In a jail in another county. The Choctaw County Jail closed on July 17, 2019, and most people are now held at the Washington County Jail, 45 Court Street, Chatom, AL 36518, 251-847-2202. Deputies sometimes call around to find an open bed, so a person can land in a different county's jail instead.

The Sheriff's Office in Butler tracks every placement. Call 205-459-2166. Tell the deputy the legal name and birthday, and before the call ends, jot down which jail holds them and how to phone it. Then use that jail's own rules for visits, money and calls. Check again if a week goes by, since people can be moved.

Start with the sheriff's inmate lookup, though with prisoners spread across other jails, it may not show everyone. Once the sheriff tells you the housing jail, search that county's roster too. The VINELink search for Alabama covers Alabama jails and sends free alerts.

A last-name search is the easy start; type a first name too when the list runs long. Compare birthdays, since two local residents can share a name. If a search does not load or shows nothing, call the Sheriff's Office at 205-459-2166. The deputy who answers can name the holding jail and the booked charges.

That's common for traffic and minor charges. A citation lists the court date, and the person doesn't go to any jail. Butler town tickets are heard in the town's municipal court at 222 South Mulberry Avenue, Butler, AL 36904, 205-459-3794. Missing the date can bring a warrant.

If your family member has not come home and you cannot reach them, do not assume they were ticketed. Call the sheriff at 205-459-2166 to ask whether they were booked anywhere. If they did get a ticket, keep it somewhere safe. It shows the charge, the court and the date they must appear.

Statewide rules still apply wherever the person is housed. A judge reviews a warrantless arrest within 48 hours, or the person is released on minimum bond. Warrant arrests without bond posted go before a judge within 72 hours. Domestic violence bail waits for a judge, up to 24 hours.

The first hearing is short. The judge tells the person the charges, looks at bond and asks about a lawyer. Family members can learn the date from the circuit clerk at 205-459-2155. If the person seems to be waiting too long, tell a defense lawyer so the lawyer can raise it with the court.

The sheriff's office tells you the amount. The circuit clerk, next door in Suite 10, 205-459-2155, keeps the court file. Ask both offices where to pay, since the housing jail may be far away. Options are cash, a licensed bondsman, a property bond, or a signature bond. A 3.5% state fee plus $35 applies.

Under the statewide chart, the lowest misdemeanors start near $300, and the top felonies can reach $60,000. Aniah's Law allows a judge to deny bail for listed violent charges, after a hearing. Effective May 19, 2026, voter-approved Amendment 1 lets courts deny bail in an attempted murder charge plus shooting into a lived-in building or vehicle. See the local bond guide.

The Butler courthouse hosts both District Court and, once a grand jury acts, Circuit Court. The clerk for both is at 117 South Mulberry Avenue, Suite 10, Butler, AL 36904, 205-459-2155. Town charges go to that town's municipal court instead.

A person who can't pay should ask the judge for a lawyer at the first appearance. Before naming one, the judge reviews a sworn money form. Relatives can speed this up by collecting recent paychecks or benefit letters. Our court process page explains the steps from first hearing to trial.

Felonies can bring prison terms past a year, and misdemeanors up to a year. Each charge has a class. Class A sits at the top of each group, and the last letter is the lightest. Early charges can be changed once the district attorney files.

Free copies can be viewed at the clerk's office, 117 South Mulberry Avenue, Suite 10, Butler, AL 36904, 205-459-2155. Alacourt Access charges online, at $9.99 for each name search. Ask a defense lawyer to explain what each charge means for bond and sentencing. A long list of charges does not always mean a long sentence.

Call the jail where they're housed and ask for the supervisor. For most people that is the Washington County Jail, 45 Court Street, Chatom, AL 36518, 251-847-2202. If you don't know which jail, call the sheriff at 205-459-2166 first.

Share medicine names and doses so the housing jail's medical staff can be warned. Mention allergies, recent surgery, pregnancy or mental health care too. Hand medicine over only in the way jail staff explain. Photograph any injury from the arrest, and write down the date and time you called.

Visits depend on the jail holding the person. Ask that jail for its visit days, the ID it wants, and the dress rules. Most jails offer video visits, either on screens in a lobby or remotely from home.

For most families the jail to call is the Washington County Jail, 45 Court Street, Chatom, AL 36518, 251-847-2202. Ask whether visitors must sign up ahead of time. Our visits page explains the usual steps, and our video visits page covers visiting from home. Ask too whether children may come along, and what they need to bring.

Phone calls go out on prepaid accounts, so ask the jail how a relative opens one. Money for snacks and phone time goes into an account at the housing jail. Ask that jail which deposit service it uses.

Call the Washington County Jail at 45 Court Street, Chatom, AL 36518, 251-847-2202, if that is where your person is. Ask about deposit limits and fees before you send money. Our calls, money and commissary pages explain the usual steps. Keep in mind that account money is separate from bond money.

Mail goes to the housing jail, never to the old Butler building. For the Washington County Jail, the mailing address is P.O. Box 307, Chatom, AL 36518. Write the prisoner's whole name, then their jail ID number, on the top line.

Ask the jail at 251-847-2202 what mail it accepts before you write, since each jail sets its own limits on letters, photos and books. If the person is in a different county's jail, ask the sheriff at 205-459-2166 for that jail's mailing address. Our jail mail page walks through envelopes, photos and what to leave out.

Property may be stored with the arresting agency or the housing jail. Ask the sheriff at 205-459-2166 who has it. Ask whether the items are ready and what ID the person picking them up must bring.

A relative collecting belongings often needs the prisoner's signed OK first, plus a photo ID. Anything seized as evidence stays with police or the court while the case lasts. For property at the Washington County Jail, call 251-847-2202 and ask about pickup hours at 45 Court Street, Chatom, AL 36518.

Release happens at the housing jail, which could be a long drive. Call ahead. Before the door opens, staff wait for the court's order, look for any other hold and wrap up the forms. That can take a few hours.

If the person is at the Washington County Jail, call 251-847-2202 and ask when they will be let out at 45 Court Street, Chatom, AL 36518. Plan a ride home ahead of time, and keep your phone on while you wait. If the release is taking far longer than expected, ask whether a warrant or hold from another place is still on the record.

If a judge gives more than a year, the person is now a state inmate under ADOC, the state prison system. The person remains in the jail that houses county inmates until ADOC schedules the move. Next, they go to a reception unit for check-in.

There, officers look at custody level, medical and mental health care, and any gang ties. The next step is the prison that matches them. Track the transfer through the ADOC inmate search once the person leaves the county jail. The Alabama prison guide explains prison addresses.

Either the sheriff at 205-459-2166 or the clerk at 205-459-2155 can look. Butler town warrants may sit with the town police. Court cases can also be searched on the county court website or Alacourt Access.

Warrant holders can surrender at the Sheriff's Office, 117 South Mulberry Avenue, Suite 11, Butler, AL 36904, ideally with bail money ready and a call made first. A lawyer can arrange a surrender. Going in on your own terms is often calmer than an arrest at home or work.

Juvenile court in Butler handles youth cases. A held child goes to a juvenile facility elsewhere and gets a detention hearing within 72 hours. Baldwin County lists Choctaw among the counties served by the Baldwin County Juvenile Detention Center, 43405 Nicholsville Road, Bay Minette, AL 36507, 251-580-2540.

Juvenile probation, reached by calling the clerk at 205-459-2155, can say where the child sleeps tonight and the hearing date. Because youth files stay sealed, a teen will be absent from adult jail lists. Older teens facing very serious felonies can be sent to adult court. A parent should go to every hearing.

Federal cases from here go to the Southern District, Southern Division at Mobile: 155 St. Joseph Street, Mobile, AL 36602, 251-690-2371. An initial hearing happens quickly with a U.S. magistrate judge, who also reads a short report from pretrial services. You won't find a set bail price in federal court.

Marshals staff in Mobile track people in federal custody: 155 St. Joseph Street, Suite 201, Mobile, AL 36602, 251-499-6620. U.S. Marshals usually house federal prisoners in a county jail through a contract. Once there is a prison sentence, they go to a BOP prison. Find them on the federal inmate locator by name.

• Booking prints are run through federal systems that ICE reviews. ICE sometimes issues a detainer with the jail.
• The limit is 48 extra hours after release time, measured from the normal release.
• Even after bond is paid, this hold stays on file.
• ICE officers can take custody at the housing jail during the hold. Without an ICE pickup, that means release on the local case.
• The ICE Online Detainee Locator System looks up people with an A-number plus birth country, or the exact name, birth country and birth date.
• With questions, reach ICE's New Orleans field office: 181 James Drive W, St. Rose, LA 70087, 504-318-2360.

For local mugshots, start with the sheriff's inmate lookup and the housing jail's roster. To ask for a mugshot not yet released, journalists can phone the sheriff's office, 205-459-2166.

Federal mugshots are released only in narrow cases. The Marshals may publish a booking photo for a fugitive or escapee, when there is an immediate threat to the community, or when posting it may help find them or warn people. Looking for an ICE mugshot? Send ICE's FOIA form; ICE must approve it.

Scammers may exploit the confusion over where Choctaw prisoners are held. Never pay a caller with gift cards or apps. Call the sheriff yourself at 205-459-2166.

A fake caller may say a relative will be moved, hurt or kept longer unless you pay right now. Real jails and courts do not work that way. Bond is paid at the courthouse or the holding jail, with a receipt. If a call or text worries you, hang up and call the office back on its listed number before you send anything.

Using VINE costs nothing. It shows custody status and which jail has the person, which helps here because the county uses outside jails. Steps:

1. Go to the VINELink search for Alabama.
2. Enter a name or ID number.
3. Select the match to see the facility.
4. Sign up for alerts by text or email.

Alerts can tell you when a person is moved or released. If VINE and the sheriff give different answers, trust the sheriff at 205-459-2166 and ask again.

Choctaw is rural, and deputies and troopers handle most arrests. The town of Butler, where the courthouse sits, runs a small police force:

• Sheriff's Office: 117 South Mulberry Avenue, Suite 11, Butler, AL 36904, 205-459-2166. Deputies cover Pennington, Silas, Toxey, Lisman and the county roads.
• Butler Police Department: 222 South Mulberry Avenue, Butler, AL 36904, 205-459-3794.
• Gilbertown: call City Hall at 251-843-2766 about a town arrest.

These nearby jails may hold someone when beds are short:

• Washington County Jail, 45 Court Street, Chatom, AL 36518, 251-847-2202
• Clarke County Jail, 149 Clark Street, Grove Hill, AL 36451, 251-275-8156
• Marengo County Detention Center, 101 Dunn Street, Linden, AL 36748, 334-295-2257
• Sumter County Jail, 118 Hospital Drive, Livingston, AL 35470, 205-652-7259