Dawson County Jail

The primary duties of the Dawson County Detention Center include overseeing individuals who are awaiting trial after arrest. The facility is designed to house 192 inmates.

Inmate Search

To find out if your loved one is being held in Dawson County, click here or call the jail at 706-344-3535. Be prepared to provide the inmate’s full name and date of birth.

Bonding someone out of the Dawson County Jail

If an inmate has bondable charges, he or she can bond out at any time. A bond can be paid with or without a bail bond agent. The method (cash/surety) and amount of money needed for bonding someone out of the Dawson County Jail depends on their charges. Most crimes, but not all crimes, are bondable offenses.

• Cash Bond

When you pay a cash bond, it is refunded to you when all court appearances have been made and the case is discharged, dismissed, or a not guilty verdict rendered. If the arrestee fails to appear, the money will be forfeited. 

To sign a cash bond, you must bring a photo identification card and enough cash to cover the bond. The sheriff's office only accepts paper money (no change allowed). The entire amount of the cash bond must be paid before the inmate is released. 

All bonds must be accompanied with a State of Georgia Bond fee of $20 that must be paid in cash.

• Surety Bond

When you use a Bail Bondsman for a surety bond, you will be required to pay a fee (equal to 15 percent of the bond amount) that will not be refunded.

Inmate Property

Within the first seven days of incarceration, inmates may receive approved items from their family and/or friends. These include socks, underwear, t-shirts, and bras, but they must meet the following guidelines.  

All items you bring to the jail must be new in unopened packaging. If the packaging has been opened, staff will not be permitted to accept the items. All items must be white (it is okay if the socks have grey on the heels/toes). 

Each inmate is also allowed to receive one Bible or other religious text in a soft cover version only.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Dawson County Detention Center offers video visitation services—both on-site and remote—via SmartCommunications.  All visitors must submit a visitor application at www.smartjailmail.com and get approved before scheduling their visit. All visitations must be scheduled 24 hours in advance. 

Visitors under the age of 18 are only permitted to participate in on-site visitation and must be accompanied by an adult with an approved application. Each inmate is allowed one on-site visitation and two remote visits each week.  

On-site visits are free and last for 30 minutes. Remote visits last 15 minutes, and they do have a fee. 

On-Site Visiting Rules

On-site visitors must be mindful of their children and be respectful of others in the lobby area. Any visitation issues should be reported to on-duty staff. The Dawson County Sheriff's Office asks that the lobby be treated as a family gathering area. Which means that loud, boisterous, foul language could cause your visit to be terminated.  

No tank tops or other revealing clothing is allowed and no electronic devices (including cell phones) are permitted at the visitation booths. No more than three visitors per inmate are allowed at the booth at one time. All visits are recorded and subject to monitoring.

For more information about Smart Communications—which handles the visits, mail, commissary, and phone system at the Dawson County Detention Center—click here.

The Dawson County Detention Center has contracted with Smart Communications to provide MailGuard electronic mail services. All regular inmate postal mail (postcards, letters, greeting cards, etc.) is scanned into the system and available to the inmates to view their postal mail via the kiosks/tablets. 

All mail must contain the sender’s complete name and return address. Any mail that is sexually explicit or contains information that may pose a risk to the facility or the residents will be rejected along with any items which are not considered “approved.”

Other than their softcover religious text, inmates may not receive books from anywhere except delivery directly from the publisher. Legal mail and books should be sent to the facility directly at:

Inmate Name and ID Number
Dawson County Detention Center
19 Tucker Ave.
Dawsonville, GA 30534

How to Call an Inmate

Inmates at the Dawson County Jail cannot receive incoming phone calls, however, they have access to phones and can make outgoing calls from the inmate housing area daily. Phone calls are recorded and may be monitored at any time. 

Inmate phone services are provided by Smart Communications, which offers two different calling account options for friends and family.

Prepaid Collect (PPC) allows you to pay for collect calls that you receive from an inmate in advance. You decide which phone numbers are allowed and how much you want to spend on receiving collect calls.

PIN Debit allows you to deposit funds directly into an inmate's PIN Debit account. These account funds are owned by the inmate and can be used to pay for calls they place to any facility-approved phone number.

Inmates are also able to purchase phone credits from their commissary money. If you have any issues regarding the inmate phones, contact Smart Communications at 1- 888‐843‐1972.

How to Send Money

All inmates at the Dawson County Jail have a commissary account that friends and family can deposit money into so they can purchase food, hygiene, medical services, phone time, and other items and services. 

Family and friends may place money on an inmate’s account by dropping off a money order in the designated lockbox in the Law Enforcement foyer, depositing via cash or card on the kiosk in the lobby, by phone at 1-866-345-1884, or online at www.accesscorrections.com.

Programs For Inmates

Programs that are offered to the inmates at the Dawson County Detention Center include Alcoholics Anonymous, General Education Diploma (GED), and Religious services.

The jail maintains an inmate workforce where participants are responsible for several facility details, such as cleaning floors, kitchen duties, and laundry services. The inmate workforce also supplements various county departments outside of the Law Enforcement Center, such as the County Maintenance Shop, Parks and Recreations Department, Public Works, and the school system. 

The Dawson County Detention Center also participates in the Inmate Work Release Program for eligible detainees. These inmates are allowed to leave the detention facility to attend approved jobs, and must return when they are not working.

Pictures of Dawson County Jail

Careers at Dawson County Jail

If you are interested in a career with the Dawson County Sheriff's Office and would like more information about the job openings and opportunities at the Dawson County Jail, click here.

The Dawson County Sheriff’s Office is a progressive, full-service law enforcement agency located within North Georgia. The community is growing rapidly, which causes an ever increasing need for criminal justice services.  

To ensure the citizens of Dawson County receive the highest quality law enforcement services, the sheriff's office has established high standards for employees and strives to hire only the most qualified individuals to fill their positions.  

The employee selection process is thorough and regimented. Applicants must submit a completed application packet to the human resources director. 

The Dawson County Sheriff’s Office is currently seeking committed, dedicated men and women to serve the community. If you have thought about pursuing a career in law enforcement, they encourage you to consider Dawson County. Interested applicants can call them at 706-344-3535 or visit them in person at 19 Tucker Avenue in Dawsonville, GA.