Search Clayton County Criminal History

Clayton County criminal history records come from the Superior Court Clerk, the Sheriff's Office, and local police in the Jonesboro area. The county sits just south of Atlanta and has close to 300,000 people, which means there is a large volume of criminal case data on file. You can search for Clayton County criminal records through in-person visits to the clerk's office on Tara Boulevard, by mail, or through Georgia's state-level search tools. The Clayton County Police Department also keeps arrest data that feeds into the statewide criminal history system run by the GBI. Getting the right record starts with knowing which office holds the file you need.

Clayton County Criminal Records at the Clerk's Office

The Clayton County Superior Court Clerk holds criminal case files for the county. The office is at 9151 Tara Boulevard in Jonesboro, GA 30236. Call (770) 477-3395 for help with record requests. The clerk keeps all case files from Clayton County Superior Court. This means felony charges, some appeals, and other criminal matters that go through the court. Each file has the charges, court dates, plea info, and the final outcome of the case.

If you go in person, the clerk's staff can help you pull up case records. You can ask for copies of specific documents from a criminal case in Clayton County. Certified copies cost a per-page fee. Most people who need records for legal matters will want certified copies since those carry the clerk's seal. Plain copies are cheaper but may not be accepted by all agencies. The clerk's office is open during normal business hours on weekdays. Plan to bring a valid ID if you are asking for your own criminal history records in Clayton County.

Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37, any person has the right to review their own criminal history record by filing a written request. The fee is capped at $15, not counting the cost of fingerprints. This law applies across all Georgia counties, including Clayton County. When you submit a request at the local level, the clerk's office works with the Georgia Crime Information Center to pull the full record.

Clayton County Sheriff and Criminal History

The Clayton County Sheriff's Office is at 9157 Tara Boulevard in Jonesboro, GA 30236. You can reach them at (770) 477-4479. The sheriff runs the Clayton County Jail and keeps booking records for all people brought in on criminal charges. These booking records are part of the broader criminal history system. They show the date of arrest, the charges at the time of booking, and bond status. If you need to check on someone in the Clayton County Jail, call the sheriff's office for current inmate data.

The Clayton County Police Department is a separate agency from the sheriff. Their main office is at 7911 North McDonough Street in Jonesboro, GA 30236. The phone number is (770) 477-3550. The police department handles most of the patrol work and arrests in unincorporated Clayton County. Arrest reports and incident reports from the police department go into the criminal history system. Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-34, all local law enforcement in Georgia must report arrest data to the Georgia Crime Information Center. That means Clayton County arrests end up in the state GCIC database too.

Note: Jail booking data is updated as new arrests come in, but there can be a short lag before records show up in the system.

State Tools for Clayton County Records

You do not have to go to Jonesboro to check criminal history tied to Clayton County. Georgia runs two state-level search tools that cover all 159 counties. The Georgia Felon Search lets you check the GCIC database for felony convictions. It costs $15. You need the person's first name, last name, date of birth, and sex. Results come back fast. The $15 fee applies even if the search shows no record. This tool pulls data from across the state, so a Clayton County felony conviction would show up here.

The Georgia Felon Search portal is one of the main ways to check for felony records in Clayton County and the rest of the state.

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is free. It covers people who are serving time in a state prison right now. If someone was convicted in Clayton County and sent to a GDC facility, they would show up here. The GDC tool does not list people in the Clayton County Jail. It also does not show people who have already served their time and been released. The GDC makes no guarantee about the accuracy of results.

Criminal History Restriction in Clayton County

Georgia uses "record restriction" instead of expungement. A restricted criminal history record gets sealed from public view. Law enforcement can still see it. But the general public cannot. This matters for people in Clayton County who want to clean up their record after charges were dropped, dismissed, or resolved through certain programs.

There are several paths to get a Clayton County criminal history record restricted. If charges were dismissed or the prosecutor chose not to prosecute, that record can be restricted. People who went through a diversion program or pre-trial intervention in Clayton County and finished it may apply. First Offender cases get restricted when the person completes their sentence. Under O.C.G.A. Section 42-8-60, a first-time offender can avoid a formal conviction if the court grants First Offender status. Once the sentence is done, the record gets restricted from public searches in Clayton County and across the state.

The process depends on when the arrest happened. For arrests on or after July 1, 2013, you go straight to the prosecuting attorney in Clayton County. For older arrests, the request starts with the arresting agency. The GBI record restriction page explains the full process and which situations qualify. If you have questions about your own record, the GBI FAQ page is a good place to start.

Clayton County Records and the GBI

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation runs the Georgia Crime Information Center, which is the hub for criminal history data in the state. Every arrest made in Clayton County gets reported to GCIC. The data includes the arrest date, the charges, the arresting agency, and the outcome of the case once it goes through court. GCIC has kept computerized records since 1973. That means decades of Clayton County criminal history sit in the state system.

The GBI FAQ page covers common questions about how to get criminal history records in Georgia, including Clayton County.

You can get a copy of your own criminal history from the Clayton County Sheriff's Office or the Clayton County Police Department. They can process a record check for you. You can also mail a request to the Georgia Crime Information Center at P.O. Box 370808, Decatur, Georgia 30037-0808. Call (404) 244-2639 to set up an appointment at the GCIC office. Walk-in appointments are not taken. For questions about your own Clayton County criminal history data, email gacriminalhistory@gbi.state.ga.us. The GBI criminal history contacts page has more ways to reach them.

What Clayton County Criminal Records Show

A criminal history record from Clayton County includes several types of data. It lists the person's name, date of birth, and physical description. Arrest data shows which agency made the arrest, the date, and the charges filed. Court outcomes are part of it too. You can see if a case ended in a conviction, a dismissal, a plea, or an acquittal. If the person served time in a Georgia state prison, that also shows up on the record.

Not all criminal history is open to the public. Restricted records do not appear on public searches. Juvenile records are sealed in most cases under Georgia law. Federal crimes that were handled by federal courts are not in the state GCIC system at all. Those records stay with federal agencies. Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-34, the GCIC can share criminal history data with a defendant's attorney upon written request. In civil cases, criminal history is only available with the person's written consent unless the record involves a felony conviction. Clayton County follows these same rules since they come from state law.

How to Search Clayton County Criminal History

There are a few ways to look up criminal history records in Clayton County. Each source gives you a different piece of the picture.

• Go to the Clayton County Superior Court Clerk at 9151 Tara Boulevard in Jonesboro for court case records and certified copies
• Call the Clayton County Sheriff at (770) 477-4479 for jail booking records and inmate info
• Contact the Clayton County Police at (770) 477-3550 for arrest reports and incident reports
• Use the Georgia Felon Search for statewide felony conviction data
• Check the GDC offender search for people in state prisons

The clerk's office is the best source for detailed court records from Clayton County. If you want to know the charges, the plea, and how a case ended, that is where you go. The sheriff's office is the place for jail and booking data. The police department holds arrest reports. State tools are useful for a broader look at someone's Georgia criminal history that may include Clayton County records alongside records from other counties. You may need to check more than one source to build a full picture of someone's criminal history in the Clayton County area.

Nearby Counties With Criminal Records

Clayton County borders several other Georgia counties. If a case happened near the county line, it may have been handled by a neighboring jurisdiction. If you cannot find what you need in the Clayton County system, these nearby counties may have the records you are looking for.