Jackson County Jail Criminal Court Process
Criminal Court Process for Jackson County Alabama
Scottsboro is the seat of Jackson County, and its courthouse on East Laurel Street houses both the Circuit Court, which hears felonies, and the District Court, which handles misdemeanors, traffic and the opening stages of felony cases. Scottsboro, Stevenson, Bridgeport and several smaller towns also operate municipal courts. The District Attorney for the 38th Judicial Circuit, which covers Jackson County alone, brings state charges. Adults are booked into the Jackson County Jail behind the courthouse, and a magistrate sets bail after booking.
- Jackson County Circuit Clerk, Jackson County Courthouse, 102 E. Laurel St., Scottsboro, AL 35768, (256) 574-9320
- District Attorney, 38th Judicial Circuit, 102 E. Laurel St., Suite 301, Scottsboro, (256) 574-9240
- Jackson County Sheriff's Office, 102 E. Laurel St., Scottsboro, AL 35768, (256) 574-2610 (24 hours)
- Jackson County Jail, 102 E. Laurel St., Scottsboro, AL 35768, (256) 574-1884
- Scottsboro Police Department, 23123 John T. Reid Pkwy., Scottsboro, AL 35769, (256) 574-4468
- Juvenile intake, Jackson County juvenile court through the Circuit Clerk, (256) 574-9320
Which Jackson court gets the case. Town officers in Scottsboro, Stevenson, Bridgeport and elsewhere send their misdemeanor cases to their own town court. Misdemeanors from deputies and troopers land in Jackson County District Court. Every felony starts in District Court and moves to Circuit Court after a grand jury indictment. Under-18 cases go to juvenile court at the same courthouse. Neither municipal nor District Court uses a jury, so a convicted defendant can appeal to Circuit Court within 14 days and start over. Appointed counsel is available in all of these courts.
Where pretrial inmates are held. The Jackson County Jail, also called the Jackson County Detention Center, sits at the courthouse complex on East Laurel Street, (256) 574-1884. Most town police departments in the county bring prisoners there. Anyone who cannot find a relative arrested in Scottsboro can call the police department and the jail.
- Local courts in Jackson County (Scottsboro and the river and mountain towns)
- Misdemeanor (for example, second-degree criminal trespass, DUI, third-degree domestic violence, resisting arrest)
- Felony (for example, third-degree burglary, possession of a forged instrument, felony DUI)
- Jackson violent felony (murder, first-degree kidnapping or second-degree assault)
- Juveniles (under 18) arrested in Jackson County
- Federal cases (U.S. District Court) from Jackson County
- Jackson courts, jail and contacts
- Federal court for Jackson County
- Finding a Jackson County inmate
- ICE detainers in Jackson County
- Jackson warrant and docket searches
Local courts in Jackson County (Scottsboro and the river and mountain towns)
All state criminal cases in Jackson County are heard in Scottsboro. Municipal courts in the towns usually meet once or twice a month, and their magistrates handle warrants and bond questions. Someone held at the Jackson County Jail on a town warrant must clear it in that town's court, where the municipal judge can assign counsel to someone who qualifies.
County and state courts
- Jackson County Circuit Court and District Court, 102 E. Laurel St., Scottsboro, AL 35768, (256) 574-9320
- District Attorney, 38th Judicial Circuit, Suite 301 of the courthouse, (256) 574-9240
Municipal courts
- Scottsboro Municipal Court, 916 S. Broad St., Scottsboro, AL 35768, (256) 259-2767
- Stevenson Municipal Court, 104 Kentucky Ave., Stevenson, AL 35772, (256) 437-3000
- Bridgeport Municipal Court, Bridgeport city hall, (256) 495-3892
- Section Municipal Court, Section town hall, (256) 228-3280
- Pisgah Municipal Court, Pisgah town hall, (256) 451-3232
- Hollywood Municipal Court, 29164 U.S. Hwy. 72, Hollywood, AL 35752, (256) 259-4845
- Skyline Municipal Court, Skyline town hall, (256) 587-3335
- Paint Rock Municipal Court, Paint Rock town hall, (256) 714-3773
- Woodville, ask the town hall whether its court is in session; otherwise cases go to District Court, (256) 574-9320
- Dutton, Langston, Hytop and Higdon: ask the Circuit Clerk which court has the charge
Misdemeanor (for example, second-degree criminal trespass, DUI, third-degree domestic violence, resisting arrest)
For a Jackson County misdemeanor arrest, expect booking at the Jackson County Jail, a bail figure from the statewide schedule, and release on a cash, property or surety bond, or sometimes on recognizance. A domestic violence arrest brings a mandatory 24-hour hold before bail and usually a no-contact order. Within 48 hours, a judge reviews probable cause for a Jackson warrantless arrest; on a warrant, the person sees a judge inside 72 hours.
Arraignment comes first in Jackson: a plea is entered, and appointed counsel can be requested. Typical results are a plea to a reduced charge, pretrial diversion, fines and probation, or dismissal; contested cases are tried before the judge.
Jackson County misdemeanor penalties track state law. Class A offenses, including third-degree domestic violence and resisting arrest, carry up to 12 months and $6,000 in Jackson; second-degree criminal trespass is a Class C misdemeanor with up to three months. A first Jackson DUI means up to 12 months plus $600 to $2,100. A District or municipal conviction can be appealed within 14 days to Circuit Court, where a jury trial is available and appointed counsel continues for indigent defendants.
Felony (for example, third-degree burglary, possession of a forged instrument, felony DUI)
Felony defendants in Jackson stay at the Jackson County Jail until bond is posted. At the initial appearance a judge confirms the charge, reviews the bond, and assigns counsel to a Jackson defendant without funds.
In District Court, the defense can ask for a preliminary hearing to test probable cause. The 38th Circuit District Attorney then brings the case before a Jackson County grand jury. After indictment, the defendant is arraigned in Circuit Court, discovery is shared, and the case heads toward a plea or jury trial, usually over several months to a year.
Third-degree burglary and second-degree possession of a forged instrument are Class C felonies (a year and a day to ten years), while a fourth DUI in ten years is also Class C. Simple drug possession is Class D, up to five years. Jackson's nonviolent Class C and D cases are often covered by presumptive standards that lean toward probation, community corrections or split terms, unless prior felonies trigger the Habitual Felony Offender Act. Jackson defendants younger than 21 on the offense date can apply for youthful offender treatment, keeping the file closed and capping time at three years.
Jackson violent felony (murder, first-degree kidnapping or second-degree assault)
Someone facing a violent felony in Jackson remains at the Jackson County Jail while the court addresses release. For listed crimes such as murder, first-degree kidnapping, robbery or rape, the 38th Circuit DA may invoke Aniah's Law to seek a Scottsboro order refusing bail once a hearing is held. Under Amendment 1 (May 19, 2026), that request can also cover attempted murder and shots at an occupied Jackson house or car.
Murder and first-degree kidnapping are Class A felonies with 10 to 99 years or life. Second-degree assault, by contrast, is Class C, with up to ten years. Capital murder brings life without parole or death. These prosecutions usually take more than a year to resolve in Circuit Court, and many defendants are represented by appointed counsel paid through the state.
Juveniles (under 18) arrested in Jackson County
Jackson County's juvenile court sits in the Scottsboro courthouse, and juvenile probation officers handle intake, choosing to send a Jackson child home, settle the matter informally, or file a petition. Because Jackson runs no youth lockup, a family learns a detained child's placement from the court or juvenile probation.
Jackson County judges must hold a detention hearing within 72 hours of a child's placement (Ala. Code § 12-15-207). Juveniles do not post money bail. A Jackson child may have a lawyer, free if the family qualifies. Results run from informal adjustment or probation up to a Department of Youth Services commitment.
Jackson teens aged 16 or 17 accused of a capital crime, a Class A felony, drug trafficking, a felony with a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument, or one causing death or grave injury fall automatically under adult jurisdiction (§ 12-15-204) and are held at the county jail. Youths 14 and older can also be transferred after a hearing under § 12-15-203.
Federal cases (U.S. District Court) from Jackson County
Jackson County is assigned by 28 U.S.C. § 81 to the Northeastern Division of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, which hears cases at the U.S. Courthouse, 660 Gallatin St. SW, Huntsville.
A magistrate judge holds the initial appearance and any detention hearing. Federal bail decisions under the Bail Reform Act turn on risk of flight and danger. A Jackson federal defendant must be indicted inside 30 days, and the trial clock is 70 days, often stretched. Jackson federal sentences follow the Guidelines, carry no parole, require about 85 percent served, and end with supervised release. The Eleventh Circuit in Atlanta reviews appeals from Huntsville.
A defendant held for the U.S. Marshals before trial may appear on the Jackson County Jail roster or another contract jail. Sentenced federal prisoners can be located with the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.
Jackson courts, jail and contacts
Jackson County's state courts meet at the courthouse on East Laurel Street in Scottsboro:
- Circuit Clerk (Circuit and District Court): 102 East Laurel Street, Scottsboro, AL 35768, 256-574-9320; weekdays 8 to 4:30
- District Attorney, 38th Judicial Circuit: Scottsboro, 256-574-9240
- Scottsboro Municipal Court: 916 South Broad Street, 256-259-2767
- Jackson County Jail: 102 East Laurel Street, 256-574-1884
- Sheriff's Office: 256-574-2610
Our Jackson bail guide walks through bond steps, and the Alabama Rule 7.2 bail schedule (https://judicial.alabama.gov/docs/library/rules/cr7_2.pdf) gives state ranges.
Federal court for Jackson County
Jackson County federal cases go to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama:
- Courthouse: the federal courthouse in Huntsville, 660 Gallatin Street SW, Huntsville, AL 35801, 256-534-6495
- U.S. Marshals: U.S. Marshals Service, 1729 5th Avenue North, Room 240, Birmingham, AL 35203, 205-829-6611
Whether a Jackson defendant stays jailed is up to a U.S. magistrate; the Marshals arrange housing.
Finding a Jackson County inmate
- Jackson jail roster: Jackson 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/); during the case, 205-829-6611
- VINE: VINELink (https://vinelink.vineapps.com/). Choose Alabama, find the record, and set alerts.
Our Jackson inmate page lists more.
ICE detainers in Jackson County
Scottsboro deputies may get an ICE detainer seeking a short added hold, capped at two business days.
- 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/)
Jackson warrant and docket searches
- Alacourt: Alacourt Access public search (https://pa.alacourt.com/); a Jackson name search costs $9.99 for one case.
- Clerk site: jackson.alacourt.gov
- Sheriff: 256-574-2610 on Jackson warrants.
Treat this Jackson overview as background, not legal advice, since Scottsboro details change. A licensed Alabama defense lawyer can weigh in on your case. To ask about appointed counsel, contact the Jackson County Circuit Clerk at (256) 574-9320; for questions about an inmate, call the Jackson County Jail at (256) 574-1884.
Jackson dates can shift, so call the Circuit Clerk at 256-574-9320 (or 256-259-2767 for Scottsboro city court) before driving to Scottsboro, and check with the Laurel Street jail at 256-574-1884 that the person is still held.
