Why Union County's Inmate Look‑Up Might Not Show Your Loved One's Current Location or Status
If Union County's inmate look‑up doesn't match what you're hearing from your loved one, you're not alone. The Sheriff's Office posts a clear disclaimer about what the site can—and can't—tell you in real time.
Union County's inmate look‑up exists to balance public safety with community access to offender information. The Sheriff's Office describes it as data shared in line with New Jersey's Open Public Records Act (OPRA) - useful for transparency, but not built to work like a real-time tracking tool.
The Union County Sheriff's Office Division of Corrections updates the look‑up daily to keep it as complete and accurate as possible. But the site itself acknowledges that information can change quickly. A recent move, temporary placement, or status change may not appear right when you check.
Heads up: Union County warns that the information on its inmate look‑up may not reflect an offender’s true current location, status, date, or other information.
One common reason a profile looks
Another thing that trips families up: Union County inmates may be housed at other county jails. The county's visiting procedures note that inmates are sometimes located at Essex County Jail or Hudson County Jail, with phone numbers for both - Hudson County Jail (201-395-5600) and Essex County Jail (973-274-3001). If your loved one was transferred, the online look‑up may lag behind what the housing jail can confirm by phone.
Searching because you think someone was released? There's a specific limitation here. Union County says records of offenders who have been paroled or released are not updated after they leave custody. A listing showing someone was paroled won't tell you what happened next - don't assume the online record reflects their current supervision status.
- Put your question or correction in writing - Union County says questions/comments about offender information posted on the site must be addressed in writing to: Union County Sheriff’s Office Division of Corrections, ATTN: Classification Unit, 15 Elizabethtown Plaza, Elizabeth, NJ 07207.
- ✓ Check the look‑up again later if the change may be recent, since the Division of Corrections says it updates the information daily.
- ✓ Call the jail where Union County says inmates may be located to confirm housing and status: Hudson County Jail (201-395-5600) or Essex County Jail (973-274-3001).
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