Pull up the county jail lookup and type the surname. When a long list comes back, add a first name and check each birth year. Small towns around Vernon are full of cousins with matching surnames, so look at every detail before deciding you found the right person.

Write three facts down from the entry: booking number, charges and booking date. Those make later calls, money deposits and letters far easier. The list can trail real events by several hours while paperwork gets finished. If anything on the screen looks confusing, jail staff at 1118 County Road 9, Vernon, AL 35592, 205-695-7470, can explain what it means.

The jail stands at 1118 County Road 9, Vernon, AL 35592, out on County Road 9 instead of in downtown Vernon. County dispatchers work from that same building. The sheriff's office is a separate stop at 330 1st Street NE in Vernon, and its mail goes to P.O. Box 770, Vernon, AL 35592.

Families sometimes drive to the courthouse on 1st Street by mistake and lose an hour, so enter the County Road 9 address into your phone's map before leaving home. The county lists weekday office hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for the jail, although people are held there around the clock. Call 205-695-7470 before visiting, dropping off items or picking someone up.

Booking takes time, even at a small county lockup. Staff take fingerprints and photos, run a medical screening and check for warrants before an entry appears. Arrests made overnight or over a weekend can take longer to show.

When hours pass with nothing on the list, phone 205-695-7470. Spell the legal name carefully and give a birthday. Ask whether the person has been booked, has already gone home, was taken to a hospital, or is being held for a Mississippi agency across the state line. Retry the lookup with alternate spellings or a maiden name, because one typo is enough to bury a record.

Yes. For small offenses and most traffic charges, a deputy on a county road or an officer in Vernon or Sulligent can write a citation that names a court date and then send the person home. Nobody released that way shows up in a jail search, because they were never booked.

That ticket still matters a lot. Skipping its court date can bring an arrest warrant later. DUI, felonies, domestic violence and questions about who someone really is usually mean a trip to the jail. If you think a ticket was written, the circuit clerk at the Judicial Center, 330 1st Street NE, Vernon, AL 35592, 205-695-7193, can look up the court date.

VINE is Alabama's free statewide notice service. Its records show custody status, and it sends a warning when someone walks out or gets transferred. Signing up takes a few minutes:

1. Visit VINELink, then select Alabama.
2. Search by name or by booking number.
3. Open the record that matches the person.
4. Choose a phone call, text or email notice for a release or transfer.

Federal holds can appear there too. VINE is a tool to add to the county lookup, not a substitute for it. If the two disagree, phone the jail at 205-695-7470 and ask which one is current.

Where police skipped getting a warrant, a magistrate or judge gets two days to rule on probable cause. If that deadline passes, jailers must release the person on the lowest bond on the schedule or on a signature, except for charges where bail can be refused.

People jailed on warrants who can't cover the listed bond go before a judge inside 72 hours. With domestic violence charges, only a judge may set bail, and that can take up to a day. For the date of the first hearing, call the clerk at the Judicial Center, 330 1st Street NE, Vernon, AL 35592, 205-695-7193.

Lamar warrants usually carry a bond taken from Alabama's Rule 7.2 chart, and a judge in Vernon may change it. A first DUI on that chart runs $1,000 to $7,500, while a Class D felony runs $1,000 to $10,000.

There are four main ways out:

• Cash for the whole amount, returned at the end provided the defendant attended each hearing.
• Hire a licensed bonding agent, whose fee stays with them.
• Pledge land or a house.
• Get a judge's approval for release on a signature.

Aniah's Law and the May 19, 2026 amendment let courts deny bail on certain violent charges after a hearing. Our Lamar bail page walks through each step.

Jail entries often shorten charges to codes or abbreviations that are hard to follow. Ask jail staff or the clerk to read the charges out and give you the case number. The clerk works at the Judicial Center, 330 1st Street NE, Vernon, AL 35592 and answers at 205-695-7193, weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Case files can be viewed for free at the clerk's office, or searched on Alacourt Access, which charges per search. A felony conviction in Alabama can mean state prison. A misdemeanor carries at most a year, served in a county jail. Keep in mind that nobody is guilty just because a charge was filed.

During that opening hearing, the defendant should explain that paying counsel is impossible and request an appointment. This circuit has no public defender office, so a local private lawyer, paid by the state, takes the case. A sworn financial form, covering wages and debts, goes to the judge first.

Calls and video visits from the jail are recorded. Save anything about the charges for face-to-face time with counsel. The Office of Indigent Defense Services, 100 North Union Street, Suite 680, Montgomery, AL 36104, 334-242-7059, supervises appointed counsel across Alabama, but the appointment itself comes from the judge in Vernon.

Phone 1118 County Road 9, Vernon, AL 35592 at 205-695-7470 and request whichever supervisor is working. Tell them about the illness and list each medication, and give the name of the pharmacy so staff can check the prescriptions. Treatment decisions belong to jail medical staff; real emergencies get sent out to a hospital.

Any worry about self-harm should be reported to staff immediately. Mention allergies, pregnancy, seizures, diabetes or recent surgery, since those details help staff act quickly. Note the name of each staff member you talked with and the time, which helps if a second call is needed.

Visits at the Lamar jail happen by video. Family members register as visitors first, after which sessions run either from a home phone or computer, or on screens inside the jail. Schedules change, so check the current times by calling 205-695-7470.

Use a quiet spot, a charged device and a steady internet signal for remote visits. Remember that every visit is recorded, so stay off the topic of the case. Our visitation guide explains the rules, and our remote visit guide covers signing up and connecting from home.

People held on County Road 9 make calls through a prepaid phone account that family members open and fund. Messages may also be available through the same kind of service. Assume each call is recorded.

Set up the account before the first call comes in, so a short phone call doesn't get cut off. Keep the booking number handy for sign-up. Account setup and rates appear in our jail phone guide, our messaging guide covers electronic messages, and our tablet guide explains devices used inside. Questions about the service can go to the jail at 205-695-7470.

Deposits for commissary and phone time are made online or by phone, usually for a small fee. Before paying, write out the inmate's complete name and booking number, because a deposit sent to the wrong account can be slow to fix. Commissary lets the person buy snacks, hygiene items and writing supplies.

Ask the jail at 205-695-7470 which deposit service it uses before you send anything. Never hand money to a caller who says they can deliver it for you. Our money guide lays out each deposit choice side by side. For store items and order days, see the commissary guide.

Address letters in four lines:

• The person's full name, followed by their inmate ID
• Lamar County Jail
• 330 1st St NE
• Vernon, AL 35592

Mail goes to the 1st Street address in Vernon, not to the County Road 9 building, so double-check before you write. Leave out cash and checks, and add the booking number on every envelope. Read our jail mail guide before sending photos or cards, since some items are returned. If you are unsure, call 205-695-7470 to confirm the current mail rules.

Staff list personal property at booking, and in most cases everything goes back to its owner on release day. That list can help if something goes missing later, so the person should keep their copy.

Families sometimes need keys, a phone or a wallet sooner. Ask the jail at 1118 County Road 9, Vernon, AL 35592, 205-695-7470, whether a release of property to a relative is allowed and what ID you must bring. Also find out how any money left in their jail account is returned at release, since that is handled apart from their property.

Mugshots are part of the arrest record, and a mugshot does not prove anyone guilty. News outlets and others who want one can contact the sheriff's office at 330 1st Street NE, Vernon, AL 35592, 205-695-7470, and ask about its records process. Give enough details to tell apart people with the same name.

Federal mugshots are another matter. U.S. Marshals policy limits sharing to a few cases, such as helping catch an escapee or fugitive or warning the public about a danger. For an ICE booking photo, families must file a FOIA request with ICE, which decides whether to release it.

Call the Lamar County Sheriff's Office at 330 1st Street NE, Vernon, AL 35592, 205-695-7470, and ask whether a warrant is open. Give the full name and birth date. Searching Alacourt Access can show related court cases, but that won't clear every warrant.

A lawyer can help set up a voluntary surrender at the County Road 9 jail with the bail money ready. Walking in by choice tends to go smoother than an arrest at a kitchen table or a job site. Ask the deputies when to come in and which forms of payment are accepted.

The circuit clerk keeps dates for District and Circuit Court at the Judicial Center, 330 1st Street NE, Vernon, AL 35592. Call 205-695-7193 on a weekday between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. with the full name and case number. For a Sulligent city charge, the municipal court can be reached through Sulligent City Hall. Vernon City Court meets at Vernon City Hall, 44425 Highway 17, Vernon, AL.

The Lamar circuit clerk site lists office hours and a phone directory. Check the date again a day before each hearing, because settings move. For a stage-by-stage overview, read the Lamar court guide.

Any sentence over twelve months belongs to the state prison system. The person often waits in the Vernon jail until the Alabama Department of Corrections picks them up. Next comes a reception center, where staff screen medical needs, mental health, gang links and security risk. Placement at a matching prison follows.

To track the move, the ADOC inmate search finds prisoners by their AIS number or by name. It skips youthful offender cases. Once you learn the prison, our Alabama prison pages list visiting and mail rules.

Federal arrests here come from the ATF, the U.S. Marshals, IRS Criminal Investigation and similar agencies. Tuscaloosa hosts the federal court for Lamar cases, part of the Northern District's Western Division: Richard Shelby Federal Building and Courthouse, 2005 University Boulevard, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401, 205-561-1670. A first hearing with a U.S. magistrate judge usually comes within a day or two.

Before trial, the Marshals often place people in contract jails, and a federal hold can show on VINELink. The Marshals office at 1729 5th Avenue North, Room 240, Birmingham, AL 35203, 205-829-6611, tracks federal prisoners. Once sentenced, a defendant transfers into federal prison, and you can find the new location with the BOP locator.

Homeland Security checks fingerprints taken at booking. If ICE thinks a person may be deportable, it can lodge a detainer, called Form I-247A, at County Road 9. Staff are then asked to hold that person past their normal release time, by as much as 48 hours. Paying the bond doesn't remove it.

• ICE often picks the person up within that window. If it doesn't, the sheriff must release them.
• Families holding an A-number can enter it, along with country of birth, in the ICE detainee locator. Otherwise, try the full name, birth country and birthday.
• ICE's field office for Alabama is in Louisiana: 181 James Drive W, St. Rose, LA 70087, 504-318-2360.

Minors are kept off the adult jail list. The District Judge sits as juvenile court in Vernon, and juvenile probation, 205-695-7265, reviews every complaint. Staff decide whether to send the child home with a parent, resolve it informally, or start a formal petition.

Detained youths are sent to a detention center in another county, and a judge hears the case inside three days. Juvenile probation works from the courthouse at 330 1st Street NE, Vernon, AL 35592 and tells parents where their child was taken. For a handful of older teens with grave charges, the case moves to adult court, and the jail on County Road 9 may hold them.

No, that is a scam. No genuine Lamar County bond gets paid to a stranger by gift card, wire or cash app. Scammers sometimes know the person's name and the charge, which makes the call sound real.

Hang up and phone the jail yourself at 205-695-7470. Pay only the circuit clerk in Vernon, the jail's own approved deposit service, or a licensed bonding agent you looked up on your own. Licenses can be verified through the Alabama Professional Bail Bonding Board. Tell other family members about the call, since scammers often try more than one relative.

Three agencies handle nearly all arrests here, and every one of them books adults on County Road 9:

• Lamar County Sheriff's Office: 330 1st Street NE, Vernon, AL 35592, 205-695-7470. Deputies cover the highways and rural areas, plus Millport, Kennedy, Beaverton and Detroit.
• Vernon Police Department: 205-695-7022, for arrests inside Vernon.
• Sulligent police: reach the town through Sulligent City Hall, 205-698-9111.

For a pickup close to the Fayette, Pickens or Marion line, or a night when Vernon ran out of beds, try these lockups:

• Fayette County Jail, 113 1st Avenue Northwest, Fayette, AL 35555, 205-932-3205
• Pickens County Detention Facility, 188 Cemetery Street, Carrollton, AL 35447, 205-367-2000
• Marion County Jail, 842 Industrial Drive, Hamilton, AL 35570, 205-921-7433
• Tuscaloosa County Jail, 1600 26th Avenue, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401, 205-349-4511