Hamilton County Sheriff's Office
Hamilton County, Tennessee

Corrections

The Hamilton County Jail is a 489 bed, all male facility. The majority of inmates incarcerated are in a pre-trial status. The facility was constructed in 1975 with a major renovation/expansion in 1994. It is an indirect supervision facility. Staffing consists of 161 employees (144 uniformed and 17 civilians).

Performance Objectives
  • Enforce the Tennessee Code Annotated.
  • Provide a secure confinement facility, and trained staff personnel capable of providing safe and humane custody, control, and security of all incarcerated persons.
  • Maintain a close working relationship with other criminal justice agencies of Hamilton County, to enhance overall law enforcement efforts, and protect the citizens of Hamilton County.
  • Operate a cost effective, constitutionally correct confinement facility under humane conditions.

Corrections Divisions

Contact Information

Justice Building
601 Walnut Street
Chattanooga, TN 37402

Phone: (423) 209-7050

Office Hours: The office is open 7:00 am until 3:00 pm (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday.

General Information

Charges and Bond Information: To obtain information about an inmate’s charges and bond, contact the Booking Office at 209-7052.

Booking Process: Arrests occurring within Hamilton County are transported to the Hamilton County Jail for booking. This process includes: Property intake, magistrate hearing, medical/mental health screening, background information collection, fingerprinting, photographing, and warrants check. While the Booking Staff are dedicated to ensuring the prompt processing of inmates, the amount of time required to complete this process is dependent upon the volume of inmates arriving at the jail; the availability of a Magistrate to set bonds; and pending warrants.

Visitation, Mail & Phone Services: The Hamilton County Jail permits each inmate to have two one-hour visits each week. Visiting days are established by floors of the jail. All visitors are required to provide photo identification. A parent or legal guardian must accompany juveniles. A birth certificate or court document must be provided to show legal guardianship. Visitation days are scheduled on Tuesday through Sunday. Visitors must be appropriately dressed. Visitors wearing suggestive clothing, transparent fabric, revealing clothing will not be permitted to visit. All visitors are subject to search.

Inmate mail is processed Monday through Friday. All mail is opened (not read) and inspected for contraband. Do not send cash or personal checks through the mail. Mail may be sent to an inmate at the following address:

Inmate Name (If addressed by a nickname or alias, it will be returned to sender)
(Nickname may appear below legal name)
601 Walnut Street
Chattanooga, TN 37402

The Jail has an Inmate Phone System operated by Invision. Inmates have unlimited access to telephones during the majority of the day. All phone calls are collect. Problems with the inmate phone system can be addressed to (423) 209-7266.

Inmate Property: Inmates are authorized to maintain certain items and limits of each item in their possession. Excess property is maintained in the Jail Supply Room. Excess property may be signed over by an inmate to a family member or friend. This is done by the inmate submitting a request to the Support Services Supervisor. Coordination will be made with the person receiving the property to pick it up Monday through Friday between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.

Statistics

Average Daily Population Total Bookings
1998
1999
2000
2001
2003
2004
2005		 582
534
552
581
663
553
605		 1998
1999
2000
2001
2003
2004
2005		 20,692
18,722
18,718
21,606
23,230
23,236
19,173 (Thru 10/05)

Helpful Phone Numbers

Name Phone Number
Central Control
Sentence Management
Sessions Court Clerk
Magistrate's Office
Support Services
Training / Standards
Case Management
Chief's Office
Jail Records
Criminal Court Clerk
Inmate Health Services
Security / Operations
Counseling
Visitation 		(423) 209-7050
(423) 209-7097
(423) 209-7600
(423) 209-7623
(423) 209-6490
(423) 209-7043
(423) 209-7131
(423) 209-7055
(423) 209-7133
(423) 209-7500
(423) 209-7089
(423) 209-7176
(423) 209-7096
(423) 209-7053