Albany Inmate Population Search

Albany inmate population data comes from the Dougherty County Jail on Evelyn Avenue. The city is the largest in southwest Georgia and serves as the county seat. Arrests by the Albany Police Department lead to booking at the county jail, which is one of the busier facilities in this part of the state. Free search tools let you find inmates quickly, and the jail publishes capacity data that shows how many people are held at any given time. This page walks through the search options, records access rules, and resources available to people in the Albany area who need inmate information.

Dougherty County Jail Holds Albany Inmates

Albany sits in Dougherty County, and the county jail is the primary facility for people arrested in the city. The jail is at 1302 Evelyn Avenue in Albany. The Dougherty County Sheriff's Office runs the facility and handles all booking, housing, and release operations. Because Albany is the county seat and the largest city in the county, the majority of inmates at the Dougherty County Jail come from Albany arrests.

The jail has a capacity of 1,230 beds. Recent data shows about 784 inmates housed there, putting the facility at roughly 63.7% capacity. That number shifts daily as new bookings come in and people are released or transferred. Around 580 of those inmates are awaiting trial, which means about 74% of the jail's population has not yet been convicted. This high pre-trial rate is common across Georgia. The Dougherty County Jail also holds inmates for neighboring counties when those facilities run short on space, which can push the numbers higher during peak periods.

Albany Inmate Population and Jail Statistics

The Dougherty County Jail processes a steady stream of bookings tied to Albany. The Albany Police Department is the largest law enforcement agency feeding inmates into the facility. Officers arrest people on charges ranging from misdemeanors to serious felonies, and each person goes through full booking at the jail. This includes fingerprints, a mugshot, a medical screen, and a records check. Once booked, the person shows up in the jail's system and becomes searchable through public tools.

The jail's daily population can vary quite a bit. Court proceedings, bond hearings, and sentence completions all affect the count. The 74% pre-trial rate means that most people in the jail have not been sentenced yet. They are waiting for hearings, plea deals, or trials. This creates a dynamic population where the roster changes frequently. If you are looking for someone arrested in Albany, check back often if the first search does not turn up results right away.

How to Search Albany Inmate Population

The GDC Offender Query is the go-to tool for state prison inmates. It is free and open to anyone. Type in a name or GDC ID and the system shows the person's facility, sentence length, and release date. This covers people who have been convicted and sent to a Georgia state prison. It does not include people sitting in the Dougherty County Jail waiting for trial.

For county jail inmates, use VINELink. This free tool covers the Dougherty County Jail and updates about every 15 minutes. Search by name and select Georgia. VINELink shows the person's current custody status and lets you sign up for alerts. If the person is released or transferred, you get a call, text, or email. This is the most reliable way to track someone recently arrested in Albany.

Below is the GDC offender search page, which is the starting point for state-level inmate lookups.

The screenshot shows the GDC search form. For inmates held at the Dougherty County Jail rather than a state prison, VINELink is the better tool.

You can also check the Georgia Sheriffs' Association Jail Report for monthly jail data that covers the Dougherty County Jail. The report tracks inmate counts and capacity across the state.

Open Records for Albany Inmate Information

Under O.C.G.A. 50-18-70, the public has a right to inspect and copy most government records in Georgia. Agencies must respond to requests within three business days. For Albany, you can file requests with the Albany Police Department for arrest records or with the Dougherty County Sheriff's Office for jail records. Booking logs, incident reports, and arrest data are all available. Standard copies cost ten cents per page.

Some records are exempt from public release. O.C.G.A. 50-18-72 protects certain files at state facilities, including disciplinary reports, housing assignments, and central office records. Medical records need written consent from the inmate. For records held by the Georgia Department of Corrections about someone originally arrested in Albany, use the GDC Open Records Portal. You can submit requests and track them online through that system.

Probation records fall under O.C.G.A. 42-8-40 and stay private. Parole records are treated similarly under O.C.G.A. 42-9-53. These exemptions apply statewide and limit what you can get about offenders connected to Albany.

Albany Area Inmates Inmate Population Alerts

VINELink gives you a way to track inmates without calling the jail every day. After finding someone in the system, register for alerts. You choose how you want to be notified. Options include phone calls, text messages, and emails. The system contacts you any time the inmate's status changes, whether that means a release, a transfer, or something else. The person in custody is not told that someone registered for alerts.

When you set up phone alerts, you create a four-digit PIN. VINELink calls and asks for the PIN before it shares any details. If you miss the call, they try again for 24 hours. The support line is (833) 216-6670. For people in Albany who need to stay aware of a specific inmate's situation, this is one of the most practical tools available. It takes the guesswork out of wondering whether someone is still in the Dougherty County Jail or has been moved.

Albany Police and Inmate Processing

The Albany Police Department is the city's main law enforcement agency. It has a large force that covers a busy jurisdiction. Officers make arrests throughout the city, handle investigations, and respond to calls around the clock. After an arrest, the person is taken to the Dougherty County Jail for booking. The police department keeps records of every arrest it makes, and these are available through open records requests.

Albany also has a municipal court that handles city ordinance violations and some misdemeanor cases. People convicted in municipal court may serve short sentences at the county jail. For more serious charges, cases go to the Dougherty County Superior Court. The court system and the jail work closely together, with daily transports between the jail and the courthouse. If you are trying to track a case from arrest to sentencing, you may need to check both the police records and the court records to get the full picture of what happened.

Albany Inmate Population Resources

The Georgia Department of Corrections manages state prisons statewide. If someone from Albany is sentenced to state prison, the GDC tracks their facility, sentence, and parole eligibility. For family members, the GDC visitation page explains how to apply for visits. You must mail a notarized form to the specific facility, and the process takes several weeks.

The Department of Community Supervision handles probation and parole for felony offenders. DCS covers about 180,000 people across Georgia. If someone tied to Albany has been released from prison on parole, DCS manages their supervision and can answer questions about their conditions of release.

For broader jail statistics, the Georgia Sheriffs' Association Jail Report provides monthly data on jail populations statewide. The report covers capacity, inmate counts, and the share of pre-trial detainees. Albany's county jail data appears in this report when submitted by the Dougherty County Sheriff.

Nearby Cities

Albany is in a more rural part of Georgia, and the closest qualifying city is Valdosta to the southeast. If someone was arrested near the county line, they might end up in a different county's jail.