James Processing is for Private Facility offenders have not been sentenced yet and are detained here until their case is heard.
All prisons and jails have Security or Custody levels depending on the inmate’s classification, sentence, and criminal history. Please review the rules and regulations for Medium facility.
The phone carrier is Global Tel Link (GTL) - ConnectNetwork, to see their rates and best-calling plans for your inmate to call you.
If you are unsure of your inmate's location, you can search and locate your inmate by typing in their last name, first name or first initial, and/or the offender ID number to get their accurate information immediately Registered Offenders
Located in Folkston, GA, James Processing operates as a private contractor with various government agency agreements providing state-minimum custody requirements. Programs are offered to all custody levels, including work release residents focused on reentry success. With a strong emphasis on rehabilitation, James Processing provides comprehensive educational and vocational opportunities. Onsite amenities include dietary, health, fitness, educational, religious, and recreational services. Regular inspections ensure compliance with government standards, ensuring the facility's continued operation.
The D. Ray James Processing Center in Folkston, Georgia, is a large privately operated detention facility managed by GEO Group under contract with the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Located in Charlton County near the Florida border, the institution has become one of the most significant immigration detention centers in the southeastern United States as ICE rapidly expands detention capacity nationwide. Public records and GEO operational data identify the facility as having an operational capacity of 2,847 beds, though recent federal expansion plans involving the adjacent Folkston ICE Processing Center could push the combined detention complex close to 3,000 detainees, potentially making it the largest immigration detention center in the country.
Originally opened in 1998 as D. Ray James Correctional Institution, the facility initially housed Georgia state inmates before transitioning into a federal detention center supporting contracts with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, U.S. Marshals Service, and later ICE. Over time, immigration detention operations became a primary function of the prison as federal enforcement priorities shifted. GEO Group personnel oversee intake processing, detainee supervision, transportation logistics, medical services, food operations, legal visitation, recreation programs, and institutional security under ICE detention standards. The sprawling complex contains secure housing units, medical and mental health clinics, transportation staging sections, recreation yards, dining halls, attorney visitation rooms, and administrative offices supporting around-the-clock detention operations for ICE detainees awaiting immigration hearings, deportation proceedings, or transfer within the federal system.
The detention center operates under GEO Group administrative leadership in coordination with ICE’s Atlanta Field Office, though federal court records in 2025 and 2026 identified the institution generically through references to the “Warden, Folkston D. Ray James ICE Processing Center” without consistently publishing a publicly named warden. The facility has become a major economic driver for Charlton County, with local officials repeatedly supporting expansion projects expected to create hundreds of correctional, transportation, healthcare, and administrative jobs. Because of its isolated location in southeast Georgia near the Okefenokee Swamp, the prison has developed into a large self-contained detention complex handling substantial federal detainee movement throughout the Southeast.
ICE Detainee Information
This facility holds immigration detainees under an active contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in addition to its regular population. ICE detainees are civil immigration detainees, not criminal defendants, and are held while their immigration cases are processed. The rules, rights, and services that apply to ICE detainees differ from those that apply to the general jail population.
To locate an ICE detainee at this facility, use the ICE Online Detainee Locator at locator.ice.gov. You will need the detainee's A-Number, a nine-digit Alien Registration Number that appears on any immigration document they have received. If the A-Number has fewer than nine digits, add zeros at the beginning. If you do not have the A-Number, you can search using the detainee's full legal name, country of birth, and date of birth. Names must be an exact match; try variations if the first search returns no results.
Immigration bond works differently from criminal bail. Not all detainees are eligible for bond; those with certain criminal convictions or prior deportation orders may be subject to mandatory detention. For those who are eligible, bond is set by an immigration judge and typically ranges from $1,500 to over $10,000. Bond must be paid in full before release. An immigration attorney can request a bond hearing and argue for a lower amount based on the detainee's circumstances.
Unlike criminal defendants, ICE detainees do not have the right to a government-appointed attorney. They must hire a private immigration attorney or find free legal help through a nonprofit organization. RAICES provides legal services and bond assistance at raicestexas.org. The National Immigrant Justice Center offers free legal representation at immigrantjustice.org. Many immigration courts also maintain a list of free and low-cost legal service providers available to detainees upon request.
ICE transfers detainees between facilities frequently and with little advance notice, sometimes to locations far from family and legal counsel. If you cannot locate your family member through this page, search the ICE Online Detainee Locator again at locator.ice.gov with their A-Number. If they have an attorney, notify the attorney immediately as transfers affect court appearances and case timelines.
The D. Ray James facility has also become one of the most controversial immigration detention centers in the country. Federal inspections and investigative reports documented repeated allegations involving detainee healthcare failures, mold infestations, sanitation problems, delayed medical treatment, excessive force complaints, hunger-strike retaliation claims, and inadequate religious accommodations. A 2024 detainee death involving delayed cardiac treatment generated significant national attention after ICE medical reviewers concluded the care “deviated beyond safe limits.” Advocacy groups and immigration attorneys have repeatedly criticized conditions inside the facility while demanding stronger federal oversight and accountability for GEO Group operations.
One distinguishing feature of the D. Ray James Processing Center is the scale of its planned integration with the neighboring Folkston ICE Processing Center under expanded federal contracts approved during 2025. Federal officials and GEO Group executives described the combined operation as part of a broader national immigration detention expansion strategy under DHS. The detention complex now sits at the center of major national debates involving private prison contractors, immigration enforcement policy, detainee rights, healthcare standards, and the rapid growth of federal immigration detention infrastructure across the United States. Despite continued controversy and legal scrutiny, the facility remains one of ICE’s most strategically important detention centers in the Southeast and continues housing thousands of detainees annually under DHS authority.
