inmate.solutions

GA · Find someone in custody

How do I find someone in jail or prison in Georgia?

Take a breath. You can find where your person is being held in Georgia using official sources — here is exactly where to look and what to have ready.

State locator
Georgia DOC 'Find an Offender'
VINELink
Covers Georgia
Last verified
2026-07-23
Jurisdiction
Georgia

Which system is holding them in Georgia?

There is no single search that covers everyone. Match the situation to the right official locator — most families start with the first one.

If the arrest was recent

Start with the county jail

A person just arrested in Georgia is held in a COUNTY JAIL run by the county sheriff, not in the state prison system.

Many Georgia sheriffs publish an online jail/inmate roster for their county, so choose the county of arrest.

VINELink covers Georgia across participating jails and is the best single statewide starting point when the county is unknown.

Georgia has 159 counties, each sheriff running its own jail and roster (some with no online search); there is no unified statewide county-jail search, so use VINELink or the arresting county's sheriff.

Search VINELink (choose Georgia)

If they were sentenced to prison

Use the state prison locator

The Georgia Department of Corrections 'Find an Offender' tool searches people in GDC STATE-PRISON custody (and some under GDC supervision) by name, ID, or case number; the underlying query form is hosted at services.gdc.ga.gov.

It does NOT cover county jails, where recently arrested people are held.

GDC Inmate Records: 404-656-4661.

Open the Georgia inmate locator

If the charge is federal

Search the Federal Bureau of Prisons

A federal charge means the person is in the federal system, not a Georgia state or county facility. Search the Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator by name or register number — it is separate from every state and county tool.

Search the Federal BOP locator

Find your county in Georgia

A recent arrest is handled at the county jail. Open the county where the arrest happened for its facilities, phone numbers, and the exact locators to search — all 159 Georgia jurisdictions are here.

159 counties

Finding your person in Georgia, step by step

Work through these in order. Each step points to an official source — you do the searching there, on the government site.

  1. Step 1

    Figure out where they are likely held

    Recently arrested in Georgia usually means a COUNTY JAIL run by the county sheriff. Someone sentenced to prison is with the state DOC (GDC). Someone arrested on a FEDERAL charge is in federal custody (use the Federal Bureau of Prisons locator).

    Official source

  2. Step 2

    If just arrested, check the arresting county sheriff's jail roster or search VINELink statewide

    Use the sheriff's jail/inmate roster for the county of arrest. If you don't know the county, VINELink searches participating Georgia jails statewide and lets you register for alerts.

    Official source

  3. Step 3

    If sentenced to state prison, search the Georgia DOC 'Find an Offender'

    Use the GDC 'Find an Offender' tool by name, ID, or case number for people in Georgia state prison.

    Official source

  4. Step 4

    If there is no online roster or you are unsure, call the county jail booking or records line

    The county sheriff's jail booking or records desk can confirm whether someone is in custody and their booking status.

    Official source

  5. Step 5

    For a federal arrest, use the Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator

    If the charge is federal, search the BOP inmate locator instead of the state or county tools.

    Official source

What you’ll need to search

You can start with just a name, but these make a match faster and surer.

  • The person's full legal name (plus any aliases or maiden name).
  • Date of birth, which helps confirm the right person when names match.
  • A GDC ID / case number (state prison) or county booking number if you already have one (helpful but not required).

Use official, free sources — and a few things to watch for

  • Use only official sources: the county sheriff's jail roster, VINELink, or the Georgia DOC 'Find an Offender' tool. Confirm a match by full name and date of birth, since name-only matches are common.
  • Be wary of paid data-broker 'inmate search' and mugshot sites. They are not official, often charge fees, and may post stale, incomplete, or expunged records.
  • Custody data can lag. Someone booked into a county jail within the last few hours may not appear online yet; call the jail's booking or records line to confirm.
  • This tool only links to official sources. It does not store, search, or republish any inmate records itself.

If you need to bail them out in Georgia

Finding the person comes first. Once you know where they are, this is how getting them out works in Georgia.

Commercial bail available

In Georgia, commercial bail exists. If a judge sets money bail, it can be posted in cash directly with the court or through a licensed bail bond agent for a fee. A judge may also release the person on their own recognizance or on set conditions, so ask the court or the jail what applies before paying anyone.

Georgia has a legal commercial bail-bond industry.

Professional bondsmen and bonding companies are permitted under O.C.G.A.

Sec. 17-6-50 and are approved and regulated at the county level by the sheriff of each county.

A person can be released by posting a surety bond through a licensed bonding company, by posting a cash bond, by posting a property bond, or on a signature/recognizance (OR) bond where allowed.

Bail is typically set by a magistrate; some offenses require a secured (cash or surety) bail set by a judicial officer, and a 2024 law (SB 63) expanded the list of offenses requiring such secured bail.

Where a surety bond is used, the bonding company charges a non-refundable premium (a fee for posting the bond). Because bonding is regulated county-by-county by the sheriff rather than by a single statewide rate, the fee varies but is commonly in the range of about 10% to 15% of the bond amount; confirm the exact figure with a licensed bonding company in the county involved.

The person’s rights. The person in custody has the right to talk to a lawyer about their case, and if they cannot afford one, the court can appoint a public defender.

Other official Georgia contacts

County jails are run by the sheriff where the arrest happened — call that jail’s booking or records line for a very recent booking or the bail amount. These statewide sources can also help.

Common questions about finding someone in Georgia

How do I find someone who was just arrested in Georgia?

A person just arrested in Georgia is held in a COUNTY JAIL run by the county sheriff, not in the state prison system. Many Georgia sheriffs publish an online jail/inmate roster for their county, so choose the county of arrest. VINELink covers Georgia across participating jails and is the best single statewide starting point when the county is unknown.

How do I find someone in state prison in Georgia?

The Georgia Department of Corrections 'Find an Offender' tool searches people in GDC STATE-PRISON custody (and some under GDC supervision) by name, ID, or case number; the underlying query form is hosted at services.gdc.ga.gov. It does NOT cover county jails, where recently arrested people are held. GDC Inmate Records: 404-656-4661.

Is there a free way to check if someone is in custody in Georgia?

Yes. VINELink (the free national custody service) covers Georgia. Search by name for custody status and register for free alerts. County jail rosters and the state locator are also free and official.

What do I need to look someone up in Georgia?

The person's full legal name (plus any aliases or maiden name). Date of birth, which helps confirm the right person when names match. A GDC ID / case number (state prison) or county booking number if you already have one (helpful but not required).

Does Georgia have commercial bail bondsmen?

Yes. Commercial bail exists in Georgia: if a judge sets money bail, it can be posted in cash with the court or through a licensed bail bond agent for a fee, and a judge may also grant own-recognizance or conditional release.

Sources & last verified

Everything here links out to official government or public-safety sources. We don’t store, search, or republish records.

Last verified 2026-07-23 · 11 sources