Clarke County Jail Release Paths
Clarke County Jail is the adult county jail for Clarke County and is maintained by the Clarke County Sheriff's Department. A release from this jail means the person no longer remains in that local jail bed, but it does not always mean the person returned home with no next step. The release may follow bond, a judge's order, time served, dismissal of a charge, probation or split-sentence processing, transfer to the Alabama Department of Corrections, pickup by another county, a federal transfer, an ICE handoff, or another release reason kept in the jail record.
That distinction matters because Clarke County does not publish an official online jail roster, 24-hour release list, 72-hour release list, mugshot feed, or sheriff mobile app for public release checks in the research source set. A person who is not visible online cannot be treated as released just because there is no public web listing. For the adult jail, the practical route is direct confirmation with the jail or sheriff's office, then a records request for the booking and release entry if a public copy is needed.
| Release route | What it usually means | Where to verify next |
|---|---|---|
| Bond | The person left jail while the case continues. | Jail release record and court case status. |
| Court order or dismissal | A judge or court action drove the release. | Jail record plus Clarke County court records. |
| Time served | The jail portion of the sentence or credit ended. | Booking/release record and sentence order. |
| Transfer | The person left Clarke County Jail but may still be in custody. | ADOC, another county, BOP, ICE, or the receiving agency. |
Confirm a Clarke Jail Release
The fastest adult release check is a focused call to the jail, followed by a written request if staff cannot provide all details by phone. The official sheriff page lists the jail phone as 251-275-8156 and the sheriff's office phone as 251-275-4254. Ask about one named person and use full identifying details if available. Staff may need a date of birth, approximate booking date, or court case number to avoid mixing people with similar names.
- Ask whether the person is currently in Clarke County Jail custody.
- If the person is not in custody, ask whether the jail can confirm a release from Clarke County Jail.
- Ask for the release date and time if the record is public and maintained.
- Ask for the release reason or type, such as bond, time served, court order, dismissal, probation processing, or transfer.
- Ask whether the person was transferred to ADOC, another county, federal custody, or ICE.
- Ask whether a public booking/release record or booking photograph can be requested.
- Ask for any court case number tied to the booking so the court record can be checked.
For a named-person search across jail, court, ADOC, federal, and release-record channels, the broader Clarke County released inmate route is covered from the home page at Clarke County released inmates. The jail page should still be the first local call when the person was arrested or held on a Clarke County matter, because state and federal databases may not reflect a short county-jail bond release.
Clarke County Jail Contact
The jail and sheriff contact details are the core release-record sources because the official county page gives local contact information but does not provide an online release database. Use the jail phone first for current custody and recent release questions. Use the sheriff's office contact when the request needs a public record copy, a booking/release entry, or clarification on how the agency accepts written records requests.
Adult Jail and Sheriff Records
Clarke County Jail
149 Clark Street, P.O. Box 913
Grove Hill, AL 36451
Phone: 251-275-8156
Clarke County Sheriff's Department
Sheriff DeWayne Smith
114 Court Street, P.O. Box 913
Grove Hill, AL 36451
Phone: 251-275-4254
A written request should be narrow. Ask for the public booking and release record for the named person, including the booking number, booking date, release date, release reason if maintained, transfer destination if any, and any public booking photograph if available for release. If the request relates to a court outcome, include the case number or ask jail staff which case number is tied to the booking.
Hours for a records counter were not identified in the provided sheriff source. Do not assume lobby hours. If timing matters, call before visiting or mailing a request and ask whether records requests should be directed to the jail, the sheriff's office, or another county office.
About Clarke County Jail
The official sheriff page says the Sheriff's Department maintains the County Jail and that the jail accommodates up to 200 inmates. That figure is a facility-capacity detail, not a release count. It should not be read as a daily population, a recent-release statistic, or proof that a named person is or was in custody. It simply gives scale for the local adult jail.
The sheriff page also says the department maintains security at the Clarke County Courthouse. That local detail is important for release work because jail events and court events often sit close together in Grove Hill. Bond, warrants, dismissal, sentencing, probation, and transfer questions may begin at the jail but require a court record to explain why the person left custody.
The official sheriff page is shown in the project image set. Source: Clarke County Sheriff's Department official page.
The source page supports the jail address, jail phone, sheriff contact, and capacity note used here. It does not add an online roster or recent-release feed.
Clarke Jail and Court Records
A jail release record answers the custody question. A court record explains the case event behind many releases. In Clarke County, a bond release, dismissal, probation order, warrant lift, sentence completion, or transfer after sentencing can all involve court action. The sheriff record may show that the person left jail, while the court docket may show the order, charge status, case number, or next hearing that explains the release.
Use plain questions when moving from jail to court. Ask the jail whether a case number is tied to the booking. If the person was released by court order, ask which court or case caused the change. If the person was sentenced to ADOC, the jail release may be a transfer record, and the later state release date belongs to ADOC rather than the county jail.
- Release
- A custody change out of Clarke County Jail, which may be community release or a transfer.
- Bond
- A court-linked release while the case remains active.
- Transfer
- A move from the county jail to another agency, prison, county, federal authority, or immigration custody.
- Time served
- A release after jail credit or the jail portion of a sentence satisfies the custody term.
Note: Do not treat the absence of an online Clarke County jail listing as proof of release.
Adult Clarke Release Boundaries
Clarke County Jail is an adult county-jail facility. It should be separated from the Clarke County Short-Term Juvenile Detention Facility and from Alabama Department of Youth Services programs. Juvenile custody and youth releases do not operate as adult public released-inmate records, and a youth matter should be routed through juvenile court, counsel, authorized family or guardian channels, and juvenile authorities.
It should also be separated from adult state-prison release work. Alabama Department of Corrections public search is current-only in the research source set, and it is not a historical Clarke County jail-release archive. If the person left Clarke County Jail for ADOC, the county release record can show the transfer, while ADOC handles the later prison custody and release framework.