The Jail Report
The Jail Report is a weekly print and digital publication covering local crime, mugshots, and arrest information in the Augusta-Aiken and Greenville-Spartanburg regions of Georgia and South Carolina, sold to consumers via single issues and monthly subscriptions and monetized through local advertising.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersAugusta, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What The Jail Report does
The Jail Report is a weekly print and digital publication produced by Rickabaugh Publishing, LLC, covering local crime, mugshots, arrest records, wanted persons, and court-related stories across the Augusta-Aiken (Richmond, Aiken, and Columbia counties) and Greenville-Spartanburg markets in Georgia and South Carolina. Founded in June 2009 by veteran journalist Greg Rickabaugh as a family-run business, the publication operates out of Augusta, GA and distributes new issues every Wednesday. The product sits on a WordPress website with WooCommerce powering a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront where readers can purchase single issues for $2.00 or sign up for monthly digital subscriptions starting at $4.99, and the company also generates revenue by selling print and online advertising to local businesses, citing reach of 20,000+ weekly readers across radio, TV, print, outdoor, and online formats.
The underlying technology stack is intentionally lightweight: no proprietary platform, no disclosed APIs, no mobile app, and no integrations beyond standard WordPress/WooCommerce commerce functionality and social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and X. Content is sourced manually from public records and law enforcement reports, with mugshots and arrest information compiled for public consumption and an explicit disclaimer that listings reflect charges, not convictions. The business model rests on three revenue streams — single-issue print sales, recurring monthly digital subscriptions, and local advertising — and is supported by an issues archive of 321 Augusta editions plus ongoing online news articles and crime maps. No external funding has been raised, no subsidiaries or parent companies exist, and the company remains privately held under Rickabaugh Publishing, LLC with a headcount of 1-10 employees.
The Jail Report firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Jail Report
- Legal name
- Rickabaugh Publishing, LLC
- Website
- https://thejailreport.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Jail Report is a weekly print and digital publication covering local crime, mugshots, and arrest information in the Augusta-Aiken and Greenville-Spartanburg regions of Georgia and South Carolina, sold to consumers via single issues and monthly subscriptions and monetized through local advertising.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Jail Report industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Local Crime News Publication
- SIC
- Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Legal & Regulatory Publishing (Case Law, Statutes, Treatises) (MPAJACAA)
Keywords
Where The Jail Report is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Augusta
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Jail Report business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Print Newspaper Sales: Single print issues sold for $2.00 per copy. The publication is distributed weekly with each new issue released on Wednesdays. Print copies are purchased individually or through subscription.
- Digital Subscriptions: Monthly digital subscriptions starting at $4.99 per month. Subscribers receive access to digital issues of The Jail Report.
- Advertising Revenue: The Jail Report sells print and online advertising space to local businesses. The publication claims to reach 20,000+ readers weekly, offering advertising across radio, TV, print, outdoor and online formats.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Single print issue purchase |
| Subscription | Monthly | Augusta Monthly Digital Subscription |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
The Jail Report product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Jail Report is a weekly publication covering local crime in Richmond, Aiken, and Columbia counties (CSRA region), featuring mugshots, arrest information, wanted persons, court cases, crime maps, and opinion columns. It sells individual print issues for $2.00 and monthly subscriptions starting at $4.99, with both print and digital editions available, and supplements reader revenue with local advertising sales.
Product overview
The Jail Report is a weekly newspaper publication created by Rickabaugh Publishing, LLC. The company operates a print and digital publication focused on local crime coverage in the Augusta-Aiken area (Richmond, Aiken, and Columbia counties) and expanded in 2010 to the Greenville-Spartanburg region of South Carolina. The product portfolio consists of individual weekly newspaper issues ($2.00 each) and monthly subscription plans (starting at $4.99/month) for the Augusta edition, along with digital subscription options. The publication also distributes free online news content through its website. The company monetizes through paid subscriptions, single-issue sales, and advertising.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Jail Report Weekly Newspaper A weekly publication covering local crime in Richmond, Aiken, and Columbia counties, featuring mugshots, arrest information, crime news, wanted persons, court cases, crime maps, and opinion columns, sold in both print and digital editions.
- Augusta Individual Issues Individual weekly print issues of The Jail Report covering the Augusta area, each featuring crime coverage from the prior week and sold for $2.00 per issue.
- Augusta Monthly Subscription Monthly subscription service for The Jail Report's Augusta edition, starting at $4.99 per month, providing ongoing access to weekly issues with available print and digital variants.
- Digital Subscription Digital subscription option for The Jail Report, providing online access to publication issues for subscribers.
- Print and Online Advertising Placements Advertising space sold to local businesses across print, online, radio, TV, and outdoor formats to reach The Jail Report's claimed 20,000+ weekly readers in the CSRA region.
Quantifiable outcome
- Weekly readership of 20,000+ readers
Companies that use The Jail Report
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Jail Report technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Jail Report partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights3 records
The Jail Report competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Patch: Patch operates thousands of hyperlocal U.S. news sites including crime and public-safety coverage at the town level. While broader in editorial scope and national in footprint, it competes with The Jail Report for local readers and local advertising dollars in the Augusta and Greenville-Spartanburg markets.
- Gannett: Gannett is the largest U.S. newspaper publisher (USA Today network) and operates regional dailies in the Southeast. While not a niche crime publisher, it competes for local display advertising and audience attention against The Jail Report in its operating geographies.
- Lee Enterprises: Lee Enterprises is a large publicly traded newspaper publisher operating dozens of daily and weekly local papers across the U.S. It competes for the same local advertising pool in the Augusta-Aiken and Greenville-Spartanburg markets via broader general-interest publications.
Direct peers
- Busted Newspaper: Busted Newspaper publishes mugshot-focused local crime news across multiple U.S. markets via a similar print + subscription + advertising model. It is the closest direct competitor to The Jail Report's niche offering and shares its recurring-subscription and single-issue pricing structure.
- Mugshots.com: Mugshots.com aggregates arrest records and mugshots by jurisdiction, monetizing via advertising and featured listings. It competes for the same 'local crime information seeker' audience as The Jail Report, primarily through a digital-only delivery model.
Emerging players
- Block Club Chicago: Block Club Chicago is a nonprofit, membership-funded hyperlocal news outlet covering Chicago neighborhoods. It shares The Jail Report's playbook of small-team, neighborhood-level reporting with a recurring-revenue funding model, though focused on broader civic news rather than crime specifically.
- The Appeal: The Appeal is a digital outlet focused on criminal-justice reporting and policy. It overlaps with The Jail Report's crime subject matter but addresses a national, policy-oriented audience via long-form journalism rather than local mugshots and weekly print.
Others
- Crime Stoppers (local chapters): Crime Stoppers programs publish wanted-person information and accept anonymous tips in local communities. They overlap with The Jail Report's wanted-persons content and audience but operate as nonprofit public-safety programs rather than commercial media businesses.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Jail Report social profiles
Digital presenceThe Jail Report financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Jail Report leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Jail Report funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Jail Report M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Jail Report
What does The Jail Report do?
The Jail Report is a weekly publication covering local crime in Richmond, Aiken, and Columbia counties (CSRA region), featuring mugshots, arrest information, wanted persons, court cases, crime maps, and opinion columns. It sells individual print issues for $2.00 and monthly subscriptions starting at $4.99, with both print and digital editions available, and supplements reader revenue with local advertising sales.
Is The Jail Report a public or private company?
The Jail Report is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was The Jail Report founded?
The Jail Report was founded in 2009. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Jail Report based?
The Jail Report is headquartered in Augusta, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Jail Report make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Print Newspaper Sales are the primary driver. The others are digital Subscriptions and advertising Revenue.
Who are The Jail Report's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Patch, Gannett and Lee Enterprises. Direct peers are Busted Newspaper and Mugshots.com. Emerging players are Block Club Chicago and The Appeal. Crime Stoppers (local chapters) is listed as an others.
Does The Jail Report have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Jail Report.
What industry is The Jail Report in?
The Jail Report's product category is Local Crime News Publication. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJACAA, Legal & Regulatory Publishing (Case Law, Statutes, Treatises). Its SIC code is 2711.