The Lee County Detention Center (LCDC) serves as the detention facility for pre-trial felony defendants and those convicted of misdemeanor offenses in the county district courts. The LCDC also provides detention services for all municipalities in Lee County and for the US Marshals Service in the Middle Districts of Alabama and Georgia.
In June of 2007 the LCDC moved its primary operations to the newly constructed W.S. “Buck” Jones Detention Center, continuing to utilize the existing jail as well, greatly increasing the capacity of the facility. That same month, the city of Opelika closed their facility, and the LCDC became the only operating detention facility in Lee County.
The LCDC has 424 beds and conducts numerous in-house programs including work release, GED certificate study, a substance abuse program known by the acronym S.T.O.P., and a “work ready” initiative in partnership with Southern Union State Community College.
A staff of 55 corrections deputies along with four dietary kitchen staff, a medical staff including a physician, three nurses, four administrative assistants and two mental health psychotherapists are involved in detention center operations. Along with the corrections staff, LCDC operations has internship partnerships with both Auburn University and Tuskegee University. Because of this dedicated staff, LCDC is one of the most efficient detention facilities in the southeast.
Approved personal property for inmates of the Lee County Detention Center will be accepted in the Detention Center visitation lobby. Male inmates who have been in the Detention Center seven days or less are allowed three pair of plain white underwear, three pair of plain white socks, three plain white tee shirts, two pair of thermal tops and bottoms and one pair of plain white tennis shoes. In addition to the articles listed above, female inmates who have been in the Detention Center seven days or less are allowed three plain white bras (no wires). Any inmate who has been in the Detention Center more than seven days must purchase these items through the jail commissary.
Regardless of how long an inmate has been in the Detention Center, he/she may receive one Bible or Koran.
Televisions of up to a 13″ screen are accepted only if the owner donates the television to the Lee County Detention Center. Donors of televisions are advised that, upon donation, televisions immediately become the property of the Lee County Detention Center and are not the assigned personal property of any inmate of the Detention Center.
There are several ways a citizen may correspond with inmates in the detention center. Citizens have the option of mail correspondence, texts/email, telephone calls or video visitation. You may write an inmate at this address:
The detention center utilizes NCIC as our vendor for all other correspondence with citizens/inmates. On the NCIC website, the citizen can setup an account to receive calls from inmates, send/receive texts and utilize the video visitation feature to schedule online visits with inmates.
Inmates may place phone calls to citizens via prepaid funds or collect acceptance from the called party. Inmates can utilize funds deposited onto their phone account or may transfer funds from their commissary account into the phone account. Citizens may make deposits into the inmate’s account via the lobby kiosk in the Sheriff’s Office or by visiting the NCIC website.
Texts and/or email correspondence is available between the inmate and citizen. The citizen must setup an account at ncic.com to utilize these features. Additionally, thirty second videos may be sent to an inmate by a citizen or from an inmate to a citizen. These videos will be approved by staff seven days a week.
Video visitation is available seven days a week between an inmate and friend/family member. All visitations are remote with citizens utilizing a computer, tablet or phone and the inmate utilizing the visitation kiosk within their cell. Visitations can be between one minute and twenty-five minutes long and will be .30 cent per minute. NCIC affords all inmates one free visit per week and multiple free phone calls per week.
Inmates in the detention center receive commissary items once a week every Wednesday. The commissary provides the inmate with a wide variety of products from instant meal items and snacks to hygiene products, clothing, OTC medications and postage materials. The commissary program is a privilege afforded to all inmates with balances on their account.
Citizens can deposit funds onto an inmate’s account with cash or card at the inmate canteen kiosk in our Sheriff’s Office lobby. Citizens may also make online deposits onto an inmate’s account using debit or credit card transactions. Additionally, citizens may purchase any one of five snack pack bundles which is delivered to the inmate with their commissary order.
Regardless of whether or not an inmate participates in commissary purchases, inmates will always be provided three meals a day, hygiene necessities, medical services and indigent postage materials supplied by the Detention Center.
Lee County Sheriff’s Office
1900 Frederick Road Opelika, AL 36801
