Albany County's jail, run by the Sheriff's Office on Albany Shaker Road in the Town of Colonie. It was constructed in 1931, holds people awaiting trial alongside sentenced people and around a hundred federal detainees, and routes every letter through a P.O. Box thirty miles away before anyone reads it.
City
Albany
County
Albany County, in the Town of Colonie
State
NY
Facility Type
County jail
Gender
Male and female
Capacity
Not settled. The county's own two pages say 866 beds and 1,043 beds
Custody Levels
Pretrial and sentenced, plus federal detainees
Operator
Albany County Sheriff's Office
Address
840 Old Albany Shaker Rd, Albany, NY 12211
Phone
518-869-2600
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There is no county roster. The state tool is what the county points you at.
View ArticleThree days a week, four slots a night, and an account you need even to sit in the room.
View ArticleA 24 hour kiosk, two card routes and one that costs nothing at all.
View ArticleThe county names the vendor and a number, and stops short of publishing a rate.
View ArticleWrite the jail's street address on an envelope and it comes back to you.
View ArticleAlbany County publishes no roster of its own, which surprises families who expect a county jail to have a searchable list. What it publishes instead is a pointer to VINELink, the statewide tool that covers the New York City jails, the state prison system and 60 county correctional facilities. The county also staffs an Inmate Services Unit on 518-869-2611 for the questions a search result cannot answer.
See the full breakdownBoth video and in-person visits run through a Securus account, and the in-person option is buried inside the video product: you choose Securus Video Connect, then add Albany County In-Person as a facility. Approval needs a photo of your face and a valid ID that matches it. Visiting runs Monday, Wednesday and Thursday across four evening slots, two one hour visits per person per week.
See the full breakdownFour routes, and they are not priced the same. The lobby kiosk runs around the clock and takes cash as well as cards. Access Corrections takes deposits online and by phone, both card only. A money order posted to the Clifton Park box costs nothing beyond the money order itself, which makes it the cheapest option if you can wait for the post.
See the full breakdownSecurus Technologies runs the phones, and the county gives you the vendor's site and 800-844-6591 to set an account up. What it does not give you is a rate. Neither the county nor Securus publishes a per-minute price for this jail, so the guide says that plainly rather than repeating a figure from a directory site.
See the full breakdownEverything goes to P.O. Box 162, Clifton Park, NY 12065, with the person's name and ID number on the envelope. It is opened and inspected there, then scanned onto a facility tablet, so the paper you posted is not what they hold. The county states that mail sent to the jail itself is returned to sender, which is the single most expensive mistake available here.
See the full breakdown6 of 8 questions
To P.O. Box 162, Clifton Park, NY 12065, with the person's name and ID number on the envelope. Not to Albany Shaker Road. The county says plainly that any mail received at the Correctional Facility will be returned to sender, so an envelope addressed to the building costs you the whole round trip.
Mail & PhotosBecause Albany County routes incoming mail to an off-site processing point first. There it is opened and inspected for contraband, then scanned and made available on a facility tablet through an account the person inside sets up. Clifton Park is about twenty minutes north of the jail, and nothing you post is handled at the jail itself.
Mail & PhotosYes. Albany County runs both video and in-person visits through Securus. You sign up, choose Securus Video Connect, add Albany County In-Person as a facility, and upload a photo of yourself with a valid ID. The county says a request is denied only where the identification and the picture do not match what you submitted.
VisitationMondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The slots are 3:30 to 4:30 PM, 6:00 to 7:00 PM, 7:15 to 8:15 PM and 8:30 to 9:30 PM. Each person is allowed two one hour visits a week, with the week starting on Sunday, and a booking has to be made at least 24 hours ahead and no more than 7 days ahead.
VisitationAlbany County does not run one. The county points families to VINELink, the statewide tool covering New York City, the state prison system and 60 county correctional facilities. You can also reach the jail's Inmate Services Unit on 518-869-2611.
Inmate SearchThe county's own pages disagree. Its corrections page says a maximum of 866 beds, while its sheriff page says 1,043. We are not going to pick one silently. What is independently verifiable is the population: New York State data put the average daily count at about 620 in July 2026, which is well below either figure.
Inmate SearchIt has an Albany mailing address and an Albany County name, but the building sits in the Town of Colonie on Albany Shaker Road. That matters for directions more than for post, since your letters are going to Clifton Park anyway.
VisitationSecurus Technologies handles inmate phone service, and the county lists its site along with 800-844-6591. Money is separate and goes through Access Corrections, which also takes deposits by phone on 866-345-1884 and runs the lobby kiosk. Care packages are ordered through My Care Pack.
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All information on this page comes directly from official government and facility sources. How we verify information › Last verified September 17, 2026. Official source: albanycountyny.gov/corrections ›