Clayton County Jail Roster Database
The Clayton County jail roster lists all inmates held at the county detention center in Jonesboro, Georgia. Clayton County is part of the south Atlanta metro area and has a population above 297,000. The sheriff's office runs the jail and keeps booking records available to the public. You can search the Clayton County jail roster online, by phone, or through third-party tools that track Georgia inmates. The roster shows names, charges, bond amounts, and booking dates for everyone in custody at the facility.
Clayton County Jail Roster Quick Facts
Clayton County Sheriff and Jail Roster
The Clayton County Sheriff's Office operates the detention center and manages all booking records. The office is in Jonesboro, which serves as the county seat. Clayton County is one of the more populated counties in the Atlanta metro. That means the jail handles a large number of bookings each year. Multiple police departments operate in the county. Jonesboro PD, Riverdale PD, Forest Park PD, and other agencies all bring arrests to the Clayton County jail. Every booking goes on the jail roster.
Clayton County is part of the Clayton Judicial Circuit. The sheriff's office works with the courts to manage inmates from booking through sentencing. Staff can pull up jail roster records if you call during business hours. They handle questions about bonds, charges, and court dates. The jail is the single detention facility for the county, so all local arrests end up in the same place.
The detention center has seen growth as the county population has increased over the past decade. The facility handles both pre-trial and sentenced inmates serving short terms.
Search Clayton County Inmates Online
Searching the Clayton County jail roster is straightforward. The sheriff's office website may have an inmate search portal where you type in a name and get back matching results. The results show the person's booking date, charges, bond info, and custody status. This is the fastest way to check the Clayton County jail roster from home. The portal is free and works from any device with web access.
If you can't find what you need online, call the sheriff's office in Jonesboro. Jail staff have the most current data. They can confirm if someone is still in custody, what charges they face, and whether bond has been set. Phone inquiries during business hours get the fastest response.
State Resources for Clayton County
The Clayton County jail roster only covers local inmates. State prison inmates fall under the Georgia Department of Corrections. Use the GDC offender search to find people in state facilities. This free tool shows charges, prison location, and parole dates. It does not include county jail inmates. Someone who was on the Clayton County jail roster but got sentenced to state time will appear in the GDC system after their transfer.
VINELink provides free inmate tracking for Georgia jails. Register with a phone number and PIN. Choose phone, text, or email alerts. When an inmate's custody status changes, VINE sends you an update. This works around the clock and is confidential. Many Georgia counties participate in the VINE network. Call 1-800-398-2892 if you want to set things up by phone.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation keeps criminal history records at the state level. Arrest data from Clayton County feeds into the GBI's Georgia Crime Information Center. You can review your own criminal history for up to $15 under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37.
Clayton County Jail Records Under Georgia Law
Georgia's Open Records Act, O.C.G.A. Section 50-18-70, makes most Clayton County jail roster records available to the public. File a request with the sheriff's office in Jonesboro. The law gives them three business days to respond. The first 15 minutes of search work are free. Copies run $0.10 a page. Most booking data is open. Security plans, medical files, and employee home addresses are not.
Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37, criminal records from the Clayton County jail can be restricted over time. The rules are:
- Misdemeanor arrests with no outcome: restricted after 2 years
- Non-violent felony arrests with no result: restricted after 4 years
- Serious violent felony arrests with no result: restricted after 7 years
- Dismissed cases and acquittals: eligible for restriction
- Grand jury no bills: eligible for restriction
The Georgia Crime Information Center at the GBI handles the initial restriction. After that, the Clayton County jail must restrict its records within 30 days of a written request from the individual. Under O.C.G.A. Section 50-18-74, agencies that refuse valid open records requests can be fined up to $1,000 for the first offense and $2,500 for each repeat within a year.
Clayton County Jail Booking Details
Arrests in Clayton County all go through the same detention center for booking. The process includes a mugshot, fingerprints, and a log of all charges. Bond gets set by a schedule or a judge. The inmate's info then appears on the Clayton County jail roster. With close to 300,000 residents and multiple cities in the county, the jail processes a high volume of bookings. The roster can change many times a day.
For formal records, file an open records request with the Clayton County Sheriff's Office. Cite O.C.G.A. Section 50-18-71 in your letter. Be specific about the inmate and dates. The Georgia Sheriffs' Association lists contact details for all 159 county sheriffs if you need to find the address. The GDC facility directory can also help if you think someone has been moved from the county jail to a state prison.
Nearby County Jail Rosters
Clayton County sits south of Atlanta. Several counties border it and maintain their own jail rosters. If you are not sure which county handled an arrest, try these neighbors.