Telfair State Prison

Telfair State Prison is a close-security facility for adult male inmates managed by the Georgia Department of Corrections. It is located in Helena, Georgia, and can house up to 1,420 inmates. 

The mission of Telfair State Prison is to ensure public safety by operating a safe and secure facility that effectively houses close security, general population offenders. This is a Tier I & II STEP facility and a Vegan Diet facility.

There are a total of eight housing units; five housing units with double bunked cells, two open dormitories and the isolation/segregation unit consists of 40 single cells and 40 double bunked cells. This facility also houses a C.E.R.T. Team and a Tactical Squad.

In late 2012, two inmates and a corrections officer named Larry Stell were fatally stabbed in the facility. However, in 2014 Telfair was named Facility of the Year by Brian Owens, the Georgia Department of Corrections Commissioner. 

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Telfair 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 Telfair 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

Telfair 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 are prohibited 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

Telfair 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.

With a JPay account, you can also send and receive videograms and emails, which cost between one and three stamps each.

How to Call an Inmate

You can’t call an inmate at Telfair 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

You must use JPay or MoneyGram to send money to an inmate at Telfair State Prison. 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, Literacy Remedial
• Counseling: Family Violence, Re-Entry, Health Education, Motivation for Change, Thinking for a Change, Alcoholics Anonymous/Narcotics Anonymous, Confronting Self, Sex Offender Psycho-Educational Program (SOPP), Moral Reconation Therapy
• Recreation: General Recreation
• Religious Activities: Various Worship Services, Bible Study, Pastoral Counseling
• Vocational/OJT: Warehouse, Building Maintenance, Laundry, Food Preparation, Custodial Maintenance, Groundskeeper, Barber, General Clerk, Auto Mechanics Helper, Baker, Basic Computer/Computer Labs, and Tag Plant

WORK DETAILS:

Inmate Fire Department, Correctional Industries, Food Service, Institutional Maintenance & Sanitation, Environmental Activities.

Pictures of Telfair State Prison

Careers at Telfair State Prison

Telfair State Prison is located in the CrossRoads City of McRae-Helena, Georgia. Telfair State Prison’s mission is to offer a safe and secure environment for Offenders and Staff. Offenders are given the opportunity to receive on the job training through work programs such as Georgia Correctional Industries (Tag and Mattress Plant), Food Service, Maintenance and Fire Services. 

Telfair State Prison was the Facility of Excellence in 2013, and they strive to be the very best each and every day.

"Telfair SP is one of the best facilities in the State of Georgia. Leadership at the facility is respected and has inspired many staff members to work toward goals, become the best they can be and advance into leadership positions themselves. Knowing that you can have faith in the leadership, count on your co-workers and advance in job positions keeps Telfair SP at the top of the list,” says a current employee.

"Telfair State Prison staff members are a close-knit group of people who believe in the Georgia Department of Corrections mission. If you just want to coast along, go somewhere else; BUT, if you want to be trained by the best, be the best and advance up the GDC ladder, make Telfair SP your destination spot,” says another employee.

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