Long County Booking Releases

Long County booking releases are maintained by the Long County Sheriff's Office, located in Ludowici. This rural southeast Georgia county is one of the less populated in the state, but the sheriff still keeps full records of every jail booking and release. The county jail in Ludowici processes all local arrests. Because of the small size, online tools for Long County bookings are limited, but you can get records through the sheriff's office and through statewide databases that cover every Georgia county.

Sheriff and Jail Records

The Long County Sheriff's Office is the agency that handles all booking release records. The office sits in Ludowici, which is the county seat. You can reach the sheriff by phone during regular business hours. The staff handles questions about current inmates and can check the system for past bookings as well.

Georgia law requires every county sheriff to maintain inmate records. Under O.C.G.A. § 42-4-7, the sheriff must log each person booked into the jail. The log includes the inmate's name, what they were charged with, the date of booking, and when they were released. Long County follows this law. Even if someone is held for just a short time, that booking gets recorded and kept.

The jail in Long County is small. It can hold a limited number of inmates at one time. When the jail is at capacity, inmates may be transferred to neighboring county facilities. The booking record stays with Long County, though. If you need the original booking information, you check with Long County. The receiving county would have records of the transfer and any time served there.

How to Find Booking Releases

The most direct way to find Long County booking releases is to call the sheriff's office. Staff can look up inmates by name in the jail management system. Have the person's full name and date of birth ready. This method works for both current and past inmates.

Long County may not have a full online inmate search tool. Many small Georgia counties rely on phone and in-person requests rather than web portals. If you can't reach the office by phone, try visiting in person during business hours. The staff in Ludowici can check the system and give you information on the spot.

State law requires jails to keep records of how each inmate is maintained, including their property and personal information.

This rule ensures that Long County and every other Georgia county keeps full and accurate records of each person who passes through the jail.

For state-level searches, the GDC offender search covers all inmates in the state prison system. If someone was booked in Long County and later sent to serve time in a state facility, they will appear in this search. The VINE system also works for Long County. It lets you track an inmate's custody status and get alerts when something changes.

Open Records Requests

You have a legal right to request booking release records from Long County. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, Georgia's Open Records Act allows anyone to ask for government documents. You do not need to explain your reason. Write up your request and send it to the Long County Sheriff's Office in Ludowici. Include the person's name and any identifying details you have.

The county has three business days to respond. They can give you the records, let you know they need more time, or tell you that some records are exempt. The first 15 minutes of search time is free. After that, they may charge for staff time. Copies cost $0.10 per page. For a single booking release record, the total cost is usually small.

Some records may not be available. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72, Georgia law lists categories of records that are exempt from disclosure. Records linked to open investigations, juvenile cases, and sealed court orders fall into this category. Basic adult booking releases in Long County are almost always public records.

What Booking Releases Show

A Long County booking release record includes the person's full name, date of birth, and physical description. It also shows the booking date, charges, arresting agency, and bond information. The release date and type of release are part of the record as well. If someone was transferred rather than released outright, that information appears too.

Booking photos are handled under O.C.G.A. § 35-1-18. This law governs how mugshots can be shared and published. Long County follows these rules for any request involving booking photographs. There may be restrictions depending on the outcome of the case.

Statewide Booking Release Resources

State databases can fill in gaps if you can't get what you need from Long County alone. The GDC offender search shows inmates serving state sentences. The GDC Open Records portal and the GBI Open Records portal both accept formal requests for records at the state level.

The VINE system covers every county in Georgia, including Long. You can register for free and get notifications by phone, email, or text when an inmate's status changes. These statewide tools work alongside Long County records to give you a fuller picture of someone's booking history.

Nearby Counties

Long County borders several other counties in southeast Georgia. If the arrest happened outside Long County, you need to check the right county for booking release records.