Douglas County Jail

Check Douglas County Inmate Search first. It shows custody and the bail line. A booking from the last hour may not show. The jail's number, 770-942-4333, is answered every hour of every day, holidays included.

Sheriff runs the jail from 8470 Earl D. Lee Boulevard, Douglasville.

The sheriff's jail page puts bond hearings in Courtroom #2 on the third floor of the Douglas County Courthouse, 8700 Hospital Drive, Douglasville. The Magistrate Court's page says the judge decides whether to grant bond, how much, and what conditions apply. The two pages give slightly different start times, from 8:30 to 9:00 in the morning, so call the clerk at 770-920-7540 for the day's time.

Most arrested people appear at one of these hearings unless they already left on a pre-set bond.

The Magistrate Court calls it a bond decided in advance for a few misdemeanor offenses. A person who has already been released on one does not need a bond hearing. The court's page does not list which offenses count, so ask the clerk at 770-920-7540 before you assume yours is on the list.

A jailed person who cannot make bond may get a preliminary hearing on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. on the courthouse's third floor, as long as the case has not gone to the grand jury and no accusation has been drawn. A lawyer can tell you whether it helps.

The sheriff's pages do not say which forms of payment are taken for bonds or what hours the window runs. Call 770-942-4333 and ask who takes bonds, the hours, and whether cash, a cashier's check, or a card works. Georgia treats full cash payment as a deposit and requires a receipt (O.C.G.A. 17-6-4).

Do not confuse bond with inmate money. The sheriff says commissary deposits go through gettingout.com or by mailed U.S. Postal money order, and those deposits do not buy release.

The sheriff's page lists several local companies as a courtesy from the Magistrate Court and says it is not an endorsement. Georgia caps a bondsman's fee at 15 percent of the bond's face amount, with a $50 minimum for each bonded charge (O.C.G.A. 17-6-30), and that law has no refund rule, so read the contract. Under O.C.G.A. 17-6-1(j) the sheriff approves sureties, so ask at 770-942-2121 before signing anything.

The sheriff says to bring the deed to the home, a tax statement showing taxes are paid and current along with the fair market value, and the latest mortgage statement showing what is owed. Pages printed from the internet are not accepted. Georgia lets the sheriff approve property in the county where the offense took place (O.C.G.A. 17-6-12).

The county posts no bond schedule, so no dollar figures are listed here. A magistrate judge sets the amount at the hearing. Georgia bars excessive bail, and a person charged with a misdemeanor may not be refused bail (O.C.G.A. 17-6-1). Look in Douglas County Inmate Search for the figure.

The sheriff's page says probation violations have no bond. The probation officer meets with the person, and if they cannot reach an agreement a judge decides. Murder, rape, armed robbery, and some other charges can be bailed only by a superior court judge (O.C.G.A. 17-6-1(a)). A lawyer can petition that court for a hearing, which must be set within ten days. The Superior Court Clerk's line is 770-920-7252.

Georgia lists dozens of bail-restricted offenses, including DUI, burglary, aggravated assault, and family violence (O.C.G.A. 17-6-12). The release must be secured by cash, a bondsman, or property the sheriff approves.

On a warrant arrest, within 72 hours of arrest (O.C.G.A. 17-4-26). A person who is not told the time and place must be released. The jail at 770-942-4333 can tell you which hearing date applies.

Yes. The county's Public Defender Office is on the second floor of 8700 Hospital Drive, 770-949-1096, open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you cannot pay, ask the judge for a lawyer at your first hearing. Douglas County runs its own public defender office instead of using a state circuit office.

Get the report number from the department, then check Douglas County Inmate Search. The city does not post whether a station holds people before they go to the county jail, so ask the jail at 770-942-4333 where the person is.

A child's record is private, so Douglas County Inmate Search will not list one. The state's list shows Douglas County under both the Marietta Regional Youth Detention Center, 1575 County Services Parkway, Marietta, 770-528-4287, and the Bob Richards Regional Youth Detention Center, 200 Marable Way, Rome, 706-295-6035. Ask the county at 770-949-2000 or the state at 404-508-6500 which one holds the child.

The judge could order an arrest and hold on to the bond money. Phone the clerk for the next date and call a lawyer that day.

Cash returns after the case ends, less fines and costs. Cash no one claims for two years can go to the county (O.C.G.A. 17-6-4). A bondsman's fee follows its contract. No office frees anyone for gift cards, so phone the jail yourself at 770-942-4333.

A federal charge goes to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, not to a county court. Douglas County cases are heard in the Atlanta Division, Richard B. Russell Federal Building & US Courthouse, 75 Ted Turner Drive SW, Atlanta, GA 30303-3309; the clerk's line is 404-215-1600. 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.

Courthouse offices that handle criminal cases:

• Douglas County Clerk of Superior Court (Superior and State Court records), Douglas County Courthouse, 8700 Hospital Drive, Douglasville, GA 30134, (770) 920-7252
• Douglas County Solicitor-General, 8700 Hospital Drive, 3rd Floor, Douglasville, GA 30134, (770) 489-5238
• Douglas Judicial Circuit District Attorney, 8700 Hospital Drive, 2nd Floor, Douglasville, GA 30134, (770) 920-7292

Look at your citation, bond order or summons to confirm which court has your case.

The I-20 corridor and the retail centers around Arbor Place produce a steady stream of DUI, shoplifting and traffic arrests in Douglas County. Arrests by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office or the Georgia State Patrol in unincorporated areas are prosecuted in the State Court of Douglas County by the Solicitor-General, an elected county prosecutor who files charges by accusation rather than indictment. A charge brought by Douglasville police inside city limits may start in Douglasville Municipal Court, which handles city ordinances, traffic offenses and some state misdemeanors. That court does not seat juries; a defendant who wants a jury trial can demand one, and the case is then transferred to State Court.

The first 72 hours

Most misdemeanor defendants are released from the Douglas County Jail on a scheduled bond or on a citation without ever seeing a judge in custody. A person who remains in jail must be brought before a judge within 48 hours after an arrest without a warrant, or within 72 hours after an arrest on a warrant. A Douglas County magistrate presides over that first appearance, reviews bond and informs the defendant of the right to an attorney.

Appointed counsel

The Douglas Judicial Circuit is an opt-out circuit: rather than a Georgia Public Defender Council office, the county operates its own Douglas County Public Defender office. Anyone who cannot afford a lawyer and faces possible jail time is entitled to one, and the court appoints a lawyer for anyone who qualifies. Request counsel at your first appearance or arraignment, or call the Clerk of Superior Court at (770) 920-7252 for help locating your case.

Pleas, diversion and trial

State Court cases begin with an arraignment, followed in most instances by negotiations with the Solicitor-General's office. Common results are a reduced charge, a pretrial diversion agreement that ends in dismissal, or a First Offender plea that leaves no conviction once the sentence is completed. Contested cases are tried to six-person juries, and a demand for speedy trial requires trial in the current or next term of court.

Penalties and duration

A Georgia misdemeanor is punishable by up to 12 months in jail and up to a $1,000 fine, while a high and aggravated misdemeanor allows a fine of up to $5,000. A first DUI carries 10 days to 12 months with at least 24 hours actually served, a $300 to $1,000 fine, community service and a risk reduction course. A typical Douglas County misdemeanor is resolved within one to several months.

The Douglas Judicial Circuit District Attorney prosecutes every felony in Douglas County from offices on the second floor of the courthouse. Burglary, theft over $1,500, drug sales and trafficking, and aggravated assault are all felonies that end up in Douglas County Superior Court.

Magistrate Court and probable cause

A felony arrest leads first to a Magistrate Court appearance within the 48- or 72-hour deadline. In most felony cases, the Douglas County magistrate has authority to set bond. The defense may also request a commitment hearing, where the State must show probable cause before the case is bound over to Superior Court. An indictment returned first makes that hearing unnecessary.

Indictment and Superior Court arraignment

A grand jury indictment is generally required for a felony in Georgia, although a defendant can waive it and let the District Attorney proceed by accusation, a common step when a plea has been negotiated. Anyone jailed 90 days without indictment is entitled to a bond. Once indicted, a Douglas County defendant is arraigned in Superior Court, where a plea is entered and discovery is provided.

Public defender representation

Felony defendants who cannot afford counsel are represented by the Douglas County Public Defender, the county-funded office that handles indigent defense in the Douglas Circuit. Applicants are screened for financial eligibility, so bring documentation of income. Conflict cases, such as those with co-defendants, are assigned to outside appointed attorneys.

Sentencing and alternatives

Plea agreements resolve most Douglas County felonies, and eligible defendants may receive First Offender treatment. The circuit's accountability courts give qualifying defendants with substance abuse or mental health needs a supervised treatment route in place of prison. A felony trial is decided by 12 jurors who must reach a unanimous verdict. Most felonies carry at least one year, and many sentences mix confinement with probation. From arrest to final disposition, expect six to eighteen months.

Georgia designates seven offenses as serious violent felonies: murder, armed robbery, kidnapping, rape, aggravated child molestation, aggravated sodomy and aggravated sexual battery. In Douglas County these cases are prosecuted by the District Attorney in Superior Court under the same basic procedure as other felonies, but with mandatory prison terms and strict bond rules.

Bond decisions

A Douglas County magistrate has no authority to set bond for murder, rape, armed robbery or similar charges. Only a Superior Court judge can, after a hearing, and many defendants charged with these crimes remain in the Douglas County Jail awaiting trial.

Defense for serious charges

The Douglas County Public Defender represents defendants who cannot afford private counsel in these cases. When prosecutors seek the death penalty, the defense is generally taken on by the Capital Defender Division of the Georgia Public Defender Council.

Statutory penalties

• Murder: life with parole eligibility after 30 years, life without parole, or death; a jury must unanimously find a statutory aggravating circumstance before imposing death.
• Rape: a conviction in Douglas County Superior Court brings life, life without parole, or 25 years to life behind bars, followed by probation for the rest of the person's life.
• Armed robbery: Douglas County judges sentence this offense to life in prison or to 10 to 20 years.

Every serious violent felony other than murder requires a minimum of 10 years in prison without parole, probation or suspension. The First Offender Act cannot be used, and a second serious violent felony conviction results in mandatory life without parole. Marsy's Law, approved by Georgia voters in 2018, gives victims the right to notice of court proceedings and to be heard at bond, plea and sentencing.

Time to trial

Because of lab work, expert testimony and extensive pretrial motions, violent felony prosecutions in Douglas County generally take one to three years, and capital cases can extend longer.

A federal charge goes to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, not to a county court. Douglas County cases are heard in the Atlanta Division, Richard B. Russell Federal Building & US Courthouse, 75 Ted Turner Drive SW, Atlanta, GA 30303-3309; the clerk's line is 404-215-1600. 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.