Search Peach County Jail Records

Peach County booking reports document every arrest processed through the county jail in Fort Valley, Georgia. The Peach County Sheriff's Office creates and maintains these records, which are public under Georgia's Open Records Act. Residents can search for current inmates or past booking data by contacting the sheriff's office directly or by submitting a formal records request. Each record shows who was booked, what charges they face, and when the arrest took place.

Who Keeps Peach County Jail Records

The Peach County Sheriff's Office holds legal responsibility for the county jail and all records tied to it. Georgia law under O.C.G.A. § 42-4-7 spells this out: the sheriff runs the jail and keeps the books. In Peach County, that means every arrest made by the sheriff's deputies, the Fort Valley Police Department, and other agencies operating in the county flows into the same jail record system in Fort Valley.

Peach County is a smaller county in central Georgia. The jail population stays modest compared to metro-area counties, but the process is the same. When someone is arrested, they are transported to the county facility, where staff log the booking information and enter it into the record system. That docket is public and available on request.

Note: Peach County is part of the Macon Judicial Circuit, which covers several central Georgia counties. Felony cases from Peach County go to circuit court.

How to Access Peach County Booking Data

Calling the Peach County Sheriff's Office is the fastest way to check on a current inmate. Staff at the jail can confirm whether someone is in custody and give you basic booking details over the phone. For written records or historical data, submit a formal request under the Georgia Open Records Act.

Georgia's Open Records Act requires agencies to respond to records requests within three business days. The first 15 minutes of staff search time is free. Fees for additional staff time or for copying records are allowed under the law, but they must be reasonable. You do not have to state a reason for your request.

Online services like VINE may have Peach County inmate data. VINE lets you search by name and sign up for notifications tied to a specific person's custody status. This is useful if you need to track whether someone has been released, transferred, or has an upcoming court date.

What Is in a Booking Record

A Peach County booking report covers the basics of an arrest. It will include the person's full name, date of birth, address, the date and time they were booked into the jail, the charges entered at intake, the arresting agency, and bond information. Mugshots are taken at booking. The rules for sharing those photos are set out in Georgia law at O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19.

Booking records can also show holds from other agencies. If a federal immigration hold is in place, or if another county has a warrant, that information will be part of the file. Court dates may appear as well, though scheduling details can change as a case moves through the system. For the most current information, always check directly with the jail or the court clerk.

Georgia Open Records Act and Arrest Data

Georgia law takes a strong pro-disclosure stance on public records. The Open Records Act at O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 presumes that government records are open. The exemptions at O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72 are specific. Active criminal investigation files and victim personal information are the most commonly invoked. Basic booking data for adults does not fall under those exemptions.

What this means in practice is that anyone can ask for the Peach County jail roster or a specific booking record, and the sheriff's office has to give it to them. They cannot just say no because they feel like it. If they withhold records, they need a specific legal basis to do so. Knowing your rights under the Open Records Act makes it easier to get the records you are looking for.

Georgia Department of Corrections and State Prisons

It is worth knowing the difference between the county jail and the state prison system. The Peach County Jail holds people who are awaiting trial, serving short local sentences, or being processed after arrest. If someone has been sentenced to more than a year in prison, they will eventually transfer to the Georgia Department of Corrections.

The GDC offender search covers state prison inmates, not county jail detainees. Use this tool when looking for someone who is serving a longer sentence at a state facility rather than the Peach County Jail.

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is free and publicly available online. It covers people currently in the state prison system. If the person you are looking for is not at the county jail, they may have been transferred to a GDC facility.

Record Restriction for Peach County Arrests

Not all arrest records stay public forever. Georgia provides a formal process for restricting records under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37. If a case was dismissed, if the person was acquitted, or if they meet other qualifying criteria, they can ask a court to restrict access to the record. That means it would no longer show up in standard public searches.

Georgia's First Offender Act, found at O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60, is another avenue. First-time offenders who complete their probation or sentence without violating any conditions may be able to avoid having a formal conviction on their record. That record can later be sealed.

Note: Getting a record restricted takes a court order. The sheriff's office has no authority to do it on their own. A petition must go through the Superior Court in Peach County.

Nearby Counties

Peach County is in central Georgia, near several other counties with their own jail records.