Former McRae Release Paths
The former McRae Correctional Facility has two distinct records eras. It was a private federal contract prison operated by CoreCivic under contract with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, or BOP. After that federal contract ended and the prison closed, Georgia moved toward converting the site for state use as McRae Women's Facility. A person held there during the federal era was not a Telfair County Jail detainee and was not necessarily a Georgia state prisoner.
Historic federal release records follow BOP and federal court channels. Current or recent custody at the same site follows the Georgia Department of Corrections, or GDC, along with the State Board of Pardons and Paroles and the Department of Community Supervision, or DCS. The date and custodian must be settled before interpreting any result. A county jail roster cannot answer either prison question.
Ask which year and which agency held the person before choosing BOP federal records or GDC state records.
Search Former McRae Federal Releases
The BOP Inmate Locator is the first public search for a historic federal inmate at the former McRae facility. BOP states that its locator covers federal inmates incarcerated from 1982 to the present. Search by BOP register number when it is known. A name search can also work, but identity details should be checked with care before reading a status or date.
- Search the BOP locator by register number or by the person's name and identifying details.
- Open the matching federal record and confirm that it belongs to the correct person.
- Read the custody label, release date, and any listed facility rather than relying on a name match alone.
- If the date is past and no facility appears, consult BOP's record guidance and then verify any later custody elsewhere.
- Use the federal judgment or docket when the sentence and supervised-release terms are needed.
BOP says a record marked “Released” or “Not in BOP Custody” with no facility means the person is no longer held by BOP. That wording does not prove freedom from all custody or supervision. The person could be serving federal supervised release, held by another agency, or subject to a later state or local case. The Telfair County released inmate search helps separate those county, state, and federal systems.
The official locator image below comes from the same BOP search used for a former McRae Correctional Facility federal release.
The locator supplies the federal custody label and date, while a federal court record explains the sentence and any term that follows release.
Note: A BOP release label ends federal prison custody, but it does not rule out supervision or custody under another agency.
Former McRae Federal Record Fields
A federal locator result answers a limited custody question. It is not a full prison file or a federal court docket. Read the result together with the BOP explanation of inmate records, especially when the former McRae Correctional Facility name no longer appears as a current location.
| Federal field | What it can establish |
|---|---|
| Register number | Links the result to one federal inmate identity |
| Custody status | Shows whether the person remains in BOP custody |
| Facility | Identifies a current BOP location when one is listed |
| Release date | Shows the BOP date recorded for release |
| Released or Not in BOP Custody | Means BOP prison custody has ended, not that all legal control has ended |
The BOP federal inmate-record guidance says that a past date with no facility indicates release on that date. It also warns that a person may remain on parole or supervised release or may be in another custody system. The source view below helps explain why the status must be read narrowly.
The BOP guidance sets the meaning of the public fields, while the court judgment remains the better source for sentence and supervision terms.
Verify Former McRae Release Records
The locator should be paired with federal court records when the precise legal outcome matters. A judgment states the prison term and any supervised-release term. A docket may show later orders. Supervised release is a court-ordered period in the community after federal prison, usually overseen through the federal probation system. It differs from BOP custody even though conditions still apply.
Ask BOP for an existing federal inmate record when the locator does not provide enough detail. Ask the federal court that handled the case for the judgment or relevant order when the question concerns sentence terms. Supply the full name, register number if known, approximate custody dates, and the specific record sought. A focused request is easier to route than a broad demand for every document about a person.
- BOP release
- The end of physical custody by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
- Supervised release
- A court-ordered federal supervision term served after prison.
- Transfer
- A move to another agency or institution, not release to the community.
- Detainer
- A request or notice that another agency may take custody.
McRae Prison Changed Custodians
Telfair County's facility history is central to an accurate search. Reporting by 13WMAZ documented the private prison's closure after the federal contract ended. Georgia Public Broadcasting then reported Georgia's plan to transfer women from the state prison system to the former federal lockup. The site later appears in GDC's system as McRae Women's Facility.
The GPB report on the former federal lockup's conversion shows why a place-name search alone can send someone to the wrong agency.
The source connects the old federal site with its later state role, making the custody year essential to every former McRae release inquiry.
Note: The same physical site can yield a BOP record for one period and a GDC record for a later period.
Current McRae State Releases
For a woman held at the converted site under Georgia authority, use the GDC Find an Offender search. McRae Women's Facility is a close-security state prison for adult female felons. Its release record is a state-prison record, not a historic BOP record and not a Telfair County Sheriff's Office booking record.
Search by GDC ID when possible, or by name and other identifying details. Confirm the current location and status first. A person assigned to McRae Women's Facility or another GDC prison remains in state custody. A projected or maximum date can change and is not the same as an actual discharge. If parole appears, check the State Board and DCS. If the public entry seems to show release or discharge, verify it through GDC Inmate Records and Information or the GDC open-records portal.
McRae Women's Facility
112 Jim Hammock Drive
McRae-Helena, GA 31055
Phone: (229) 212-5100
Fax: (229) 212-5204
These are the GDC-listed contacts for the current state facility at the converted site. Historic federal inmate records still belong with BOP and the federal court, not this state facility office.
| Era and custodian | First search | Follow-up record |
|---|---|---|
| Historic CoreCivic facility under BOP contract | BOP Inmate Locator | BOP records and federal court judgment |
| Current McRae Women's Facility under GDC | GDC Find an Offender | GDC records, State Board, and DCS |
| Separate Telfair County Jail booking | Sheriff or jail contact | County booking record and court disposition |
| Possible immigration custody | ICE detainee locator | ICE or immigration case channel |
Where Former McRae Releases Go
A former McRae Correctional Facility inmate may leave BOP custody for the community under federal supervised release, complete the custodial term without that form of supervision, or transfer to another authority. The BOP public record does not always resolve which path came next. Federal court documents supply supervision terms, while a new state or local record may show later custody.
Immigration custody requires special care. The ICE Online Detainee Locator System is aimed at people currently in ICE custody or in CBP custody for more than 48 hours. A BOP release followed by immigration pickup is not a simple community release. Search by A-number and country of birth, or by name, country of birth, and date of birth, then verify the result through the proper federal channel.
Current GDC releases from McRae Women's Facility may instead lead to parole supervised by DCS or to discharge when the state correctional term ends. Shared geography does not merge those records. The responsible agency at the time of custody determines where the release record lives and which office can confirm it.
Classify Every McRae Release
The fastest sound method is classification, not a broad name search across unrelated rosters. Write down the approximate year, whether the sentence was federal or Georgia state, any BOP or GDC identification number, and the court that imposed the sentence. Then use the agency record and compare it with the matching court source.
A person absent from BOP custody may still be supervised or held elsewhere. A person absent from a GDC facility may have paroled, discharged, or transferred. A person who once had a separate Telfair County Jail booking has a local record apart from the former McRae prison record. Keeping those files separate is the key to confirming where someone released from the former McRae Correctional Facility went and what record documents the change.