Newton County Jail

The Newton County Jail (aka the Newton County Detention Center) is located in Covington, Georgia and is operated by the Newton County Sheriff's Office. The function of this jail is to receive and process people who have been arrested by local law enforcement. 

When someone is arrested, they are given the opportunity to post bond and be released, or they are held until their case is disposed of by the courts.

This jail is primarily a holding facility for men and women who have been arrested and a pre-trial facility to house persons who can't bond out and are awaiting their court date.

The jail houses individuals who have been sentenced to serve up to one year of confinement in a local setting, as well as individuals who've been sentenced for more serious crimes and are waiting for bed space to become available with the Georgia Department of Corrections.

Inmate Search

To find out if your loved one is being held in Newton County, call the jail at 678-625-1420. Be prepared to provide the inmate’s full name and date of birth.

Bonding someone out of the Newton County Jail

A criminal bond is a financial guarantee that the arrested person will appear in court on a specified date. A BOND IS NOT A FINE. The person you are posting the bond for must appear before a judge to answer criminal charges. 

A fee of $20.00 is charged for every bond that is written by the jail. This fee may be paid in cash and is non-refundable.

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 Newton 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. Failure to appear at the appointed time will result in forfeiture of the bond amount and may result in a Bench Warrant ordered by the judge.

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), money order, or cashier’s check. The entire amount of the cash bond must be paid at the bonding office before the inmate is released. 

• Surety Bond

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Call the Newton County Jail for visiting information. The inmate has to be booked 72 hours prior to visitation set up. 

• Visiting hours for general population are on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays between 9:00am and 7:00pm. Each inmate has a prearranged visiting time. Children can visit on Sunday only. No more than two children. Each inmate is allowed 30 minutes for visitation. Please arrive 20 minutes before the scheduled visitation time.
• Medical visitation is on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, anytime between 9:00am and 6:00pm. You must be at the jail on the hour to get signed in. Visitation starts on the hour, but be there 20 minutes before the hour. No children allowed. Inmates are allowed 30 minutes for visitation.
• Inmate Worker Visitation is on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, anytime between 9:00am and 7:00pm. Visitation starts on the hour. Children can visit on Sunday only. Inmate workers are allowed 45 minutes for visitation.

All visitors at the Newton County Jail are required to present a valid state issued photo ID. All personal items must be left in a locker or locked in your vehicle. No items can go into the visitation area. Appropriate clothing is required. 

No halter tops, tank tops, shirts showing cleavage or back, skirts higher than four inches above the knee, shorts higher than four inches above the knee. Please arrive twenty (20) minutes before the scheduled visitation time.

When writing an inmate, you must provide the inmate's name, id number, and cell location. Only one picture is allowed per envelope (No Polaroid pictures and/or pictures of an inappropriate nature will be accepted). 

Books and magazines must be sent directly from the publisher (No hard back books). No blank paper, stamps or stamped envelopes will be accepted in the mail.

How to Call an Inmate

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

To set up a prepaid phone account with Paytel (the inmate phone provider), call 800-729-8355.

How to Send Money

Friends and family who wish to make a deposit into an inmate's account may do so by visiting the jail and using the Jail ATM kiosk located in the front lobby. You may also visit JailATM.com to make deposits online using your credit or debit card.

Programs For Inmates

Inmate Programs at the Newton County Jail provide rehabilitative and educational opportunities to help individuals avoid "a revolving door at the detention center."

Program members who do not have high school diplomas are offered the chance to attend 60 hours of General Educational Development (GED) classes taught by DeKalb Technical College staff in the detention centers educational section.

The FATHERHOOD, BROTHERHOOD, and MOTHERHOOD programs teach personal development, goal setting and achievement, decision-making, problem solving, interpersonal and family relationship development, financial management, and stress and anger management. The curriculum is designed to prepare participants for entry into the workforce by focusing on job readiness, job seeking, and retention.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS (AA) and NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS (NA) programs are run entirely by volunteers.

The LAW LIBRARY accommodates the daily inmate population with legal texts and support materials for research. Photocopy service is available for copying legal forms, documents, case law and statutes.

INMATE WORKFORCE -- Inmate workers perform a variety of tasks, such as working in the jail kitchen or laundry room and landscaping, painting and janitorial duties at government offices, including the county courthouse. 

INMATE WORK RELEASE -- approved inmates are allowed to report to their jobs and then return to the jail at designated hours after work. Potential participants must already be employed when sentenced.

The inmate work release facility is designed to accommodate 32 persons with sentences of 360 days or less who are convicted for abandonment (failure to meet court-mandated child support requirements).

The C.H.O.I.C.E.S. program -- a Life Skills Educational Program that encourages participants to think about their life challenges, build awareness, and motivate them to do something different. The purpose is to help inmates begin to make good choices by changing their everyday habits and thinking. 

REFORMERS UNANIMOUS is a 12-step program for male inmates that prepares them for their return to society.

CHURCH -- Services on Sunday, Tuesday and Friday

CELEBRATE RECOVERY is a 12-step program for female inmates that teaches them how to get back into society.

Pictures of Newton County Jail

Careers at Newton County Jail

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