Free tool · For families
US Marshals Office Lookup
If your loved one has a federal case and is being held in a county or private jail, the US Marshals are responsible for them, not the jail. When the jail won't act, the Marshals can. Pick the state and county where the jail is, and you'll get the Marshals office responsible and its phone number.
Don't know the county? Search the jail's name online; its address shows the county. If the case is in federal court in another county, use that county instead: the Marshals office is the one for the federal court handling the case.
When you call
- Ask for prisoner operations. Ask for the deputy US marshal in charge of prisoner operations, or anyone in that section.
- Have this ready: their full name, date of birth, and US Marshals number if you have it (it's the same number the Bureau of Prisons uses later).
- Say what's happening and what's been done. Plainly, in order.
What to say"I'm calling about [name], date of birth [date], a federal pretrial detainee in your custody at [jail name]. [Name] told me [describe it in their words: "bleeding and can't stop," "chest pain for two days"]. [Name] has been to sick call [number] times and I called the jail on [date], and still hasn't been seen by medical. I'm asking you to make sure he gets care. Can I have your name, and when should I call back?"
Write down the date, the time, who you spoke with, and what they said. A serious report about a serious problem usually gets dealt with. If the Marshals find a real problem at the jail, they can move your loved one to another facility.
If it's an emergency right now, call the jail first and ask for the officer in charge, then call the Marshals. For the request your loved one writes inside, use the Sick Call Request Builder.
If nothing changes: the Inspector General
Complaints about the US Marshals go to the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, which oversees the Marshals and the Bureau of Prisons. The complaint is filed online: oig.justice.gov/hotline. The form says "Department of Justice" at the top; that's the right place.
State case, not federal?
The Marshals only handle people held on a federal case. For someone in a county jail on a state case, call the sheriff's office that runs the jail. In a few places the jail is run by a county corrections department instead; call whoever runs it.
Office list from usmarshals.gov, checked October 31, 2026. Not legal advice. Surviving the Feds is not affiliated with the US Marshals Service.