If someone you know has been arrested or convicted of a crime in Bibb County, they may be detained at the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center (LEC). The LEC contains two separate corrections facilities: the Bibb County Corrections Unit, or Bibb County Jail, and the Detention Center, a community-service and work-release facility.
If the detainee is being held awaiting trial, you may be able to secure their release through the payment of bail or by posting bond with a licensed bonding agent. If bail or a bond are not possible, the detainee will remain in custody until their trial begins.
Here are six things to know about the Bibb County Jail and its role in the Bibb County justice system.
1. Bibb County Jail Is Large
When the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center opened in 1980, the jail had a capacity of 585 inmates. By 2007, the need for an expansion had become apparent, and the facility was expanded.
Today, the Bibb County Jail can house more than 900 inmates, with an additional 192 inmates serving community service or work-release sentences at the Detention Center. Inmates at the facility include both men and women aged 17 or older.
In addition to the inmates, the facility employs more than 140 staff, including corrections officers, administration, and professionals such as doctors and nurses that work in the jail infirmary.
2. Bibb County Jail Is a Multipurpose Facility
The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office Corrections Unit, or Bibb County Jail, serves as both the pretrial detention center and the post-conviction detention center for the county. Because it houses both pretrial and post-conviction inmate populations, individuals detained at the facility may have any security classification from minimum security to maximum.
Pretrial Confinement
Individuals who have been arrested and charged with a crime are held at the Center either until their trial date, or until they bail or bond out of jail. Detainees in pretrial confinement won’t have access to most of the jail’s programming options, since it’s assumed that most pretrial detainees will bail or bond out as quickly as possible.
Post-Conviction Confinement
After someone has been tried and convicted of a crime, if they’ve been sentenced to less than a year in prison, that sentence may be served at the Bibb County jail. For offenders whose sentences exceed one year, the sentence will be served at a state prison.
Individuals who are in post-conviction detention can take advantage of several prison programs including library access, religious services, outside recreation, and GED educational programs.
Bibb County Detention Center
Certain individuals who have been convicted of a crime may also be eligible to serve their time at the Bibb County Detention Center as part of either a community service or work-release sentence. Offenders at the detention center are allowed to leave the facility during the day, either to work at their job in the private sector or to perform community service as part of their sentence.
3. Bibb County Inmates Work Inside the Jail
While some jails and prisons in the US have production facilities where inmates manufacture goods or provide some sort of industrial service for other government agencies or to general public, the Bibb County Jail does not offer any of these kinds of programs.
Inmates are, however, expected to work inside the jail, performing most of the required building maintenance, laundry, cleaning, and preparing meals in the kitchen.
4. Contact With a Bibb County Jail Inmate Is Possible
Inmates and detainees at the Bibb County Jail cannot be contacted directly, but the jail does provide some means for making contact with a loved one who is being detained or incarcerated.
The County contracts with Securus Technology to provide detainee and inmate communications services. Services available include:
- eMessaging, an email-like messaging service.
- Phone calls, with payments managed through a number of prepaid or credit-required payment systems.
- Video Connect video calls either from your home or from the visitor’s area at the detention center.
To find out more about contacting someone currently being detained at the Bibb County Jail, call the jail’s main information number: 478-621-6555.
5. A Visit With a Bibb County Inmate Is Possible
All inmate visits at the Bibb County Jail are video visits, done either at the jail or remotely over the internet.
On-Site Visits
On-site video visits are free and last 30 minutes. Most inmates are allowed one visit per day, although their security classification may limit the number of visits they can have in a given week. Only two guests may attend an on-site visit.
On-site visits are available Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 10:00 am to 2:00 p.m., and on Tuesday and Wednesday from 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. Visits must be scheduled at least 24 hours in advance and can be scheduled on the Securus Technologies website.
Remote Visits
Remote visits last 20 or 40 minutes, and cost $6.95 or $13.90, respectively. Visits are available seven days a week, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and from 5:00 to 10:00 p.m., and must be scheduled at least 24 hours in advance on the Securus Technologies site.
6. Detainees Can Bail or Bond Out of Bibb County Jail
If a detainee has been granted bail, their release may be secured through the payment of bail or posting a bond through a licensed bonding company. To find out whether an individual is eligible for bail, contact the jail at 478-621-6555. Jail staff will tell you if bail has been set for the person, the bail amount, and how to go about paying.
If you cannot produce the full bail amount, a bonding company may be able to assist. A bonding agent will require a fee equal to 15% of the bail amount, plus whatever jail and processing fees may be required. The agent may or may not require additional collateral on top of the associated fees, depending on the detainee’s circumstances and flight risk.
Arrested in Macon-Bibb County? Don’t Wait in Jail; Call All State Bonding: 478-745-1966
All State Bonding is located directly across the street from the Bibb County Jail in downtown Macon. We’re available 24/7, and all our bonding decisions are made on-site, so you never have to wait for an answer.