Booking

SIGNIFICANCE: Booking records a suspect’s official entry (or reentry) into the criminal justice system and moves the suspect from the jurisdiction of the police department to that of the courts.

Booking is one of many criminal procedures that suspects undergo following arrest. Police make an official record of arrest when a suspect is booked. This usually occurs at a police station or central booking facility and is managed by the arresting officer or booking personnel. Booking methods are guided by departmental Standard Operating Procedures and vary among law-enforcement agencies.

During booking, all suspects are searched, fingerprinted, and photographed. Evidence is documented, and reports are begun. Positive identification is made by cross-checking the suspects’ Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and dates of birth, and their photographs may also be checked against those stored in various databases. Other law-enforcement agencies are then contacted to determine whether the suspects have outstanding warrants, often using the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), a computerized database of criminal justice information. Arrest reports list this information as well as the dates, times, locations, and circumstances of arrests. Separate uniform incident reports contain narratives describing the arrests and information pertinent to the crimes committed and offenses charged.

The entire booking process generally takes between one and two hours. If a maximum of forty-eight hours has elapsed, a person must either be charged with a crime or released. If charged, the defendant will be given a complaint summons. This document states the charges and the time and place to appear in court. Those arrested and booked for serious offenses or those eligible for bail but lacking financial resources must remain at a jail or holding facility until their initial appearance. People arrested for minor offenses are generally released on their own recognizance when booking is complete. The procedural treatment of defendants throughout the booking process is subject to judicial review. A suspect is booked pursuant to the commission of a crime, investigation, and arrest. Following booking, defendants move to the jurisdiction of the courts for their initial appearance before a magistrate.

Bibliography

Bannon, Mark E. A Quick Reference Guide to Contemporary Criminal Procedure for Law Enforcement Officers : One Hundred Notable United States Supreme Court Decisions and Their Effect on Modern Policing in America. Springfield: Thomas, 2003. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 24 May 2016.

Cole, Simon A. Suspect Identities: A History of Fingerprinting and Criminal Identification. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 2001.

Feld, Bary C. Cases and Materials on Juvenile Justice Administration. St. Paul: West Publishing, 2000.

Loewy, Arnold H., and Arthur B. LaFrance. Criminal Procedure: Arrest and Investigation. Cincinnati: Anderson Publishing, 1996.

Simeone, Julie A.1. “Not So Legitimate: Why Courts Should Reject an Administrative Approach to the Routine Booking Exception.” New York University Law Review 89.4 (2014): 1454–1487. Legal Source. Web. 24 May 2016.

Wertheim, Kasey E., and Kelly Badgett. “FBI—The FBI’s National Data Exchange (N-Dex).” FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin (2015): 24. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 24 May 2016.

Williams, Sarah. "Police Booking Procedures." FindLaw, 15 Aug. 2023, www.findlaw.com/criminal/criminal-procedure/booking.html. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.