The larger of Erie County's two jails, in the Town of Alden about twenty five miles east of Buffalo. It opened in 1985, is capable of housing 746 people, and combines pod and open bay construction. Despite a name that suggests otherwise, most people held here are awaiting a court outcome rather than serving a sentence.
City
Alden
County
Erie County
State
NY
Facility Type
County jail
Gender
Male and female, plus adolescents adjudicated as adults
Capacity
746
Custody Levels
Sentenced and unsentenced, with unsentenced the larger share
Operator
Erie County Sheriff's Office, Jail Management Division
Address
11581 Walden Avenue, Alden, NY 14004
Phone
716-937-9101
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One roster, two facility codes, and the one you want is ECCF.
View ArticleThree days, eight sessions, and an evening that runs to half past ten.
View ArticleSame county rules as Buffalo, different address on the envelope.
View ArticleFour routes at Alden, and the free one goes to Missouri.
View Article6 of 8 questions
No, and this is the most common misunderstanding about it. New York State data show 303 unsentenced people here against 106 sentenced, so roughly three quarters of the population is still awaiting a court outcome. Erie County itself says both facilities hold non-arraigned, non-sentenced, sentenced and federal people, and both hold men, women and adolescents tried as adults.
Inmate SearchTuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Wednesday is the fullest day with four sessions, and the evening sessions on Wednesday and Thursday run until 10:30 PM, which is unusually late for a county jail. Sign-up is walk-in during a published window rather than an appointment.
VisitationAbout twenty five miles east of the Holding Center at 40 Delaware Avenue. They are two separate buildings with separate visiting schedules and separate mailing addresses, so check the facility code on the roster before you set off or post anything.
VisitationThe person's name and ICN number on the first line, then Erie County Correctional Facility, 11581 Walden Avenue, Alden, New York 14004. Erie uses no digital mail contractor, so what you post is what they receive.
Mail & PhotosNot at a window. Erie publishes a lobby cashier's window only for the Holding Center in Buffalo. At Alden your routes are the facility kiosk, Access Corrections online or by phone, or a money order posted to the lockbox in St. Louis, which is the free one.
Send MoneyBecause the New York State Commission of Correction uses different legal names from the county's own. It lists this facility as the Erie County Penitentiary and the Buffalo one as the Erie County Jail, while state criminal justice data calls this one Erie County CF. Three naming systems for two buildings, which is why search results look inconsistent.
Inmate SearchErie County publishes nothing at all about voice calls: no vendor, no account setup, no rates, for either facility. ICSolutions runs the county's video visitation, and assuming it also runs the phones would be a guess rather than a fact. Call 716-937-9101 and ask.
Phone CallsIt is capable of housing 746 people and the average daily population is about 470, so roughly 63 per cent occupancy. Erie County's own planning material notes that both of its facilities generally operate well below their historical population levels.
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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: www4.erie.gov/sheriff/jail-management-division ›