Rutledge State Prison

Jack T. Rutledge State Prison is a medium-security facility for adult male inmates operated by the Georgia State Board of Corrections that is located in Columbus, Georgia. This facility opened in 1976, sits on 24 acres, and it can house up to 640 inmates. 

The mission of Rutledge State Prison along with the Department of Corrections is to create a safer Georgia by effectively managing offenders and providing opportunities for positive change. Rutledge is a host facility for the Columbus & Charles D. Hudson Transitional Centers.

There are six living units at Rutledge, each containing four pods and each pod contains twelve two-man cells. There are also 30 beds in the dayrooms, 32 isolation/segregation beds, and two beds in the medical section for Mental Health Observation. This facility also houses a C.E.R.T. Team and a Tactical Squad.

Rutledge was initially called West Georgia Community Correctional Center. Originally, there were four housing units. Later, two additional ones were built to accommodate the growing prison population. The name of the prison was changed to Jack T. Rutledge State Prison to honor Sheriff Rutledge of Muscogee County, who also was a member of the Board of Corrections.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Rutledge State Prison visiting hours are on Saturdays, Sundays, and state holidays from 9:00 AM until 3:00 PM. 

You must fill out an application and be approved by the Georgia Department of Corrections before you can visit an inmate at Rutledge State Prison. 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 Rutledge State Prisonㄧother than bottled formula or store-bought products for babies. You can’t bring electronic devices into the visiting room.

You will be searched by electronic surveillance instruments (metal detectors, etc.) when you arrive, and 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

Rutledge State Prison does offer 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. It’s best to keep things simple with regular paper, a regular envelope, and pics of family and friends. They won’t allow any mail with stickers or glitter, greeting cards with 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 cost between one and three stamps each.

How to Call an Inmate

You can’t call an inmate at Rutledge State Prison, 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 Rutledge 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 or check instead of a debit or credit card, 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, Remedial Reading
• Counseling: Anger Management, Stop The Sadness, Schizophrenia Education, Parenting, Current Events, Advanced Mood Disorder, Motivation for Change, Reach One/Teach One, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Problem Solving, Family Violence, Cognitive Behavior, Re-Entry, Thinking for a Change, Alcoholics Anonymous/Narcotics Anonymous, Reasoning & Rehabilitation, Horticulture, Lifers Group, Moral Reconation Therapy
• Recreation: General Recreation, Wellness Walk
• Religious Activities: Various Worship Services, Bible Study, Pastoral Counseling
• Vocational/OJT: Food Preparation, Laundry Operations, Barbershop, Warehouse, General Office Clerk, and Custodial Maintenance

Work details include outside grounds & maintenance, food service & orderly jobs at the Columbus Transitional Center and several in-house support details.

Pictures of Rutledge State Prison

Careers at Rutledge State Prison

Rutledge State Prison provides employment opportunities to residents of Columbus, Georgia and the surrounding areas. They are always looking for new talent to join their correctional family and assist with reducing recidivism by providing effective programming, safe housing, and healthcare to offenders.

Warden Shay Hatcher reports the primary mission of Rutledge State Prison is to house incarcerated males ordered confined by the courts. Additionally, the prison staff must provide secure living conditions for inmates as well as safe-working conditions for staff. In supervising the inmates, staff must face the challenge of providing resources and programs to assist the population in their return to society.

If you are interested in a job at Rutledge State Prison, click here.