Charlton County Jail Mugshots

Charlton County jail mugshots are kept by the sheriff's office in Folkston, Georgia. This rural county sits in the southeast corner of the state, close to the Florida line. The Charlton County jail is small and processes fewer bookings than most Georgia counties. You can search for current inmates and booking photos through online jail roster tools or by calling the sheriff's office. Booking records are public under Georgia law, and anyone can ask to see them. This page covers how to find Charlton County jail mugshots, what records the sheriff keeps, and your rights under state law.

Charlton County Sheriff's Office

The Charlton County Sheriff's Office runs the jail and handles all bookings in the county. The office is at 1548 Third Street, Folkston, GA 31537. You can call 912-496-7321 for questions about inmates or jail mugshots. The sheriff's staff handles arrests, bookings, and inmate care for the entire county.

Charlton County is one of the least populated counties in Georgia. The jail is small and holds a limited number of inmates at any given time. Despite its size, the booking process works the same as larger counties. When someone is arrested, the jail takes a mugshot, records their charges, and logs the booking details. All of this goes into the county's records system. Because the county is so small, you may get faster results by calling the sheriff's office than by searching online.

The sheriff's office keeps all booking records for the Charlton County jail on file. Staff can look up inmates by name and confirm custody status over the phone. For a small county like Charlton, a direct call is often the fastest way to get information.

Search Charlton County Jail Mugshots

There are a few ways to look up jail mugshots in Charlton County. The most direct method is to call the sheriff's office at 912-496-7321 and ask about a specific person. Staff can tell you if someone is in custody and give you basic booking info. For online searches, third-party jail roster sites collect data from the Charlton County jail and post it where you can search by name.

Charlton County is covered by Georgia's VINE system. VINE stands for Victim Information and Notification Everyday. You can register at www.vinelink.com or call 1-866-277-7477. VINE sends free alerts when an inmate's custody status changes. It covers the Charlton County jail and all Georgia county facilities.

VINE won't show you a mugshot. But it confirms that a person is in custody and lets you know when they are released or transferred. For crime victims and the public in the Folkston area, this is a helpful safety tool.

For people who have been sentenced and moved to state prison from Charlton County, the Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is the right tool. This covers state inmates only, not people held at the local Charlton County jail. You can search by name or GDC ID number. Results include mugshots when they are on file with the state system.

Charlton County Open Records Requests

Georgia's Open Records Act under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 gives anyone the right to ask for public records. This covers jail mugshots, booking logs, and arrest reports held by the Charlton County Sheriff's Office. The law says agencies must respond within three business days. You do not have to give a reason for your request.

In Charlton County, open records requests can go to the sheriff's office or through the city clerk. The Open Records custodian is City Clerk Darlene Williamson, located at 541 First St., Folkston, GA 31537. You can submit a written request for jail mugshots or other booking records. Copy fees are capped at 10 cents per page under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71, so the cost stays low for most requests.

If the agency does not respond in time or denies your request, you can file a complaint. The law is clear that booking records and jail mugshots are public. Some info may be withheld if it falls under a specific exemption, but the mugshot itself is generally available in Charlton County.

Mugshot Laws in Georgia

Jail mugshots in Charlton County are subject to Georgia state law. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19, law enforcement agencies in Georgia cannot post booking photos on websites except under certain conditions. Anyone who gets a jail mugshot from a Charlton County agency must sign a written statement that the photo will not be posted on a site that charges money for removal. This rule exists to stop commercial mugshot exploitation.

If you were arrested in Charlton County and your case was dismissed or you were found not guilty, you may qualify for record restriction. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37, certain arrests can be restricted from public view. Once restricted, your Charlton County jail mugshot and booking data no longer show up in public searches. You have to apply through the arresting agency or the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to start this process.

The state also has rules about mugshot websites that charge people to take down their photos. O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393.5 makes it a violation to publish arrest photos and then charge for removal. The Georgia Consumer Protection Division handles complaints about these sites. If a mugshot website posted your Charlton County booking photo and will not remove it within 30 days of a written request, you can file a complaint with the state.

Note: Record restriction does not erase the arrest from all systems, but it blocks most public access to the mugshot and booking data.

Charlton County Criminal History

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation runs the Georgia Crime Information Center, which holds criminal history records for all counties. If you need arrest records or booking data from Charlton County that go back further than the current jail roster, the GBI is the place to check. Their criminal history page explains how to request a background check.

A background check through the GBI costs a fee and takes a few weeks to process. This is different from looking up current jail mugshots. The GBI record covers all arrests statewide, including any bookings in Charlton County. It does not include mugshot photos in most cases, but it does list charges, court outcomes, and custody status. For the actual mugshot, you would still need to contact the Charlton County Sheriff's Office or check the online jail roster.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Charlton County. If you are not sure where someone was booked, check the county where the arrest happened. Jail mugshots are held by the county that did the booking.