Find Ware County Released Inmates

Ware County released inmates records come from two main sources. The Sheriff's Office in Waycross handles county jail bookings, and Ware State Prison is a state correctional facility within the county run by the Georgia Department of Corrections.

Ware County Sheriff Office Inmate Search

The Ware County Sheriff's Office is the main source for local jail records in Waycross. The office runs the county detention center and books everyone arrested in Ware County. Staff create a file for each person that comes through. Name, charges, bond, booking date, and release info all go into the record. This data makes up the Ware County released inmates records at the county level.

Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, the Open Records Act gives the public access to these jail records. You can ask the Ware County Sheriff for booking logs, charge sheets, and release dates. The office has three business days to respond to a formal written request. They can charge for copies, but they have to tell you the cost before they start pulling anything.

Waycross has its own police department that also handles arrests. People arrested by city officers get booked into the Ware County jail. So the sheriff's records cover arrests from both the county deputies and city police. If someone got picked up in Waycross proper, the Ware County jail records will still have the booking data.

The GDC portal is especially relevant for Ware County because Ware State Prison sits right in Waycross.

Ware State Prison

Ware State Prison is a state correctional facility in Waycross. The Georgia Department of Corrections runs it, not the county sheriff. The prison holds men convicted of felonies from all across Georgia. It has been part of the Ware County landscape for a long time and adds another layer to the released inmates records situation here.

This makes Ware County different from most Georgia counties. Most places only deal with their county jail. Ware County has both a county jail and a state prison within its borders. People released from Ware State Prison show up in the GDC system, not the county jail records. You need to know which system to check based on whether the person was in the county jail or the state prison.

The GDC offender search at gdc.georgia.gov/offender-info/find-offender covers everyone at Ware State Prison and every other state facility. Type in a name and the tool shows the person's current status, facility, and release info. It is free and works around the clock.

O.C.G.A. § 42-9-53 sets out how state inmates get paroled. The Board of Pardons and Paroles at pap.georgia.gov makes those decisions. Many inmates at Ware State Prison go through the parole process before they are released into the community.

How to Search Ware County Records

For county jail records, contact the Ware County Sheriff's Office in Waycross. Call during business hours. Give them a name and they can check the system. For written copies, file an open records request under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70. Walk-ins are welcome too. Bring your ID.

For state prison records from Ware State Prison, use the GDC open records form at gdc.georgia.gov/contact-us/open-records-request. Specify that you want records from Ware State Prison if you know the person was held there. The GDC responds within three business days, same as the county.

You do not have to live in Ware County to request records. Georgia law allows anyone to file. No reason is needed for the request. Just be clear about what data you want.

Online Lookup Tools for Ware County

Third-party jail roster sites list public booking data from the Ware County jail. These sites show names, charges, and dates. Some also display mugshots. The data is free because it comes from public records. Search by name to find Ware County released inmates.

Keep in mind the third-party data can lag behind what the jail has. For the most current info, call the sheriff's office in Waycross. Staff can check in real time and give you a direct answer about a specific person's status.

State prison records from Ware State Prison carry more detail than county jail records. They include offense info, sentence length, facility assignments, and parole eligibility dates. The GDC manages this data and makes it available through their offender search. Between the county jail system and the GDC database, you can piece together a full picture of someone's time in custody in Ware County.

State Resources for Ware County

The Department of Community Supervision at dcs.georgia.gov monitors people on probation and parole statewide. This includes those released from both the Ware County jail and Ware State Prison. If someone is on supervision after release, DCS tracks them.

The GBI at gbi.georgia.gov runs criminal history checks under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37. These checks pull data from every Georgia county, including Ware. A fee applies for the service. O.C.G.A. § 42-1-12 requires sex offenders to register with the state. Released inmates from Ware County who must register show up on the GBI's registry, which you can search online.

Ware County sits near the Okefenokee Swamp in southeast Georgia. The county has a mix of local and state-level corrections activity because of Ware State Prison. Both systems generate released inmates records that the public can access through the right channels.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Ware County in southeast Georgia. Each one keeps its own jail and released inmates records.