Monroe County Detention Facility Criminal Court Process
Criminal Court Process for Monroe County Alabama
Monroeville is the Monroe County seat, and its courthouse at 65 North Alabama Avenue hosts every state criminal case. Circuit Court handles felonies and jury trials. District Court takes misdemeanors, traffic tickets and felony preliminary hearings. Monroeville, Frisco City and Excel have police of their own, and Monroeville runs a city court on South Mount Pleasant Avenue. The 35th Circuit District Attorney, whose district also takes in Conecuh County, prosecutes state charges. Adults picked up from Frisco City to Excel are booked into the Monroe County Detention Facility, run by Sheriff Thomas Boatwright, until a bond is posted or a judge rules. Before calling any clerk's office, look the person up on Monroe County Inmate Search.
- Monroe County Circuit Clerk (Circuit and District Court), Monroe County Courthouse, 65 North Alabama Avenue, Room 220, Monroeville, AL 36460, (251) 743-2283
- District Attorney, 35th Judicial Circuit, Monroeville office, (251) 575-2067
- Monroe County Sheriff's Office, 65 North Alabama Avenue, Room 136, Monroeville, AL 36460, (251) 575-2963; Sheriff Thomas Boatwright
- Monroe County Detention Facility, Monroeville, run by the Sheriff; inmate line (251) 575-2635
- State Probation and Parole, Monroeville, (251) 743-2637
- Juvenile court intake, through the circuit clerk in Monroeville, (251) 743-2283
Where a Monroe charge lands. A Monroeville officer who writes a city ordinance or misdemeanor charge sends it to Monroeville Municipal Court. Deputy, trooper and game warden cases go to Monroe County District Court, as do charges from towns that hold no court. Each felony ends in Circuit Court at the Monroeville courthouse. A person found guilty in city or District Court has 14 days to appeal to Circuit Court for a fresh trial, and can ask for a jury there. Youths under 18 begin in juvenile court. A Monroe judge appoints a lawyer for a defendant who risks jail and cannot pay.
The Monroe County lockup. The Monroe County Detention Facility in Monroeville is the full adult jail for the county and takes prisoners from every agency, Monroeville Police included. To ask about custody or a bond, phone the Monroeville jail at (251) 575-2635 or the Sheriff at (251) 575-2963.
1. Monroe city and town courts: Monroeville, Frisco City, Excel, Beatrice
The 35th Circuit's judges sit in both Monroeville and Evergreen, so Monroe County dockets follow a set calendar. A person in the Monroe County Detention Facility on a city warrant may owe that city's bond on top of any state bond.
County courts and offices
- Circuit Court and District Court, 65 North Alabama Avenue, Monroeville, (251) 743-2283
- District Attorney, 35th Circuit, (251) 575-2067
- Sheriff, 65 North Alabama Avenue, Monroeville, (251) 575-2963
Municipal courts
- Monroeville Municipal Court, 49 South Mount Pleasant Avenue, Monroeville, (251) 575-2081; open weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Frisco City: Town Hall (251) 267-3439 or Frisco City Police (251) 267-3113; ask Town Hall where a city ticket is heard
- Excel: Excel Police (251) 765-2558 can say which court has an Excel ticket
- Beatrice: call the circuit clerk to learn which court has a Beatrice charge
Uriah, Peterman, Mexia and other spots with no town government send their arrests to District Court in Monroeville. Monroeville Police can be reached at (251) 575-3246.
2. Monroe misdemeanors: public drunkenness, trespass, first DUI, paraphernalia
Many Monroe misdemeanor arrests end with booking at the Monroe County Detention Facility and release on a scheduled bail: a surety bond, cash, a property bond, or a signature bond when the judge allows it. Class C misdemeanors are set at $300 to $1,000, and DUI at $1,000 to $7,500. After a Monroe domestic violence arrest, Alabama law keeps the person jailed for up to 24 hours until a judge or magistrate sets terms.
Next comes arraignment in city or District Court, and a judge alone hears the trial if no plea is entered. Top penalties: Class A, a year and $6,000; Class B, six months and $3,000; Class C, three months and $500; a violation, 30 days. A first DUI conviction brings a $600 to $2,100 fine and a license suspension.
A Monroe defendant who loses has 14 days to seek a new Circuit Court trial and may ask for jurors. At arraignment, a Monroe defendant short on money and facing jail may request appointed counsel.
3. Monroe felonies: drug possession, burglary, truck theft, forgery
After a Monroe felony booking, a person sees a judge or magistrate inside 48 hours when there was no warrant, or inside 72 hours on a warrant. At that first Monroe hearing a judge names the offense, tells the person a lawyer is available and fixes the bond; for example, the chart for a Class B felony such as first-degree theft is $5,000 to $30,000.
The path to a verdict
- Preliminary hearing: available in District Court if demanded within 30 days of arrest, unless an indictment comes first.
- Grand jury: Monroe County citizens decide whether to return an indictment.
- Arraignment: the plea is entered in Circuit Court at the Monroeville courthouse.
- Resolution: a deal with the 35th Circuit DA, or a trial in front of 12 Monroe jurors.
Class D felonies carry a year and a day up to 5 years, Class C up to 10 years, and Class B 2 to 20 years. Alabama's presumptive standards steer lots of nonviolent Monroe cases toward probation, community corrections or split terms, and prior felons face longer terms under the Habitual Felony Offender Act. A defendant under 21 on the offense date can request youthful offender status, which seals the Monroeville record and keeps any prison term at three years or under.
4. Monroe violent felonies: murder, robbery, rape, strangulation
Under Aniah's Law, the 35th Circuit DA can request a detention hearing, and a Monroe Circuit judge may then deny bail, on murder, first-degree rape, first-degree robbery, first-degree kidnapping or another listed crime; Amendment 1, approved May 19, 2026, put attempted murder, along with shooting toward a Monroe dwelling or vehicle with people inside, on that list. When release is allowed, most of these charges start at a $10,000 bond.
In Monroe County a Class A felony conviction means 10 to 99 years or life, and Class B means 2 to 20 years. A gun raises the floor to 20 years for Class A and 10 years for Class B or C. A capital murder conviction from Monroe brings either death or a life term without parole. An early lawyer, hired or appointed, can make a real difference in a violent Monroe case.
5. Monroe youths under 18
A judge sitting as juvenile court hears Monroe youth cases in Monroeville, and a juvenile probation officer screens each referral. Monroe runs no youth lockup, so a child the judge orders held goes to a regional center under contract; ask the circuit clerk at (251) 743-2283 where. A detention hearing must happen inside 72 hours, weekends included, and children do not post adult bond.
A Monroe youth case can end in informal adjustment, probation, counseling, repayment, or a Department of Youth Services commitment. Every Monroe child can have counsel, appointed free when the family lacks money.
State law moves some 16- and 17-year-olds straight into adult court: those charged with capital crimes, Class A felonies, drug trafficking, or felonies with a deadly weapon or that cause death or serious injury. A hearing can transfer a child 14 or older. A teen convicted as an adult may still ask for youthful offender treatment.
6. Monroe federal charges in Mobile
Monroe County belongs to the Southern Division of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, so Monroe federal crimes are tried at 155 St. Joseph Street in Mobile, (251) 690-2371.
A magistrate judge in Mobile handles the first appearance. Federal court has no bail chart; a detention hearing under the Bail Reform Act decides release. A Monroe defendant who cannot pay gets an appointed federal defender or a lawyer from the CJA panel.
Federal pretrial prisoners stay in jails picked by the U.S. Marshals and may appear on that jail's roster. After sentencing, search the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.
7. Monroe County courthouse, jail and city court numbers
State cases from all of Monroe County are heard at the Monroeville courthouse, and Monroeville runs its own city court:
- Circuit Clerk: 65 North Alabama Avenue, Room 220, Monroeville, AL 36460, 251-743-2283
- District Attorney, 35th Judicial Circuit: 251-575-2067
- Sheriff: 65 North Alabama Avenue, Room 136, 251-575-2963
- Monroeville Municipal Court: 49 South Mount Pleasant Avenue, 251-575-2081
- Monroe County Detention Facility: Monroeville, 251-575-2635
The Monroe County bail guide explains where to pay; bond bands are in the Alabama Rule 7.2 bail schedule (https://judicial.alabama.gov/docs/library/rules/cr7_2.pdf).
8. Monroe County federal cases
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama hears federal charges from Monroe County:
- Clerk: the federal courthouse in Mobile, 155 St. Joseph Street, Mobile, AL 36602, 251-690-2371
- U.S. Marshals: U.S. Marshals Service, 155 St. Joseph Street, Suite 201, Mobile, AL 36602, 251-499-6620
A Mobile magistrate judge decides release for a Monroe defendant, and the Marshals choose the jail.
9. Locating a Monroe County prisoner
- Jail roster: Monroe County Inmate Search
- State prison search: Alabama Department of Corrections Inmate Search (https://www.doc.alabama.gov/inmate/inmate-search/)
- Federal prison search: Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator (https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/); before sentencing, 251-499-6620
- VINE: VINELink (https://vinelink.vineapps.com/). Pick Alabama, find the Monroe County listing and sign up.
More is on our Monroe County inmate page.
10. ICE detainers in Monroeville
In Monroeville, a detainer lets ICE ask for two extra working days of custody once Monroe charges no longer hold the person.
- 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. Looking up Monroe County warrants and dockets
Ask the Monroeville deputies about warrants at 251-575-2963, while the front desk sits at 65 North Alabama Avenue, Room 136, Monroeville, AL 36460. Local filings are listed on monroe.alacourt.gov, and Alacourt Access runs $9.99 per search. Missed dates go to the clerk, Room 220, 65 North Alabama Avenue, Monroeville, AL 36460, where calls go to 251-743-2283.
Monroe readers should treat this Monroeville court summary as plain information rather than counsel, since listed contacts can change. Talk with an Alabama-licensed defense lawyer about your own charge, or ask the judge for appointed counsel. For someone in custody, call the Monroe County Detention Facility at (251) 575-2635 or the Sheriff at (251) 575-2963.
Monroe County dockets can move, so phone the clerk at 251-743-2283 or Monroeville Municipal Court at 251-575-2081 before driving to the courthouse, and check with the jail at 251-575-2635 that the person is still held in Monroeville.
