Greene County Jail Criminal Court Process
Criminal Court Process for Greene County Alabama
Greene County's courts are in Eutaw. Felonies go to Circuit Court and state misdemeanors to District Court, both in the Morrow Avenue courthouse, while Eutaw has its own city court. The District Attorney for the 17th Judicial Circuit, based in Demopolis and also serving Marengo and Sumter, prosecutes. Greene arrests lead to the Greene County Jail near Eutaw, and most can go home once bail is made. Ahead of any court search, look the person up on Greene County Inmate Search.
- Circuit Clerk (Circuit and District Court), Greene County Courthouse, 400 Morrow Ave., Eutaw, (205) 372-3598
- District Attorney, 17th Judicial Circuit, P.O. Box 1054, Demopolis, (334) 289-2149
- Greene County Sheriff's Office, 400 Morrow Ave., Eutaw, (205) 372-3242
- Greene County Jail, listed at 951 Finches Ferry Rd., Eutaw; inmate questions through the Sheriff's Office, (205) 372-3242
- Indigent defense: state-funded appointed or contract lawyers; ask the Circuit Clerk, (205) 372-3598
- Eutaw Municipal Court, 116 Main St., Eutaw, (205) 372-4215
- Juvenile court and probation intake, at the courthouse, through the Circuit Clerk, (205) 372-3598
Which court hears your case. Eutaw police ordinance and misdemeanor charges are filed in Eutaw Municipal Court; deputy and trooper arrests elsewhere go to District Court. A felony starts with a District Court warrant and reaches Circuit Court after indictment. Neither lower court has a jury, so a conviction there can be appealed within 14 days for a completely new Circuit Court trial. Youths under 18 go to juvenile court.
Greene's pretrial jail. The Sheriff operates the Greene County Jail, the county's only adult lockup, for arrests by deputies, Eutaw police and troopers alike. It is small, and when space runs short some inmates may be housed in neighboring counties' jails. Confirm where a person is held by calling the Sheriff's Office at (205) 372-3242.
1. Local courts in Greene County (Eutaw courthouse and town courts)
Judges and prosecutors ride circuit among Eutaw, Linden and Livingston, but Greene cases stay in Eutaw. Of four incorporated places, only Eutaw runs a busy town court.
State courts
- Circuit Court (felony trials and appeals), 400 Morrow Ave., (205) 372-3598
- Greene County District Court and juvenile court, also on Morrow Avenue
Municipal courts and towns
- Eutaw Municipal Court, 116 Main St., (205) 372-4215
- Forkland, Boligee and Union: ask the Circuit Clerk which court has the charge
Greene has no public defender's office, so judges assign state-funded private lawyers, and Eutaw's court assigns its own for city cases. Release and bond questions for anyone in the Greene County Jail go to the Sheriff's Office.
2. Greene misdemeanor (such as resisting arrest, fourth-degree theft, drug paraphernalia or third-degree assault)
After booking at the Greene County Jail, most misdemeanor defendants post the amount on Alabama's bail schedule with cash, real property or a professional bondsman. Anyone still locked up must see a judge or magistrate no later than 72 hours after arrest under Rule 4.3.
Steps in a Greene County misdemeanor
- Opening Greene hearing: a plea, plus a request for appointed counsel when jail is on the table.
- Most Greene misdemeanors close in a few months through a plea, a bench trial, or dismissal once classes or repayment are done.
- Two weeks after any conviction to seek a Circuit Court jury trial.
Greene misdemeanor penalty limits
- Class A, such as fourth-degree theft or third-degree assault: up to 12 months in the Greene jail plus a maximum $6,000 fine.
- Class B, including resisting arrest: six months and $3,000 at most. Class C: three months and $500. Violations: 30 days.
- A first DUI carries up to a year, a $600 to $2,100 fine, license suspension and DUI school; by the fourth in 10 years it is a felony.
3. Felony (for example, cocaine possession, third-degree burglary, first-degree theft, illegal possession of a credit card)
Someone held on a felony stays at the Greene County Jail until bond is paid or the Greene case closes. At the first appearance a judge confirms release terms and appoints counsel if needed.
How felonies move through the 17th Circuit
- If asked for, a preliminary hearing at which prosecutors must show probable cause.
- Grand jury consideration; Greene's grand jury sits only a few times a year, so waits of several months are common.
- Circuit Court arraignment, discovery and motions; waiving indictment allows an earlier plea.
- A negotiated plea or a jury trial in Eutaw.
Ranges for felony classes
- Class B (first-degree theft of $2,500 or more): two to twenty years, fine to $30,000.
- Class C (third-degree burglary): more than a year, up to 10 years, and up to $15,000.
- Class D (cocaine possession, fraudulent use of a credit card under $500): more than a year, up to 5 years, and up to $7,500.
In Greene, nonviolent Class C and D felonies often draw probation under the presumptive standards, while the Habitual Felony Offender Act lengthens terms for repeat felons. Greene defendants who were under 21 at the offense may request youthful offender status, which seals records and holds the sentence to 3 years.
4. Greene violent felony (such as murder, attempted murder, or first-degree robbery or assault)
Violent charges mean a stay at the Greene County Jail that can be long. Aniah's Law lets a Greene County judge deny bail outright in Greene, following a hearing, for murder, first-degree assault or robbery, and similar crimes. As of Amendment 1 on May 19, 2026, attempted murder and shooting at occupied homes or cars qualify too.
Possible punishment
- In Greene, murder, attempted murder and first-degree robbery or assault are Class A: 10 to 99 years or life, up to $60,000 in fines, and higher minimums with a gun.
- Capital murder in Greene brings life without release or an execution, carried out by injection or nitrogen hypoxia.
Serious cases in a small circuit can take two years or more; appointed lawyers for the gravest charges must meet heightened qualifications. Discuss the case only with the defense lawyer.
5. Juveniles (under 18) arrested in Greene County
Juvenile cases are heard in Eutaw, with juvenile probation handling intake. The county has no youth detention center, so juvenile probation can tell a family where a held child was placed. Children are not released on bail; a held child gets a detention hearing within 72 hours (Ala. Code §12-15-207).
Outcomes
- An informal adjustment, letting the youth avoid a delinquency finding by meeting set conditions.
- Probation with school, curfew or counseling terms.
- Department of Youth Services commitment for serious or repeated Greene offenses.
Cases that go to adult court
Under Ala. Code §12-15-204, a 16- or 17-year-old is charged as an adult automatically for a capital offense, a Class A felony, a felony with a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument, a felony resulting in death or serious physical injury, or drug trafficking, and may be jailed at the Greene County Jail. For youths 14 or older, §12-15-203 lets prosecutors seek a transfer hearing. Each Greene child may have a lawyer, appointed free if the family lacks money.
6. Federal cases (U.S. District Court) from Greene County
Federal law (28 U.S.C. §81) assigns Greene County to the Western Division of the Northern District of Alabama, with federal cases tried in Tuscaloosa. Federal charges arise from Greene conduct like drug conspiracies, gun possession by felons, fraud, corruption, or crimes on U.S. government land.
What federal defendants face
A Greene federal arrestee first sees a U.S. magistrate judge; money bail rarely decides anything, since a detention hearing under the Bail Reform Act determines release on conditions or custody. Prosecutors have 30 days to indict, and judges often stretch the Speedy Trial Act's 70-day clock. Sentences track the federal Guidelines, and without parole about 85% is served in the Bureau of Prisons before supervised release. The Eleventh Circuit, seated in Atlanta, reviews appeals. Federal detainees held for the U.S. Marshals can also turn up on a county jail roster, including the Greene County Jail or the Pickens County Detention Facility. A Greene County family can find a sentenced federal prisoner with the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.
7. Greene courts, jail and contacts
Greene County's state courts sit in the Eutaw courthouse on Morrow Avenue:
- Circuit Clerk (Circuit and District Court): 400 Morrow Avenue, Eutaw, AL 35462, 205-372-3598; weekdays 8 to 4:30
- District Attorney, 17th Judicial Circuit: Demopolis, 334-289-2149
- Eutaw Municipal Court: 116 Main Street, Eutaw, 205-372-4215
- Greene County Jail: 951 Finches Ferry Road, Eutaw, 205-372-3152
- Sheriff's Office: 400 Morrow Avenue, 205-372-3242
- Juvenile Probation Office: 205-372-6924
Our Greene bail guide explains bond steps, and the Alabama Rule 7.2 bail schedule (https://judicial.alabama.gov/docs/library/rules/cr7_2.pdf) gives state ranges.
8. Federal court for Greene County
Greene County cases are part of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama:
- Courthouse: the federal courthouse in Tuscaloosa, 2005 University Boulevard, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401, 205-561-1670
- U.S. Marshals: U.S. Marshals Service, 1729 5th Avenue North, Room 240, Birmingham, AL 35203, 205-829-6611
A Tuscaloosa magistrate decides on detention for a Greene defendant; the Marshals then arrange housing.
9. Looking up a Greene County inmate
- Greene jail roster: Greene County Inmate Search
- State prison lookup: Alabama Department of Corrections Inmate Search (https://www.doc.alabama.gov/inmate/inmate-search/)
- Federal prison lookup: Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator (https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/); before sentencing, 205-829-6611
- VINE: VINELink (https://vinelink.vineapps.com/). Select Alabama, find the person, and register for notices.
Our Greene inmate page has more help.
10. ICE detainers in Greene County
ICE can use a detainer to ask Greene County to hold someone for two business days or less past release.
- Field office: ICE New Orleans Field Office, 181 James Drive W, St. Rose, LA 70087, 504-318-2360
- Alabama short-stay jails: Baldwin County Correctional Center in Bay Minette, Etowah County Jail in Gadsden and Pickens County Detention Center in Carrollton
- Locator: ICE Online Detainee Locator System (https://locator.ice.gov/odls/)
11. Greene warrant and docket searches
Deputies serving Eutaw warrants pick up at 205-372-3242, and walk-ins go to 400 Morrow Avenue, Eutaw, AL 35462. The clerk's docket page is greene.alacourt.gov, while Alacourt Access sells $9.99 lookups. Rescheduling means seeing the clerk at 400 Morrow Avenue, Eutaw, AL 35462, and its desk line is 205-372-3598.
This Greene County court summary is not legal advice, and its details may shift. Get advice about your own case from an Alabama-licensed criminal defense attorney. For appointed counsel in Greene, phone the Circuit Clerk at (205) 372-3598; for questions about an inmate, call the Greene County Sheriff's Office at (205) 372-3242.
Greene dockets shift, so phone the Morrow Avenue clerk at 205-372-3598 (Eutaw city court: 205-372-4215) before going, and call 205-372-3152 to check the person is still at Finches Ferry Road.
