What It Means If an Inmate Is Awaiting Trial vs. Being Transferred to State Prison (Jefferson County)

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Corrections Division houses two types of people: those awaiting trial and those awaiting transfer to the State of Alabama Department of Corrections. So the county jail serves as a temporary holding place for someone whose case is still working through court, and also as a stop before a person moves into the state prison system.

Operations are split across two jail facilities: one in downtown Birmingham and one in Bessemer. Together, they hold an average daily population of about 1,000 inmates. That volume helps explain why changes in custody status can feel slow or hard to track from the outside.

Jefferson County's jail system is high-volume. The Corrections Division processes approximately 43,000 inmate admissions and releases each year. Staff are constantly handling new bookings, releases, and movement between facilities.

Even with that steady flow, the system still averages around 1,000 people housed across the Birmingham and Bessemer locations. For families, that scale shows up as longer waits for updates, more "in progress" steps during intake and release, and occasional delays when someone's location or housing assignment changes.

"Awaiting trial" usually means the person is being held in the county jail while their court case continues, whether that involves pending hearings, motions, or the trial itself. "Awaiting transfer" typically means the person has been sentenced and is still in Jefferson County custody until they can be moved to the State of Alabama Department of Corrections. From a family perspective, both statuses look like a lot of waiting. The difference is the reason: one is tied to the court process, the other to the transfer process into state custody.

There are also some basic service differences worth knowing. Both Jefferson County facilities have on-site medical services. If your loved one is preparing for court and needs access to legal research or structured programming, the Sheriff's Office states that law libraries and adult educational services are available at the Birmingham facility. Those services are not indicated in the same way for Bessemer.

Your first public checkpoint is the county's online inmate inquiry. You can search and filter by Name, Subject Number, Booking Number, In Custody status, booking date range (from/to), and Housing Facility. If you're trying to figure out whether someone is awaiting trial or awaiting transfer, focus on the Housing Facility and booking-related fields first. They'll help you confirm where the person is currently held and which booking record you're looking at.

If the person is still pre-trial and you want to understand release options, the Sheriff's Pre-Trial Release Office operates out of both facilities. Their role includes helping conduct the release of qualified individuals and assisting the public with posting bonds for inmates who don't qualify for the pre-trial release program.

• ✓ Birmingham Headquarters (mailing address): 2200 Rev Abraham Woods, Jr., Blvd, Birmingham, AL 35203
• ✓ Email: info@jeffcosheriffal.com

I can't tell you how long a state transfer will take or exactly when a pending transfer will happen. The available public information also doesn't include detailed hours or direct phone numbers for the Pre-Trial Release Office. If you need confirmation on timing or next steps, use the Sheriff's Office contact email or official county pages to verify current information.