Information for Attorneys

The Alexandria Sheriff's Office provides this information to assist attorneys in gaining access to Alexandria Sheriff's Office facilities, coordinating services to clients held within these facilities and obtaining records held by this Office.
Page updated on June 26, 2024 at 1:54 PM
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Special Notice: June 12, 2024

The Alexandria Sheriff’s Office is transitioning to a new inmate communications platform through Smart Communications. We are planning this to take place the week of June 24 and have arranged for the vendor to conduct an informational/training session with professional users of the system, including attorneys and paralegals. This training will be hosted on June 25 from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the Sheriff’s Office (2003 Mill Road in Alexandria) on the first floor of the administration side of the building. We will also offer a virtual option of this session via Teams.

Anyone who intends to attend the session will need to sign up here. Those who sign up for the virtual option will receive a link in advance of June 25.

The Office welcomes any suggestions or comments regarding its policies governing attorney access and coordination of inmate services. All comments should be directed to Sheriff Sean Casey, Alexandria Sheriff's Office, 2003 Mill Road, Alexandria, Virginia 22314 or 703.746.4114.

In-person professional and attorney-client visitation will be available daily during the following times:

  • 8 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.
  • 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
  • 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Please note the following visitation guidelines:

  • The Sheriff’s Office requests that all attorneys who are choosing to visit their clients in person for routine, non-urgent manners be fully vaccinated. The Sheriff’s Office will not conduct any type of verification of vaccination; it is simply a request to keep our inmates and staff as safe as possible.
  • All attorneys and professional visitors must provide appropriate legal identification in order to visit their client.
  • Due to the size of the attorney-client rooms, no more than two professional visitors (attorney, investigator, or interpreter) are permitted to visit with their client at a time. Attorney-client visitation rooms will be cleaned after each visit by Sheriff's Office staff.
  • If any attorney needs a laptop computer during their visit, they must contact Sergeant Morgan Garner at 703.746.5155. Sergeant Garner will review the request and authorize on a case-by-case basis. Those who have been previously approved must renew their request annually as a new approval list is started each July.
  • All interpreters and investigators must be approved and placed on a pre-approved list prior to the visit. Please contact Sergeant Garner at 703.746.5155 to get approval.
  • No personal bags will be permitted during visit.

If you have an urgent matter regarding your client and are unable to reach Sergeant Garner, please call 703.746.4099 and ask to speak to the watch commander on duty.

Detention Center Client Visits

The William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center is located at 2001 Mill Road in Alexandria. If driving, please pay close attention to the signs on Mill Road and stay to the right. Visitor parking is available under the interstate ramp.

Attorneys arriving at the Detention Center will be screened through the visitation center. Upon entering the main building, you should proceed to the door marked "8" and sign in at the Control Center window. The Deputy will require two forms of identification, one of the which must be a current Bar Association Membership card and one which must contain your name and photograph.

The Detention Center is equipped with three Attorney/Client meeting rooms providing privacy and direct contact. If these rooms are occupied, your visit may take place in a visitation booth which provides visual and telephone contact with your client through glass partition. During your visit with your client, it is essential that you not give you client anything other than legal papers. Items such as money, jewelry, matches, cigarette lighters, cigarettes, chewing gums, and other food items are strictly prohibited. Items from a client's family cannot be exchanged during the visit. In case of an emergency in the Detention Center, please follow the directions of staff.

If you are bringing an interpreter or other professional visitor with you, please see the section below. 

Interpreters and Other Professional Visitors (including those accompanying Attorneys)

Attorneys wishing to bring in an interpreter or other professional visitor must email the Special Management Sergeant 72 hours prior to the date of the visit. Such requests can only be made by the attorney;  professional visitors may not make the request themselves. In the email, provide the name, sex, date of birth, race and social security number of the interpreter or professional visitor. Relatives or social acquaintances of the inmate may not be used as interpreters nor will be approved as professional visitors. The interpreter/special visitor must provide proper identification upon arrival at the Detention Center.

Video Visitation

Please see the special notice at the top of the page about a new communications provider.
Attorneys may meet with their client through video visitation. There is no charge for professional video visits but they must be scheduled at least six hours in advance. Professional video visitation times are available seven days a week between 7 a.m. and midnight (eastern time).

Attorney Telephone Contact Procedures

Attorneys wishing to contact their clients held in the Detention Center on the attorney/client phone line should call the Visitation Deputy at 703.746.5044 to obtain the attorney/client phone number. This telephone number is for attorney/client use only and is not to be provided to the public or family members of the client.

When contacting the Visitation Deputy, attorneys should provide their name, current Bar Association Membership card number, office telephone number, and name of client. After verifying this information, the Deputy will provide the number or transfer the call to the client's housing unit. If the inmate is in an area that does not have an Attorney telephone, the Deputy will give a message to the inmate who will then return the call on a collect-only telephone.

Clothing for Clients for Circuit Court Appearance

Sometimes clients may not have in their possession clothing which is suitable for appearance before a jury in Circuit Court. You are strongly encouraged to determine, at least one week before scheduled trial, whether your client needs clothing. You, or the client's family, may call 703.746.5043 to arrange delivery of clothing for jury trials only. Clothing is accepted only at the Detention Center, during specified hours. Clothing will not be accepted at the Courthouse. The Detention Center does not provide clothing, other than prisoner clothing, for court appearances.

Courthouse Visitation

Deputies will attempt to provide attorneys with time to briefly confer with clients as they enter or leave the courtroom. Courtroom security concerns, however, may not always make this possible. Your cooperation in following the direction of the deputies is always appreciated.

Information Concerning Alternative Programs

Attorneys interested in determining their client's eligibility for Work Release, Modified Work Release, and Incremental Sentencing, should contact the Alternative Programs staff. Deputy Todd Stubblefield can be reached at 703.746.5134.

Furloughs

The Alexandria Sheriff's Office accommodates all court-ordered furloughs. Attorneys seeking such for their clients should petition the court directly.

Request for Records

Attorneys requesting records held by this agency should obtain a subpoena duces tecum issued to the Custodian of Records for the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office, 2003 Mill Road, Alexandria, Virginia 22314.

PREA

In accordance with the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office has a zero-tolerance policy for sexual misconduct against persons in our custody and within all facilities and operations under the control of the Sheriff. Inmates who have been sexually abused or harassed are encouraged to report it and attorneys who learn of any sexual victimization are also urged to report it to the Special Investigations Deputy at 703.746.5008.

Legal Mail

The Alexandria Sheriff’s Office has contracted with Smart Communications to provide inmate privileged communications for approved registered attorneys, public defenders and other approved privileged professionals. These changes have been made to streamline privileged communications between counsel and inmates, improve legal mail distribution, maintain privacy, and ensure the safety and well-being of inmates and staff. Hard copy legal mail to clients at the Adult Detention Center can be mailed to their attention or dropped off at 2001 Mill Road, Alexandria, VA, 22314. More information is available online.