Pickens County Inmate Population Overview
The local jail count and the prison count in Pickens County should not be blended into one number. The Pickens County Detention Center roster is the public path for people in local jail custody. It covers current inmates at the county detention center and a separate 48-hour release list. That system is run by the Pickens County Alabama Sheriff's Office and is the right starting point after a local arrest, a county hold, or a short local sentence.
The county also has a federal prison in Aliceville. The Federal Correctional Institution Aliceville is a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility for sentenced female federal offenders. It is not a county jail, and people held there do not appear on the sheriff's roster just because the prison is inside Pickens County. Alabama state prisoners are searched through the Alabama Department of Corrections inmate search, while immigration custody may require the ICE locator or ICE detention reporting line.
Pickens County Inmate Population Statistics
The most concrete county jail number in the research is the live roster count. The official current roster showed 71 inmates when inspected on May 27, 2026. That is a point-in-time count, not an average daily population. A June 27, 2024 WBRC report gave a reported jail capacity of 200 beds, but an official sheriff capacity page was not located. Federal counts come from BOP statistics and should be kept separate from the jail count.
| Measure | Figure | Source / Date |
|---|---|---|
| Current Pickens County jail roster count | 71 | Official sheriff roster, inspected May 27, 2026 |
| Reported county jail capacity | 200 beds | WBRC local report, June 27, 2024 |
| FCI Aliceville main institution | 1,204 | BOP population statistics, last updated October 9, 2025 |
| FCI Aliceville camp | 137 | BOP population statistics, last updated October 9, 2025 |
| Alabama ADOC total inmates | 27,601 | ADOC search page statistics, inspected in research |
Pickens County Population Context
The inmate population sits inside a small rural county. Census QuickFacts listed Pickens County at 18,221 people for the 2025 estimate, 18,508 for the 2024 estimate, 19,123 in the 2020 Census, and 19,746 in the 2010 Census. The 2020 to 2025 estimate-base change was listed as negative 4.7 percent. These county figures do not prove a jail trend by themselves, but they help explain why a federal prison population in Aliceville is a major local custody footprint.
| Year / Measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 county estimate | 18,221 | U.S. Census QuickFacts |
| 2024 county estimate | 18,508 | U.S. Census QuickFacts |
| 2020 Census | 19,123 | U.S. Census QuickFacts |
| 2010 Census | 19,746 | U.S. Census QuickFacts |
Where Pickens County Inmates Are Held
Most local custody questions begin at the Pickens County Detention Center in Carrollton. The detention center is operated by Sheriff Jordan Powell's office and holds local detainees, recent releases listed on the roster, people with outside-agency holds, and ICE detainees documented through federal inspection and contract sources. The federal prison in Aliceville is a separate system, so the same county has a local jail, a federal prison, and state custody paths that may follow a sentence.
The official sheriff home page shows the jail roster as a core public service. The page at pcsoal.org includes inmate roster links, sheriff contact information, alerts, crime tips, and app download access. That home page also gives local context: Pickens County was established in 1820, Carrollton is the county seat, and the jail is part of a sheriff operation serving a rural county on the Alabama and Mississippi border.
The Pickens County Sheriff's Office home page shows the roster inside the official sheriff site, including a latest-booking preview when captured in the manifest.
The home page capture is useful because it shows that inmate lookup, alerts, tips, and app access are part of the same official public service site.
Pickens County Jail Capacity
The research did not locate an official capacity page from the sheriff, ADOC, or ICE for the Pickens County Detention Center. The best sourced local number is the reported 200-bed capacity from WBRC's June 2024 article about Tuscaloosa County sending up to 20 inmates to Pickens County. The article also reported Sheriff Powell's statement that the added population would not require extra staff or overtime. Because that is a news source and not a jail specifications page, the number should be read as reported capacity, not an official rated capacity entry.
The roster count can be far lower or higher on any given day. Arrests, bond orders, no-bond holds, releases, transfers, and court appearances all change the Pickens County inmate population. The roster profile itself warns that charges and bail may change after court appearances and tells people to call detention center staff for correct bail amounts, charges, and case numbers.
Laws for Pickens County Jail Records
Alabama law gives the public a broad right to inspect and copy public writings, but jail and court records still have limits. Adult booking details are commonly public when shown by the sheriff roster. Juvenile law-enforcement records, sealed records, expunged records, and some active-investigation material are different. A public roster entry is also not the same thing as a conviction or full court file.
Key Statutes:
Alabama Code Section 36-12-40 gives Alabama residents a general right to inspect and copy public writings unless an exception applies.
Alabama Code Title 15, Chapter 27 is the expungement chapter used when eligible records may be cleared by court order.
Alabama Code Section 12-15-134 protects many juvenile law-enforcement records from routine public inspection.
Alabama Justice Information Commission law governs criminal justice information systems apart from a simple jail roster search.
Search Pickens County Inmate Records
The official search path starts at the Pickens County Detention Center roster landing page. It gives users two choices: current inmates and persons released within the last 48 hours. The current roster inspected during research showed an inmate count, alphabet filters, search by first or last name, pagination, booking summaries, mugshots, booking numbers, charges, and bond information.
The official roster landing page presents the current inmate and 48-hour release choices before the user enters the live roster.
That split matters because a person who bonded out or was released quickly may leave the current list while still appearing in the short release window.
- Open the official roster landing page.
- Choose current inmates if the person may be in custody now.
- Choose 48-hour release if the person may have left the jail recently.
- Use the A-Z filters or the name search box.
- Open the profile to review booking number, charge text, bond, agency, and booking date.
- Call the jail if bond, charge, case number, or release status must be confirmed.
Pickens County Roster Search Fields
The roster is specific and fairly simple. It does not expose date-of-birth, case-number, booking-number, facility, charge, or housing filters. The public form uses one name field and roster navigation links. That keeps the lookup fast, but it also means spelling and name order matter.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name / Date / Current / Released | Tab or link filters | No | Name sort uses orderby=1; released view uses the released roster URL. |
| A-Z letter filters | Link filters | No | Each letter can narrow the roster by starting letter. |
| Search By Name | Text | No stated requirement | Enter either first or last name in the single name box. |
| Search | Submit button | n/a | Runs the name query. |
| Show All | Reset button | n/a | Clears the search and returns to roster browsing. |
| Pagination | Link controls | No | Use numbered pages and next or last controls when many results exist. |
What Pickens County Inmate Records Show
A current Pickens County inmate record is a booking-stage record. It is useful for custody status, booking details, and visible charges, but it is not the final court history. The inspected profile showed a mugshot, booking number, age, gender, race, arresting agency, booking date, charge text, bond, and a warning that charges and bail may change after court appearances.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Mugshot | Booking photo while the roster entry remains public. |
| Booking Number | Numeric identifier used on the public profile URL. |
| Booking Date | Date and time of jail intake. |
| Charges | Plain-language charge text that may change in court. |
| Bond | Listed bond or no-bond status, subject to direct jail verification. |
| Arresting Agency | The agency credited with arresting or holding the person. |
| Not shown | DOB, case number, court date, housing unit, warrant number, and detailed physical descriptors were not visible in the sample. |
County Jail vs State Prison
Pickens County jail custody and Alabama state prison custody answer different questions. The county jail roster is for people held in local custody now or released in the last 48 hours. ADOC is for currently incarcerated state prisoners after sentencing and transfer. The BOP locator covers federal prisoners, including FCI Aliceville. ICE custody is a civil immigration detention path even when the physical site overlaps with the county jail.
| Custody Type | Where to Search | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| County jail | Pickens sheriff roster | Current local detainees, recent releases, local holds, visible booking data. |
| State prison | ADOC inmate search | Currently incarcerated Alabama state prisoners, not historical records. |
| Federal prison | BOP inmate locator | Federal inmates from 1982 to present, including FCI Aliceville. |
| Immigration detention | ICE Online Detainee Locator | Civil immigration detainees searched by A-Number or biographical data. |
State and Federal Inmate Lookup
The ADOC inmate search accepts an AIS number or name fields. ADOC says the AIS number takes precedence over name fields, the database includes current inmates only, Youthful Offender Act inmates are excluded, and no more than 50 results display at one time. If a Pickens County arrestee is sentenced to state prison, ADOC becomes the better search path after transfer.
The BOP Inmate Locator covers federal inmates from 1982 to present. The search can run by BOP register number, DCDC number, FBI number, INS number, or by name with race, age, and sex fields. FCI Aliceville results should be treated as federal sentence records, not Pickens County jail booking records. The ICE locator is separate again and may be needed because ICE has public inspection and contract records tied to the Pickens County Detention Center.
Pickens County Detention Facilities
The Facility Map for this project has two entries. The first is the local jail for Pickens County arrests and holds. The second is a federal prison inside the county. ADOC's facility list did not show an Alabama state prison in Pickens County, so state prisoners from Pickens cases are searched statewide rather than through a local ADOC prison page.
- Pickens County Detention Center - county jail in Carrollton for local detainees, recent releases, outside-agency holds, and documented ICE custody channels.
- Federal Correctional Institution Aliceville - BOP low-security federal prison with an adjacent minimum-security camp for sentenced female federal offenders.
Pickens County Custody Terms
Roster words are short, but they carry legal and practical meaning. These terms help separate a booking record from a court record or prison record.
- Booking
- Jail intake after arrest, creating a booking number, date, charge list, bond field, and public roster entry.
- Hold
- A custody reason from another agency or case that can block release even when a separate bond exists.
- Detainer
- A notice or request from another agency, including ICE or another jurisdiction, tied to custody or release decisions.
- Disposition
- The court outcome or current result, such as dismissed, amended, guilty, acquitted, or nolle prosequi.
- DOC
- The Department of Corrections. In Alabama, ADOC handles sentenced state prisoners after transfer from county custody.
Pickens County Inmate Population FAQ
How large is the Pickens County jail population? The current roster showed 71 inmates when inspected on May 27, 2026. That count is live roster data, not an annual average or official rated capacity.
Does Pickens County have a state prison? The ADOC facility list did not show a state prison in Pickens County. FCI Aliceville is federal, not state.
Where are released inmates listed? The sheriff roster has a 48-hour release option for people released from the Pickens County Detention Center during the prior 48 hours.
Why might a person not appear on the jail roster? The booking may be too new, the person may have been released, the name spelling may differ, or the person may be in ADOC, BOP, or ICE custody.
Are booking photos public? The Pickens County roster shows mugshot thumbnails and profile photos for listed records. Juvenile, sealed, expunged, or nonpublic records are different.
Who confirms bond and charges? The roster profile tells bond companies and people posting bail to call detention center staff for correct bail, charges, and case numbers.