Search Ben Hill County Released Inmates

Ben Hill County released inmates records are kept by the Sheriff's Office in Fitzgerald. Sheriff Lee Cone runs the jail and all booking data is filed through his office. The county has a population of about 17,634 and sits in south-central Georgia. You can look up released inmates from Ben Hill County through the sheriff's office directly, through online jail roster tools, or by filing an open records request. Major Greg Stokes handles jail operations day to day, and staff can help with questions about past bookings.

Ben Hill County Sheriff Inmate Search

The Ben Hill County Sheriff's Office is your first stop for looking up released inmates in this area. Sheriff Lee Cone leads the department from 255 Appomattox Road in Fitzgerald, GA 31750. Call them at 229-426-5161. Major Greg Stokes runs the jail side of things, so if you have a question about a past booking or a release date, his staff can help.

Under Georgia's Open Records Act, set out in O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, the public has a right to see booking records held by the Ben Hill County Sheriff. That means names, charges, booking dates, and release info are all things you can ask for. The office must respond within three business days. They can charge a small fee for copies, but they have to give you a cost estimate up front. Most requests for Ben Hill County released inmates data are simple and get filled fast.

You can walk in during business hours or call ahead. Bring your ID if you go in person to the Ben Hill County Sheriff's Office.

Online Inmate Lookup Tools

Several online tools let you search Ben Hill County released inmates without leaving home. The sheriff's office data feeds into third-party jail roster sites that compile booking info from counties all over Georgia. These sites pull from public records and show names, charges, mugshots, and booking dates for the Ben Hill County jail.

VINELink is a free service that lets you track an offender's custody status in Georgia. You can sign up for alerts by phone, email, or text when an inmate is released or transferred.

VINELink covers jails and prisons across Georgia. You can search by name or offender ID to get current status info.

This resource shows booking data for people held at or released from the Ben Hill County jail facility in Fitzgerald.

Keep in mind that third-party sites sometimes lag a day or two behind what the sheriff's office has. For the most up-to-date released inmates info in Ben Hill County, a phone call to 229-426-5161 is the surest way. The jail staff can tell you right away if someone has been released and when it took place. Online data is good for a quick check, but direct contact is best when timing matters for Ben Hill County records.

Fitzgerald Police Department Records

The Fitzgerald Police Department also handles arrests in Ben Hill County. Chief William Smallwood Jr. runs the city force. Their phone number is 229-426-5000. People arrested by Fitzgerald PD often end up booked into the Ben Hill County jail, so their records show up in the same system. If you are looking for released inmates data from an arrest made inside Fitzgerald city limits, both the city police and the Ben Hill County Sheriff may have records on file.

Open records requests for Fitzgerald PD go through Christina Evans, the City Clerk. Her office is at 302 East Central Avenue in Fitzgerald. You can call 229-426-5060 to ask about the process. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, city police records are subject to the same open records rules as county records. That includes arrest reports, booking data, and released inmates logs from the Ben Hill County area. The city clerk can tell you what is on file and what it costs to get copies.

Ben Hill County Jail Visitation

If you need to visit someone at the Ben Hill County jail, there are rules to follow. Male inmate visitation runs on Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and again from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Each inmate gets 30 minutes of visit time per week. Up to four people can visit at one time. The jail may have different rules for female inmates, so call ahead at 229-426-5161 to check the current schedule.

Visitation details matter because they can help you confirm whether someone is still in the Ben Hill County jail or has been released. If you show up for a visit and the person is no longer there, jail staff can tell you when they got out. That visit attempt itself can be a way to track down released inmates info. The Ben Hill County jail keeps logs of all visits, and those records may be available through an open records request as well.

State Resources for Ben Hill County

The Georgia Department of Corrections runs a statewide offender search at gdc.georgia.gov/offender-info/find-offender. This tool covers state prison inmates, not county jail inmates. But if someone from Ben Hill County moved from the local jail to a state facility, you can track them through the GDC system. It is free to use and shows release dates, current status, and facility location.

The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles at pap.georgia.gov oversees parole decisions for state inmates. If a released inmate from Ben Hill County is on parole, this board sets the terms. O.C.G.A. § 42-9-53 covers how the state handles release and parole data. The Department of Community Supervision at dcs.georgia.gov manages probation and parole across Georgia. You can check their site if you need to know if someone from Ben Hill County is under state supervision after release.

For criminal background checks, the GBI at gbi.georgia.gov handles those under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37. The GBI can pull records from across the state, including Ben Hill County. There is a fee for this service. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19, Georgia law enforcement agencies share data through a central system. That means an arrest in Ben Hill County shows up in statewide databases that other agencies can access.

How to File an Open Records Request

You can ask for Ben Hill County released inmates records in writing. Send a letter or email to the Ben Hill County Sheriff's Office at 255 Appomattox Road, Fitzgerald, GA 31750. State what records you want. Include the inmate's name and date of birth if you have it. The office has three business days to respond under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70.

Fees for copies are set by the county. The sheriff's office must give you a cost estimate before they start pulling records. Most Ben Hill County released inmates requests are simple and cost just a few dollars. For state-level records, use the GDC open records form at gdc.georgia.gov/contact-us/open-records-request. That covers people who did time in a state prison after being held in Ben Hill County.

Nearby Counties

These counties sit near Ben Hill County in south-central Georgia. Each one runs its own jail and keeps separate released inmates records.