The Butler County Sheriff’s Office in Greenville, Alabama maintains the county jail roster under the elected sheriff’s legal custody. Alabama law requires the jail register to be open to public inspection. No confirmed online inmate roster exists for Butler County; custody inquiries go directly to the Sheriff’s Office. For someone serving a state prison sentence, use the Alabama Department of Corrections inmate search.
Looking for someone booked tonight? See Butler County booking contacts for phone-first contact info.
How to find an inmate in Butler County
Butler County does not publish a publicly accessible online jail roster. The Sheriff’s Office in downtown Greenville, Alabama is the direct source for current custody status. Call the Butler County Sheriff’s Office — see the Sources section for the confirmed number — to ask whether a specific person is in custody at the county jail.
One important distinction applies before you call: the Butler County jail holds people who were recently arrested and are awaiting court proceedings. It does not hold federal detainees. People in federal custody are tracked separately through the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator, which operates independently of any county system. If the charge involves a federal agency or a federal offense, check the federal locator directly — the county Sheriff will have no record of that person.
For someone already sentenced and transferred to a state facility, the county jail roster will show nothing. Use the Alabama Department of Corrections inmate search for anyone serving a state prison sentence.
What the Butler County roster does (and doesn’t) show
Juvenile detainees do not appear on the public jail register. Alabama law treats juvenile custody records as confidential, and the Sheriff’s Office will not confirm juvenile bookings through a public inquiry. Sealed records and records expunged under Ala. Code § 15-27-1 are similarly excluded from what staff can confirm publicly. Federal detainees, as noted above, are never on the county register regardless of the charge.
The register also reflects only people in the physical custody of the Butler County Sheriff. Someone who was booked and released on bond — even within the last few hours — may no longer appear. A person transferred to the Alabama Department of Corrections after sentencing drops off the county register entirely. The register is a snapshot of current county custody, not a historical log of everyone who has ever been booked.
Booking records are presumptively public under Alabama law, but a record that hasn’t yet been entered — or one that was entered and then cleared by release — won’t show up no matter how recently the arrest occurred.
If someone was just booked tonight
Call the Butler County Sheriff’s Office directly — that’s the fastest way to confirm custody tonight. That’s a hard night, and the phone is your clearest path right now.
Calling now confirms custody. It won’t tell you the bond amount yet — that’s set at first appearance, which typically happens within the first day or two after booking. Alabama uses money bail with judicial discretion, so a judge sets the amount at that hearing. For certain violent charges, a 2022 constitutional amendment allows a court to deny bail entirely after a hearing. Knowing when first appearance is scheduled is the most useful thing you can get from tonight’s call. That’s the part worth asking about.
Visitation is not available tonight. The Butler County Sheriff’s Office jail services page lists visitation hours and procedures — check it in the morning before making any plans to visit. Inmate account deposits can be made via the kiosk machine in the main jail lobby using cash or credit card, which is worth knowing if you want to put money on an account.
Tomorrow morning, call the Circuit Clerk’s office — Circuit Clerk Mattie Gomillion’s office is reachable through the Butler County Second Circuit Court portal — to ask about the case number and first appearance time. If you need an attorney, the Alabama State Bar Lawyer Referral Service connects you with licensed counsel, and the Alabama indigent defense locator covers public defender eligibility. The Butler County Courthouse in Greenville is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, with the District Court Clerk closing at noon on Wednesdays — plan accordingly if you need to appear in person.
If someone isn’t on the Butler County roster
Why might someone not appear right away? The most common reason is timing: a booking that happened within the last several hours may not yet be reflected in what staff can confirm, since the register is updated as processing is completed, not the instant an arrest occurs.
- Released on bond or OR: The person may have been booked and released before you called. Bond can be posted quickly for lower-level charges.
- Transferred to ADOC: If the person was sentenced and transferred to a state facility, search the Alabama Department of Corrections inmate search instead.
- Held in a neighboring county: Arrests near county lines sometimes result in booking at an adjacent county’s facility. Crenshaw, Conecuh, Monroe, Wilcox, and Lowndes counties border Butler County.
- Federal custody: Federal charges route to federal detention, which the county register never displays. Check the Federal Bureau of Prisons locator separately.
- Victim notification: If you need custody status updates going forward, Alabama runs its own state notification system through the Attorney General’s office — check Vinelink for Alabama’s current notification enrollment options, or contact the Attorney General’s office directly for the state system.
A multi-state database search may help surface records when the person’s location is genuinely unknown — see the section below for that option.
Nationwide inmate lookup
When county and state rosters haven’t resolved the question, a nationwide search may help surface records across other jurisdictions. The tool below is designed to search across multiple states and may include county jail data, state prison records, and federal custody information that local portals often leave gaps around. One source among several — not a guarantee of completeness.
Sponsored: Nationwide Records Search (we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you).
This tool is not a consumer reporting agency under the FCRA and may not be used to screen anyone for employment, housing, credit, or any other purpose covered by that law.
Resource comparison: Butler County inmate lookup
| Resource | What it confirms | What it won’t show | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butler County Sheriff’s Office | Current county jail custody; booking status for recent arrests | Juveniles; federal detainees; people already transferred to ADOC; released individuals | Call the Sheriff’s Office — see Sources for confirmed number |
| Butler County Sheriff’s Office jail services | Visitation hours, mail, phone, commissary deposit procedures | Current custody status; bond amounts | Check before visiting; kiosk deposits available in main lobby |
| Alabama Department of Corrections — ADOC inmate search | People serving state prison sentences; ADOC facility location | Recent county jail bookings; federal detainees; people not yet sentenced | Search by name or AIS number at the ADOC portal |
| Butler County Circuit Clerk — Mattie Gomillion | Case numbers; court dates; felony and Circuit Court filings | Real-time custody status; bond amounts before first appearance | Call or visit the Greenville courthouse; open Mon–Fri 8 AM–4:30 PM |
| Alacourt statewide court index | Trial court case records across all 67 Alabama counties — paid per search | Free searches; appellate-only portal is a separate system and won’t show trial cases | Use for case history after booking; fee applies per name search |
Related Butler County resources
Nearby counties:
- Crenshaw County inmate search
- Conecuh County inmate search
- Monroe County inmate search
- Lowndes County inmate search
Sources
Sources verified 2026-09-10:
- Butler County Sheriff’s Office — custody inquiries, jail services, Greenville, AL
- Butler County Sheriff’s Office — jail services — visitation, commissary, mail, telephone
- Butler County Circuit Clerk Mattie Gomillion — case records, court filings
- Butler County Second Circuit Court — magistrates and warrants — warrant records
- Alabama Department of Corrections inmate search — state prison population
- Alacourt — statewide paid trial court index; free portal covers appellate courts only
- Alabama State Bar Lawyer Referral Service — attorney referrals
- Alabama indigent defense locator — public defender eligibility
Errors or outdated information? Report a correction — we review and update within 48 hours.
Frequently asked questions
What should I do if someone I’m looking for isn’t showing up on the Butler County jail roster?
Call the Butler County Sheriff’s Office directly — the absence of an online result doesn’t mean the person isn’t in custody, since Butler County has no confirmed public online roster and booking data is entered as processing is completed. If the Sheriff confirms no county custody, check the Alabama Department of Corrections inmate search for a state prison transfer, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons locator if a federal charge is possible. A person released on bond after booking will also no longer appear in custody records.
Does Alabama have a free statewide inmate or court records search?
Alabama does not offer a free statewide trial court search. The Alacourt statewide index covers all 67 counties but charges a fee per name search. The free public portal covers appellate courts only and will not show a county criminal case or booking. For current county jail custody in Butler County, contact the Sheriff’s Office directly. For state prison population, the ADOC inmate search is free.
Search records by county: