Inmate Lookup: Nantucket County, Massachusetts

Start your search at the Nantucket Police Department page, which serves as the county’s primary custody contact point. Nantucket is a single-island county where the Nantucket Police Department and the Old Gaol handle local detention. For state-sentenced inmates, the Massachusetts Department of Correction maintains a separate statewide lookup. Newly booked individuals typically appear in custody records within a matter of hours after processing is complete.

Looking for someone booked tonight? See Nantucket section 3 — If someone was booked tonight for phone-first contact info.

Searching the Nantucket County jail roster

Nantucket is Massachusetts’s smallest county by population, and its detention function runs through the Nantucket Police Department rather than a large standalone county jail. The Nantucket County Sheriff’s Office oversees the Old Gaol facility. Because the island has no dedicated online inmate-search portal confirmed in official sources, the phone line is the most reliable path for a custody check.

1. Call the Old Gaol directly at (508) 228-7200 and ask whether the person is currently in custody.
2. Have the full legal name and date of birth ready. Booking records are filed under the name used at arrest.
3. If the Old Gaol line does not resolve the question, call the Nantucket Police Department at (508) 228-1212. Nantucket’s compact geography means the two agencies coordinate closely on custody status.
4. For state-sentenced inmates transferred out of county, use the Massachusetts Department of Correction’s statewide resident lookup at the state prison inmate locator.

Nantucket’s island setting means all bookings flow through a single local facility. There is no neighboring county jail a few miles away — the Old Gaol on Nantucket is the county’s only detention point for locally held individuals.

What the roster does (and doesn’t) show

Juvenile records are not included in any public custody inquiry. Massachusetts law tightly restricts access to juvenile detention information, and staff will not confirm whether a minor is held. Sealed records and cases resolved without conviction are similarly excluded from what any public-facing roster or phone inquiry will reveal, consistent with the state’s CORI law (M.G.L. c. 6, §§167–178B). Federal detainees held under a U.S. Marshals agreement, if any, would not appear in local Nantucket custody records at all.

The Old Gaol phone line covers current local custody only. It will not show prior bookings, charges that were dismissed, or individuals who have already been released. Court case information — including arraignment dates and docket entries — is a separate system; use MassCourts for that layer. The roster also reflects only the Nantucket facility: anyone transferred to a state DOC facility after sentencing will not appear locally.

If you’re reading this because someone was just booked tonight, the section below is for you.

If someone was just booked tonight

Call the (508) 228-7200 — that’s the Old Gaol — to confirm whether your person is in custody. That’s the fastest path right now. The line is staffed around the clock for custody questions, so calling at midnight is the same as calling at noon. Have the full legal name and date of birth ready before you dial.

One thing worth knowing: the person who was booked has the right to one phone call and may not have made it yet. That’s hard but normal. It doesn’t mean anything went wrong — processing takes time, and the call often comes later than families expect. If you haven’t heard from them, that alone doesn’t tell you much.

Bond is set at first appearance in court, not at booking. That hearing typically happens within the first day or two after arrest — calling tonight confirms custody status, not the bond amount. You won’t be able to get a bond figure until after that hearing. That part is the waiting part. The Nantucket District Court handles first appearances for the island; the Clerk’s office can confirm scheduling once the case is docketed.

Visitation at the Old Gaol is not available on the night of booking. It’s a long night, and that’s just how it works. Call the facility in the morning to ask about visiting hours and any scheduling requirements. If you need legal help, the Massachusetts Committee for Public Counsel Services can connect you with a public defender — see Committee for Public Counsel Services. For private attorneys, use the Massachusetts lawyer referral resource.

If someone isn’t on the Nantucket County roster

A missing name on a Nantucket custody check most often means the booking process hasn’t fully completed yet. Nantucket’s small facility processes one booking at a time, and the record may not be accessible by phone until paperwork clears. Call back after a short interval before drawing conclusions.

• State DOC transfer: If the person was sentenced or held on a state matter, check the state corrections inmate search — the Massachusetts Department of Correction maintains its own resident lookup for state-facility inmates.
• Released: The person may have been processed and released on personal recognizance or after posting bail before you called.
• Federal custody: Federal charges route to U.S. Marshals custody, which does not appear in local Nantucket records. Check the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator for federal cases.
• Neighboring county: Nantucket has no land border, but if an arrest occurred off-island or involved a transfer, Barnstable County (the nearest mainland county) may hold the person. Call Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office to check.
• VINELink notification: Register at VINELink to receive automatic alerts when custody status changes — useful if you want to stop calling and wait for a notification instead.
• Multi-state search: If there’s any chance the person was arrested in another state, the affiliate tool in the next section can search across jurisdictions that local phone lines cannot reach.

If you can’t find them in Nantucket County

The Nantucket phone-based custody check covers only the local Old Gaol facility. A nationwide records search tool can scan jail and prison rosters across multiple states simultaneously — useful when you’re not certain which jurisdiction holds the person or whether an out-of-state warrant was involved.

Sponsored: Nationwide Records Search (we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you).

Quick-reference: Nantucket County custody resources

Sources

Sources used for this page, verified 2026-06-27:

• Nantucket Police Department — official town portal
• Nantucket County Sheriff’s Office
• Massachusetts Sheriffs’ Association — Nantucket County Sheriff’s Office profile
• the DOC inmate lookup
• Massachusetts Courts docket search
• VINELink — custody notification service
• the state public defender locator
• Nantucket, MA — Public Records / FOIA Requests

Errors or outdated information? Report a correction. We review flagged pages within 48 hours.

Frequently asked questions