Custody Glossary
Understand the custody terms used by federal, state, county, city, regional, and detention agencies.
| Term | Meaning in an inmate-search context |
|---|---|
| Booking | The local intake process that records identity, charges, property, fingerprints, medical screening, and housing information. |
| Pretrial detention | Custody before final disposition of a criminal case; usually local or federal detention rather than a final prison placement. |
| State-prison custody | Custody administered by a state corrections agency after a qualifying sentence, commitment, or transfer. |
| Federal custody | Custody reflected in a federal agency system such as the Bureau of Prisons; a federal case does not always mean immediate BOP placement. |
| Transfer | Movement between agencies or facilities for court, classification, medical care, sentence placement, security, or release preparation. |
| Pending release | An administrative status that may precede actual physical release and can change. |
| Supervision | Probation, parole, post-release, or another community status that may appear in some state systems but not in jail rosters. |
| Detainer | A request or notice from another authority that can affect transfer or release; public display varies by agency. |
Understand the custody terms used by federal, state, county, city, regional, and detention agencies.
| Term | Meaning in an inmate-search context |
|---|---|
| Booking | The local intake process that records identity, charges, property, fingerprints, medical screening, and housing information. |
| Pretrial detention | Custody before final disposition of a criminal case; usually local or federal detention rather than a final prison placement. |
| State-prison custody | Custody administered by a state corrections agency after a qualifying sentence, commitment, or transfer. |
| Federal custody | Custody reflected in a federal agency system such as the Bureau of Prisons; a federal case does not always mean immediate BOP placement. |
| Transfer | Movement between agencies or facilities for court, classification, medical care, sentence placement, security, or release preparation. |
| Pending release | An administrative status that may precede actual physical release and can change. |
| Supervision | Probation, parole, post-release, or another community status that may appear in some state systems but not in jail rosters. |
| Detainer | A request or notice from another authority that can affect transfer or release; public display varies by agency. |
How this page fits the publisher standards
This custody glossary is part of the site’s public trust framework. It should be read together with the sources and methodology, editorial policy, corrections policy, privacy policy, and independent-site disclaimer. These pages explain what the directory publishes, which claims require an official source, how direct-locator status is disclosed, how users can report errors, and why personal inmate profiles are not stored. Policies apply to All County Arrests content; external government and agency-designated websites remain controlled by their own publishers.
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Updated 2026.