Screven County Booking Release Records

Screven County booking releases are handled by the Screven County Sheriff's Office in Sylvania, Georgia. The sheriff's jail staff log every arrest and release that happens in the county. Records are open to the public under Georgia law. If you need to find out when someone was booked or let go from the Screven County Jail, you can reach out to the sheriff's office by phone, mail, or in person. This rural county in east Georgia processes all bookings through a single detention facility in Sylvania.

Sheriff and Booking Records

The Screven County Sheriff's Office is the sole agency that runs the jail and keeps booking release records. The office sits in Sylvania and serves the whole county. Staff at the jail log each person who comes in and goes out. They track names, charges, dates, and release info for every inmate who passes through.

Under O.C.G.A. § 42-4-7, every sheriff in Georgia must keep a record of all people held in the county jail. This law applies to Screven County just like it does across all 159 counties. The sheriff must note each inmate's name, the date they were booked, what charges they face, and when they were released. The Screven County jail follows this rule and stores all booking data in its records system.

The jail in Screven County is a smaller facility. It handles bookings for arrests made by sheriff's deputies, the Sylvania Police Department, and other local law enforcement working in the area. When someone is brought in, jail staff create a booking record that stays on file as a public document. You can ask to see it or get a copy at any time.

How to Search Screven County Bookings

Screven County does not run its own online inmate search portal. Many smaller counties in Georgia lack the budget for a web-based tool. That does not mean the records are hard to find. You still have several good ways to get Screven County booking releases.

The most direct way is to call the Screven County jail. Staff can look up current inmates and recent releases by name. If you know the person's date of birth or booking date, that helps narrow things down. For older records or copies, you may need to file a written open records request. The office can walk you through how to do that.

You can also use the Georgia Department of Corrections offender search to check if someone from Screven County ended up in the state prison system after their local booking.

The GDC offender search database lets you look up state inmates who may have first been booked in Screven County.

Results show the inmate's current status and facility, which helps when tracking someone who moved from a Screven County jail to a state prison.

If you need to visit in person, the sheriff's office in Sylvania is open during regular business hours. Staff can pull up records on the spot for most requests. Bring as much info as you can about the person you are looking for. A full name and date of birth will get the fastest results.

Open Records for Screven County Booking Releases

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

To file a request, write a letter or send a note to the Screven County Sheriff's Office. State what records you want as clearly as you can. Include the person's full name and any dates you know. Most single-record requests are filled fast. Copies cost $0.10 per page, and the first 15 minutes of staff search time is free. After that, the county can charge a fee for the time it takes to locate and copy the records.

You do not need to give a reason for your request. The law does not let the Screven County Sheriff's Office ask why you want the records. They just need enough details to find the right file. For most booking release lookups, a name and date range will do the job.

What Screven County Records Contain

Every booking release record in Screven County includes the inmate's full name, date of birth, and physical traits. It shows what charges were filed and which agency made the arrest. The booking date and time are recorded. When the person leaves custody, the release date and method get added to the file. Bond amounts are usually included too.

Booking photographs may be 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 Screven County Sheriff follows these guidelines when someone asks for a booking photo. Not every photo request will be approved.

Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72, some records may be exempt from release. This includes records tied to active investigations, info about confidential informants, and certain medical details about inmates. Screven County must follow these exemptions when they process your request. If a record has been sealed by a court order, the sheriff's office will not release it.

Statewide Booking Release Resources

Beyond the Screven County Sheriff's Office, state-level databases can help you find booking and release info. The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search covers all people serving time in state prisons. If someone was booked in Screven County and later sent to a state facility, their record shows up in this tool.

The VINE notification system is free and works in Screven County. It lets you sign up for alerts when an inmate's custody status changes. You get a call, email, or text when someone is released. This runs all day and night and covers county jails and state prisons across Georgia.

For state-level open records requests, use the GDC Open Records portal or the GBI Open Records portal. Both handle requests related to booking and release data that may cross county lines. These are useful when someone who was booked in Screven County has records at the state level too.

Nearby Counties

If the arrest did not take place in Screven County, one of these neighboring counties may have the booking release record you need. Each county sheriff keeps separate jail records.