Search Augusta Jail Roster

Augusta jail roster records are handled by the Richmond County Sheriff's Office under the consolidated Augusta-Richmond County government. With a population of about 206,303, Augusta is the second largest city in Georgia. The sheriff's office runs the county jail and keeps booking records for everyone arrested in the Augusta area. You can search the Augusta jail roster online, contact the sheriff by phone, or use third-party sites that collect booking data from the county. This page covers all the ways to find inmate records in Augusta and what Georgia law says about accessing them.

Augusta-Richmond Consolidated Jail Roster

Augusta and Richmond County merged into a single government, which means there is no separate city jail. The Richmond County Sheriff's Office handles all jail operations for the entire Augusta area. Every arrest made by Augusta police, Richmond County deputies, or other local agencies goes through the same booking process. That is why the Augusta jail roster and the Richmond County jail roster are the same thing.

This setup makes searching easier in some ways. You only have one place to check for inmates. There is no need to call both a city jail and a county jail. The Richmond County Sheriff runs the whole system from one office. All booking data, charges, bond info, and release dates come from the same source. If someone was arrested anywhere in the Augusta-Richmond area, the sheriff has the record.

The consolidated government has been in place since 1996. Before that, Augusta and Richmond County had separate law enforcement operations. Now they share resources, which includes the jail and the inmate roster that the public can access.

How to Find Augusta Inmate Records

The best way to search the Augusta jail roster is through the Richmond County Sheriff's Office. Contact them by phone to ask about a specific inmate. They can confirm if someone is in custody, what charges they face, and what the bond amount is. Because of the high volume of bookings in a city the size of Augusta, it can take several hours after an arrest for records to show up in the system.

For state prison inmates who were once in the Augusta jail, use the GDC offender search. The Georgia Department of Corrections tracks people serving state sentences. Anyone who was in the Richmond County jail and got sentenced to more than a year will show up in the GDC system after transfer. The search is free and works by name or offender ID.

Augusta Jail Roster VINE Tracking

VINE lets you track inmates on the Augusta jail roster and get alerts when their status changes. It is free. The system runs all day, every day. You can sign up at VINELink or call 1-800-398-2892. Have the inmate's name or booking ID ready. You pick a PIN and choose how you want to be reached. Options are phone, text, or email.

VINE is confidential. Your identity is not shared with the inmate or anyone else. It is widely used by crime victims in the Augusta area who want to know when someone bonds out or gets released from the Richmond County jail. A live operator is on call at all times. The TTY line for hearing impaired users is 1-866-847-1298.

Augusta Jail Records Access

You can request Augusta jail roster records under Georgia's Open Records Act, O.C.G.A. Section 50-18-70. This law makes most government records open to the public. The Richmond County Sheriff's Office must respond to your request within three business days. The first 15 minutes of search time are free. After that, fees are based on the pay rate of the lowest-paid staff member who can handle the work. Copies of documents cost $0.10 per page.

Some Augusta jail records are exempt from public access. Medical files, security procedures, and investigation records are not open under the law. Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37, criminal history records from the Augusta jail roster can be restricted after certain time periods if charges were dropped or never resulted in a conviction. Misdemeanors get restricted after two years with no disposition. Non-violent felonies are restricted after four years. Serious violent crimes wait seven years.

If the Georgia Crime Information Center at the GBI restricts a record, the Richmond County jail must restrict it too within 30 days of getting a written request. Under O.C.G.A. Section 50-18-74, agencies face fines for wrongly denying open records requests. The first fine can reach $1,000. Extra violations within a year can cost $2,500 each.

Note: Always put your open records request in writing and keep a copy for your own files.

State Agencies for Augusta Inmates

The Georgia Department of Corrections manages state prison inmates from the Augusta area. Once someone leaves the Richmond County jail for a state facility, they move from the local jail roster to the GDC system. The GDC main office is in Forsyth. Call (404) 656-4661 for inmate questions. You can submit formal records requests through the GDC open records portal.

The Georgia Sheriffs' Association lists all 159 county sheriffs in the state. You can use their site to confirm contact info for the Richmond County Sheriff. The GBI manages criminal background records through the GCIC. You can check your own record for up to $15 under Georgia law. The GDC facility directory shows which state prisons and county jails are active across Georgia.

Richmond County Jail Roster

Augusta operates under the consolidated Augusta-Richmond County government. The county page has full details on the sheriff's office, jail facility, search tools, and contact numbers.

Nearby Qualifying Cities

Evans and Martinez are nearby communities in the Augusta metro area. Both fall under Columbia County for jail purposes rather than Richmond County. Check the links below for details on how the jail roster works in those areas.