New Castle County Inmate Population
New Castle County inmate population records are maintained by the Delaware Department of Correction, which operates all correctional facilities in the state. If you need to find someone currently held in a New Castle County area facility, check custody status, or request records through FOIA, the DOC inmate locator and local agency contacts are the right places to start. New Castle is the northernmost county in Delaware and contains the state's largest city, Wilmington. This page covers the correctional facilities serving New Castle County, how to search for inmates, and where to request official records.
New Castle County Overview
New Castle County Correctional Facilities
New Castle County is served by three main state correctional facilities. Howard R. Young Correctional Institution (HRYCI), formerly known as Gander Hill Prison, is the primary booking and detention facility for people arrested in New Castle County. It is at 1301 East 12th Street, Wilmington, DE 19802, phone (302) 429-7700. HRYCI is a multi-security level facility that primarily houses pre-trial detainees and sentenced offenders from this county. It accommodates approximately 1,500 male inmates across minimum, medium, and maximum security classifications. The facility provides educational services, substance abuse treatment, and vocational training.
Visitation at HRYCI is available all week at scheduled times: 8:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m., and 2:30 p.m. Schedule visits at least one week in advance by calling (302) 575-0330 or visiting the scheduling desk from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. You must provide the inmate's date of birth or SIB number when scheduling. Each visit allows a maximum of two adults and two children. To find out if someone is currently housed at HRYCI, use the DOC inmate locator through VINELink.
Baylor Women's Correctional Institution is at 660 Baylor Boulevard, New Castle, DE 19720, phone (302) 577-3004. It is the state's only all-female prison, housing both pre-trial and sentenced women from all three Delaware counties. Programs include parenting classes, trauma-informed care, substance abuse treatment, and vocational training. The Hazel D. Plant Women's Treatment Facility is at 620 Baylor Boulevard in New Castle and provides specialized treatment programs for female offenders, including substance abuse, mental health services, and reentry programming.
Plummer Community Corrections Center, formerly at 38 Todds Lane in Wilmington, phone (302) 577-3443, was a minimum-security facility that housed inmates nearing the end of their sentences. The DOC announced the facility would close by March 2026 due to declining community corrections populations and high maintenance costs. Inmates from Plummer were transferred to other state facilities.
Search New Castle County Inmate Population Records
The primary tool for searching the New Castle County inmate population is the DOC's VINELink-connected inmate locator at doc.delaware.gov. You can search by name to find current custody status and which facility holds the person. VINELink also lets you register for automatic alerts if custody status changes. Notifications can be sent by phone, email, text, or TTY device. The service runs 24 hours a day at no cost.
Release dates shown in the system may change. The DOC can adjust dates through forfeiture of good time under Title 11 § 4381, which limits earned good time to no more than 180 days per year. Detainers from other jurisdictions can also hold an inmate past the originally calculated release date. Always use the inmate locator for current information rather than relying on older records.
The Delaware State Police website covers Troop 1 in Wilmington and Troop 2 in Newark, both serving New Castle County. The DSP maintains criminal history records and coordinates with the DOC on inmate population data across the county.
New Castle County Sheriff and Police Records
The New Castle County Sheriff's Office is at 87 Reads Way, New Castle, DE 19720, phone (302) 395-8450. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Sheriff's Office does not operate a detention facility. Its role is civil process service, court security for New Castle County courts, prisoner transport, warrant service, and sheriff sales. For inmate custody information, contact the Department of Correction directly or use VINELink.
The New Castle County Police Department headquarters is at 3601 North DuPont Highway, New Castle, DE 19720, main line (302) 395-8171. The Records Unit is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Records available through the department include incident reports and accident reports. Criminal investigation reports may be exempt under the investigatory files exemption. The department has a FOIA coordinator. As noted in Attorney General Opinion 20-IB30 from December 7, 2020, the county does not possess custody or control over executed arrest warrants, which are maintained by Delaware courts.
Victims can obtain incident reports in person at police headquarters with a valid photo ID. Insurance companies can request accident reports with a written request and applicable fee. Contact the Records Unit at (302) 395-8171 before visiting.
The New Castle County Police Department records page covers arrest records, incident report requests, and the FOIA process for law enforcement records tied to the county's inmate population.
New Castle County Court Records
The New Castle County Superior Court is at the Leonard L. Williams Justice Center, 500 N. King Street, Wilmington, DE 19801, phone (302) 255-0800. Public counter hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Superior Court has statewide criminal and civil jurisdiction and handles felony cases originating in New Castle County. Court records, including criminal case files for individuals in the inmate population, can be searched through CourtConnect at courtconnect.courts.delaware.gov or in person at the courthouse.
The Court of Common Pleas handles criminal misdemeanors, traffic violations, and landlord-tenant disputes. It is also accessible at the Williams Justice Center location. The Family Court for New Castle County handles custody, support, and domestic matters. All public court records can be accessed in person at the courthouse or searched online through CourtConnect. Docket entries, case status, and party information are available through the free public search tool.
The Delaware Courts website covers the full court system in New Castle County, including CourtConnect access, courthouse locations, and instructions for requesting criminal records tied to the county's inmate population.
FOIA Requests for New Castle County Inmate Records
FOIA requests for Department of Correction inmate population records go directly to the DOC at DOC_FOIA_Request@delaware.gov or by mail to 245 McKee Road, Dover, DE 19904. The state's FOIA framework under 29 Del. C. § 1000 et seq requires a response within 15 business days. The first 20 standard pages are free. Additional pages cost $0.10 each. Requests for voluminous records or those requiring legal review may take additional time.
For records held by the New Castle County government rather than the DOC, use the county's own FOIA process. The New Castle County Police Department has a designated FOIA coordinator at headquarters, 3601 N. DuPont Highway, (302) 395-8171. The New Castle County Sheriff's Office at (302) 395-8450 handles requests for their records separately.
Medical information, disciplinary records, and certain criminal investigation files may be withheld. Victims are entitled to receive charge information, sentence details, and current housing location under Delaware statute. The DOC Victim Services FAQ explains exactly what information is available to victims who request it.
Note: For most inmate location questions, VINELink at the DOC inmate locator page is faster than a formal FOIA submission.
Victim Notification in New Castle County
Victims in New Castle County can register with VINELink to get automatic notifications when an inmate's custody status changes. The DOC Victim Services Unit also sends written notices 30 days before a scheduled release. Keep contact information current with both the Department of Justice at 800-870-1790 and the DOC Victim Services Unit at (302) 857-5440.
The New Castle County probation and parole office is at (302) 323-6050. The Wilmington probation and parole contact is (302) 577-3443. Home confinement in New Castle County is also coordinated through (302) 323-6050. When an offender is transferred to work release, a separate notification letter goes to the victim. Work release changes are also published in the newspaper every Thursday.
If the offender is a sex offender, they must register with the Delaware Sex Offender Registry upon release. The registry includes offenders sentenced after 1994 and can be searched by name or location. Addresses of registered sex offenders in New Castle County are publicly available through the registry.
Cities in New Castle County
These cities are in New Castle County. Arrests in each city feed into the New Castle County correctional facility system under the DOC.
Nearby Counties
New Castle County borders the other two Delaware counties. If an arrest occurred near a county line, check both county resources to find the right facility.