Bacon County Booking Releases

Bacon County booking releases are kept by the Bacon County Sheriff's Office in Alma, Georgia. This small county in the southeastern part of the state handles all jail bookings and releases through its single detention facility. The sheriff's staff logs every arrest and release that takes place within county lines. If you need to find out when someone was booked or let go from the Bacon County Jail, the sheriff's office is your main point of contact. Records go back years, and most requests can be handled by phone or in person at the courthouse in Alma.

Bacon County Sheriff Booking Release Records

The Bacon County Sheriff's Office is the sole agency that runs the county jail and manages booking release records. The office is at 502 South Dixon Street in Alma. You can reach them by phone at (912) 632-4741 during regular business hours. The sheriff is required by Georgia law to keep a log of every person who is held in the county jail. This includes names, charges, booking dates, and release info.

Under O.C.G.A. § 42-4-7, every sheriff in Georgia must maintain records of all inmates. Bacon County follows this law and stores all booking data in its records system. The jail is small compared to metro areas, but the same rules apply. Every arrest that comes through gets logged, and the release info is added once the person leaves custody. These records are public unless a court has sealed them or the law says otherwise.

The Bacon County Sheriff's Office also handles civil papers, courthouse security, and patrol duties. But for booking releases, the jail division is who you want to talk to. They can pull up records for you on the spot in most cases. For formal requests, they may ask you to put it in writing.

How to Find Bacon County Booking Releases

Bacon County does not have a large online inmate search portal like bigger counties do. To find booking releases, your best bet is to call the jail at (912) 632-4741 or go in person. Staff can look up current and past inmates by name. They will tell you if someone is in custody, when they were booked, and if they have been released. This is the fastest way for most people.

If you need a written copy of a booking release record, you can file an open records request. Send your request to the Bacon County Sheriff's Office at their mailing address in Alma. Be sure to include the full name of the person and any other details you have, like date of birth or approximate booking date. The more info you give, the faster they can find the right record.

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search shows statewide records for those in the state prison system.

This database covers people who were sentenced to state prison after being booked in any Georgia county, including Bacon County.

Note: Older booking records from Bacon County may take longer to locate since the jail is a smaller facility with limited digital archives.

Open Records for Bacon County Booking Releases

Georgia's Open Records Act gives you the right to ask for booking release records from any county. The law is found at O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70. Under this law, the Bacon County Sheriff's Office must respond to your request within three business days. They can give you the records, tell you they need more time, or explain why they can't release certain parts.

Copies cost $0.10 per page. The first 15 minutes of search time are free. After that, the county can charge a reasonable fee for the staff time it takes to find and copy the records. For most single-record requests, you will not pay more than a couple of dollars. Large requests with many pages or records may cost more depending on the time involved.

Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71, you can submit your request by mail, by hand delivery, or by email if the office accepts it. Bacon County typically handles requests in person or by mail. Call ahead to ask if they take email requests. Some smaller offices prefer paper requests so they can track them more easily.

What Bacon County Booking Releases Show

A booking release record from Bacon County will list the inmate's full name, date of birth, and physical description. It shows what charges were filed and which agency made the arrest. The booking date and time are recorded. When the person is released, that date goes into the record too. Bond amounts, if any, are usually included.

Booking photographs are sometimes part of the release record. Georgia law at O.C.G.A. § 35-1-18 sets rules about how booking photos can be shared. The Bacon County Sheriff follows these state guidelines when someone asks for a booking photo. Not all requests for photos will be granted, depending on the situation.

Some records may be partially withheld. O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72 lists several categories of records that are exempt from disclosure under the Open Records Act. These include records related to ongoing criminal investigations, confidential informants, and certain medical or mental health information about inmates. Bacon County must follow these exemptions when they process your request.

Note: If a record has been sealed by a court order, the sheriff's office will not release it regardless of whether you file an open records request.

Statewide Booking Release Resources for Bacon County

Several state databases can help you find booking and release information beyond what Bacon County keeps on hand. The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search covers all people serving time in state facilities. If someone was booked in Bacon County and then sent to state prison, their record will show up in this system. The GCIC maintains roughly 4 million criminal history records across the state.

The VINE victim notification system is another useful tool. It lets you track an inmate's custody status and get alerts when they are released. This works for Bacon County jail inmates and for people in state custody. The system is free and runs all day and night.

For state-level open records requests, you can use the GDC Open Records portal to ask for documents from the Department of Corrections. The GBI Open Records portal handles requests to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Both agencies may have records that relate to people who were first booked in Bacon County before their cases moved to the state level.

Nearby Counties

If the arrest did not happen in Bacon County, check these neighboring counties. Each one has its own sheriff and jail with separate booking records.