Calhoun County Jail

The Calhoun County Jail is located in Clayton, Alabama, and is operated by the Calhoun County Sheriff.  The primary function of this institution is the maintenance of those individuals who must be held in custody pending disposition of their respective cases by the Courts.

The majority of inmates housed in the facility have been arrested by local law enforcement and are being held as pre-trial detainees who are awaiting actions by the Court.  

A much smaller number of inmates are serving a sentence in the facility, are federal inmates, or are inmates who have been sentenced to state prison who are awaiting transportation to their assigned Alabama Department of Corrections location. 

Generally speaking, custody in the Calhoun County Jail is not intended to be punitive.  Most men and women incarcerated there have not been tried by the Courts so must be presumed innocent until such time as guilt has been determined by the law.  

Inmates that have a bond amount set can make bond at any time. Those that do not have bonds cannot be released until his/her judge has authorized it. To find out an inmate's charge, bond amount, and court date, call the Calhoun County Jail at the general number below.

The jail has a normal capacity of about 370 inmates, and offenses vary from inmate to inmate. Historically, about 38% are charged with probation violation or failure to appear, and approximately 25% are charged with some form of drug or alcohol offense.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

All visitation times at the Calhoun County Jail are based on the section the inmate is assigned and are scheduled through the inmatesales.com website. Inmates not listed on that website can be visited by scheduling via the visitation desk at (256) 241-8032. 

The Calhoun County Jail’s visitation procedure is designed so that the visitor will not have to wait to visit. 

If you have not made an appointment there is no visit. Every inmate has a visitation list that includes five immediate family members, but only four immediate family members are allowed to visit per session. 

In order for you to be able to make an appointment to visit, you have to be immediate family and on the visitation list. If the inmate you are trying to visit has refused to make their list, you will have to wait until he\she adds your name to their list. YOU CAN NOT ADD YOURSELF to their list.

All inmates are allowed two free onsite 20 minute video visits per week. Additional video visitation or remote visitation may be scheduled for a fee by visiting inmatesales.com or through the kiosk in the jail lobby.

General Visiting Rules

Only authorized immediate family members- parents, grandparents, legal spouses, siblings, and children are allowed to visit an inmate at the Calhoun County Jail. Girlfriends, fiancés, cousins, friends, and live-in significant others cannot visit. The following persons are not allowed to visit:

• Any person awaiting trial in any jurisdiction for a felony offense
• Any person on furlough or pass from any correctional institution or rehab
• Any person released from jail/prison during the past 12 months
• Any person who is a co-defendant or victim of the inmate
• Any person who has an active warrant for their arrest

Inmates establish their visitation list when they are booked into the facility. Only in special circumstances will a change be made to an inmate’s visitation list once they have been booked in.

The Calhoun County Jail is a tobacco free facility. Tobacco products are considered contraband and possession in the facility is against the law.

Dress Code

If you wear inappropriate clothing to your visit, you will not be admitted and the visit will be cancelled.

Inappropriate clothing includes: short shorts, halter tops, tank tops, strapless tops, sleeveless tops, extremely tight clothing, low cut, V-neck or see through blouses, short/mini dresses or dresses with slits up the thigh, caps, bandannas, or house shoes.

No hand-delivered mail or packages are accepted. Only mail or packages sent through the US Postal Service will be accepted. All incoming mail must have the sender's first and last name, complete address, and inmate's full name on the envelope. 

Mail sent to inmates must be in envelopes with the postage printed on it. Peel and stick stamps will not be accepted.

• All mail is inspected for contraband. 
• Do not send any form of money (cash, check, or money order) in the mail.
• Due to security concerns the Calhoun County Jail no longer accepts packages of any kind.

Only letters hand written in ink or typed will be accepted. No photocopies of any sort will be accepted. No photographs of any kind will be accepted. Incoming mail will only be delivered to the inmate it is addressed to. Personal mail received for an inmate will be opened, inspected, and scanned before delivery to the inmate.

Inmates may receive new paperback or soft back books (no hardcover books) sent directly from the publisher Barnes and Noble to the jail.

• Books must be no larger than 9.5 x 6.5 inches. Inmates are allowed one book per month sent directly from Barnes and Noble to the jail. Magazines and newspapers are a fire hazard and they are not allowed.
• Books that contain lewd, obscene, or inflammatory books or photographs will not be permitted. Publications that are directed at revolutionary activities, advocate treason, or civil disobedience will not be permitted in the facility. 

The Jail Administrator reserves the right to refuse any book. Books that do not meet the standards of this facility will be destroyed or donated to charity.

How to Call an Inmate

You can't call an inmate who is housed at the Calhoun County Jail, but they do have access to phones and are allowed to make outgoing calls. Money can be added to the inmate’s phone account at the jail lobby phone kiosk or by visiting inmatesales.com.

How to Send Money

All inmates booked into the Calhoun County Jail have their own personal money account opened. They can use this account to purchase commissary items, inmate phone use, pay medical visits, pay court ordered fees, etc.

Any money an inmate has when they arrive at the jail is deposited into this account at time of booking. If you would like to add money to a family member or loved ones account, there are a couple of ways to do this. 

You can visit the jail and use the kiosk set up in the visitors lobby and use cash or credit\debit card. Another option is to send money via JailATM.com.

All funds deposited are immediately posted to the inmates account. When an inmate is released from the jail, any funds he\she may have in their account is released with the inmate in the form of a check or debit card.

Programs For Inmates

The Calhoun County Jail is a multi-faceted environment.  They have a full kitchen facility which prepares in excess of 400,000 meals per year, a drug rehabilitation program, which provides over 4,000 hours of community service annually, a medical facility, and a separate women’s facility.  

The Calhoun County Jail Chaplain program provides pastoral care, manages religious programs, and administers resources at the Calhoun County Jail through regular visits to housing units, visitation rooms, and work sites.  

The Chaplain oversees a schedule of religious activities that provide equitable and reasonable opportunities for worship, study, and religious programs for various faiths

Pictures of Calhoun County Jail

Careers at Calhoun County Jail

If you are interested in a career with the Sheriff's Department and would like more information about the job openings at the Calhoun County Jail, click here.