Guide
Georgia Inmate Search at a Glance
Georgia holds its state prisoners under the Georgia Department of Corrections in state prisons such as Georgia State Prison, Hays, Macon State, Smith, Telfair, Valdosta and Arrendale for women, in private prisons at Coffee, Wheeler, Jenkins and Riverbend, and in county correctional institutions run by counties under contract. County sheriffs hold pretrial detainees and people serving up to a year in the 159 county jails.
The GDC Find an Offender search is the state prison lookup. It runs on the GDC ID or the name and includes people sentenced to prison who are still waiting in a county jail for transfer.
Official sources on this page were checked on September 25, 2026.
Guide
Georgia state prison inmate search
| State prison inmates | Yes, Find an Offender |
|---|---|
| County jail inmates | No, sheriff searches by county |
| Parole and probation | No, Department of Community Supervision |
| Released inmates | Yes, with release dates |
| Photographs | Yes |
| Release dates | Yes, possible and maximum release |
| Best search key | GDC ID |
Find an Offender returns the GDC ID, name, photograph, date of birth, race and gender, the current institution, the offenses with the case number and county, the sentence length, the incarceration begin date, the possible release date and the maximum possible release date. The institution field reads as a county jail when the person is on the jail backlog waiting for a state bed. The search also returns people who left custody, marked with a release date.
- Georgia Department of CorrectionsFacility list, visitation, mail, phone and money deposits
- State Board of Pardons and ParolesParole eligibility, hearing decisions and clemency
- Georgia Department of Community SupervisionProbation and parole supervision offices statewide
- VINELink GeorgiaCustody alerts for Georgia county jails and state prisons
Guide
County jails and local custody in Georgia
The Fulton County Sheriff's jail on Rice Street in Atlanta, the DeKalb County jail in Decatur, the Gwinnett County Detention Center in Lawrenceville, the Cobb County Adult Detention Center in Marietta, the Chatham County Detention Center in Savannah, the Richmond County jail in Augusta and the Clayton County jail in Jonesboro all post online inmate searches with charges, bond and booking dates. Atlanta Police book into the Fulton County jail and, for city ordinance cases, the Atlanta City Detention Center.
Guide
What Georgia inmate records show, and what stays private
The Georgia Open Records Act, O.C.G.A. section 50-18-70 and following, makes the custody record public, and the GDC posts photographs, offenses and release dates. Sheriffs publish booking photos, but Georgia law bars websites from charging to remove them and requires agencies to withhold a booking photo when the arrest ended without conviction and the person asks. Medical and mental health records, the pre-sentence report, classification and gang files stay closed. A name based criminal history from the Georgia Crime Information Center is available to the public through any sheriff or police department for a small fee.
Guide
Parole, probation and release in Georgia
The State Board of Pardons and Paroles decides parole and posts each inmate's tentative parole month in its own online lookup, separate from the GDC search. The Department of Community Supervision supervises both parolees and felony probationers from offices in every judicial circuit. Misdemeanor probation is often run by private companies under contract with the county. The judgment sits with the clerk of the superior court of the convicting county.
Guide
When the search shows nothing
If Find an Offender returns nothing, check the county jail search for the county of arrest, starting with Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Cobb or Chatham. A probationer or parolee is supervised by the Department of Community Supervision and does not appear in the GDC search. Check the federal Bureau of Prisons locator for a federal case, including the federal penitentiary in Atlanta, and VINELink for a recent release.
Straight answers
Georgia Inmate Search, questions
What is a GDC ID?
The GDC ID is the Georgia Department of Corrections identifier assigned when a person is sentenced to state custody. It stays with the person through transfers and releases and is the best search key in Find an Offender.
Why does a Georgia state inmate show a county jail as the institution?
Because the person has been sentenced to prison but is still on the jail backlog waiting for transfer. The record already exists in GDC, and mail and visits go to the county jail until the move.
Where do I find a Georgia inmate's parole date?
On the State Board of Pardons and Paroles website. The Board's lookup shows the tentative parole month and the decision history, which the GDC search does not include.
Who runs probation in Georgia?
The Department of Community Supervision supervises felony probation and parole statewide. Misdemeanor probation is handled by county or private probation providers under contract with the court.