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Jefferson County Jail

809 Richard Arrington Jr Bl N
Birmingham, AL 35203
phone (205)325-5670

Interview with Cami, Tombstone, Strawberry, Tonya, Jay, Fred, Alice and Patrick

JM: How long was your sentencing for?
Cami: I was sentenced to 6 months work release, in a half way house, and 4 years supervised probation.
Tombstone: My Federal time was 21 months,but I was in the Jefferson Co jail for 3 months,because one of the Federal prisons,rioted,& they shut the entire transportation down till it was all resolved
Strawberry: I was in for 3 Mos. when i should have had only 30 days
Tonya: served time 64 days in Blount County and 4 days in Jefferson County
Jay: I was sentenced to 20 split 3 years and 3 years on papers after that
Fred: I was sentenced to 3 years
Alice: 2 months in the county and 5 years in prison
Patrick: 1 year, 365 days sucksed

JM: Did you spend time in a holding cell after your sentencing? If so, what was that like? If you didn't where did they they take you instead?
Cami: Yes, I was taken into the booking area where they have you dress out into the jail uniforms and they give you an ID card around your wrist, then you are assigned a Module to stay in for the duration of your stay.
Tombstone: No
Strawberry: wow...what was it like...being in hell if i could imagin hell like this...it was crowded and cold and smelled.
Tonya: yes then sent to population
Jay: Yes I sat in the holding cell a few hours while they processed me through the system I would say that was the hardest part cause my mind couldn't cope with what was happening other words I wasn't mentally prepared to serve those three years at that time
Fred: Yes I was put in a holding after being sentenced. It was full of other inmates who had just came back from court and there was inmates in there waiting to go to court.
Alice: because jefferson county filed bankruptcy, they couldnt afford the proper care for their inmates, so there were sometimes 4 to a cell in a two man cell which the other two sometimes had no mat nor could they afford to give the imnmates toilet paper or wash rags or the proper blankets. it was TERRIBLE
Patrick: dirty cold noise, it was jammed packed with people, people on the floor not enough room and they have no reason to keep people like that in that type of situation.

Life On The Inside
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office has been in business since 1819. Right now the current number of available beds in the Jefferson County Jail is 1,075. Unfortunately, they don't ever seem to have a problem filling up those beds. Overcrowding in any prison is an area of major concern.

At the Jefferson County Jail a former inmate thinks that overcrowding is the number one contributor to problems between inmates like fights breaking out. He witnessed three in a month. His advice for new arrivals is to quickly figure out who the troublemakers are and avoid them.

Inmates who are "guests" of Jefferson County are available to make use of an onsite law library to help them with their upcoming cases or appeals. Although there is an outdoor recreational yard, it doesnít appear as if daily trips outside are part of the inmate's schedule unless they are part of the Roadside Trash Cleanup detail then they will be getting plenty of fresh air and sunlight! There is also a television which gets 4 local channels and church services on Sunday.

The meals are described as what you might get from school food. Inmates are given the chance to buy snacks and sodas from the commissary once a week. You will have to deposit money into their accounts in order for them to make these purchases.

Good Behavior Policy
In Alabama, good behavior time is referred to as correctional incentive time or CIT. The first determination for available CIT would be the level of offence an inmate was sentenced to. There are four classes of inmates with Class I being the lesser of the classifications. In that class an inmate can earn up to a maximum of 75 days deduction off of their sentence after each 30 days served. For a Class IV convict not CIT is awarded.

Visitor and Telephone Policy
Visitation at the Jefferson County Jail is from 6 PM to 8 PM Monday through Saturday. Each inmate has to put their visitors on a list and set up an appointment based on the day that corresponds with their last name. For instance, Monday is for inmates with last names starting with A,B,C; Tuesdays for D,E,F,G etc.

Inmates are given access to pay phones during the day to make 15 minute outgoing collect calls only. Each inmate is only allowed five numbers to call out to.

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