Fall River Jail Mugshots
Fall River jail mugshots are held by the Bristol County Sheriff's Office. This city sits in the southeastern part of Massachusetts along the Taunton River with about 94,000 residents. The Fall River Police Department handles local arrests, and inmates are transferred to Bristol County facilities for booking and custody. You can search for Fall River jail mugshots through the county sheriff, the police records division, or the Fall River District Court. Bristol County operates multiple jail sites, including the main facility in North Dartmouth and the Ash Street Jail in nearby New Bedford.
Fall River Overview
Fall River Jail Mugshots and Bristol County
Fall River is part of Bristol County. When police arrest someone in the city, that person is processed at the Fall River Police station first. From there, they transfer to a Bristol County jail facility. The main correctional center is at 400 Faunce Corner Road in North Dartmouth. Bristol County also operates the Ash Street Jail in New Bedford for pre-trial detainees. Where exactly a Fall River inmate ends up depends on the charges and the facility capacity at the time of booking.
The jail takes a mugshot during intake. Staff also collect fingerprints and log all charges into the county system. The Bristol County Sheriff's Office manages all records from these facilities. Call (508) 995-6400 to reach the main office and check on an inmate's status.
| Sheriff's Office | Bristol County Sheriff's Office |
|---|---|
| Address | 400 Faunce Corner Road North Dartmouth, MA 02747 |
| Phone | (508) 995-6400 |
| Website | bcso-ma.us |
The Bristol County Sheriff website is the starting point for inmate searches tied to Fall River arrests.
This page covers contact info, facility details, and how to reach the right department for booking questions.
How to Find Fall River Jail Mugshots
You have a few options for searching Fall River jail mugshots. The quickest is to call the Bristol County Sheriff at (508) 995-6400. Give the full name of the person you want to look up. Staff can confirm custody status, charges on file, and the booking date. A date of birth speeds things up if you have it.
Bristol County does have an online inmate locator. This pulls from the county booking system and shows current inmates. It is free to use. The tool works well for recent bookings. Older records may not show up in the online search. For those, you need to call or send a written request.
The Fall River Police Department at 685 Pleasant Street keeps its own arrest data too. Call (508) 676-8511 to reach the main line. The records division can help with local arrest reports. Under MGL c. 41, § 98F, the police keep a daily arrest log that shows names, addresses, and charges for all people arrested. This log is public and free to view at the station.
- Bristol County Sheriff: (508) 995-6400
- Ash Street Jail (New Bedford): (508) 996-6704
- Fall River Police: (508) 676-8511
- Fall River District Court: (508) 829-5900
Note: VINE does not cover Bristol County, so you cannot use the VINELink system to search for Fall River inmates or receive custody alerts.
Fall River Police Arrest Records
The Fall River Police Department processes every local arrest before the person goes to the county jail. The station at 685 Pleasant Street is where officers file initial reports and record booking data. The City of Fall River website has links to city departments and public services.
You can find department contact info and city service details from this page.
The daily arrest log at the Fall River Police station is open to anyone during business hours. MGL c. 41, § 98F requires the log. It records who was arrested, where they live, and what charges were filed. The log does not include mugshots. Those are at the county level. But the log gives you the arrest details you need to then follow up with Bristol County for the booking photo.
One exception to the public log rule covers domestic violence. MGL c. 41, § 97D says those cases stay off the public record, along with sexual assaults and abuse protection order violations.
Fall River District Court Records
The Fall River District Court is at 45 Rock Street. Call (508) 829-5900 to ask about a case. Court dockets show charges, hearing dates, and outcomes. You can search online through the Massachusetts Trial Court case search at no cost. Enter a name or case number. The system covers all trial courts statewide, including Fall River.
Court records do not show jail mugshots. They do confirm arrest details and case status. If you find a case in the system, you know the booking record exists at Bristol County. For in-person searches at the court, bring a photo ID. Copy fees run $1 to $5 per page. Certified copies cost more but serve as official proof of case outcomes.
Fall River Mugshot Records and the Law
Massachusetts does not treat all jail mugshots the same way. The Supervisor of Public Records ruled in opinion letter SPR10/152 that timing matters. Mugshots taken before criminal proceedings are initiated are public records under MGL c. 66, § 10. Once a criminal complaint is filed, the photo becomes part of the CORI system under MGL c. 6, § 167. That limits who can see it.
To get a mugshot from Bristol County formally, file a written public records request. Send it to the sheriff's office at 400 Faunce Corner Road, North Dartmouth, MA 02747. Spell out what you want. Give the full name and arrest date. The office has 10 business days to respond. Copies cost $0.25 per page. If they say no, they must cite the specific exemption under MGL c. 4, § 7(26). You can appeal the denial.
Older Fall River arrest records may no longer be available if they have been sealed. Under MGL c. 276, §§ 100A and 100C, misdemeanors are sealable after 5 years. Felonies take 10 years. Once sealed, the jail mugshot and all tied booking data become restricted. The CORI law page on mass.gov explains how this system works.
Note: Whether a Fall River jail mugshot is public depends on when it was taken relative to when a criminal complaint was formally filed.
CORI Checks for Fall River Records
CORI stands for Criminal Offender Record Information. The state system tracks arrest and conviction data for all of Massachusetts. You can run a check through the iCORI online portal. It costs $25 per search. Enter the person's full name and date of birth. Results come back in 24 to 48 hours. Standard CORI shows convictions, active cases, and time served.
CORI does not include mugshot photos. It does confirm that an arrest took place and where the person was held. If a check shows a Fall River arrest, the booking record sits with Bristol County. You can then file a records request for the mugshot specifically. For inmates who moved from county custody to a state prison, the DOC inmate search covers all 16 state facilities.
The Bristol County jail page on JailExchange also offers a third-party search tool for county inmates.
This can be useful when the direct county phone lines are closed or you want to double-check data from another source.
Bristol County Jail Mugshots
Fall River is in Bristol County. All jail bookings and mugshots for the city go through Bristol County facilities. The county page has the complete breakdown on search tools, facility info, and public records access.
Nearby Cities
These cities are near Fall River. Some share Bristol County while others use different county jail systems.