Hennepin County Released Inmates

Hennepin County is Minnesota's most populous county, and its jail system is one of the largest in the state. Released inmate records are available through the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office online jail roster, the statewide Minnesota DOC Offender Locator, and VINE. This page explains how to search for released inmates in Hennepin County, where the jails are located, and which tools work best depending on what you need to find.

Hennepin County Jail Roster

The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office runs an online jail roster at jailroster.hennepin.us. This roster lists people who are currently held in custody or who were recently released. It is updated regularly and shows each person's name, booking date, charges, and custody status. If someone you are looking for no longer appears on the roster, they have likely been released or moved to another facility. You can call the main jail number at 612-348-5112 to confirm their location or status.

The jail roster covers both the downtown Minneapolis facility and the Adult Corrections Facility in Plymouth. Hennepin County uses both locations depending on the type of case and the status of the individual. People held pretrial and short-term sentenced inmates may be at either site. The online roster does not always specify which facility a person is at, so calling the jail is the most reliable way to confirm where they are being held.

For people who have been released and no longer appear on the roster, the statewide tools described below are the next step. The Minnesota DOC Offender Locator and VINE cover both current and recently released individuals across all Minnesota facilities.

The MN DOC Public Viewer provides a statewide database of people under Department of Corrections supervision, including many formerly held at Hennepin County facilities.

Use the DOC Public Viewer to search for released inmates from Hennepin County who moved from county jail to state supervision or a state prison facility.

Hennepin County Jail Facilities

Hennepin County operates two main jail facilities. The primary intake and booking location is the downtown Minneapolis jail at 401 S 4th Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55415. This facility handles a large volume of arrests daily given the density of the urban area it serves. Most people booked by Minneapolis Police, Hennepin County Sheriff's deputies, or other law enforcement agencies in the county will be processed here first.

The second facility is the Adult Corrections Facility, or ACF, located in Plymouth. The ACF houses sentenced inmates along with those enrolled in work release or educational release programs. Hennepin County offers these programs for qualified individuals as a step toward reintegration before full release. If you are looking for someone serving a county-level sentence of less than a year, the ACF is often where they will be once past the initial booking phase at the downtown location. The ACF has a larger footprint and handles more of the medium-term county sentences. Both facilities fall under the authority of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office, which oversees all jail operations, inmate programs, and released inmate records for both sites.

Minnesota Public Records Law

Access to Hennepin County released inmate records is governed by state law. Minnesota Statute 13.82 requires law enforcement agencies to make certain data public, including names of people taken into custody, booking charges, and release information. This applies to Hennepin County just as it does to every other county in the state.

Minnesota Statute 13.85 covers corrections and detention data more specifically. Together, these two statutes define what the sheriff must release and what stays private. Public data includes names, booking dates, charges, facility location, and release dates for sentenced individuals. Private data that is not released includes medical records, mental health information, juvenile records, and anything that would put facility security at risk. The jail posts the online roster in compliance with these rules.

If you need records beyond what the roster shows, you can submit a written data request to the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act. Routine requests are handled within a few business days.

Statewide Tools for Finding Released Inmates

Two statewide systems are the most useful for searching Hennepin County released inmates when the local roster does not have what you need.

The Minnesota DOC Offender Locator covers anyone who has been in a state prison or who is currently under DOC supervision, including people on probation or supervised release. Many people who start in Hennepin County Jail are later transferred to a state facility if their sentence is longer than one year. The DOC Locator tracks these individuals through their full sentence and into supervision. You can search by first and last name. Results show current status, facility if still incarcerated, and release type if the person is out.

VINE is the other key tool. You can search at VINELink or call 877-664-8463. VINE covers both county jails and state facilities. You can register for free alerts that notify you by phone, email, or text when a specific person's custody status changes. This is useful for victims, family members, and attorneys who need to track release dates or transfers. Registration is free and open to anyone.

VINELink provides custody status notifications for Hennepin County jail releases and transfers at both the downtown Minneapolis facility and the Plymouth ACF.

Register on VINELink to get automatic alerts when a Hennepin County inmate is released, transferred, or has a change in custody status.

Predatory Offender Registry

Hennepin County has a large number of registered predatory offenders because it is the state's most populous county. The Minnesota Predatory Offender Registry is maintained by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and lists individuals required to register under Minnesota Statute 243.166. Registration applies to people convicted of certain sex crimes and some violent offenses.

When a predatory offender is released from Hennepin County Jail or a state facility, they must register with local law enforcement within a set number of days. Level III offenders are considered the highest risk, and their information is shared with the community through public notification. Minnesota Statute 244.052 governs the risk assessment process and community notification requirements. You can search the registry by name or by location to see who is registered in specific parts of Hennepin County.

The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension also maintains a broader criminal history database with conviction records that go beyond the jail roster system.

Court Records for Hennepin County Cases

Jail roster data tells you where someone is or was held. Court records tell you what charges they faced, what happened in court, and what sentence was given. For Hennepin County cases, use Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO). You can search by name, case number, or date range. MCRO shows case filings, hearing dates, judgments, and sentencing information for both criminal and civil cases in the Fourth Judicial District, which covers Hennepin County.

There is no fee to search the public access portal. Some sealed or expunged records will not appear, but most public criminal cases are accessible. If you find someone on the jail roster and want to know more about their charges or case outcome, MCRO is the logical next step.

Minnesota Court Records Online covers all Hennepin County criminal cases filed in the Fourth Judicial District, letting you search case details for any released inmate by name.

Use MCRO to look up the court history for anyone booked into Hennepin County jail, including case outcomes and sentencing records.

Contacting the Hennepin County Jail

You can reach the Hennepin County Jail directly at 612-348-5112. This number handles general custody inquiries. For visits, the jail has specific rules about scheduling and approved visitors. Walk-in visits are not accepted. You need to be on an approved visitor list and schedule ahead of time through the jail's visitor management system.

Mail sent to an inmate should include their full name and, if known, their booking number. The downtown jail address is 401 S 4th Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55415. Do not send cash through the mail. Money for inmate accounts can be deposited through the jail's approved kiosk or payment service. More details on inmate services, visitation rules, and how to send money or messages are available on the Sheriff's Office website at hennepinsheriff.org/jail. The site is updated when policies change, so check it before making any arrangements.

Cities in Hennepin County

These qualifying cities are located in Hennepin County. Residents from each city may be held at or released from Hennepin County jail facilities.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Hennepin County. Each has its own jail and released inmate records.