Macon State Prison

Macon State Prison is a close-security facility for adult male inmates located in Oglethorpe, Georgia. It has the capacity to house 1,762 inmates, and it was opened in 1994. This prison is a Tier I & II facility that houses inmates deemed the highest potential security risks by the Department of Corrections.

The mission of Macon State Prison is to ensure public safety and effectively house offenders while operating a safe and secure facility. The housing consists of nine buildings each divided into two separate units with 48 cells per unit. 

One building's unit houses 46 isolation beds & two safe cells, and the other unit houses 48 double occupancy cells of segregation beds. The Fast Track Unit Open Dormitory has four Pods which consists of 64 beds in each. Ten additional beds are at the Fire Station and Eight Beds are at the Infirmary. This facility also houses a C.E.R.T. Team, Tactical Squad, and a Fire Station.

Also located on the prison grounds are several houses that are designated specifically for important prison workersㄧsuch as the Wardenㄧfor easy access in case of an emergency, like a prisoner riot or prisoner escape.

Macon was one of nine Georgia state prisons that was part of an FBI sting operation that was announced in February 2016. The FBI indicted 47 correction officers who agreed to deliver illegal drugs while in uniform. These charges were "part of a larger public corruption investigation into Georgia Correctional Facilities.”

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

The visiting hours at Macon State Prison are on Saturdays, Sundays, and state holidays from 9:00 AM until 3:00 PM. However, not all inmates can have visitors on all of those days. Here is the current schedule:

Effective July 1, 2019, the Visitation Schedule will change for the next six months. Below is the schedule for July 1, 2019 through December 31, 2019.

• Saturday, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.:  Last name beginning with letters M – Z
• Sunday, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.:  Last name beginning with letters A – L

*On holidays all inmates can receive visitors between from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Effective July 1, 2019, the TIER Visitation Schedule will change for the next six months. Below is the schedule for July 1, 2019 through December 31, 2019.

• Wednesday, 09:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.:  Last name beginning with letters A – L
• Friday, 09:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.:  Last name beginning with letters M - Z

Before you can visit an inmate, you must fill out an application and be approved by the Georgia Department of Corrections. For complete details about the visiting process, click here.

The only items you can bring to a visit are:

• an identification card (All visitors, age 16 and over, must have a photo ID)
• car keys
• a maximum of twenty dollars ($20.00) in coins to be used for the vending machines

Food and beverages from the outside aren’t allowed in the visiting room at Macon State Prisonㄧother than bottled formula or store-bought products for babies. Electronic devices are not allowed in the visiting area. 

All visitors are searched by electronic surveillance instruments (metal detectors, etc.) when they arrive. Anything you bring into the facility will be searched by officers assigned to the visitation area.

Visitors must wear appropriate clothing, and shoes are required at all timesㄧincluding children if they are able to walk or stand. 

Male visitors are required to wear shirts and full-length trousers. Females may wear trousers, or if a female visitor wears a dress, skirt, or other similar garment, it may NOT be more than two (2) inches above the knees. Furthermore, all female visitors must wear undergarments such as bras, panties, and slips. 

Inappropriate clothing includes, but is not limited to:  

• Dresses or tops with thin straps which expose shoulders or chest area in any manner
• Tube tops or halters of any type
• Any type of clothing which reveals the stomach or midriff area
• Any type of clothing that is made of sheer or transparent material
• Shorts of any kind or any kind of slacks that are above the knee (twelve years old and under may wear shorts)
• Male visitors are not permitted to wear tank tops or short tops of any kind, nor see-through tops made of net or mesh webbing. 
• Shorts are not permitted (children twelve 12 years old and under may wear shorts)
• Any other type of clothing that is suggestive or revealing in any way is prohibited

Video Visits

Macon State Prison offers video visits through JPay. You must have a JPay account, and the video visit can last up to 30 minutes. The fee for a 30-minute video visit is $3.95.

All inmate mail is monitored by prison staff, so keep things simple with regular paper, a regular envelope, and pics of family and friends. They won’t allow any mail with stickers, greeting cards with electronics or music, or inappropriate pics.

In addition to regular mail, you can send a package to an inmate through the Georgia Inmate Package Program. However, your own homemade packages are not allowed.

You can also send and receive videograms and emails through JPay, which costs between one and three stamps each.

How to Call an Inmate

Inmates at Macon State Prison can’t receive calls, but they do have access to phones during approved hours. For complete details on how to call an inmate in Georgia, please click here. 

How to Send Money

To send money to an inmate at Macon State Prison, you must use JPay or MoneyGram. The fees for this service vary based on which method you use and the amount of money you are sending.

JPay Options

• Online or Mobile App: To send an inmate money with your credit or debit card, visit JPay.com or download the JPay Mobile App that is available at the Apple App Store (for iPhones) and Google Play (for Android phones).
• By phone: Call (800) 574-5729 to talk with a live JPay call center agent and send money with a debit or credit card. 
• Mail a money orderㅡmade payable to JPayㅡwith a deposit slip to:

JPay
P.O. Box 260010
Hollywood, FL 33026

A money order deposit slip is available here.

Moneygram

If you would like to use cash, visit a MoneyGram location in person and use receive code 6857. MoneyGram locations include all Walmarts and CVS Pharmacies.

Programs For Inmates

• Academic: General Education Diploma, Adult Basic Education, Literacy Remedial
• Counseling: Thinking for a Change, Re-Entry, Moral Reconation Therapy, Matrix Relapse, Motivation for Change, Matrix ERS, Detours, Anger Management, Sex Offender Psycho-Educational Program (SOPP)
• Recreation: General Recreation, Arts & Crafts, Talent Shows
• Religious Activities: Worship Services, Marriage Enrichment, & Purpose Driven Life, Taleem, Jumah, Experiencing God
• Vocational/OJT: Computer Operations, Food Service Baker, Food Preparation, Cook, Barbering, Laundry, Custodial Maintenance, Kitchen Helper, Groundskeeper, Custodial, Career Clerk, General/Office Clerk, Library & Education Clerk, Basic Computer Operations, Horticulture, Customer Service

WORK DETAILS:

Numerous institutional details including laundry, food service, grounds and inside maintenance.

Pictures of Macon State Prison

Careers at Macon State Prison

At Macon State Prison, exceptional is the standard, and it has opportunities for promotion, growth, and development in the field of Corrections. If you are interested in a job at Macon State Prison, click here.