The Washington County Jail and the sheriff's office share 45 Court Street, Chatom, AL 36518, 251-847-2202.

• Washington County Sheriff and jail: 251-847-2202

The person may be in a local cell first, so ask Chatom police where they are and whether a separate city bond was set. Felony charges tend to end up with the county.

The Washington roster sometimes won't load. If it's down, VINELink (Washington County) covers Washington custody too.

Search Washington County Inmate Search and save the booking number.

New bookings need prints, a photo, a health check and a warrant run. Phone 251-847-2202 with the legal name and birth date. Ask whether booking is done, whether they've bonded out, whether a hospital has them, or whether Mobile, Clarke or a Mississippi county has a hold.

Small town charges often end with a ticket: - Chatom Municipal Court, Town Hall - McIntosh Municipal Court, Town Hall - Millry Municipal Court, Town Hall

Missing a Washington court date leads to a warrant.

An arrest with no warrant must be approved by a Chatom judge within two days, or the lowest bond is due. Washington warrant holds go before the court by day three; domestic violence bail may be postponed a day.

A judge sets bail, mostly by Alabama's schedule. If the line says "no bond," a Chatom judge must act first, maybe on an Aniah's Law request. From May 19, 2026, Amendment 1 even lets courts withhold bail on attempted murder as well as on charges of shooting into an occupied truck, car or home. Besides cash, options are a bail agent, property, or a signature release; expect the state's 3.5% and $35. See the Washington bail guide.

Pay at the circuit clerk in the courthouse, 45 Court Street, Chatom, 251-847-2239, open 8:00 to 4:30; nights and weekends, the shared Chatom line, 251-847-2202, explains bond posting.

District and Circuit Court sit in Chatom. The 1st Circuit district attorney's main office is in Grove Hill, 251-275-3144, and prosecutors also work from the Chatom courthouse. See the Washington court steps.

Chatom judges appoint a lawyer when the accused can't pay for one. Ask at the first hearing. Calls from the Chatom jail are recorded.

The shared Chatom line or the Court Street clerk will read off each charge and the case number. A Washington felony may lead to state prison; misdemeanors mean up to a year locally. Chatom's clerk lets families read files free, and Alacourt sells online access.

Call 251-847-2202 and ask for the jail supervisor. Share medicines and a pharmacy. Washington jail staff handle treatment, sending serious cases out to a hospital. Report any self-harm concern right away.

Family visits happen on screens. Times change, so call 251-847-2202 or look online for the current Chatom schedule, and ask whether video from home is allowed. Read how visiting works and remote visits.

Money goes to the inmate's store account for commissary, while Chatom phone time is bought separately. Washington guides: how to send funds, calls, messages, tablets, Chatom commissary.

Chatom mail needs the inmate's name plus booking number, and cash isn't accepted. Washington jail mail: our Washington County guide. Their property goes with them on release.

After bond, release paperwork still takes time; call before driving to Chatom.

Terms over a year are handled through ADOC. For now, most people wait in the local jail while the state finds a bed, which can take weeks. The first state stop is an intake center for processing. At intake, ADOC look at their risk level, gang connections, and health and mental health care. Their last move is a prison that suits them.

Search the ADOC inmate search by name. The Alabama state prison guide explains visits and mail.

Call 251-847-2202. A lawyer can help plan a surrender.

Youth are processed through juvenile court. Washington is one of the counties served by the Baldwin County Regional Juvenile Detention Center, 43405 Nicholsville Road, Bay Minette, 251-580-2540. Call the circuit clerk at 251-847-2239 to confirm where the child is and when the hearing is.

It normally begins when agencies including the DEA, the Marshals or the Secret Service carry out an arrest. A federal case is tried in the Southern District of Alabama (Southern Division), whose courthouse is in Mobile 155 Saint Joseph Street, Mobile, AL 36602, 251-690-2371. The first hearing happens quickly with a magistrate judge. The judge also gets a report from pretrial services on risk. You won't find a price table for federal charges. A hearing soon after arrest sets the release terms, under the 1984 Bail Reform Act.

Check Washington County Inmate Search right away, where a federal hold might appear. Until sentencing, U.S. Marshals usually hold federal prisoners in local jails under contract. Otherwise phone the Southern District's Marshals office in Mobile at 251-499-6620 (155 St. Joseph Street, Suite 201, Mobile, AL 36602). Once there is a prison sentence, a prisoner moves into a BOP prison. Locate the person on the federal inmate locator by name.

• During booking, fingerprints are shared with federal databases. If ICE is interested, it may place a detainer (Form I-247A).
• Even with bail paid, the detainer stays in place.
• Rather than going home, the person can be held for at most 48 extra hours for ICE. The jail can't extend it past 48 hours because of a holiday.
• Immigration officers usually come for them during the hold. If they don't come, staff should release them.
• Look on the ICE locator with their alien number (A-number) and birth country. If you don't have the A-number, type in their full name, home country, and date of birth.
• ICE alone picks the next facility, and it can change.
• To learn their location, try the New Orleans field office at 181 James Drive W, St. Rose, LA 70087, 504-318-2360.

Unreleased mugshots go to the sheriff's office; reporters can phone 251-847-2202. ICE shares mugshots only through an ICE records request and ICE's approval. Families and the press can't obtain federal mugshots in most cases. It takes a strong reason. The Marshals publish one only for a fugitive or escapee, to help an arrest or warn people, or if it is needed right away to protect the public.

Gift-card, wire or app payment requests are scams. Real Washington bonds are paid at Court Street, the Chatom jail, or to an agent you hired. Dial 251-847-2202 yourself.

Call the jail and sheriff, 251-847-2202, for custody, bail and directions; the clerk is 251-847-2239.