The Greenville County Detention Center (also known as the Greenville County Jail) is located in the city of Greenville, South Carolina.  The center is comprised of four buildings that house both adult and juvenile defenders, and has a total housing capacity of 1,324 inmates (1,277 adults and 47 juveniles); juveniles are housed in Building Three.  The jail is a division of the Greenville County Department of Public Safety (DPS) and is managed by the Detention Division.  County Administrator, Joseph Kernell, oversees the facility and the county’s day-to-day operations.

Greenville County is South Carolina’s most populous county with more than 451,000 residents.  It is located in the far northwest corner of the state within the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Founded in 1786, the county covers approximately 795 square miles.  The county seat is located in the city of Greenville.

Greenville is the largest city in the county with an estimated 2015 population of 64,579 people.  It is the sixth largest city in the state, and is located about 100 miles northwest of the state capital, Columbia.

The Greenville County Detention Center holds both pre-trial detainees and incarcerated inmates the county has ordered to be detained to a period of time of 90 days or less.  When an inmate is sentenced to more than 90 days, they are admitted into the South Carolina Department of Corrections or the Federal Prison System, depending on their offense.

If you have a concern about an inmate’s quality of life, you can voice that concern by calling the Detention Center at 864-467-2330 or you can email your concern to [email protected].  Detention Center staff members will investigate your concern and escalate the situation to management or medical staff, as appropriate.  Additional information ca be found on the detention center Health Services web page.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse or sexual harassment while confined at the Greenville County Detention Center, contact the Deputy Director, Mr. Hollister, by calling the Administration Office at 864-467-2308.

If you have concerns that include any allegations of criminal activity or misconduct of a detention center employee, contact the Administration Office at 864-467-2308.

Physical Addresses:

Greenville County Detention Center
20 McGee Street
Greenville, SC 29601

Greenville County Sheriff’s Office
McGee Street
Greenville, SC 29601

Greenville County Courthouse
130 South Main Street
Greenville, SC 29601

Greenville County Clerk of Courts
Suite 228, 305 East North Street
Greenville, SC 29601

Greenville County Jail Mailing Address:

Greenville County Detention Center
20 McGee Street
Greenville, SC 29601

Greenville County Phone Numbers:

Greenville County Detention Center Main: 864-467-2300
Greenville County Sheriff’s Office: 864-467-5300
Clerk of Court’s Office: 864-467-8551

Greenville County Inmate Search:

Inmates of the Greenville County Detention Center are listed on the Greenville County Inmate Search website.  To search for a specific inmate, enter their last name and first name into the relevant blanks and click the Search button.  You can also enter only a last name, to see a list of all inmates with that last name; partial name searches do not appear to return results.  The overview page shows only an inmate’s name, booking date and their age.  Click on the inmate’s name for additional details including the inmate’s mug shot, ID number, gender, race, year of birth, hair and eye color, height, weight, housing unit, bond and charge information. 

Greenville County Jail Mugshots:

Greenville County Jail publishes inmate mugshots it's "incarcerated inmates" section.  You will need the last name of the prisoner to view that individuals mugshot along with the current charges which resulted in the imprisonment.

Inmate Status Notification:

Through the SAVIN system, you can register to be notified when an inmate of the Greenville County Jail has a status change.  Call 1-866-727-2846 or locate the inmate listing within the system (using the search feature), click on the “Notify Me of Status Change” button, and complete your relevant contact information.

Arrest Records:

An overview of a Greenville County Detention Center inmate’s charge information, including their warrant number, offense, charge date, and judge information can be found on the individual’s Inmate Description and Location page; see the Greenville County Jail Inmate Search section for more details.

Requests for copies of a person’s arrest record must be made in person at the Greenville County Clerk of Court’s office, which is located in Suite 228 of the Greenville County Courthouse, at 305 East North Street, Greenville, SC 29601.  The office’s hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.  The fee for certified copies of documents is $1/ page.  The fee for regular copies is $0.25/page or $0.50/double-sided page.  Payment of fees for copies must be in cash or by a money order and is expected at the time the copies are made.

You can also try searching for an inmate's arrest records online.

Warrants:

Information on current issued warrants can be obtained by calling the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office at 864-467-5335, option #7, or by visiting the Law Enforcement Center (LEC), located at 4 McGee Street, Greenville, SC  29601.

Inmate Mail:

Inmates may receive mail through the U.S. Postal Service and through private delivery services.  All personal mail is opened and checked for contraband prior to being delivered to the inmate. All legal mail sent to the inmate by the state, court or the inmate’s legal team is opened in the presence of the inmate and checked for contraband before being delivered.  The jail does not inspect or censor outgoing mail prior to its delivery to the post office and does not accept responsibility for its contents.

Photographs, drawings and news clippings are generally acceptable items.  Mail with the following items will NOT be delivered to inmates:

Greeting cards Pre-paid phone cards Writing materials and postage, including plain or stamped envelopes, paper, postage stamps, carbon paper or writing materials Food, drinks or tobacco products Clothing, shoes, appliances or hygiene items Procedures for the creation of alcoholic beverages, drugs or narcotics. Sexually explicit material (writing, drawings, photographs or images) Any information advocating racial, national or religious hatred, gang culture, criminal activities, methods of escape, or the creation of weapons, alcoholic beverages, drugs or narcotics.

Inmates can receive magazines, newspapers and paperback books only if they are sent directly from the publisher, clearing house or book distributor.  No hard cover books are allowed.

The jail will not accept any over the counter or prescription medication for inmates.  If an inmate requires medication, it will be provided through Health Services at the jail. 

Inmates may purchase envelopes and writing materials through the inmate commissary service; indigent inmates may order these materials on a routine schedule, with costs being debited from the inmate’s account.

Mail can be sent to the following address and should include the inmate’s full name and their jail identification number, if known:

Greenville County Detention Center
20 McGee Street
Greenville, SC 29601

Inmates cannot release their property in person or through the mail.  Instead, if an inmate wishes to release property to a designee, the inmate fills out a Property Release form.  The completed form is entered into the system.  The designee can pick up the property from the lobby, located in Building One, between 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m., 7 days a week.

Inmate Trust Accounts / Commissary:

An Inmate Account is established by the detention center when a person is incarcerated.  These accounts provide funds to inmates for the purchase of personal items (through the commissary) and services (e.g. barber or medical treatment), provided the inmate is not under disciplinary sanctions.

Commissary items (such as snacks, hygiene products, writing materials, over the counter medications, undergarments, etc.) can be ordered twice a week from the commissary through the inmate phone system, on order sheets or through the kiosks located inside of inmate housing areas; commissary items are delivered twice a week.  There is a $100 maximum purchase per commissary order.  Health Services might prohibit inmates from making certain purchases because of health concerns.

The jail provides multiple ways for inmates to receive funds:

Deposit kiosks are located in Building One on 20 McGee Street and in Building Two on 4 McGee Street.  U.S. currency as well as debit/credit card deposits can be made 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  The kiosk service provider charges a nominal fee for each deposit transaction.  Cash deposits are not limited, but credit/debit card deposits are limited to $300 per card per week. Cash deposits are available to the inmate immediately whereas card deposits are made available after the funds are verified with the card service/bank. An inmate’s friends or family can create an account and deposit funds by credit or debit card (with a Visa or MasterCard logo) for the inmate at JailATM.com.  Prepaid cards are not supported.  Fees are associated with making deposits.  Deposits are limited to $300.00 per week.  Visit the sites Support Page for additional details. Funds may be deposited into inmate accounts by calling 404-902-6628.  Telephone deposits are limited $20 per week per credit/debit card.  These funds are available to the inmate immediately following confirmation of information and funds. U.S. Postal Service and Western Union money orders, made payable to the inmate’s full name c/o Greenville County Detention Center, can be mailed to the jail for deposit into the Inmate’s Account.  There is no deposit limit on money order and funds are available to the inmate immediately upon receipt and posting to the Inmate’s Account.  Money orders are mailed to:

Greenville County Detention Center
20 McGee Street
Greenville, SC 29601

Note: personal checks and cash received by mail will NOT be deposited into an Inmate’s Account.  Cash received through the mail will be documented as personal inmate property and secured in the property room.  Personal checks will be returned to the sender.

Inmates with account balances of less than $1.00 for 7 or more days are considered to be indigent.  These inmates are eligible to receive select hygiene and writing materials from the commissary.  Indigent purchases are debited from the Inmate’s Account as outstanding debt. Deposits into accounts for indigent inmates will be used to cover negative balances at the rate of 25% per deposit.

An inmate may release money from their account by completing a Request Form. Money will be released to the designated person from Inmate Services, located in the lobby of Building One, Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Greenville County Detention Center Visitation:

Adult family and friends wishing to visit an inmate must be on the inmate’s Visitation List.  Inmates designate the names of their visitors on their Visitation List (up to three adults).  This list can be updated by the inmate once every 30 days.  Visitors wishing to be added to an Inmate’s Visitation List, should write the inmate, providing their full name, and request that they be added to their list. 

All visitors age 16 years and up must be able to present a valid, government-issued, picture identification (ID). Acceptable forms of picture ID are a current driver's license, state identification card or a passport.  All minors must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

No more than one adult and up to two minors are allowed at a single visit.  Visits are confined to two per week for a maximum of 30 minutes each.  The visiting hours and the method by which they are conducted depend on an inmate’s housing assignment.  Visits may occur on a video monitor, via telephone receivers with visibility through glass barriers or through vented glass barriers.  If you are unsure which building the inmate is in, contact 864-467-2330.

All visitors and their personal effects are subject to search.  Visitors should limit items brought into the jail during visitation.  Storage lockers are available for visitors free of charge, but the jail is not responsible for any items left unattended, lost or misplaced.  No cellular phone, cameras, purses, bags, tobacco products, lighters, flame producing devices, mace, chemical sprays, firearms, or weapons of any type are allowed in the detention center.

Visitors must be dressed appropriately for the jail.  Additional dress code information is provided on the Greenville County Detention Center’s Visitation page.

Building One, Two and Four Visitation:

Visitation for inmates housed in these buildings are on a "first come, first served" basis.  The specific visitation times shall be dictated by an inmate’s classification, status, housing area, and level of privileges.  Only authorized visitors are allowed to schedule an appointment in person on the day of visiting.  Visits may be scheduled every 30 minutes prior to the visitation time.  Click here for the Building One visitation schedule, and click here for the Building Two schedule.  Visitors must check in with the Administrative Support Specialist at the respective building’s public lobby.Building Four visitors must report to the lobby of Building Two.

The Building Four Video Visitation Office is open from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., 7 days a week.  For this building, visits will commence upon your arrival at the facility without having to wait for a designated appointment time.  Should the visitation booths in an inmate’s housing unit be occupied or if you arrive during a meal period, you will be asked to wait until a booth becomes available or the meal period in the housing has concluded.  This wait will never be longer than 30 minutes.

Visitation for Building Three Inmates (Juveniles):

Each juvenile is allowed three, 30-minute, visits per week, from Monday through Sunday.  Visitors must be adult, immediate family members (parents, grandparents or legal guardians) of the inmate.  All visits are on a first come, first served basis.  Visitors should arrive 15 minutes prior to the visitation start time to sign in.

Only two visitors may visit an inmate at a single visit.  The same rules with regard to picture ID, dress code, and personal effects (as listed above) apply to juvenile visits.

Following is the visitation schedule for juveniles:

Monday through Friday - 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday - 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Inmate Telephone and Email Privileges:

Inmates cannot receive incoming phone calls.  Inmates have access to telephones in their housing areas for outgoing phone calls.  These phone calls must be collect calls or pre-paid phone calls; in both instances the receiving party must accept the call to be connected to the inmate.  Jail phone calls are monitored and may be recorded.  Any attempt to conference or transfer a call will result in the call being disconnected.

Friends and family of inmates at the detention center can set up pre-paid telephone accounts to accept calls from inmates. These accounts can be set up by calling Securus Technologies at 1-800-844-6591 or by visiting the Securus website.  A number of different account types are available.  Visit the Securus website for more details.

Collect calls cannot be placed from the detention center to cellular telephones unless the person who is financially responsible for the cellular telephone creates an account through Securus.

Inmates have access to telephones from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. each day.  Interruptions in this service may be occur during essential facility operations such as inmate head counts, meal service, institutional emergencies or other general incidents.  Telephone services are considered a privilege for the inmates, and may be suspended due to disciplinary actions or security concerns. Inmates housed in restrictive housing are provided phone services under controlled movement and their access to telephone service will vary.

If you want to block calls from inmates of the Greenville County Detention Center, contact Securus Technologies at 1-800-844-6591.

The Greenville County Detention Center offers email service for inmates through JailATM.com.  An account and payment must be established to use this service.  Review the vendor’s Email Support page for more details on this service.

Post Bail or Bond in Greenville County:

Bail allows an arrested person (defendant) to be released from jail until his or her case is completed.

A bond is an amount of money in cash or a surety bond for the purpose of making sure an accused person attends a required court appearance.  A property bond, cash bond or bonding company may be used to bond a person out of the Greenville County Jail.  As mentioned earlier, bond information (if applicable) can be found on an inmate’s Description and Location information page through the Inmate Search website.

Property Bond:

For a property bond, the property must be located within Greenville County and have the current year’s property taxes paid.  A title search must be done on the property, which is generally requested through an attorney of your choice.  You must establish that the equity of the property is sufficient to cover the amount of the bond.  Administrative fees are required to be paid before a property bond will be issued.  Contact the attorney of your choice to manage this process.

Cash Bail/Bond:

Cash bail and bond payments can be made in person at the Bond Court located at 4 McGee Street, Greenville, SC 29601 between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.  Payment outside of court hours can be done at the Greenville County Detention Center.  Payments can be made in cash, with a certified cashier’s check or with a U.S. Postal Money Order equal to the total amount of the bond, made payable to the Greenville County Bond Court.  Note, it is recommended that you contact the Bond Court, by calling 864-467-5312, to verify the jurisdiction of the bond before arranging for payment.

Bonding Company:

Bonding companies provide bonds for incarcerated persons and typically charge a negotiable percentage fee of the total amount of the bond.  Bonding companies must be licensed by the county.  A list of the approved bonding companies is available at the Greenville County Detention Center.

Revoking a Bond:

The person who posted the bond, along with the person who was bonded out of jail, will need to come in person to the Greenville County Detention Center to surrender the bonded person. The person who posted the bond can then request, through the Clerk of Courts, that the bond be revoked.

Bond Refund:

The Greenville County Detention Center does not process bond refunds.  Refunds are managed by the Clerk of Courts or the respective trial court, in accordance with the paperwork completed at the time the bond was established.

Conclusion

Now that you have read our article on the Greenville County Detention Center, we hope we have made it much easier to perform a search of the inmate listing/jail roster, review mugshots, schedule visits, send mail, fund inmate accounts, and contact the detention center.  We understand how difficult it can be when a family or friend is incarcerated, and we try our absolute best to provide the most updated information on each facility, to make your life easier.