Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. The jail figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and September 25, 2026.
Canton, Georgia, in Cherokee County, has about 38,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A person kept in custody after an arrest in Canton is held at the county jail, run by the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, and the jail's record of each person held is a public record. This guide says where to look for someone in custody, what the jail holds and who books people into it.
This guide covers the search, the jail, who books people, state prison and common questions.
Related guides: Canton public records, Cherokee County inmate search, Canton arrest records, Canton warrants, Canton criminal records, Canton court records, Georgia arrest records and Georgia inmate search.
Finding Someone in Custody in Canton
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Canton is held at the county jail, run by the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, whichever agency made the arrest.
SearchSystems opened and checked the custody page of the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office at sheriff.cherokeecountyga.gov/jaillist/inmate-search-report.php (page title: Cherokee County | Inmate Search), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Someone booked recently shows on that page; someone cited and released at the scene, or held a few hours at a city station, does not.
The Cherokee County Jail by the Numbers
So far in 2026 the jail has held about 540 people on an average day, up from about 510 in 2019. Its rated capacity is 849 beds, and it is running at 64 percent of it. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
Cherokee County has about 294,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), so the jail holds about 18 people for every 10,000 residents.
Who Books People Into the Cherokee County Jail
The Cherokee County Sheriff's Office and the agency that reports for Canton (filed by the FBI as Canton Police Department) make the arrests that end in a booking in and around Canton.
The FBI's agency list also places these agencies in Cherokee County: Cherokee County Board of Education and the Cherokee County Marshal (other agency); the State Patrol at Canton (state police).
The largest arrest counts reported to the FBI were the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office's 2,292 for 2025, Nelson's 1,152 for 2025 and Woodstock's 780 for 2025.
Together, the six agencies in Cherokee County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 4,767 arrests to the FBI that year. Those kept in custody were booked into the county jail; a person cited and released at the scene was not.
The counts, agency by agency and year by year, are in Canton arrest records.
From the Jail to State Prison
The jail holds people awaiting trial and people serving short sentences. A person sentenced to prison in Cherokee County serves the sentence in a facility of the Georgia Department of Corrections, whose inmate locator is at gdc.georgia.gov/offender-info/find-offender.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find an inmate in Canton?
Look on the custody page of the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office at sheriff.cherokeecountyga.gov. It covers people booked into the county jail.
How many people are in the Cherokee County jail?
About 540 on an average day so far in 2026, against a rated capacity of 849 beds.
Where do people sentenced to prison in Cherokee County go?
To a facility of the Georgia Department of Corrections; its inmate locator is at gdc.georgia.gov/offender-info/find-offender.
Is this the official Canton website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.