Chatham County Inmate Population

Chatham County operates one of the largest jails in Georgia, located in Savannah. The Chatham County inmate population currently stands at 1,363 in a facility designed to hold 2,433 people. If you need to look up someone held at the Chatham County Jail, you can use state search tools, the local sheriff's office, and online databases. This page explains how to find inmates, what the current numbers look like, and your rights under Georgia law to access jail records. Chatham County covers Savannah and Pooler, along with several smaller communities on the coast. The sheriff runs the jail and handles all booking and release operations.

Chatham County Inmate Population Details

The Chatham County Jail is at 1050 Carl Griffin Drive in Savannah, Georgia 31405. With a capacity of 2,433 beds, this is one of the biggest county jails in the state. Right now, 1,363 inmates are being held. That puts it at 56% capacity. Even though the jail has room, the numbers are still significant. This is more inmates than most Georgia counties hold at full capacity.

What stands out is the pretrial rate. Of the 1,363 inmates in the Chatham County Jail, 1,279 are still waiting for trial. That is 93.8%. Almost every person here has not been convicted yet. They are being held on pending charges, unable to make bail, or denied release by a judge. This is one of the highest pretrial rates for a large jail in Georgia. It means the Chatham County inmate population is mostly made up of people who are legally presumed innocent.

The GDC profile for this jail is at gdc.georgia.gov. The screenshot below shows the Chatham County Jail listing on the Georgia Department of Corrections site.

This page provides the jail address, contact details, and basic facility info.

How to Search Chatham County Inmate Population

Finding inmates in Chatham County is straightforward. Several free tools are available.

The GDC Find an Offender page is the primary state search tool. Enter a name and it checks all facilities in Georgia. If the person is at the Chatham County Jail, you will see their current location, charges, and status. The GDC Offender Query tool gives more detailed search options. You can search by GDC ID number, full name, or use filters to narrow results.

VINELink Georgia is the best tool for tracking an inmate over time. Register and pick the person you want to follow. The system will alert you when they are released, transferred, or have a change in status. This is especially useful in Chatham County where the inmate population is large and people move through the system regularly. The Georgia Sheriffs' jail report is another public source for Chatham County jail population data.

Note: For the most current Chatham County inmate population count, the sheriff's office in Savannah is the fastest source.

Pretrial Detention in Chatham County

The 93.8% pretrial rate in Chatham County is very high. Out of 1,363 inmates, only 84 have been sentenced. Everyone else is waiting on the courts. This creates a complicated picture for the jail. Pretrial inmates need different handling than sentenced ones. They have more court appearances, more attorney visits, and their stays are less predictable. One person might be out in a week. Another could wait months or even years for trial.

High pretrial rates often point to a few things going on at once. Court backlogs slow things down. Some people cannot afford bail. Public defender offices may be stretched thin. Chatham County, as a major metro area centered on Savannah, deals with a high volume of cases that can overwhelm the court calendar. The result is that the Chatham County inmate population is dominated by people who have not been found guilty of anything. This costs the county money and raises real questions about how the pretrial system works in this part of Georgia.

Chatham County Inmate Population Records

Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, jail records in Chatham County are public. You can request booking logs, arrest reports, and inmate rosters from the sheriff. The law gives the sheriff three business days to respond. There may be copying fees for large requests.

O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72 covers what types of records are open and what can be withheld. Basic inmate data is always public. Medical records and certain law enforcement files may not be. For state-level records, the GDC Open Records page and the GovQA portal handle requests for anyone in state custody. Under O.C.G.A. § 42-9-53, parole records have added restrictions, but those usually do not affect basic Chatham County inmate population queries.

Chatham County and Savannah

Savannah is the county seat and the biggest city in Chatham County. Most arrests in Savannah end up at the Chatham County Jail on Carl Griffin Drive. The Savannah Police Department and the Chatham County Sheriff both make arrests in the area. All bookings go through the county jail regardless of which agency made the arrest.

Pooler is another growing city in Chatham County. Arrests there also go to the same county jail. The Chatham County inmate population reflects the combined law enforcement activity of several agencies operating in the area. Under O.C.G.A. § 42-8-40, some offenders may be placed on probation instead of being held in the jail, which helps keep the population from getting even higher. But with 1,363 inmates, Chatham County still has one of the larger jail populations in the state.

Cities in Chatham County

Chatham County includes Savannah and several surrounding cities. All arrests in these areas are processed through the Chatham County Jail. If someone was arrested in Savannah or Pooler, they are held at the county facility on Carl Griffin Drive.

Other communities in Chatham County include Garden City, Bloomingdale, Tybee Island, and Thunderbolt. Arrests in these towns also go through the Chatham County Sheriff and the county jail.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Chatham County on the Georgia coast. If you cannot find someone at the Chatham County Jail, they may be held in a neighboring county.