Smith State Prison

Smith State Prison is a close-security facility for adult male inmates operated by the Georgia State Board of Corrections that is located in Glennville, Georgia. This facility opened in 1993 and can house up to 1,615 inmates. 

The mission of Smith State Prison is to ensure public safety and effectively house offenders while operating a safe and secure facility by providing a structured environment for offenders through the utilization of work and program resources. 

This facility houses offenders with behavioral problems that cannot be addressed at other institutions. It also operates a Correctional Industries Plant and a Georgia Correctional Industries Warehouse. Smith State Prison is a host facility for Long Unit, Women's Probation Detention Center and Smith Transitional Center. 

This is a Tier I & II facility with the STEP DOWN program.

There are 16 general population housing units and one administrative segregation/isolation building. Eleven of the 16 housing units have 48 cells, and 43 of the cells are capable of housing two offenders per cell, while the remaining 5 are capable of housing three offenders per cell for a total of 101 offenders per unit. 

One housing unit has 48 cells, which are capable of housing two offenders per cell for a total of 96 offenders per unit. Four of the sixteen housing units are open dormitory, and each housing unit consists of 32 double beds for a total of 64 inmates per unit. 

This facility also houses a C.E.R.T. Team,  Fire Station, and a Tactical Squad.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Smith State Prison visiting hours are on Saturdays, Sundays, and state holidays from 9:00 AM until 3:00 PM. Please contact the facility for Tier visitation hours.

You must fill out an application and be approved by the Georgia Department of Corrections before you can visit an inmate at Smith 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

Smith State Prison does not allow visitors to bring in outside food and beverages into the visiting roomㄧother than bottled formula or store-bought products for babies. Phones or electronic devices of any kind aren’t allowed in the visiting area.

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

Smith 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 Smith 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 Smith 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, General Education Diploma Testing, Adult Basic Education, Literacy Remedial, Associates Degree through Ashland University
• Counseling: Individual, Moral Reconation Therapy, Family Violence, Re-Entry, Motivation for Change, Thinking for a Change, Confronting Self, Relapse Prevention, Sex Offender Psycho-Educational Program (SOPP), Active Parenting, Lifers Group, Early Recovery Skills.
• Recreation: General Recreation
• Religious Activities: Various Worship Services, Bible Study
• Vocational/OJT: Correctional Industries - Custom Screen/Sign Industry, Building & Industrial Maintenance, Laundry, Grounds Keeping, Food Service, Clerical, Barbering, Cook's Apprentice, Custodial Maintenance, Electrical Helper, Career Clerk, General Office Clerk, Horticulture, Bee Keeping, O.U.T. (Offenders under Transition) Program

WORK DETAILS:

Recycling, Maintenance Shop detail, Grounds detail, Warehouse detail, Georgia Correctional Industries (GCI).

Pictures of Smith State Prison

Careers at Smith State Prison

Smith State Prison, established in 1993, is located on Highway 301 just north of Glennville, GA, which has a population of 5,086. Hinesville, GA is located 35 miles to the east and is the home of the 3rd Infantry Division and Fort Stewart. 

Vidalia is 36 miles to the west and is loaded with southern charm. It is also the home of the Vidalia sweet onion. As we look north, there is a 39-mile distance to Statesboro, GA, home of Georgia Southern University, which provides the opportunity for continued education. For a relaxing day or weekend getaway, the beautiful historic city of Savannah is only 63 miles due east. 

As for Smith State Prison itself, it is a level five facility designed to house 1,500 offenders. With a mission to ensure public safety and effectively house offenders while operating a safe and secure facility by providing a structured environment for offenders through the utilization of work and program resources. The Institution operates a Correctional Industries Plant and GCI Warehouse. Smith State is also the host facility for Long Unit, Womens Probation Detention Center and Smith Transitional Center.

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