Shelby County Jail
The Shelby County Jail is located in Columbiana, Alabama and is operated by the Shelby County Sheriff's Department. This facility holds adult male and female inmates who have been arrested by local county or city law enforcement, and it is the primary detention center for all law enforcement agencies in Shelby County.
Inmates are incarcerated for crimes ranging from a violation of misdemeanors to felonies. The Shelby 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
- ICE detainees
To see a current inmate roster for the Shelby County Jail, click here.
The Jail Division of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office is commanded by Captain Russell Bedsole, and they are responsible for the, "Care, Custody, and Control of the inmates housed in the Shelby County Jail."
As one of the, "most sophisticated corrections facilities in the region," the Shelby County Jail has a podular design and uses new tech to manage inmate populations. The Jail Division uses court computerized management and fingerprint systems, digital imaging, court teleconferencing, state-of-the-art video surveillance systems, intercoms, phones, and radios.
Bonding Procedures
An inmate’s bond is set by the courts and not the Shelby County Jail. There are three (3) ways to post a bond for a county pretrial inmate, provided the bond is not a, “Cash Only” bond.
CASH BOND: Cash in the amount of the total bond, which must be in the form of a money order or cashier's check made out to Mary Harris, Clerk of Court. To make cash bail payments online, use GovPayNet.
GovPayNet accepts major credit and debit cards for cash bail twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Cardholders can make payments on their own behalf or on behalf of friends or family. They only need to know some basic information about the arrestee and the bail amount, information that the Shelby County Jail can provide.
PROPERTY BOND: If the property is in Shelby County, the sheriff's office can approve the bond. If the property is located in another county, someone will have to go to that county’s Sheriff’s Office to have the bond approved. Upon approval, bring the bond papers to the Shelby County Jail. Out of county property bonds will be required to meet that particular county’s requirement for bonds.
BONDING COMPANY: There are several professional bondsmen who are approved by the Shelby County Courts to post bonds in the Shelby County Jail. Bondsmen generally charge a fee for their services and usually have additional requirements.
Before an inmate can be released from the Shelby County Jail, his/her bond must be approved by an officer who is authorized to do so.
Prison Insights
Shelby County Jail
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Visiting Hours and Rules
Generally, inmates at the Shelby County Jail are allowed one scheduled on-site visit per week. Friends and family who wish to visit an inmate must do so in the lobby of the Shelby County Sheriff's office via video. This service is free of charge.
If an inmate is currently on privilege restriction, or already has a visit scheduled for a week’s time, the system will not allow you to schedule another visit which would exceed the inmate’s weekly visit allowance.
Friends and family can schedule a visit by visiting the Shelby County Jail visitation website, or by going to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and using the VendEngine kiosk provided in the visitation area. Visits can be scheduled as far out as two weeks away.
All visits must be scheduled at least 24 hours in advance prior to the scheduled visitation time.
Before they will be allowed to visit with an inmate, visitors must be approved and must show a valid government issued ID. The allotted time periods for video visitation are listed below.
Visitation Times
Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Saturday | Sunday |
7:20 to 7:50 p.m. | 7:20 to 7:50 p.m. | 7:20 to 7:50 p.m. | 8:00 to 8:30 a.m. | 8:00 to 8:30 a.m. |
7:55 to 8:25 p.m. | 7:55 to 8:25 p.m. | 7:55 to 8:25 p.m. | 8:35 to 9:05 a.m. | 8:35 to 9:05 a.m. |
8:30 to 9:00 p.m. | 8:30 to 9:00 p.m. | 8:30 to 9:00 p.m. | 9:10 to 9:40 a.m. | 9:10 to 9:40 a.m. |
9:05 to 9:35 p.m. | 9:05 to 9:35 p.m. | 9:05 to 9:35 p.m. | 9:45 to 10:15 a.m. | 9:45 to 10:15 a.m. |
N/A | N/A | N/A | 10:20 to 10:50 a.m. | 10:20 to 10:50 a.m. |
N/A | N/A | N/A | 10:55 to 11:25 a.m. | 10:55 to 11:25 a.m. |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1:00 to 1:30 p.m. |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1:35 to 2:05 p.m. |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 2:10 to 2:40 p.m. |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 2:45 to 3:15 p.m. |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 3:20 to 3:50 p.m. |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 3:55 to 4:25 p.m. |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 7:20 to 7:50 p.m. |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 7:55 to 8:25 p.m. |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 8:30 to 9:00 p.m. |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 9:05 to 9:35 p.m. |
Basic Visiting Rules
- No loud, foul, or offensive language
- No nudity
- Children are allowed to visit as long as they do not disturb others
- Visitors can only visit with two separate inmates each week
- No “inmate swapping” during visits
- Visitors are not allowed to use cell phones or tablet devices during a visit
- Visitors must be respectful of others
- Visitors who are subject to a protection from abuse order with an inmate may not visit
- Juvenile (under 18) visitors may only visit when accompanied by an adult
- Visits may be terminated at an officer’s discretion
- Visitors can not be under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Adult visitors must have a state or government issued photo ID in their possession when visiting
- Visitors must use their correct and current identifying information when scheduling a visit
- All visits (except privileged attorney visits) are subject to recording and monitoring
- Inmates are not allowed to receive books, newspapers, publications, or any reading items directly from visitors.
Physical Address
Shelby County Jail
380 McDow Road
Columbiana, AL 35051
Driving Directions: https://goo.gl/maps/giRYCNWfLLdAMTQ37
General Phone Number
205-670-6066
Inmate Mailing Address(es)
Shelby County Jail
Inmate Name and Resident Number
P.O. Box 1240
Columbiana, AL 35051
All outgoing mail must have the correct postage, a complete mailing address, and return address. All general incoming mail is scanned and posted to the inmate kiosk in the pod. The actual piece of mail is put into the inmate’s personal property.
How to Call an Inmate
You can't call an inmate who is housed at the Shelby County Jail, but they do have access to phones in their housing units (upon completion of the booking process) and can make outgoing collect calls.
The basic phone rules are:
- Inmates are not allowed to make non-typical collect calls, 3-way calls, or unwanted calls.
- Inmates cannot receive telephone calls.
- Inmates have access to telephones during the daytime, except during meals.
- Inmates may place normal collect calls or use the NCIC prepaid phone account service.
- All phone calls are monitored and recorded.
Prepaid Phone Accounts
The Shelby County Jail uses NCIC Inmate Communications as its telephone service provider. NCIC offers prepaid phone accounts and lower per-minute costs than regular collect calls. For more information, visit www.ncic.com.
NCIC Calling Rates
Call Type | Prepaid Collect | Debit/Debit Cards | Connection Fee |
Per Minute Rate | Per Minute Rate | Rate | |
Local | $0.25 | $0.21 | $0.00 |
IntraLATA / Interstate | $0.25 | $0.21 | $0.00 |
InterLATA / Intrastate | $0.25 | $0.21 | $0.00 |
InterLATA / Interstate | $0.25 | $0.21 | $0.00 |
Mexico / Canada | $0.25 | $0.25 | $0.00 |
International | $0.35 | $0.35 | $0.00 |
Inmate Voicemail | $1.50 (Three Minute Duration) | $1.50 (Three Minute Duration) | N/A |
Prepaid Accounts
Friends and family can also purchase prepaid phone services at www.ncic.com, by using kiosks located at the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, or by calling 800-943-2189 for NCIC’s Customer Service. Inmates can also purchase prepaid phone time using funds in their inmate account, through the jail commissary.How to Send Money
When inmates are booked into the Shelby County Jail, the cash that they have on them is placed into an account at the Sheriff’s Office that allows them to purchase items from the jail commissary.
Money orders, cash, and other certified funds will NOT be accepted in the mail or in person at the Shelby County Sheriff's Office. Visit www.jailatm.com or use the kiosk in the lobby of the Sheriff’s Office to add funds to an inmate’s account.
Cash deposits can be made to an inmate’s account through the Jail ATM Lobby Kiosk machine, which is located in the video visitation area behind the front desk in the lobby. This machine is similar to an ATM, with instructions for use listed on the screen and given verbally.
The Jail ATM Lobby Kiosk accepts $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100 bills only. The inmate’s last name must be entered prior to making a deposit through the Jail ATM Lobby Kiosk. A charge of $3.25 per transaction is assessed for each deposit.
Credit and debit cards may also be used to deposit money into an inmate’s account through the Jail ATM Lobby Kiosk. The inmate's last name must be entered prior to making a deposit, and a charge of $3.25 or 10% (whichever is greater) will be assessed for each deposit.
You can also use a credit or debit card to deposit money into an inmate's account when using the JailATM website. You will need to set up an account, and you will need to know the inmate’s first and last name or booking number.
Programs For Inmates
The Shelby County Jail does have a work release program for qualified inmates. For an inmate to be considered for assignment to worker positions outside the Shelby County Jail, they must be sentenced on all charges to serve time at the Shelby County Jail or Alabama DOC. And, they must have at least 30 days remaining in their sentence.
Inmate care provided includes on-site medical, dental, and mental health services.
Pictures of Shelby County Jail
Careers at Shelby 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 Shelby County Jail, click here.
