Houston County Jail
The Houston County Jail is located in Dothan, Alabama and is operated by the Houston County Sheriff's Department. This facility holds adult male and female inmates who have been arrested by local county or municipal law enforcement. This is the primary detention facility for all law enforcement agencies in Houston County.
Inmates are incarcerated for crimes ranging from a violation to misdemeanors to felonies. The Houston County Jail houses:
- Persons who have been charged with a crime and are awaiting trial
- Those who have been arrested on warrants
- Those who have been sentenced to the county jail for one year or less for a misdemeanor crime
- Those who've been placed on hold by Alabama Probation and Parole
- Inmates sentenced by municipal courts in the county
- People who have been placed in the jail "on hold" by other agencies, and
- Inmates who are waiting to be transferred to their assigned Alabama Department of Corrections facility
To check a current inmate roster, click here.
Court Appearance Clothing
It is the responsibility of the inmate and their attorney to make sure the inmate is ready for their court appearance. The Houston County Jail will accept one set of court clothing for an inmate during the week prior to their court date. Court clothes can be dropped off Monday through Friday between 8 A.M. and 4 P.M.
If inmate clothing must be brought to the Jail the week of trial, it must be done by the inmate's attorney or a representative from the attorney's office. Clothing will not be accepted from the inmate's family the week of trial.
A set of court clothing may consist of any of the following:
- 1 suit jacket or sport coat
- 1 necktie
- 1 shirt
- 1 pair of pants
- 1 pair of low rise dress shoes (No tennis shoes or boots accepted)
- 1 pair of socks
- 1 belt
No other clothing items are accepted.
The person bringing in the court clothing is required to present identification and will be given a receipt.
The clothing must be picked up within two weeks of the completion of the case for the current term of court. Clothing may only be picked up on Tuesday and Thursday between 8 A.M. and 4 P.M. Clothing not picked up within two weeks is disposed of.
Prison Insights
Houston County Jail
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Visiting Hours and Rules
Visitation at the Houston County Jail is conducted via face-to-face, non-contact visits, and video visits. All video visits are paid visits.
Face to face visits do not take away from an inmate being able to have video visits, and inmates who get video visits are still allowed face to face visits.
All face to face visitations are scheduled by calling (334) 712-0762. No walk in visits are allowed. All visits must be scheduled no later than 3 P.M. on the Friday before the weekend face to face visits.
Visiting Rules
Inmates who want visitors must complete a visitation list within 30 days of their booking date. Visitation is not allowed until the inmate's list of visitors is checked and approved.
Face to face visitors, including children and clergy, are not allowed to visit if their name is not on the visitation list or if the required information is not provided. The list is restricted to eight names.
Persons convicted of a class “A” felony within the last five years, those who have a pending class “A” felony case, and anyone who has been incarcerated in the Houston County Jail within the last six months are not allowed face-to-face visits with an inmate.
Rules violations that result in loss of visitation privileges will be all types of visitation, video and face to face.
Face to face visitors 16 years and older must have a current government issued photo ID before entry. Visitors younger than 16 must have a social security card or a birth certificate.
Inmates are allowed one 30 minute visit on the designated weekend. Only two people, including children, are allowed to have a face to face visit with an inmate each visitation day. Split visits are NOT allowed; all visitors must come and leave together.
Warrant checks are conducted on all visitors. Anyone with active arrest warrants will be arrested when they arrive at the jail for visitation.
The dress code for all visitors is posted at the jail. Anyone in violation of the dress code will not be allowed to visit an inmate and will be ordered to leave the jail property.
No visitor is allowed to bring any electronic device of any type in the jail.
Anyone who violates any of the visitation rules will be banned from the Houston County Jail, and banned from all forms of visitation, for a minimum of 90 days.
Physical Address
Houston County Jail
144 North Oates
Dothan, AL,36303
Driving Directions: https://goo.gl/maps/GyAs8qVKU7R1AiGy6
General Phone Number
334-677-4882
334-677-4808
Inmate Mailing Address(es)
Houston County Jail
c/o Detainee Name
144 North Oates
Dothan, AL,36303
All incoming personal inmate mail must be sent through the postal service on a single sheet of 8 ½ X 11 card stock which will be folded in half and taped on both edges and the top. Nothing may be inserted in the folded cardstock and the edges and the top cannot be completely sealed.
No hand-delivered mail or packages are accepted. Only letters hand written in ink or typed will be accepted, nothing in crayon or non-ink substances. No photocopies of any sort are accepted. No photographs of any kind are accepted. Incoming mail will only be delivered to the inmate it is addressed to.
Personal mail received for an inmate will be documented, opened, inspected, and may be read before delivery to the inmate.
No incoming mail is accepted if there is any foreign substance on it, appears to be stained, has an aroma, or appears to contain contraband.
All incoming mail must have the sender's first and last name, complete address, inmate # and pod location on the envelope. No nicknames will be accepted.
How to Call an Inmate
You can't call an inmate who is housed at the Houston County Jail, but they do have access to phones in their cell blocks.
The Houston County Jail uses NCIC Inmate Communications for inmate phone services. In order to set up and fund a prepaid account, friends and family can call 1-800-943-2189 or visit www.ncic.com. The current rate for phone calls is 25 cents per minute.How to Send Money
During the booking process at Houston County Jail, a commissary account is set up for each inmate. If the inmate has money in their possession during the booking process, the money will be taken and placed into their inmate commissary account.
Commissary Deposits can be made 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at www.jailatm.com or by calling (706) 298 - 4974.
You must have the following information to deposit money using the website:
- Inmate's Name
- Inmate's Number
- Location (Houston County Jail)
- A Credit or Debit Card
You can also use the Kiosk located in the lobby of the Houston County Jail during normal business hours to deposit money into an inmate's account. When using the Kiosk, you will also be required to present a valid Driver's License or Identification Card. There is a service fee for each transaction.
Programs For Inmates
This information is not publicly available.
Pictures of Houston County Jail
Careers at Houston 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 Houston County Jail, click here.
