How to Find Someone at USP Canaan Using the BOP Inmate Locator

The BOP Inmate Locator is designed to help you locate federal inmates who have been incarcerated from 1982 to the present. Because USP Canaan is a federal facility, people housed there fall within the system the locator is meant to cover. If you’re not seeing someone you expect to find, it doesn’t automatically mean they were never in federal custody - there are a few common reasons a record may not show the way you expect, including how the person is listed and what custody system they’re currently in.

If you have the person’s BOP Register Number, enter it exactly in the required format: #####-###. That dash matters. Using the correct format is the fastest way to pull up the right record and confirm whether they’re listed at USP Canaan.

Seeing “Released” or “Not in BOP Custody” can feel like a dead end, but it usually just means the person is no longer in BOP custody. If there’s no facility location listed with that status, they wouldn’t be at USP Canaan at that time. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re “free” in the everyday sense. The BOP notes that someone with that status may still be in the custody of another correctional or law enforcement agency, or they may be on parole or supervised release. If you’re trying to figure out where they went next, that’s your cue to look outside the BOP system.

If the locator shows a projected release date, treat it as a snapshot - not a guarantee. The BOP warns that, because of the First Step Act, sentences are being reviewed and recalculated to address pending Federal Time Credit changes. That means the release date you see online may not be up to date. If you’re tracking someone at USP Canaan and the release date matters for planning travel, housing, or family logistics, check the locator periodically. It’s normal for the date to move as calculations are updated.