Located behind the neoclassical, historic Hale County Courthouse, the Old Hale County Jail served Hale County from its completion in 1908 until 1999, when it was replaced by the modern Hale County Corrections facility. The masonry building is distinct with its 24 large windows inset with iron bars, and its crenelated battlements. The jail was constructed during a period of socially conscious prison reform. During the nineteenth century, large convict labor camps were commonplace, but around the turn of the twentieth century prison farms and county and city jails began taking their place. The jail is three stories with offices on the first floor and holding cells on the second and third. The second and third floors were each divided into two separate cells. The jail could hold up to 71 inmates, but on average held 42.
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