Bibb County Corrections Center

Bonds are finished on the sheriff's side, since the state's bail law, 17-6-1, lets the county sheriff approve or reject the sureties and land offered to secure a release. Georgia's 17-6-1(e)(4) says a money bond in Macon is satisfied only at its full face value, whether paid in cash, written through a bonding company, or covered by land approved at the sheriff's office. A call to 478-621-5611 settles the practical points first: where in Macon to post, during which hours, how much, and whether a second county or agency also wants the person.

The sheriff's site links to an inmate lookup at inmate.bibbsheriff.us for people housed in its facilities. Open the record and look count by count. Bond can also change after a hearing in magistrate, state or superior court. No Bibb misdemeanor charge can be held without bail, subsection (b)(1) of the statute says, and any conditions must be limited to what reasonably secures attendance and safety. A magistrate may set a written bail schedule for many charges, though family violence cases never use one. For a figure you can rely on, call the jail at 478-621-5611 on the day you intend to pay and ask for each charge separately.

First appearances and most bond decisions happen in the Bibb County Civil and Magistrate Court, 601 Mulberry Street, 4th Floor, Macon, GA 31201, main phone 478-621-5801. Its bench has a chief judge, a chief associate judge and several magistrates. Misdemeanors that go to State Court come before one of its two judges. Treason, rape, murder, armed robbery and every other charge listed in 17-6-1(a) are reserved for a Macon Judicial Circuit superior court judge. For those listed charges, a defense petition goes to the circuit's superior court, which notifies the district attorney and schedules a hearing no more than ten days out.

Georgia allows four main routes, though a judge may limit them in a given case. A cash bond is the full figure deposited with the jail, returned at the end if every court date is kept. A property bond pledges Georgia land that the sheriff's office approves as security. With a surety bond, a state-licensed bail agent posts the full amount and charges the family a nonrefundable premium. A release on recognizance, sometimes called a signature bond, requires only a written promise to appear. Since July 2024, 17-6-1(i) counts only secured release as bail; a signature release is a separate unsecured judicial release governed by 17-6-12. The sheriff decides whether to accept the property under 17-6-1, so call 478-621-5611 to get the current checklist and to learn whether the charge allows a property bond before collecting papers.

Under 17-6-30 a Macon bonding company may keep no more than the greater of $50 a count or 15 percent of the bond's amount. That fee is not refundable even when the case is dismissed. Which bonding companies are approved in Bibb is a sheriff's office decision, and 478-621-5611 can read you the current roster. Subsection (j) of the bail statute then requires the sheriff to take a bond whose sureties were approved. Because the 17-6-30 floor is figured per count, a bond covering several charges can carry several $50 minimums.

Once a Macon judge fixes a figure, release money for a Bibb arrest is paid at the sheriff's office, either as cash covering every dollar or through a surety firm on the sheriff's approved roster. The Civil and Magistrate Court publishes its own counter rules for court filings: no cash after 4:30 p.m., no $100 bills, and Visa or Mastercard debit and credit cards accepted. A bondsman charges a fee capped by 17-6-30 and may ask for collateral or an indemnitor. Carry photo identification along with the defendant's full name, Jacket ID and docket or warrant reference. Call 478-621-5611 to learn which payment types the bond desk takes and its overnight hours before heading to the jail.

When the case ends and all court dates were kept, the deposit is usually returned to whoever posted it, but a judge may first take out fines, fees or restitution. Refund questions after a misdemeanor case may go to the State Court clerk at 478-621-6200, and after a felony to the Superior Court clerk's office; the county site lists that office's contacts. Where Bibb court rules provide for it, a misdemeanor defendant's cash deposit can be kept after a no-show and treated as a plea of guilty, as 16-10-51(d) allows.

A Macon judge facing an empty defense chair can order an arrest and start forfeiture. The Warrant Department of the sheriff's office serves these warrants and also handles court-ordered production of prisoners. Georgia also punishes the no-show itself: a felony defendant who skips court faces a separate one-to-five-year count and a fine as high as $5,000 under 16-10-51, and a misdemeanor defendant a misdemeanor charge. The Bibb State Court site warns that missing a criminal court date may result in an arrest warrant.

Yes. A lawyer can file a motion for bond reduction and ask for a hearing. Under 17-6-1(e), a Macon judge may release only after finding the defendant unlikely to flee, threaten anyone, commit a new felony or pressure witnesses, and must weigh the person's assets, earnings and support of dependents. The Macon Circuit Public Defender, 201 Second Street, Suite 550, Macon, GA 31201, 478-621-5950, handles cases for people who cannot afford counsel. A person refused bail and not indicted within 90 days of arrest can have bail set on application under 17-7-50.

Georgia's 17-6-12, as amended by SB 63 effective July 1, 2024, names certain bail restricted charges for which a Macon court may not grant an unsecured judicial release or recognizance, so a cash, property or surety bond is required. For family violence charges, 17-6-1(f)(2) forbids using a schedule; the bond figure comes from a judge, who may order the defendant to stay away from the victim and the victim's family and to attend counseling. Someone booked for DUI with a blood-alcohol reading above Georgia's legal threshold can be kept as long as six hours, per subsection (b)(2)(A) of 17-6-1.

Yes. The jail must try to determine the nationality of people it holds under 42-4-14. If ICE files a detainer, 8 CFR 287.7(d) permits the jail to hold the person for no more than 48 hours, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, after they would otherwise go free. Posting bond in the state case does not cancel that federal request. Georgia also bars sanctuary rules under 36-80-23. Families can reach ICE's Detention Reporting and Information Line at 1-888-351-4024, and ICE says it shares a detainee's information with others only with a signed privacy waiver or an attorney's Form G-28.

A youth under 17 on a delinquency charge goes before the Oglethorpe Street juvenile bench, 478-621-6448, whose detention hearings replace the adult bond process; secure custody for Bibb youth is at the regional center on Riggins Mill Road. A federal case from Macon stays in the Middle District's Macon Division, and release there rests with a U.S. magistrate judge under federal rules, generally without any commercial bondsman. The sheriff's corrections page says the adult jail holds men and women 17 and older, and the county's juvenile court page confirms delinquency cases cover those under 17.

The Superior Court of Bibb County, part of the Macon Judicial Circuit, has exclusive original jurisdiction over felonies except where the defendant is a juvenile. The county site says the circuit has five superior court judges and one active senior judge, all keeping their main offices in the Bibb County Courthouse. It lists a chief judge and four other judges. Each judge posts an instruction sheet and calendar call on the county site. Felony court dates are best confirmed with the Superior Court clerk before a trip to the courthouse.

The county site lists the clerk of Superior Court along with a chief deputy, a court management clerk and a criminal filings clerk. The clerk's page carries a public notice about limited access to the office, so call or email before going in person. The clerk keeps felony case files, receives bond paperwork after indictment and handles jury duty. The office also offers notary applications, which since June 1, 2022 require an online course and exam. Have a case number ready when you call.

State Court hears misdemeanors, including DUI, traffic offenses and simple battery, along with civil cases. It has two judges, and an interim clerk answers at 478-621-6200. The court is in the J. Taylor Phillips Courthouse, 601 Mulberry Street, Room 500, Macon, GA 31201, with mail to P.O. Box 5086, Macon, GA 31213-7199, and is open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The chief probation officer is at 478-621-6679. Pleadings are filed through an online e-filing service, which is not the court's official file. A misdemeanor sentence in Bibb State Court often includes probation, fines and fees, and the court's website offers online payment of probation fees and traffic citations. The chief probation officer oversees supervision, reachable at 478-621-6679.

Macon runs a combined Civil and Magistrate Court from the courthouse's fourth floor at 601 Mulberry Street, staffed during business hours, main phone 478-621-5801. An elected chief magistrate leads the court. For criminal matters its judges sign arrest and search warrants, preside over first appearances and fix bond in most cases. On the civil side it handles small claims, landlord and tenant disputes and garnishments, and it performs weddings. Ask at the main phone which judge has that day's first-appearance calendar. Most adult criminal hearings in Bibb are held in the courthouse complex on Mulberry Street, with the magistrate bench on the fourth floor, State Court in Room 500 and probate on the second floor; juvenile cases are across town at the Oglethorpe Street justice center. If you do not know the courtroom, the clerk of the court where the case is pending can tell you from the case number.

Warrants are issued by judges, most often by the Civil and Magistrate Court at 478-621-5801, and are served by the sheriff's Warrant Department, which also transports fugitives and handles production orders. A bench warrant can also come from state or superior court when someone misses a date. The State Court site warns that failing to appear for a criminal court date may result in a warrant for your arrest. A person arrested on a warrant must be taken before a judge within 72 hours under 17-4-26, and one held without a warrant within 48 hours under 17-4-62. At that hearing, usually in magistrate court, the judge reads the charges, explains rights, asks about a lawyer and sets bond where the law allows.

A true bill from the Bibb grand jury sends the matter to a superior court arraignment and a formal plea. Then come discovery, motions and plea talks, and if no agreement is reached, a jury trial before one of the five circuit judges. Outcomes range from a first offender disposition or probation to fines and prison time. A person refused bail and not indicted within 90 days of arrest can have bail set on application under 17-7-50. Under the First Offender Act, 42-8-60, a qualifying first-time defendant who completes the sentence ends up with no conviction.

The Macon Circuit district attorney's office handles felony prosecutions, while the Solicitor-General takes State Court misdemeanors; the county site lists both offices under its Judicial menu. Victims and witnesses with questions about a case can begin with the clerk of the court where it is pending, who can point them to the right prosecutor's office. Under Marsy's Law, added to Georgia's constitution in 2018, crime victims have a right to notice of proceedings and to be heard at bond, plea and sentencing.

The Macon Circuit Public Defender is the office state defender records assign to eligible adults from Bibb, Crawford and Peach. Its office is at 201 Second Street, Suite 550, Macon, GA 31201, phone 478-621-5950. Under 17-12-2, eligibility rests on the applicant's finances, and someone out on bond fills out a financial affidavit so the office can compare income with federal poverty guidelines. If prosecutors give notice that they will seek death, a separate statewide office, the Capital Defender Division, steps in for the defense.

The probate judge and clerk run the court on the second floor of 601 Mulberry Street, Macon, GA 31201; mail goes to P.O. Box 6518, Macon, GA 31208. The county describes the court's exclusive jurisdiction over wills, the administration of estates and the appointment of guardians, and all weapons carry and marriage license applications are handled in person. Call 478-621-6494 for court matters or 478-621-6493 for licenses during weekday business hours. Video hearings are offered for some estate and guardianship matters; carry permits and marriage licenses still require a visit.

The Juvenile Court at the Juvenile Justice Center, 560 Oglethorpe Street, Macon, GA 31201, serves Bibb, Crawford and Peach under Title 15, Chapter 11. It has two full-time judges. Filings are taken from 8:30 in the morning until 4:30 in the afternoon, and the court answers at 478-621-6448. Visitors pass through a metal detector, all items are searched and weapons are banned. Case details are confidential. Detained youth from Bibb go to the Macon Regional Youth Detention Center at 4164 Riggins Mill Road.

For non-citizens, a plea in a Macon courtroom can trigger removal, and Padilla v. Kentucky requires defense counsel to advise on that risk, so tell the lawyer about status early. Bibb jailers have a 42-4-14 duty to look into each prisoner's citizenship, and a federal detainer under 8 CFR 287.7(d) can follow, holding a person in the Macon jail up to 48 hours past release, with Saturdays, Sundays and holidays left out of the count. Once ICE takes custody, families can track transfers with the ICE online detainee locator.

Federal prosecutions from Bibb belong to the Macon Division of Georgia's middle federal district; 28 U.S.C. 90 places Bibb, Crawford and Peach among its 18 counties. A state prison term is served in the Department of Corrections system, with the wait for transfer spent in Macon. Relatives with questions can phone GDC at 404-656-4661; letters to the department go to 300 Patrol Road, Forsyth, GA 31029. Probation after a state court misdemeanor is supervised through the State Court probation office, not by the state prison system.

A guilty verdict in a Bibb courtroom starts several short clocks. Georgia's 5-5-40 gives the defense 30 days from the judgment to move for a new trial, and 5-6-38 sets the same 30-day window for a notice of appeal, counted from the judgment or from the order that resolves a new-trial motion. Under 17-10-1(f), the sentencing judge keeps power to correct or reduce the sentence for one year after it is imposed, or for 120 days after an appeal is affirmed, whichever is later, but the motion has to be filed within that period. A later habeas corpus petition belongs, under 9-14-43, in the superior court of the county where the person is being held, so while the person stays in the Macon jail, the petition goes to Bibb Superior Court.

For a person serving a Georgia felony prison sentence, release on parole is decided by the State Board of Pardons and Paroles, not by the Bibb judge or the sheriff. The board's official website explains how parole consideration works and how relatives and victims can send letters or other information about a case. Once the Department of Corrections has taken custody, its Find an Offender search shows the assigned prison and the GDC number, which the board uses to identify the case in correspondence. Someone still waiting in Macon for transfer will not show a prison assignment in that search until the move to a state facility is finished.