Staton Correctional Facility

Staton Correctional Facility, is a medium-security state prison for men located in Elmore, Alabama. The max capacity at Staton is 1,376, and compared to other facilities in Alabama, it is considered to be one of the safer prisons with low levels of violence.

Staton opened in 1978 and is named after Thomas F. Staton, former chairman of the Board of Corrections in Alabama.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Visiting hours at Staton Correctional Facility are on Saturdays and Sundays from 8am-11am and 12pm-3pm. The facility uses a rotating schedule, so an inmate’s visiting time will alternate.

You must talk directly to your incarcerated loved one to find out his specific visit info. Or, you can call the facility to get the right date and time by giving them his first and last name.

Inmates have a sixty day waiting period for visitation privileges, but during that time you can have the inmate put you on their visit list and submit your application.

Getting on the Approved Visit List

Family and friends may visit an inmate during social visiting hours, but he must he put you on the visiting list and you must fill out a visitor application first.

The inmate must mail you the visitor application, which you must fill out completely and accurately, then mail it back to the inmate using the inmate mailing address provided below.

A prison staff member will do a background check and determine if the visitor application is approved or denied. The process takes about a month, on average, and a staff member will notify the inmate with the decision. It is the inmate’s responsibility to let their potential visitor know if they have been approved or denied.

A married inmate may not have a female friend on their approved ADOC visit list. An unmarried inmate may have one female friend and one male friend.

A minor child must be the inmate’s son or daughter to be allowed to visit.

Basic Visit Procedures and Rules

A maximum of four adults and four minor visitors may visit an inmate at any one time.

If you are 16 years of age or older, you must bring a current photo ID with you. Accepted forms include a state or federal ID card, driver's license, military ID, or current passport. Birth certificates are not valid forms of ID unless you are a minor.

When you enter Staton, you will receive a visual and pat search by an officer. You will also be scanned by a metal detector, finger printed, and stamped with ink that can be detected with ultraviolet light upon your exit from the visiting room.

Any item you bring into the facility will be opened and searched by a staff member, and anyone who refuses a search of themselves or their property will not be allowed to visit with the inmate. You must return all unapproved items to your car.

Each adult visitor may enter the visitation check-in area with:

• a maximum of $20.00 in cash
• an identification card
• car keys

All items must be carried in a clear plastic bag. Visitors may also have the option of purchasing a $20.00 debit card.

Please leave all electronic devices - including cell phones and smartwatches -  in your vehicle.

Visitors with babies will be allowed to bring:

• A maximum of four disposable diapers (one will be changed during searches)
• One small baby blanket
• Two plastic baby bottles

The dress code in the visiting room is very conservative. All dresses, skirts, and pants must be below the knee and all blouses and shirts must be long enough and high enough to cover the waist and chest area.

Do not wear see-through or tight clothing, slippers or open-toed shoes, and uniforms like medical scrubs.

The main things to remember when visiting an inmate in an Alabama state prison is to dress appropriately and only bring a photo ID, car keys, and cash for the vending machine. You must bring everything in a clear plastic bag, and purses must be left in your car.

If you have any questions, call the facility directly and ask to speak with the visiting room officer.

There is no limit on the amount of letters that inmates receive, but all correspondence must have the inmate’s complete name, registration number, facility name, and address.

Some of the inmate mail rules are:

• Inmates are allowed to receive up to two (2) books of stamps per week in the mail
• Inmates are allowed to receive up to four (4) pages of internet material per letter
• Excessive letters with consistent content shall be rejected
• Inmates are not allowed to receive any form of writing pads or tablets, torn out magazine pages, news clippings, or writing instruments in the mail
• Inmates are allowed to receive no more than four sheets of loose leaf paper and four envelopes per week in the mail

If you want to send newspapers and magazines, they must come directly from the publisher via a subscription or mail order that is prepaid. You can also order books, but they must come from sites like Amazon.com and they must be mailed directly from the vendor to the prisoner.

Inmates may receive a maximum of two books and four magazines/newspapers or a combination thereof each month.

Your mail will be rejected if you mark the envelope with crayon, marker, stickers, glitter, or lipstick.

The maximum photo size that you can send is 4"x 6". Polaroids are not allowed, and any picture that contains nudity or anything sexually suggestive will be rejected.

You can send up to five photos in an envelope with a single stamp.

How to Call an Inmate

Inmates incarcerated in Alabama state prisons are not allowed to have cellphones, and they can't receive inbound calls. This means that calling an inmate directly is not an option. Inmates can make outbound calls during approved hours, and they must call collect or pay for the call with the money that is on their personal account.

Approved hours for phone calls are usually between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., but those times do vary by facility. During count times and lockdowns, phone calls are not allowed.

There is a 30-minute limit on phone calls, and they are all monitored and recorded. Be careful when using call waiting or three-way calling because it may result in the call being terminated.

Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) has contracted with CenturyLink to provide calling services for inmates.

Anyone can open a CenturyLink account to prepay for inmate calls. You can either make payments directly to the inmate’s calling account, or opt for a Prepaid Collect calling plan to accommodate calls to cell phones or accounts with credit issues.

How to Send Money

There are four ways to send money to a prisoner at an ADOC facility:

• Online at www.accesscorrections.com
• By phone at (866)345-1884
• At a CashPayToday location
• Send a money order and coupon by US mail to:
• Secure Deposits - Alabama DOC
• PO Box 12486
• St. Louis, MO 63132

Inmates can receive outside funds which are deposited into their commissary accounts via Access Corrections. You can establish an account by visiting their website or calling (866) 345-1884. You can add money to an inmate’s account with a credit card or debit card.

Once you have an account, you can also put money on an inmate’s books with cash at a CashPayToday location like Dollar General and Family Dollar.

If you prefer to send a money order, start by creating your account at accesscorrections.com, and then print out a deposit coupon and follow the instructions. You can also request a coupon while visiting Staton Correctional Facility.

Fee schedule:

Deposit Amount       Online      Phone       Money Order   Walk-In
$0.01 - $25.00         $2.95        $3.50         no charge      $5.00
$25.01 - $100.00     $5.95        $6.50        no charge       $5.00
$100.01 - $200.00   $7.95        $8.50        no charge       $5.00
$200.01 - $300.00   $7.95        $9.00        no charge       $5.00

*The fee will be deducted from your deposited amount.

Inmates are allowed to spend money on phone calls, emails, and commissary.  The commissary (or canteen) is the prison store, where inmates can buy a variety of items like food and beverages, OTC medications, stationary, personal hygiene items, clothing, or other miscellaneous products.

​Programs For ​Inmates

• Mental health treatment through a variety of different programs
• Individual and group therapy
• Substance abuse treatment and programs like Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous
• Educational and Vocational programs provided in partnership with J.F. Ingram State Technical College that include automotive mechanic, masonry, plumbing, electrical technology, drafting and design, horticulture, carpentry, and cabinet making
• Medical and dental care
• Pre-release and reentry programs

Pictures of Staton Correctional Facility

Careers at Staton Correctional Facility

If you are interested in pursuing a career with the Alabama Department of Corrections, you can find available positions at Staton Correctional Facility by visiting the Alabama DOC website. The starting salary for a correctional officer is $30,852.

Benefits include:

• Paid Leave Days
• Paid Sick Leave Days
• Paid Holidays
• Health and Dental Insurance
• State Employee Injury and Workman's Compensation Program
• State Employee Credit Union

Reviews from former employees at Staton Correctional Facility say that the pay and benefits -as well as the work environment - is above average. They also say that the training correctional officers receive is excellent.