under N.J.S.A. 2C:52-1 et seq. Expungement removes the arrest record and booking record from public access. Once granted by a court, the arrest and booking data will no longer appear in inmate search results, background checks, or public record searches in New Jersey. The rules for expungement depend on the type of offense and how much time has passed since the case was resolved.
The NJSP personal record request page is shown below.
This is the only way to get a complete, official copy of your own arrest records and booking history in New Jersey.
Note: A personal record request only returns your own records, not those of another person, under New Jersey State Police policy.
Municipal Court 24 Hour Booking Records
Municipal courts handle a large share of arrests and booking records in New Jersey. When police make a 24 hour booking for a lower-level offense, the arrest record goes to the municipal court in the town where the arrest happened. There are 539 municipal courts across the state. Each one processes traffic violations, disorderly persons offenses, and local ordinance violations. These courts do not handle indictable crimes, which go to the Superior Court for inmate search and custody status tracking instead.
The Municipal Court Case Search gives you free public access to arrest records and case records from all 539 courts. You can search by defendant name, date of birth, or complaint number. Results show the charges, court dates, and case outcome tied to each booking record. This inmate lookup tool is helpful if you know someone was arrested and booked but are not sure which municipal court has the case. The search covers every municipal court in New Jersey in a single database. It is one of the fastest ways to trace what happened after a 24 hour booking on a non-indictable charge.
Most municipal court cases in New Jersey are resolved within a few months. Fines, probation, and community service are common outcomes for disorderly persons offenses linked to 24 hour booking entries. The Criminal Judgments database can also be useful for checking the final outcome of arrest records that move beyond the municipal level. Together, these tools give a full picture of what happens after an arrest and 24 hour booking in New Jersey courts.
The Municipal Court Case Search tool is shown in the screenshot below.
Access to this arrest record and booking record database is free and does not require an account or login.
New Jersey State Archives and Historical Records
The New Jersey State Archives holds historical criminal justice records dating back to the 17th century. The archives are located at 225 West State Street in Trenton. Researchers can find old booking records, arrest records, court dockets, prison registers, and other documents that predate modern electronic inmate search systems. These records are useful for genealogy, historical research, and academic study of the criminal justice system in New Jersey.
The archives hold records from the colonial era through the 20th century. Early records include court minutes from the East Jersey and West Jersey colonial courts. Prison admission logs from the 1800s contain booking details that served the same purpose as today's 24 hour booking records. The State Archives reading room is open to the public by appointment. Staff can help you locate specific records in the collection.
The New Jersey State Archives website is shown in the image here.
Historical arrest records and booking records at the archives may require in-person review since many older documents have not been digitized.
Shared County Jail Services in New Jersey
Four counties in New Jersey do not run their own jails. Instead, they share jail services with a neighboring county. This is important to know when you search for 24 hour booking records and inmate information because the arrest data and booking records may be filed under the host county rather than the county where the arrest occurred.
Gloucester County houses its inmates in Salem County. Hunterdon County sends its inmates to Warren County. Sussex County inmates are held at the Morris County jail. Passaic County has shared services agreements with Bergen County and Hudson County for certain inmate populations. If you search for someone who was arrested in one of these counties, check the host county's 24 hour booking records and inmate roster as well. The booking log may list the host facility as the intake location even though the arrest took place in a different county. An inmate search in the wrong county will return no results.
- Gloucester County inmates go to Salem County jail
- Hunterdon County inmates go to Warren County jail
- Sussex County inmates go to Morris County jail
- Passaic County shares services with Bergen and Hudson counties
These arrangements change from time to time as counties negotiate new contracts. Always check both the arresting county and the host county when searching for 24 hour booking records and arrest records in New Jersey.
Browse 24 Hour Booking Records by County
Each of the 21 counties in New Jersey maintains its own booking records. Select a county below to find 24 hour booking data, inmate rosters, and arrest records for that area.
24 Hour Booking in Major New Jersey Cities
Major cities in New Jersey process a high volume of arrests each day. Select a city below to find 24 hour booking records and arrest data for that area.