Giles County Jail

Use Giles County Inmate Search to see custody status, charges, and the bond amount. A new booking may need time to appear. If it does not, call the jail at 931-363-3505 during office hours, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Giles County Jail is at 200 Thomas Gatlin Drive, Pulaski, TN 38478, and the Sheriff's Department runs it. Sheriff Joe Purvis heads the department, whose duties include keeping the peace, serving court papers, attending court, and operating the jail.

The court approves the companies that may write professional surety bonds in Giles County. The Sheriff's Department posts the current approved list on its website, and the list can change without notice. Check it before you sign anything.

State law gives a guide of about 10 percent for people who live in Tennessee, with higher percentages for out-of-state residents. The two fixed add-ons are $25 and $12. Any extra collateral must be written on a receipt that says how you get it back.

For a cash bond, yes. The deposit equals the bail amount in full, and Tennessee has no standard 10 percent cash option for the defendant. The 10 percent figure belongs to bondsmen.

No. The kiosk in the jail lobby takes cash, credit, or debit deposits for the inmate's commissary account. That money buys hygiene items and other purchases. It does not pay a bond and does not release anyone.

A bond may also rest on the written promise of two sufficient sureties who are not bondsmen or lawyers. The court decides whether they are sufficient. A bondsman or real estate bond is usually the faster route.

The clerk's office at 1 Public Square keeps the court's dockets and records for Circuit, General Sessions, Juvenile, and Traffic courts. Walk-in hours are weekdays from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m., and the phone is 931-363-5311.

Circuit Criminal Court meets the fourth Monday and Tuesday of each month. Giles is in the 22nd Judicial District, along with Lawrence, Maury, and Wayne. Trial dates follow the judges' schedules, so ask the clerk for the exact date on a case.

The person signs a paper agreeing to come to every court date and is released without paying. Tennessee law has the court consider this before money. A lawyer can ask for it at the first hearing.

Tennessee court rules call for a first appearance without unnecessary delay. In General Sessions the judge may reduce, set, or review bond. Ask a lawyer to raise a bond request at that first hearing.

The court can bar contact with the victim, keep the person away from the victim's home and work, bar firearms, and bar alcohol. Some cases require GPS monitoring. A violation can mean immediate arrest and loss of the bond.

Under a federal consent decree entered January 13, 2022, the Sheriff's Department recalled misdemeanor probation arrest warrants issued before that date and will not enforce them. Call the Circuit Court Clerk at 931-363-5311 about a warrant issued after that date.

Each inmate may have one 15-minute visit per day. In-person visitors use the free kiosk in the Sheriff's front lobby. Remote visits are booked online, and the connection fee is $1.50 plus $0.35 per minute by credit card.

A cash depositor risks the deposit, and a bondsman owes the court the whole bond. Land pledged as security can also be pursued. Remind the person of every date in writing.

No. That payment is what the bondsman earns for the service. Cash deposited with the court is different, because that money returns when the case ends, less fines and costs.

Real bond payments go through the jail, the clerk, or a bondsman the court has approved. Pressure to pay in minutes, in gift cards, or by money app is a warning sign. Verify by calling a number you found yourself.

The defendant or a lawyer can ask a judge to review it. A commissioner cannot change a bond that has already been set. Call the public defender at 931-380-2598 if you cannot pay for counsel.

• Jail: Giles County Jail, 200 Thomas Gatlin Drive, Pulaski, TN 38478; 931-363-3505; office hours Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Bail and bond guide: Jail bail and bond page
• Custody lookup: Giles County Inmate Search
• Circuit Court Clerk: 1 Public Square, Pulaski, TN 38478; 931-363-5311
• County offices: 222 West Madison Street, Pulaski, TN 38478; 931-363-5300
• Public defender: 22nd Judicial District, 931-380-2598

A court order can change fees, amounts, and hours at any time. Make a call to the jail or clerk about your own case before you pay. This guide is general information and does not give legal advice.

An arrest in Giles County begins a legal process that can be difficult to follow if you have never dealt with Tennessee courts. The county seat is Pulaski, but the exact courtroom depends on whether the charge is a city ordinance violation, a misdemeanor, or a felony. The questions below cover court contacts, booking, release, misdemeanors, felonies, public defenders, penalties, juvenile proceedings, and federal cases.

Circuit Court Clerk — court filings and hearing information

Giles County Circuit Court Clerk — Mailing address: P.O. Box 678, Pulaski, TN 38478. This is not a physical courthouse address.

Circuit Court Clerk telephone: (931) 363-5311

Circuit clerks handle many criminal and civil filings. Chancery Courts usually address civil and equity matters, while General Sessions Courts handle many initial criminal hearings. Call the applicable clerk for the specific courtroom assignment.

Giles County: the county seat is Pulaski. Tennessee General Sessions Court ordinarily handles initial criminal appearances, misdemeanor proceedings within its authority, and felony preliminary hearings. Felony jury trials are heard in the Circuit or Criminal Court serving Giles County. The Circuit Court Clerk is responsible for criminal filings and records in courts assigned to that clerk; some Tennessee counties have separate criminal clerks.

Courthouse and court clerk contacts

The clerk's office can tell you which courtroom to use.

Chancery Court generally hears civil matters such as certain family, property, estate, and business disputes; a Chancery clerk is not a substitute for the criminal clerk. The exact court named on a summons controls where the hearing takes place.

After a custodial arrest in Giles County, the arresting agency arranges booking and detention. The person may be housed in a county facility or another authorized jail under an established custody arrangement.

Booking may include identification, fingerprints, a photograph, a property inventory, and a medical or mental-health screening. The defendant is then brought before the proper judicial officer for a probable-cause and release decision as required by law. A family member should write down the full legal name, booking number if known, charges, and scheduled hearing.

A judge or authorized magistrate decides whether someone charged in Giles County can go home before trial and under what conditions. Release on recognizance means there is no up-front bond payment; other orders may require a cash deposit, surety, supervision, travel restrictions, or no contact with another person. Commercial bonding is permitted in Tennessee, but a bondsman cannot decide the court’s bond amount.

If the order allows payment, first establish whether the court or jail collects the money, the exact amount, and whether another hold prevents release. A paid bond does not erase the charges and missing court can lead to forfeiture and arrest.

Many less serious cases in Pulaski begin in General Sessions Court. A prosecutor can discuss a plea, dismissal or diversion; not every offense qualifies. A defendant does not receive a full jury trial in General Sessions Court, and a final misdemeanor decision there requires appropriate consent or waiver under Tennessee law. The case may instead proceed in a court with jury-trial authority.

Maximum misdemeanor punishments

• Class A misdemeanor: up to 11 months and 29 days in jail, a fine up to $2,500, or both.
• Class B misdemeanor: up to 6 months and/or a fine up to $500.
• Class C misdemeanor: up to 30 days and/or a fine up to $50.

These are the usual class limits under Tenn. Code § 40-35-111, not promised outcomes. DUI, domestic assault and other offenses can add required fees, treatment, jail minimums, or enhanced penalties based on earlier convictions.

A felony complaint arising in Giles County may start before a General Sessions judge for the initial appearance and preliminary hearing. That hearing tests whether there is enough evidence to continue; it does not decide guilt. A grand jury may indict and the case then moves to the county’s Circuit or Criminal Court. Tennessee also provides other lawful charging routes and waivers in limited circumstances.

After formal charges, the defense can obtain discovery, seek hearings on contested evidence, negotiate a plea, or request trial. A serious felony trial typically uses a twelve-person jury. Felony cases can take substantially longer than minor citations, so hearing notices and attorney communications matter.

A homicide, robbery, rape, or aggravated-assault accusation in Giles County brings particularly serious release and sentencing questions. Judges examine the actual charge and lawful detention criteria; no family should assume that paying a bond automatically means release if there are warrants or other holds.

For example, Tennessee treats many intentional aggravated assaults involving serious bodily injury or a deadly weapon as Class C felonies, with a statutory class range of 3–15 years. Some forms are Class B or D, and the aggravated-assault statute separately caps the ordinary offense fine at $15,000. Murder and other offenses have special sentencing statutes beyond the ordinary felony chart. Defense counsel should review the exact subsection charged.

For a child under 18 accused of wrongdoing in Giles County, the juvenile-court process is different from an adult prosecution. Police or an intake officer may refer the complaint for informal services or ask the juvenile court to hear it. Detention is a separate decision and does not necessarily mean the child has been found delinquent.

A juvenile judge can consider supervision, treatment, community services, restitution, and placement when legally authorized. In especially serious cases, Tennessee law permits transfer proceedings to adult criminal court after a hearing and required findings. Families should ask promptly about appointed counsel, the detention hearing and any restrictions on release of a minor's records.

The punishment depends on the precise statute, offense date, prior record, and any mandatory or alternative-sentence rules. For crimes governed by ordinary Tennessee classification ranges, the overall imprisonment and usual maximum fines are:

• Class A: 15–60 years; ordinary fine ceiling $50,000.
• Class B: 8–30 years; ordinary fine ceiling $25,000.
• Class C: 3–15 years; ordinary fine ceiling $10,000.
• Class D: 2–12 years; ordinary fine ceiling $5,000.
• Class E: 1–6 years; ordinary fine ceiling $3,000.
• Class A misdemeanor: up to 11 months and 29 days in jail, a fine up to $2,500, or both.
• Class B misdemeanor: up to 6 months and/or a fine up to $500.
• Class C misdemeanor: up to 30 days and/or a fine up to $50.

A court may impose probation, diversion, restitution, treatment or a suspended sentence when the law permits. Tennessee’s felony offender-range rules narrow the sentence within the broader class range; special laws and prior violent convictions can change release eligibility. County jail and state prison are not interchangeable labels for every sentence.

Someone facing a criminal case in Giles County who cannot afford a private defense attorney may ask the judge for appointed counsel. The court reviews an affidavit or other proof about income, assets and ability to pay. An appointment can be through a district public defender or a conflict lawyer when the public defender cannot handle the case.

At the first hearing, the defendant should clearly say they want a lawyer and cannot afford one. A family member can help gather pay information and court papers but cannot waive the defendant’s rights for them. Tennessee has elected district public defenders, and their service areas can cross county borders.

Police in Pulaski or another town in Giles County may issue a city citation rather than a county criminal warrant. Some Tennessee municipal courts handle ordinance violations and limited traffic matters; their powers depend on the local charter and state law. Serious criminal charges do not become city-court felonies merely because city police made the arrest.

Check the court name actually printed on the summons. If a charge carries criminal jail exposure, ask a lawyer whether the municipal court has authority over it and whether the case is before a General Sessions or state criminal court instead.

Giles County belongs to the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee — Columbia Division. The division’s listed courthouse is in Columbia: 815 S Garden Street, Columbia, TN 38401. A federal criminal case might involve interstate fraud, offenses on federal property, federal drug trafficking, some firearms offenses, or violations of federal criminal statutes. A state offense does not automatically become federal because it is serious.

Federal defendants may appear before a U.S. magistrate judge for detention and preliminary proceedings; felony cases usually proceed through indictment or another permitted federal charging process, followed by arraignment and trial or plea. Federal prison sentences are administered by the Bureau of Prisons. People awaiting trial or transfer may be held in a contracted or local detention center rather than a prison operated by BOP. Families can search the official Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator for eligible federal inmate records.

This Giles County guide offers general criminal-court information, not advice for a particular defendant. Law and court operations may change; a lawyer can explain the charge and next steps in the actual case.