BOP Scope for Modoc
The Federal Bureau of Prisons locator is a federal custody tool. BOP's own records description says it covers federal inmates and people released from federal custody after 1982. It does not provide information on people held only under state law, city cases, or ordinary county jail bookings. For Modoc County, that means the BOP route is narrow: use it only when the case is federal, the person has a BOP register number, or the local record shows a transfer to federal custody that later became a BOP sentence.
A person can leave Modoc County Jail because of a federal warrant, U.S. Marshals transfer, or later federal sentence. That local release is not the same thing as a return to the community. It may be a transfer to another custody system. The Modoc jail record and the court record should identify the transfer or hold. BOP then answers the federal custody and federal release-date part, not the local booking details.
BOP is federal only. For a Modoc County jail release, use the Sheriff's Office, court, VINE, or CDCR if state prison applies.
Search Federal Release Records
Use the BOP search when the facts point to federal custody. A register number is the best search key. Name searches can work, but they need careful identity matching because the locator is national. BOP result fields can include name, register number, age, race, sex, release date, and location. A future release date is projected. A past release date with no facility location means the federal release occurred on that date and the person is no longer in BOP custody.
- Open the BOP Inmate Locator.
- Search by register number when available, or by name if no number is known.
- Compare age and other identity fields before relying on the result.
- Read the release date and location fields.
- If the result shows a past date and no facility, treat BOP custody as ended on that date.
- Return to court, probation, parole, or another agency if later supervision or custody is possible.
The BOP locator source was captured in the manifest for Modoc release research.
The locator image supports the federal route. It should not be read as a county jail release source for Alturas bookings.
What RELEASED Means
BOP uses a clear but limited meaning for "RELEASED." The person is no longer in BOP custody. That does not always answer every later question. BOP notes that a person may still be on parole, supervised release, or in another correctional or criminal-justice system. Federal supervised release is not county probation. It is a federal court status that may continue after a prison term ends.
| BOP result | Meaning | Next source |
|---|---|---|
| Future release date | Projected federal release date, subject to change. | BOP and federal court records |
| Past release date | BOP says federal custody ended on that date. | Federal court or supervision records if needed |
| RELEASED with no facility | No current BOP facility location because BOP custody has ended. | Federal court, supervision, state, or local sources as facts require |
| No result | May not be a federal inmate, may have a name issue, or may be outside locator scope. | Modoc jail, court, CDCR, ICE, or records request |
BOP vs Modoc Jail
The local jail and BOP answer different questions. Modoc County Jail can answer whether a local booking ended, when release occurred if releasable, and whether the release was to the community or another agency. BOP answers whether a person is or was in federal prison custody and whether a federal release date is shown. A person may have both records if a local case had a federal transfer or a federal detainer, but one record does not replace the other.
When the Modoc jail record says transfer to federal authority, check the court record and BOP. If the person never entered BOP custody, the federal bridge may have involved U.S. Marshals custody, federal court, or another facility before sentencing. The U.S. Marshals Service is responsible for federal prisoner custody and transport from federal arrest until acquittal or incarceration, but it does not provide a broad public released-inmate locator like BOP.
Federal Records Route
For federal release questions, collect the register number, full name, date of birth, federal case number if known, approximate release date, and any Modoc court or jail transfer detail. The BOP locator gives the public release-date lead. Federal court records, BOP FOIA or records channels, and supervision records may be needed for documents that the locator does not display.
BOP Inmate Locator for federal inmates and releases after 1982
Search by register number or name
Use federal court records for sentence and supervised-release terms
Use Modoc jail/court records for the local transfer record
The BOP records explanation is the source for the federal-only scope and the released-after-1982 coverage. The manifest includes a source image from that BOP records page.
Use that records explanation to keep the federal route in bounds. A BOP search does not settle a Modoc County jail-only release.
When BOP Is Wrong Route
If BOP does not locate the person, return to the custody type. A person released from Modoc County Jail may need the sheriff release record, California VINE, or the Modoc Superior Court case. A state-prison sentence needs CDCR CIRIS and CDCR support. An immigration custody event needs ICE ODLS. A registry question needs California Megan's Law only for qualifying registrants. The Modoc County released inmates route separates these systems before a federal search is treated as conclusive.