Wilmington Jail Roster
The Wilmington jail roster tracks adult inmates booked by Wilmington Police or by nearby state and county forces. Every Wilmington arrestee is held by the Delaware Department of Correction, most often at the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on East 12th Street. That means one state inmate locator covers the whole Wilmington jail roster. You do not need to call the city to find a person in custody. This page walks through how to search the Wilmington jail roster, who to contact for Wilmington booking records, and which state tools tie it all together.
Wilmington Overview
How the Wilmington Jail Roster Works
Delaware runs a state-wide inmate system, so a Wilmington jail roster is really a slice of the Delaware jail roster. Wilmington Police book an arrestee, then send the inmate to HRYCI for intake. HRYCI sits in the city itself, at 1301 East 12th Street. Once an inmate is in custody, the Delaware DOC posts the name on the public jail roster with the facility, charges, and a release date.
Use the Delaware DOC inmate locator to search the Wilmington jail roster by name or by SBI number.
For live alerts on a Wilmington inmate custody change, sign up at VINELink. The DOC Victim Services Unit at (302) 857-5440 can also help you set up calls and emails tied to a Wilmington jail roster record.
Note: Wilmington does not run its own city jail, so the Wilmington jail roster lives on the state DOC site, not on a city site.
Howard R. Young Correctional Institution
HRYCI is the main Wilmington jail roster facility. The prison is inside Wilmington city limits at 1301 East 12th Street, Wilmington, DE 19802. Call (302) 429-7700 for general info. HRYCI holds about 1,500 male inmates across minimum, medium, and maximum security. Pre-trial Wilmington inmates, sentenced inmates, and intake cases all share this site.
HRYCI visit hours run at 8:30, 9:30, 10:30, 11:30 a.m. and 12:30, 1:30, and 2:30 p.m. You must book a visit one week out. Call the scheduling line at (302) 575-0330 or stop by the scheduling desk from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Up to two adults and two kids can visit at one time. You need the inmate's date of birth or SBI number to book. An adult must always go with any child under 18.
HRYCI has ACA accreditation. The prison offers GED classes, drug treatment, and job training to prep Wilmington inmates for release. Female Wilmington arrestees do not stay at HRYCI. Women from Wilmington post to the Delaware jail roster with a BWCI address in New Castle.
Wilmington Police and Booking Records
Wilmington Police handle arrests inside city limits. The department sits at 300 North Walnut Street, Wilmington, DE 19801. The Records Unit is at (302) 576-3607. Wilmington Police run a Real-Time Crime Center that watches city activity and feeds tips to officers.
The Records Unit is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., minus holidays. Walk-in visits, mail, or email can get you a police report tied to a Wilmington jail roster case. Photo ID is needed. Accident reports cost $20 each. Incident report fees vary by length.
To order by mail, send a written request with a $20 check or money order made out to the Wilmington Police Department, plus a self-addressed stamped envelope, to: Wilmington Police Department, Attention: Records Unit, 300 North Walnut Street, Wilmington, DE 19801. Put the date, the location, and the report number on the note if you have it.
For a deeper look at Wilmington criminal records, the Leonard L. Williams Justice Center at 500 North King Street, Wilmington, DE 19801, holds the court files for Wilmington criminal matters. Call the courthouse at (302) 255-0900 for the Prothonotary's Office. Use Delaware CourtConnect to pull basic Wilmington inmate case data online.
For a full Wilmington inmate history check, the State Bureau of Identification runs fingerprint-based reports. State-only inmate history checks cost $52. State and federal inmate checks together cost $65. See the Delaware State Police site for SBI office hours and booking rules.
Delaware State Police Troop 1
Delaware State Police Troop 1 serves the Wilmington area and patrols nearby state roads. Troop 1 arrests on I-95, Route 13, and other state highways often feed the Wilmington jail roster. The Troop works next to Wilmington Police and New Castle County Police on larger cases.
Troop 1 headquarters is at 2220 N. DuPont Highway, New Castle, DE 19720. Call (302) 328-3400 for non-emergency calls. DSP posts press notes on big Wilmington arrests on the Troop 1 page.
The Wilmington-area SBI office handles fingerprint prints for background checks. Troop 1 arrests get booked through HRYCI, so any Troop 1 case ties back to the Wilmington jail roster in the end.
New Castle County Courts for Wilmington Cases
Wilmington cases move through New Castle County courts. The Superior Court takes felony cases. The Court of Common Pleas takes misdemeanors. The Justice of the Peace Courts handle minor cases. All three sit in the Leonard L. Williams Justice Center in Wilmington.
Use Delaware CourtConnect to pull basic case info on a Wilmington inmate. The system shows case numbers, dates, parties, and events. It is free.
For full Wilmington case papers, go to the Prothonotary's Office in person. Certified copies cost more than plain ones. The New Castle County Superior Court handles expungement petitions that can clear an old Wilmington jail roster record. Once a judge signs, the record drops off public view.
Wilmington FOIA for Jail Roster Data
Wilmington records requests fall under the Delaware FOIA in Title 29, Chapter 100. Under Section 10003, the city must reply in 15 business days. The first 20 pages of plain copies are free. Added pages run $0.10 each.
The Wilmington Police Records Unit notes that some reports are limited to victims or their insurance providers. Victim copies are often free. Third-party requests for full reports may need a court subpoena.
For city records outside the police side, the City Clerk takes FOIA requests at City Hall. The Wilmington City Council meets on the first and third Thursdays of each month at 6:30 p.m. at 800 North French Street, Wilmington, DE 19801. Council records are open to the public under Delaware FOIA.
DELJIS wanted-person lookups work for active Wilmington warrants. That is separate from the jail roster but pairs well with it. If a Wilmington warrant is still active, the person may show up on the jail roster soon.
Note: Pair a Wilmington jail roster lookup with CourtConnect and the DELJIS wanted person check for the fullest view of a case.
Wilmington in New Castle County
Wilmington is the county seat of New Castle County. All Wilmington cases are part of the New Castle County jail roster system. For a wider view of the county tools and the state DOC flow, visit the county page.
Nearby Cities
These New Castle County cities book arrestees into the same HRYCI prison and share the same state jail roster.