Crisp County Detention Center Inmate Bail & Bonds
Crisp County bail and bond: the Highway 300 detention center and the 7th Street courts
Adults arrested in Crisp County are held at the Crisp County Detention Center, 196 Georgia Highway 300 South in Cordele, which Sheriff runs. Use Crisp County Inmate Search to see if the person is in custody and what the bond is. The jail numbers are 229-276-2646 and 229-276-2647. The sheriff says most inmates can be bailed out, and a bond is set by a judge first.
1. Is my family member at the Crisp County Detention Center?
Check Crisp County Inmate Search. If you do not see the name, the booking may be only minutes old, so look again later. The jail answers at 229-276-2646, and the sheriff's main office is 229-276-2600. Ask whether another agency has a hold on the person.
2. Where is the jail, and who is the sheriff?
The detention center and Sheriff's Office share the address 196 Georgia Highway 300 South, Cordele, GA 31015. The sheriff's website says most inmates are eligible for bail, and that they can use jail phones to reach family, friends, or bail agents.
3. Does the jail hold people for other places?
The sheriff lists a transport count each month, so people are sometimes taken to court or other facilities. Ask the jail desk at 229-276-2646 where your relative sleeps tonight.
4. Who decides the bond?
A judicial officer does. Magistrate Court handles bond hearings and warrants. Chief Magistrate Judge' office is at 510 7th Street North, Suite 105, Cordele, and the number is 229-271-4728. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. After bond is set, a court date follows, says the sheriff.
5. How soon will a judge see my loved one?
O.C.G.A. 17-4-26 requires a person arrested on a warrant to be brought before a judge within 72 hours. Call the magistrate's office to ask for the time. If three days have passed, talk to a lawyer.
6. Which charges are too serious for the magistrate?
O.C.G.A. 17-6-1 says only a superior court judge can grant bond for certain crimes, including murder, rape, armed robbery, trafficking, and aggravated child molestation. A lawyer can petition the superior court, and a hearing must be set within ten days. The Clerk of Superior Court at 229-271-4726 handles court filings.
7. How do I pay a cash bond?
The sheriff's pages do not describe a bonding window, hours, or forms of payment. Call 229-276-2646 and ask where, when, and how, and write down the name of the person who tells you. Ask for a receipt that shows the case number.
8. How is that different from putting money on an account?
Cash deposited at the lobby kiosk, or sent through commissarydeposit.com, goes to the inmate's commissary and phone account. It is not a bond and does not free anyone. The sheriff says the kiosk takes cash only and money orders are not accepted for deposits.
9. Which bail agents work in Crisp County?
The sheriff mentions bail agents but names none. Ask the jail desk who it accepts, then call two. Georgia caps the price in O.C.G.A. 17-6-30(a): no more than 15 percent of the bond, with $50 allowed for a single bonded charge even if that is higher. A $10,000 bond, for instance, tops out at $1,500. Compare the fee, collateral, and what happens if the person misses court, and get everything in writing.
10. Can property be used instead?
O.C.G.A. 17-6-12 says the sheriff in the county where the offense happened approves property for restricted charges. Call the sheriff at 229-276-2600 about the deed, tax value, and mortgage papers, and about owners who live elsewhere.
11. What does a "no bond" entry on a Crisp inmate mean?
A superior-court-only charge will show no bond until that judge acts. A probation hold, parole hold, or warrant from another county can also block release. The jail can tell you which it is.
12. What if Cordele police made the arrest?
Cordele has its own police. Ask the officer for the report number and where the person is held, then check Crisp County Inmate Search. If the name does not appear, call the jail at 229-276-2646.
13. What will the bond be for my charge?
The county posts no chart of amounts. The judge's order sets the figure, and the booking record shows it. If it is blank, ask the Magistrate Court at 229-271-4728 if a bond hearing has been held.
14. What if the person arrested is a teen?
The state Department of Juvenile Justice runs the Crisp Regional Youth Detention Center, 130 Haralson Road, Cordele, GA 31015, at 229-271-4901. It takes youth from Colquitt, Crisp, Dooly, Houston, Lee, Macon, Sumter, Tift, Turner, and Worth Counties. Juvenile files are not public, so a child will not appear in the adult search. The Clerk of Superior and Juvenile Courts, 229-271-4726, can say when the hearing is.
15. How do I ask for a free lawyer?
Tell the judge at the first appearance you cannot hire one, and bring proof of income. Crisp County is served by the Cordele Circuit Public Defender, 716-B 16th Avenue East, Cordele, open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 229-276-2768.
16. How do I get the money back and avoid scams?
Ask the clerk how a cash bond is returned and keep every receipt. Nobody takes gift cards or app transfers to release a prisoner. If a caller pushes you to pay now, hang up and dial the jail yourself.
What if the charge is federal?
A federal charge goes to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, not to a county court. Crisp County cases are heard in the Albany Division, 201 West Broad Avenue, Albany, GA 31701; the clerk's line is (229) 430-8432. A federal magistrate judge decides on release, often within a day or two of arrest. Deputy U.S. Marshals move people to and from court, and the person may be housed in a county jail under contract. Once sentenced, look the person up with the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.
Crisp County bail contacts
- Jail
- Crisp County Detention Center, 196 Georgia Highway 300 South, Cordele, GA 31015; 229-276-2646 or 229-276-2647
- Bond guide
- Crisp County jail bail and bond instructions
- Sheriff
- same address; office 229-276-2600
- Custody lookup
- Crisp County Inmate Search
- Magistrate Court
- 510 7th Street North, Suite 105, Cordele, GA 31015; 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; 229-271-4728
- Clerk of Superior and Juvenile Courts
- 510 7th Street North, Cordele, GA 31015; 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; 229-271-4726
- Public defender
- Cordele Circuit Public Defender, 716-B 16th Avenue East, Cordele, GA 31015; 229-276-2768
- Youth detention
- Crisp Regional Youth Detention Center, 130 Haralson Road, Cordele, GA 31015; 229-271-4901
Crisp County fees, hours, and phone numbers may change, and the judge decides each bond. Call the jail or the clerk before you pay. This page is general help and is not legal advice.
How do Bail Bonds work at Crisp County Detention Center
The Crisp County Sheriff recommends that you might want to use a bail bond agent licensed to do business in Crisp County.
However if you don't want to use a bail bond agent:
- You can always pay a cash bond yourself, or use your home in Crisp County, or in some cases the state of Georgia, but the benefit of using a bail bond agent is that they take responsibility for making sure the inmate shows up for court in Crisp County, and if they don't, then they take the financial responsibility.
- The typical fee for a bond in Georgia is between 10-20% of the bail amount; usually 15% or less. So if an offender has a bail of $10,000.00, their bond will be $1500.00.
- Pay by cash, cashier's check, money order or credit card at the Crisp County Detention Center, or the courthouse in Crisp County where the offense took place.
Call 229-276-2646 to find out the exact bond (plus other fees) amount, or look it up online by looking up the information on the Crisp County inmate locator.
Crisp County Detention Center
Address:
196 Hwy. 300 South
Cordele, GA 31015
Phone:
229-276-2646
Frequently Asked Questions about Bail and Bonds in Crisp County
What kind of bonds are accepted in Crisp County?
Who can set bail in Crisp County?
When is bail set in Crisp County Georgia?
Does Crisp County have bail?
Yes, Crisp County recognizes most types of bonds.
What kind of bonds are accepted in Crisp County?
Georgia offers several types of pre-trial release including own recognizance, cash bond, property bond & surety. The court will consider what type of bonds will be accepted depending on the circumstances of the arrest.
Who can set bail in Crisp County?
In many cases Georgia follows a pre-set bail schedule, so sheriffs & constables are able to accept bail immediately after processing. For those offense where immediate release in not permitted, or when a defendant does not qualify for immediate release, bail will be determined by a judge.
When is bail set in Crisp County Georgia?
Georgia uses a pre-set bail schedule, meaning the bail is set based on the offense and thus us know to police at the time of arrest. In cases where bail is not pre-set, or the defendant does not qualify for immediate release, a judge of the superior court will determine bail at a bail hearing. This hearing shall be scheduled with 48 – 72 hours depending on the classification of the crime the defendant is accused.
What is Bail?
Bail is what the arrested in Crisp County must pay or do to stay out of jail until the first court appearance.
The agreement to bail acts as a promise that the arrested will return to court for court dates and trial. Bail usually refers to a dollar amount, but bail can also mean something that has to be done, or a condition such as reporting to an officer of the court, a curfew, restraining orders or attending a treatment program.
Bail is usually a significant enough amount of money and/or condition that the person will be negatively impacted and has incentive to return to court and not flee. A flight risk usually means that the person would flee the area, and not necessary that they are going to take an airplane.
If a judge in Crisp County feels that the arrested will return to court for further proceedings, the arrested could be released under a conditional release without needing to pay bail money. This is called Released on Own Recognizance, or ROR.
Conditions for ROR might be to obey all court orders and laws, maintain contact with the lawyer, report changes in residence or have no contact with the victim. Family support will show the court that there are people who will make sure that the defendant makes it to court.
A bond proceeding is the determination of how much bail is to be paid and usually happens before arraignment. A Bond hearing is a determination by a magistrate to determine an amount a person may pay to be released while the case is pending. Sometimes certain crimes will have preset bonds, that can become payable the moment an arrest is made.
The minimum bond in Georgia is $1,000. If a court seeks a bond lower than that then it must be an OR bond, meaning the accused shall be released on their own recognizance, with no money down. During bond proceedings, the defendant is not required to have an attorney but has the right to an attorney if the defendant want one.
If the judge or bail schedule determines that the defendant would be a danger to the public if they were released, bail can be denied, and the person will be detained in the Crisp County Detention Center until the case is resolved or goes to trial.
Bail can be denied if the defendant did not comply with bail conditions from a previous arrest. Bail is usually denied in cases of violent offenses.
What is the difference between Bail and Bond?
Bail and bond are used interchangeably to mean the same thing but technically, they are different.
The bail is the amount to be paid and a bond is a signed document promising payment of the bail amount with certain conditions.
Think of a bond as a loan to pay for the bail.
The bond payment is always written to the court in your municipality, Crisp County or district directly and does not go through the defendant. Chances of obtaining a bond from a bond company or clerk of court are better if family is involved.
The thought of being in jail can cause the arrested to panic and try to secure a bond immediately.
DO NOT panic and take the time to understand all the options.
More courts are now trying to work with defendants to make bail work and might provide non-monetary options or even reduce the bail.
Payments to a bond company are not refundable. It is a long process to get back property title or money that was given to the clerk of court or bondsperson to secure the bond. This could put your loved ones into a difficult financial situation.
Another reason not to unnecessarily rush into securing a bond is that if the court notes that you came up with the money to pay a bond company, they may assume you have resources to pay a defense attorney and decline public defense.
On the other hand, as anyone who has ever been involved in their criminal defense understands, fighting your case while ‘out on the streets’ gives you a much better chance of either winning, or getting a more favorable sentence.
What are the different types of bonds in Crisp County?
Based on a review of information from the arrest, the judge or bail officer will determine and notify the accused of which types of bonds are available to them.
To describe the types of bonds, let’s use an example of buying your neighbor’s car. Your neighbor decides the price of the car and how they would be paid.
Similarly, the court (meaning a police or bail officer, clerk of court, bail magistrate or judge) determines the bail amount and how it would be paid.
Here are different options that the seller of the car or the court might consider:
You could pay full asking price for the car in cash. This is similar to paying cash bail. The full amount of bail would be paid to the town or county clerk or at the jail. Cash, cashier’s checks and credit cards are usually accepted.
You could sign an agreement on your own or with another person to pay for the car at a future date knowing that your neighbor would know where to find you if you stopped payment.
This would be similar to a cash bond or a personal recognizance (PR) bond which are bonds to where someone representing the defendant signs paperwork promising to pay the bail amount if the defendant does not show up to court. There is no money due up front.
If the defendant does not show up, the full amount of the bail will be due to the court and the people who signed the paperwork will be responsible for paying the court and the court will send the sheriff’s department to arrest you.
Cash bonds and PR bonds are types of unsecured bonds because you are not securing it with any money down. In bond terms, a surety is a person who will be responsible for making sure that you will show to court and will be responsible to pay the bond if the arrested person does not show up.
Surety can be family, friend or a bondsperson. Your attorney cannot act as a surety.
You can put a deposit down for your neighbor’s car and sign an agreement that the car will be paid off at a later date. Cash percentage in lieu of bonds is when the defendant pays a percentage of the bail amount, usually 10%, to the court which then holds the money until the case is over.
The amount is returned to the person who paid the 10% after the case is over. In most cases, the full amount is not returned if there are court fees or fines due. This is a type of surety bond if another person signs the bond paperwork.
You could sign an agreement that if the car were not paid off, that your neighbor would get your house or something of value.
A property bond is a bond that the courts might consider in which the bond is pledged in land or home real estate (mobile homes are not accepted).
Usually, the property must be in the same state as the courts, and it must be worth at least 1 ½ - 2 times the amount of the bond.
There are multiple court fees involved to execute a property bond with the courts and a tedious process to get the property deed back. This is another type of surety bond if another person or a bond company is used to secure the bond.
You could also go to a local bank and take out a car loan offering property or anything of value for collateral. You may get someone to co-sign on the loan and offer their property. The bank charges fees, interest and could keep your property if you did not pay the loan back, or even on time.
A professional bondsperson makes money, at least 10% of the bond amount by providing you with a “loan” called a bond. The percent that they charge is fixed by the state and cannot be negotiated. The defendant or surety does not get that 10% or more back even if the terms of the bail are met.
With a property bond, the property deed would need to be signed over to the bondsperson and everyone on the deed would need to be involved.
Since the bondsperson signed off, to be responsible that you show to court as your surety, they can send a bounty hunter to bring you to court if you flee. A bondsperson does not have to give you a bond if the defendant seems to be too much of a risk.
Ask the bondsperson to explain all the costs: percentage, fees or court fees. There is never a reason to rush through signing the paperwork with a bond company. Make sure that everything told to you is in writing and that you understand what you are signing. Ask questions, and if you feel rushed or don’t understand the contract with the bond company, you might want to call another one.
(There have been phone scams where a bond company calls and informs a person that their family member has been arrested and they ask for financial information. A bondsperson will not call asking for money without involvement of the arrested.)
Does Crisp County have bail?
Yes, Crisp County recognizes most types of bonds.
What kind of bonds are accepted in Crisp County?
Georgia offers several types of pre-trial release including own recognizance, cash bond, property bond & surety. The court will consider what type of bonds will be accepted depending on the circumstances of the arrest.
Who can set bail in Crisp County?
In many cases Georgia follows a pre-set bail schedule, so sheriffs & constables are able to accept bail immediately after processing. For those offense where immediate release in not permitted, or when a defendant does not qualify for immediate release, bail will be determined by a judge.
When is bail set in Georgia?
Georgia uses a pre-set bail schedule, meaning the bail is set based on the offense and thus us know to police at the time of arrest. In cases where bail is not pre-set, or the defendant does not qualify for immediate release, a judge of the superior court will determine bail at a bail hearing. This hearing shall be scheduled with 48 – 72 hours depending on the classification of the crime the defendant is accused.
Can I get the bail or bond reduced in Crisp County Georgia?
Yes, if there are extenuating circumstances and the judge set the initial bail, your attorney can request a bond reduction.
In Crisp County Georgia, who can pay bail for me?
The person posting bail should be a relative or close friend, called a surety, because they are promising and taking responsibility that you will return to court to get their money back.
A surety is not responsible for court fees or paying off personal debts for the defendant. A professional bondsperson who is approved by the State of Georgia could be the surety and execute a bond to the court on your behalf.
Can bail be paid online in Crisp County Georgia?
Yes, Georgia does offer online bail payment. Please contact the jail for specific information on how to pay bail. Go to the Crisp County Detention Center for more information about the jails in Crisp County.
What options are there to pay bail in Crisp County Georgia?
Cash or security; credit card in some counties. The security may be either cash or property. Bail may be posted at the appropriate county jail or sheriff’s office in which the defendant is charged.
Please contact the jail for specific information on what methods of payment are accepted. Go to the Crisp County Detention Center for more information about posting bail in Crisp County.
Will I get all my bond money back in Georgia?
Bail money is returned to the person who paid the bail; in whole or in part once the case is finished.
There may be fees, restitution (money to pay for damage caused by the crime) or fines that come out of that amount. If you used a bondsperson, you would not get your 10% back. Property is returned by the court or bondsperson after the appropriate requests and formal paperwork are completed with the court.
Can I get bail or a bond with no money down in Crisp County?
The judge or officer who sets bail determines which kind of bail will be an option for you, but a cash bond and PR bonds usually do not require cash down, though you might have to pay court fees.
A cash bond or a personal recognizance (PR) bond are bonds where someone representing the defendant signs paperwork promising to pay the bail amount if the defendant does not show up to court. There is no money due up front.
If the defendant does not show up, the full amount of the bail will be due to the court and the people who signed the paperwork will be responsible for paying the court and the court will send the sheriff’s department to arrest you.
Cash bonds and PR bonds are types of unsecured bonds because you are not securing it with any money down. In bond terms, a surety is a person who will be responsible to make sure that you will show to court and will be responsible to pay the bond if the arrested person does not show up. A surety can be family, friend or a bondsperson. Your attorney cannot act as a surety.
What are the least expensive and affordable bail bonds in Georgia?
The Crisp County Detention Center or court in this jurisdiction can provide you with a list of approved and licensed bond companies, but they cannot recommend a specific company. You are not obligated to use the first company available and can call several companies to compare what kind of bonds that the bondsperson is willing to execute.
The percentage of bail that the bond company can charge is set, usually at 10%, by the state and cannot be negotiated.