Home / Guides / The Record Is Wrong or the Person Was Released
The Record Is Wrong or the Person Was Released
What to do when a roster entry is inaccurate, outdated, or should no longer be public.
Custody data is a snapshot, and snapshots go stale. Here is how to deal with an entry that is wrong.
First, identify which record is wrong
There are two separate records: the official county record, and any copy of it published elsewhere. Correcting a copy does not change the original. Fixing the original is what matters for background checks, employment and court purposes, and only the county agency or the court can do that.
If the person has been released
Release is often recorded in the jail system hours after it physically happens, and downstream copies update later still. If a release is not reflected within a day or two, contact the detention center records unit and ask them to confirm the current status in their own system.
If the details are wrong
Wrong name spelling, wrong charge, a record attached to the wrong person: these are corrected by the agency that created the entry, normally the sheriff records unit. Ask specifically for the records or booking division rather than the general line, and be ready to state the booking number.
If the case ended in your favour
Dismissals, acquittals and cases that were never filed still leave an arrest record behind. Depending on the state, expungement, sealing or a similar process can remove or restrict that record. It is a court process with deadlines and eligibility rules, and it is worth asking a licensed attorney in that state whether you qualify.
Asking a published copy to be corrected
Three things are worth knowing before you start:
The source is what matters. Every published copy, including this one, is derived from the county record. Correcting one copy does nothing to the others, and the county record is what background checks reach for.
No legitimate site charges for this. Paying for removal is the business model of mugshot extortion sites, and paying them tends to produce more listings rather than fewer. This directory never charges, and never will.
Nothing here needs your identification document. A page address, the name shown, and a description of the problem is enough. Do not send copies of identification documents to any site that asks for them to process a removal.
Reputable sites correct or remove records on request and never charge for it. If a site demands payment to take down a record, that practice is illegal in a number of states. Report it rather than paying.
For records shown on this site, use the corrections and removal page. Include the page address, the exact name shown, and what is wrong. There is never a fee.
Common questions
How do I get my name removed from a jail roster website?
Correcting the official county record is the step that matters, because published copies are derived from it. On this site, corrections and removals are handled free of charge through the corrections and removal page, and there is never a fee. Any site that asks for payment to remove a record is operating a different kind of business.
Someone was released but still shows in custody. What do I do?
Release is often recorded hours after it physically happens, and copies update later still. If it is not reflected within a day or two, contact the detention centre records unit and ask them to confirm current status in their own system. Once the source is corrected, published copies follow.
The charge was dismissed but it still appears. Can that be fixed?
A dismissal does not automatically erase the arrest record, and rosters are almost never updated when charges change. Depending on the state, expungement or sealing can restrict or remove the underlying record; that is a court process with eligibility rules and deadlines.
Is the record on this site wrong, or is the county record wrong?
Check the county source first, which is linked on every county page. If the county still shows the old information, the correction has to start there. If the county has corrected it and this site has not caught up, tell us and we will fix it.
This guide describes how these processes generally work in the United States. Procedures, deadlines and eligibility rules vary by state and county, and nothing here is legal advice. For a specific case, speak to an attorney licensed in the relevant state.
Related guides
How to Find Someone in County JailThe order to search in, what to have ready, and what an empty result actually means.How Bail and Bond Actually WorkWho sets the amount, what the ten percent really means, and when you get money back.How to Send Money to Someone in JailWhat the commissary account is for, what it costs, and how to avoid the usual scams.How to Read a Jail RosterWhat each field means, and why the charges shown are not the final story.What Happens in the First 72 Hours After an ArrestBooking, first appearance, charging decisions — the sequence that decides whether someone goes home.How Jail Visitation WorksApproval, scheduling, video visits and the rules that get visits cancelled. Find the county roster
Most of what is described above depends on the individual county. County Inmate Search publishes 510 county jail rosters across 41 states, each with the facility's address and phone number, so you can go straight to the county that matters:
Every published county A–Z · Browse by state · National data report