BOP Release Records
The BOP inmate locator covers federal inmates from 1982 to the present. Research section 8 states that BOP release dates may change because of sentence reviews and federal time-credit changes. The locator is narrow but useful: if a listed release date is in the past and no facility location appears, BOP says the release occurred on that date and the person is no longer in BOP custody.
For Alpine County, BOP matters when a local or regional event moved into federal custody, when a federal case exists, or when a county jail release entry says released to USMS or another federal agency. It does not replace El Dorado, Calaveras, Alpine Sheriff, or Alpine Superior Court records for local releases.
The BOP about-records page explains the released-date rule. The screenshot below supports the federal-specific release path.
Read a BOP past release date as a federal custody event, not as proof that all state or county supervision ended.
Search Federal Release Dates
The BOP locator can be searched by name or by identifying number. Number searches are stronger because federal records may use BOP register number, DCDC number, FBI number, or INS number. Name searches need care with spelling, middle names, suffixes, and date-of-birth filters. If the person was only in county custody, the locator may not show anything.
- Confirm there is a federal custody reason, such as a federal sentence, USMS pickup, or BOP transfer.
- Search by BOP register number or other federal number if available.
- If searching by name, use exact legal name and date-of-birth filters.
- Read facility location and release date together.
- If the release date is past and no facility is shown, confirm any remaining supervision or local case status through the proper court or agency.
County Release to Federal Custody
A county jail release entry can say released to USMS, federal hold, or transfer to federal custody. That is a release from the county jail, but it is not a release to the community. If an Alpine arrestee was held in El Dorado or Calaveras and then moved to federal custody, request the county jail release entry for the transfer language and use federal court or BOP records for the next custody stage.
| Record | What it answers |
|---|---|
| County jail release entry | When local custody ended and whether transfer was to a federal agency |
| BOP locator | Federal sentenced custody and release date |
| Federal court docket | Federal case status, sentence, or supervised release terms |
| Alpine court file | Local charges or dispositions separate from the federal matter |
Federal Lookup Limits
USMS does not provide a general public locator like BOP for every pretrial detainee in marshal custody. Before BOP designation, the person may be in a contract facility, federal court process, or another holding arrangement. Once sentenced to BOP, the BOP locator becomes the main public federal release-date tool. If immigration custody is involved instead, use ICE ODLS rather than BOP.
Note: A federal release date does not prove that a person has no parole, supervised release, state case, or local obligation.
Federal Record Stack
A federal release check often requires more than one record. The county jail release entry answers when local custody ended and whether the person went to a federal agency. The federal court docket answers the federal charge, sentence, or supervised-release status. BOP answers sentenced federal custody after the person is in BOP records. If the person is pretrial in federal custody, BOP may not yet be the right source, and a holding facility or federal court record may be more useful.
For Alpine County, keep the local and federal events separate. An Alpine arrest can lead to a local court case, a contract jail booking, and then a federal pickup only in specific circumstances. The public should not search BOP for every released Alpine arrestee. BOP is for federal custody from 1982 to present. El Dorado, Calaveras, Alpine Sheriff, and Alpine Superior Court remain the right sources for local custody and case disposition.
The BOP "past release date with no facility" rule is useful but narrow. It means the person is no longer in BOP custody as of the listed date. It does not resolve county holds, state cases, immigration custody, or federal supervised release. If another system is named in the release record, follow that system next.
BOP Release Checklist
For a BOP search, gather the person's full legal name, date of birth, BOP register number if known, and any federal court case details. If a county jail record says released to USMS or another federal agency, keep that county release entry because it proves the local custody endpoint. Search BOP by number first, then by name if no number is known. If the locator shows a past release date and no facility, read that as a BOP release, then check whether federal supervised release, state custody, ICE custody, or an Alpine case still needs separate confirmation.
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