Use the search above, then phone 870-798-2323. Small county jails often fill and pay a neighbor to take the overflow, so the person could be one county over. Ask for the facility name, its phone, and the booking number. The Calhoun County courts still handle the case wherever the person sleeps.

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The jail and sheriff at 870-798-2323, the circuit clerk at 870-798-2517, and Hampton District Court at 870-798-2753. The clerk's line also serves as the bond line, and the same office handles county clerk work, so expect to be asked which case you mean. Callers should be ready with the legal name and birthday.

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Call first. It varies by case. A cash bond may be taken at the 9th Street jail, the sheriff's office or the circuit clerk's window in the Hampton courthouse. Ask which, and what hours apply, especially nights and weekends. A bondsman, if you hire one, posts the bond with the court for you. Don't leave without a receipt that carries the case number.

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Cash, cashier's checks and money orders go through most easily. Personal checks are often turned away. Whether the sheriff or clerk will run a card, and what it adds in fees, is a question for 870-798-2323. If a stranger offers to take a card payment over the phone, hang up and call a number you looked up yourself.

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Calhoun County District Court in Hampton, 870-798-2753, handles misdemeanors and traffic. Felonies belong to the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, which also covers Cleveland, Columbia, Dallas, Ouachita, and Union counties, and the circuit clerk keeps the felony file. A warrant often shows the amount the signing judge picked.

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Arkansas Rule 8.1 requires a first appearance without unnecessary delay, which generally means two to three days. Small-county judges hold court on set days, so a Friday arrest may wait into the next week. Ask the district court, 870-798-2753, for the next date, then plan around it.

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The sheriff's office reads you the exact figure by phone. It can depend on which judge is on duty, and on whether a warrant already carries a number. Nobody outside the courthouse can guess it for you.

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Ten percent, as set in Arkansas Code 17-19-101 and following. On a $2,000 bond, $200 is gone for good even if the case is dismissed. The bondsman must be state licensed. Ask the agent to write out the license number, total cost and the penalty for a missed date, and read it before you sign. The clerk can tell you which licensed companies post bonds here.

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Land can serve as security if the judge agrees, and around Hampton that usually means a house or a stand of timber. You'll need the deed, a current tax assessment and signatures from every owner. Any loan on the property cuts what it counts for. Ask the circuit clerk, 870-798-2517, whether the judge will take land and whether it must lie within Calhoun County.

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The Arkansas Constitution, Article 2, Section 8, allows refusal in capital cases when the proof is evident. Ark. Rule of Criminal Procedure 9.6 covers a second felony charged during release, and the judge may then deny bond. A hold from parole or probation, or a warrant from elsewhere, blocks release as well. The sheriff can tell you which of these applies.

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That rarely helps. The sheriff's office must follow the judge's order, and only a judge can lower it. Families lose hours bargaining with jailers; a better use of a morning is lining up a lawyer and a hearing.

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A lawyer asks the judge, in writing or at a hearing. Rule 9.2 lists what the judge weighs: the charge, past record, job, family ties, and court history. Rule 9.3 gives the judge the option of release with a curfew or check-ins. Pull together pay records, a rental agreement and a few Calhoun County neighbors willing to speak up.

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The Thirteenth District Public Defender office in El Dorado covers Calhoun, Cleveland, Columbia, Dallas, Ouachita, and Union counties. Call 870-639-3453. At the first appearance the judge rules on eligibility, and the lawyer appointed may then seek a reduced bond.

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Thornton Police, 870-352-3576, and county deputies bring adults to the detention center. The arresting agency can give you its report number and the officer's name. City misdemeanors still go to the district court at 870-798-2753.

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Juveniles go through the juvenile division of circuit court, with no cash bond. A judge decides at a detention hearing. The county jail houses adults only, and Arkansas has about 14 county-run juvenile detention centers. Call the circuit clerk, 870-798-2517, for the center's name and the hearing date. Juvenile files are private.

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They do not. Online commissary deposits and the jail's phone account cover store items and calls. Release money goes to the sheriff, the clerk, or a licensed bondsman. If a website wants a card number to release someone, call 870-798-2323 first.

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Skipped hearings tend to bring a warrant, and the bond is usually forfeited. A bonding company gets a brief window to return the person before billing the co-signer. Phone the clerk right away. When all dates were met, the cash goes back at the close of the case to whoever is on the receipt, after fines and costs. A bondsman's fee never comes back.

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Hampton is home to both courts. Which one holds the file depends on how serious the charge is:

• Calhoun County Circuit Court (felony cases, the juvenile division, district court appeals): Hampton courthouse · mail to P.O. Box 1175, Hampton, AR 71744 · circuit clerk 870-798-2517
• Calhoun County District Court (misdemeanors, traffic, first appearances after felony arrests): Hampton · mail to PO Box 783, Hampton, AR 71744 · 870-798-2753

Judges and the prosecutor for the 13th Judicial Circuit ride a circuit of six counties, so Hampton gets set court days rather than daily sessions. Arrests by Thornton police and county deputies feed into these same two offices.

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Federal custody works apart from the Hampton courts and the 9th Street jail, and a bondsman's surety does nothing there. The federal court for this county is the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, El Dorado Division, at the federal courthouse in El Dorado, 101 South Jackson Avenue, El Dorado, AR 71730, 833-853-0345. Expect roughly this path:

• An agency like the FBI, DEA or ATF brings the complaint or a grand jury indictment.
• The first court hearing is held before a U.S. magistrate judge.
• An officer from Pretrial Services gathers facts on home, work and record for that judge.
• Prosecutors may push for detention, and the judge then schedules a hearing on that question.
• Release in a federal case carries its own rules, like meeting with an officer and not leaving the district.

Prisoners held for federal court are housed wherever the U.S. Marshals choose, sometimes hours from Hampton. Their office is U.S. Marshals Service, 30 South 6th Street, Fort Smith, AR 72901, 479-289-7470 or 479-424-5000 (call either).

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It can ask to. An ICE detainer under 8 CFR 287.7 requests notice of release and up to 48 more hours of custody, weekends and holidays included. Arkansas law leaves it to the jail whether to honor that.

The Calhoun County charge stays open while ICE has the person, so its court dates still matter. Arkansas falls under the ICE New Orleans Field Office, 181 James Drive W, St. Rose, LA 70087, 504-318-2360. ICE often sends detainees from this region to Louisiana facilities, for example:

• LaSalle ICE Processing Center: 830 Pinehill Road, Jena, LA 71342 · 318-992-1600
• Pine Prairie ICE Processing Center: 1133 Hampton Dupre Road, Pine Prairie, LA 70576 · 337-599-2400

Track the person with the ICE Online Detainee Locator System (https://locator.ice.gov/odls/). An A-number with country of birth is the surest search, and a full name with country of birth is the backup.

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The small jail on 9th Street sometimes sends overflow elsewhere, and people can also move to state or federal custody. Check these:

• Calhoun County jail: Calhoun County Inmate Search. Look up the last name and first name, open the match, and read the charges, booking date and bond.
• VINE: VINELink (https://vinelink.vineapps.com/). Select Arkansas, then search by name. You'll see a custody status and the name of the holding jail or prison. Free release notices by phone or text are available.
• Federal Bureau of Prisons: Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator (https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/). Type the register number, or a name with age, race and sex. Pretrial federal prisoners are often left off, so ask the Marshals at 479-289-7470 or 479-424-5000 (call either).
• Arkansas Division of Correction: Arkansas Division of Correction Inmate Search (https://apps.ark.org/inmate_info/). Search an ADC number or last name to view the unit, a photo and parole dates.

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A short call can save a wasted drive to Hampton, since jail space and office hours change. The jail at 870-798-2323 will say which jail has the person and what payment it takes. Felony dates come from the circuit clerk at 870-798-2517, and misdemeanor or traffic dates from the district court at 870-798-2753.

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