SOP 223.03: Property/Cash Found by Staff or Offenders

|GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Standard Operating Procedures|Col2|Col3|
|---|---|---|
|Policy Name: Property/Cash Found By Staff or Offender(s)|Policy Name: Property/Cash Found By Staff or Offender(s)|Policy Name: Property/Cash Found By Staff or Offender(s)|
|Policy Number:223.03|Effective Date:6/30/2020|Page Number: 1 of 3|
|Authority:
Commissioner|Originating Division:
Facilities Division|Access Listing:
Level I: All Access|

I. Introduction and Summary:

A. It shall be the policy of Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) that

Property/Cash, as defined in this procedure, found on facility/center property by
staff or offender(s), or found by staff or offender(s) on detail outside the
facility/center shall not become the property of the staff or the offender(s). The
found Property/Cash shall be disposed of in accordance with guidelines outlined
in this procedure.

B. This procedure does not apply to items of contraband (such as drugs, etc.), but

rather found items that could be expected to have been in the lawful possession of
someone. Items of contraband shall be handled in accordance with SOP 206.02
Management of Offender Property or Contraband.

C. This policy is applicable to all state and county facilities/centers.

II. Authority:

A. GDC Board Rules: 125-2-1-.01(b) and 125-2-1-01(d);

B. GDC Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): 203.03 Incident Reporting and

206.02 Management of Offender Property or Contraband; and

C. ACA Standards: 5-ACI-1B-09 (ref. 4-4033), 5-ACI-1B-10 (ref. 4-4034), and 4
ACRS-7D-21.

III. Definitions:

A. Property/Cash - Checks, money orders, coins/currency, or any other items (such

as jewelry, rings, firearms, etc.) that could be construed as being of significant
value.

IV. Statement of Policy and Applicable Procedures:

A. Property/Cash Found by Offenders:

|GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Standard Operating Procedures|Col2|Col3|
|---|---|---|
|Policy Name: Property/Cash Found By Staff or Offender(s)|Policy Name: Property/Cash Found By Staff or Offender(s)|Policy Name: Property/Cash Found By Staff or Offender(s)|
|Policy Number:223.03|Effective Date:6/30/2020|Page Number: 2 of 3|
|Authority:
Commissioner|Originating Division:
Facilities Division|Access Listing:
Level I: All Access|

1. Property/Cash found by an offender does not become the property of that

offender. When Property/Cash is found, it shall be turned in to a member of
the facility/center staff.

2. The staff member receiving the found Property/Cash from an offender shall

complete a Chain of Custody Form (Attachment 6 of SOP 206.02). An Incident
Report Form (Attachment 1 of SOP 203.03) shall also be completed, which
shall include the following:

a. Who found the Property/Cash;

b. What type and the amount of Property/Cash found; and

c. What the staff member did with the Property/Cash.

3. The found Property/Cash, along with the forms, shall be sent to the

Warden/Superintendent's office for review and then forwarded to the Deputy
Warden of Administration or designee in the facility business office, for final
disposition. Until the final disposition, the Property/Cash will be kept in a
secure location, i.e., a safe, or other locked area with limited access.

a. Disposition by the appropriate staff person may include the following:

i. Any cash shall be turned over to the State Treasury if appropriate;

ii. Attempting to discover the owner and returning to the rightful owner;

or

iii. Turn it over to GDC Office of Professional Standards (OPS) for final

disposition.

|GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Standard Operating Procedures|Col2|Col3|
|---|---|---|
|Policy Name: Property/Cash Found By Staff or Offender(s)|Policy Name: Property/Cash Found By Staff or Offender(s)|Policy Name: Property/Cash Found By Staff or Offender(s)|
|Policy Number:223.03|Effective Date:6/30/2020|Page Number: 3 of 3|
|Authority:
Commissioner|Originating Division:
Facilities Division|Access Listing:
Level I: All Access|

b. The appropriate staff person shall maintain a record of who handled the

items utilizing the Chain of Custody Form, Attachment 6 in SOP 206.02.
Records of final disposition shall also be maintained.

B. Property/Cash Found by Staff on Duty:

1. Staff while on duty who find Property/Cash as defined in this procedure shall

forward the Property/Cash to the Warden/Superintendent's office. An Incident
Report Form (Attachment 1 in SOP 203.03) shall be completed and forwarded
with the Property/Cash.

2. The Warden/Superintendent shall review and forward the Property/Cash to the

Deputy Warden of Administration or designee in the facility business office
for final disposition.

3. The staff member who found the Property/Cash shall be advised of final

disposition by the Deputy Warden of Administration or designee in the facility
business office using the contact information on the Incident Report Form.

V. Attachments: None.

VI. Record Retention of Forms Relevant to this Policy: None.