Dooly County Inmate Population Overview
The Dooly County inmate population has two major parts that should not be merged. The local jail count comes from the Dooly County Justice Center / Dooly County Jail in Pinehurst, operated by the Dooly County Sheriff's Office. That jail holds pretrial detainees, people awaiting trial, county-sentence inmates when present, state-sentenced people temporarily housed in the county jail, and holds for other authorities when reported. The Georgia Sheriffs' Association May 2026 Jail Report listed 28 people in the Dooly County Jail and 163 capacity beds.
The larger custody population physically inside Dooly County is at Dooly State Prison in Unadilla. That facility is run by the Georgia Department of Corrections and holds sentenced adult male felons from across the state. GDC listed Dooly State Prison with capacity of 1,702, while the GDC 2026-05 profile run June 1, 2026 counted 1,592 active inmates there. Those state prisoners are not Dooly County Jail inmates, even though the prison is located in Dooly County.
Dooly County Inmate Population Statistics
The current jail snapshot shows a low county-jail occupancy level compared with rated capacity. The May 2026 Georgia Sheriffs' Association report showed 28 people held against 163 capacity beds, or 17.2% use. The same source broke the jail count into 23 people awaiting trial, five state-sentenced people, zero county-sentence inmates, and zero other inmates. That makes the latest county jail count mostly pretrial.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Date |
|---|---|---|
| Dooly County Jail current population | 28 people | Georgia Sheriffs' Association Jail Report, May 2026 |
| Dooly County Jail capacity | 163 beds | Georgia Sheriffs' Association Jail Report, May 2026 |
| Capacity use | 17.2% | Georgia Sheriffs' Association Jail Report, May 2026 |
| Awaiting trial | 23 people | Georgia Sheriffs' Association Jail Report, May 2026 |
| State-sentenced in county jail | 5 people | Georgia Sheriffs' Association Jail Report, May 2026 |
| Dooly State Prison active population | 1,592, all male | GDC Profile All Inmates 2026-05, run June 1, 2026 |
Dooly County Inmate Population Trends
The Vera Institute county trend data shows that Dooly's average jail population fell from 75.75 in 2019 to 35.25 in 2025, with a partial 2026 row at 39. Capacity rose from 155 in the 2019 to 2022 annual rows to 163 by 2024 to 2026. The pretrial share stayed high in most years, which matches the May 2026 monthly report where 23 of 28 people were awaiting trial.
| Year / Report | Avg or Snapshot | Capacity | Pretrial / Awaiting Trial | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 annual | 75.75 | 155 | 61.5 | Vera trend data; admissions 2,188.9. |
| 2020 annual | 61.25 | 155 | 52 | Vera trend data; COVID-era decline. |
| 2021 annual | 72.5 | 155 | 61 | Vera trend data. |
| 2022 annual | 61.25 | 155 | 49.75 | Vera trend data. |
| 2023 annual | 55.25 | 161.5 | 36 | Vera capacity appears averaged or changed. |
| 2024 annual | 45 | 163 | 39.75 | Vera trend data. |
| 2025 annual | 35.25 | 163 | 30.25 | Vera trend data. |
| May 2026 snapshot | 28 | 163 | 23 | GSA monthly jail report. |
Dooly County Jail Population Makeup
The May 2026 jail population was mostly people awaiting court action rather than people serving a county sentence. The GSA row listed 23 awaiting trial, five state-sentenced, zero county sentence, and zero other. That is important for lookup: a pretrial detainee is still usually tracked through the Dooly County Jail and court contacts, while a person fully transferred to GDC should be searched through the state prison locator.
Older annual demographic fields in the Vera data were available through 2023 but were blank for 2024 to 2026. The available rows show male and female jail-population estimates and race/ethnicity estimates for earlier years, but the current monthly GSA report does not provide that demographic detail. For current content, the most reliable breakdown is custody status: awaiting trial, state-sentenced, county-sentence, and other.
Dooly County Jail Capacity
The Dooly County Jail was well below reported capacity in the May 2026 GSA snapshot. The April 2026 GSA search snippet showed 32 people in jail and 163 capacity beds, while May showed 28 and the same capacity. The Vera trend also shows lower annual averages after 2019. No official Dooly County jail consent decree, new jail construction plan, or overcrowding litigation was found in the county sources reviewed.
Capacity use can change quickly because the jail count depends on arrests, bond decisions, court schedules, releases, transfers, and holds. A low monthly snapshot does not prove that a specific person is not in custody. For current custody, call the jail at (229) 645-0920.
Dooly County Inmate Population Laws
Georgia law shapes both jail population data and individual inmate records. Public-record access starts with the Georgia Open Records Act, while the sheriff's duties and jail-record duties come from Title 42. Booking photographs have a separate law and should not be treated as ordinary roster images.
Key Statutes:
O.C.G.A. 50-18-70 sets Georgia's open-records policy for state and local agencies.
O.C.G.A. 50-18-71 governs fees and production, including lawful search, retrieval, redaction, and copy costs.
O.C.G.A. 42-4-4 describes sheriff duties to receive, confine, feed, and care for jail inmates.
O.C.G.A. 42-4-7 requires the sheriff to keep a record of persons committed to the county jail.
O.C.G.A. 42-4-16 concerns county jail reporting obligations.
Dooly County State Prison Population
Dooly State Prison is the reason facility population and resident population can be confusing in Dooly County. The prison is physically in Unadilla, but its population is a statewide GDC population, not a local jail count. The 2024 PREA audit listed design capacity of 1,706 and current population of 1,703 at the audit, with an average daily population of 1,204 over the prior 12 months. The GDC 2026-05 profile later counted 1,592 active inmates at Dooly State Prison.
The prison population should not be used as a Dooly County resident incarceration rate. The Census July 1, 2025 county population estimate was 11,156, but most people housed at Dooly State Prison are state prisoners from across Georgia. The Prison Policy Initiative noted Dooly County among local governments that avoided prison-based gerrymandering by excluding prison populations from local districts.
Search Dooly County Inmate Population
The Dooly County inmate population search begins with the custody type. The county jail does not have an official public online roster located in the research file. For a current county-jail detainee, call the sheriff. For a sentenced state prisoner, search GDC. For federal or immigration custody, use the federal or ICE tools. For court charges after an arrest, use the clerk, Magistrate Court, or Re:SearchGA.
- Call Dooly County Sheriff's Office / jail at (229) 645-0920 for current county custody.
- Give the full name, date of birth if known, arrest date, arresting agency, and location of arrest.
- Ask whether the person is in Dooly County Jail, released, transferred, or held for another authority.
- If phone details are limited, request the booking sheet under the Georgia Open Records Act.
- Use GDC Offender Query only when the person may have been sentenced to Georgia state prison.
- Use VINELink for custody notifications rather than one-time record copies.
Dooly County Current Inmate Lookup
No county roster field list can be shown because no official online Dooly County jail roster was located. The sheriff website's detention page has jail mission text and links for Send Money, Inmate Mail, and Bondsmen, but not a public roster or inmate profile in the accessible official content. For online state-prison searches, GDC offers a much richer field set.
| System | Search Fields | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Dooly County jail | No official online roster found | Use phone, in person, mail, and open-records request. |
| GDC Offender Query | Last name, first name, gender, race, age range, institution, crime, conviction county, active/inactive, photos, records per page, GDC ID, case number | Sentenced state prisoners and GDC records. |
| BOP Inmate Locator | Name or register number fields | Federal sentenced custody and BOP records from 1982 to present. |
| ICE ODLS | A-number and country of birth, or name, date of birth, and country of birth | ICE custody or CBP custody over 48 hours. |
Dooly County Inmate Record Shows
A Dooly County jail record request should ask for the booking sheet, arrest date and time, release date and time if released, arresting agency, charges, bond information, court, warrant number if applicable, release or transfer status, and booking photograph if legally releasable. Do not expect medical, mental-health, juvenile, victim, or security-sensitive housing details in a public record.
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Booking date/time | When the person was processed into Dooly County Jail. |
| Arresting agency | Agency that brought the person to jail. |
| Booking charges | Initial intake charges, not always final court charges. |
| Bond type or hold | Release condition or barrier if releasable. |
| Case or warrant number | Link from jail record to court or warrant record. |
| Booking photo | Controlled by Georgia booking-photo law. |
Dooly County Jail Versus Prison
County jail and state prison are often confused in Dooly County because both a county jail and a large GDC prison are located there. Use the county jail for local arrest custody and the state locator for sentenced prison custody.
| Dooly County Jail | Dooly State Prison | |
|---|---|---|
| Operator | Dooly County Sheriff's Office | Georgia Department of Corrections |
| Location | Pinehurst | Unadilla |
| Population | Pretrial detainees, local custody, temporary state-sentenced people | Sentenced adult male felons in state custody |
| Lookup | Call jail or file open-records request | Use GDC Offender Query |
| Photo source | Booking photo request under Georgia law | GDC photo may display if available |
Dooly County Detention Facilities
The facility map has two entries. The primary local jail is the Dooly County Justice Center / Dooly County Jail in Pinehurst. The second facility is Dooly State Prison in Unadilla. The first is the local arrest and pretrial custody point. The second is a state prison for sentenced adult male felons.
- Dooly County Justice Center / Dooly County Jail holds local pretrial detainees, people awaiting trial, and temporary state-sentenced or other holds when reported.
- Dooly State Prison is a GDC state prison for adult male felons and must be searched through GDC, not the county jail.
Dooly County Inmate Population FAQ
How big is the Dooly County jail population? The Georgia Sheriffs' Association May 2026 Jail Report listed 28 people in the county jail and 163 capacity beds. The same report listed 23 awaiting trial and five state-sentenced people housed in the jail.
Is there an online Dooly County inmate roster? No official public searchable Dooly County jail roster was located in the official sheriff or county sources reviewed. Call the jail at (229) 645-0920 for current custody and use an open-records request for booking records.
Where are sentenced state prisoners searched? Sentenced Georgia prisoners are searched through GDC Offender Query. Dooly State Prison is in Unadilla and is separate from the Dooly County Jail.
Can Dooly County jail mugshots be viewed online? No official county mugshot gallery was located. Booking photos are governed by Georgia booking-photo law and may require a written request to the sheriff.
Dooly County Custody Terms
These terms help sort population data from lookup records.
- Pretrial
- Held while charges are pending and before final disposition.
- State-sentenced
- Sentenced to Georgia state custody, sometimes temporarily housed in county jail before transfer.
- Detainer
- Hold or request from another agency that can affect release.
- GDC
- Georgia Department of Corrections, the state prison system.
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