A web site

for the Georgia Department of Corrections now gives local residents a

chance to view the incarceration status of any state prisoner.

The web site

links users to information on inmates, including the prisons they're incarcerated

at, their projected release dates and a mug shot of each inmate. A special

feature allows users to search for inmates who will be released within

two weeks or who were released within the past two weeks.

Web surfers

must first click on "inmate query page" and once there, they

must plug in information to search for a particular inmate.

Searches can

also be performed for a list of inmates sorted by the type of offense

they're jailed for or the county the offense was committed in.

According to

the Department of Corrections, the web site has been used by law enforcement

agencies to keep track of high-risk offenders such as sex offenders.

It also helps

crime victims stay involved in the judicial process even after the conviction

is secured, said Jim Wetherington, Georgia's commissioner of the Department

of Corrections.

"Members

of Georgia's law enforcement are telling me again and again that our web

site has become a valuable addition to their investigation capabilities,

and that's a very good thing," Wetherington said. "It also pleases

me that victims and their advocates are learning that they can use the

web to track the status of a prisoner at any time."

The inmate

query page has been one of the most popular areas of the department's

web site, generating over eight million hits.

The site also

includes information on the department, a virtual tour of a state prison

and a chance to apply for a job at the department while online.

The site is

part of the department's efforts to provide the public with more information

about the Georgia correctional system.

"We must

seek out new and innovative ways to assist not only my department, but

other agencies as well, in fulfilling our mission to inform and protect

our citizens," Wetherington said. "Judging by the response to

our web page, I think we've made a good start."