In Duval, misdemeanors make up the giant share of criminal cases. A JSO officer can skip the jail trip and issue a notice to appear, naming the date to report to 501 W. Adams. People taken to the Pre-Trial Detention Facility instead see a judge at first appearance within 24 hours, often on video from the jail. That judge goes over the charge and sets the conditions of pretrial release, which are the rules you follow while your case is open. Since January 1, 2026, every Florida jail, Jacksonville’s included, has followed one Supreme Court bond schedule with minimum amounts for anyone released before that hearing. For some offenses, domestic violence included, release waits on the judge. A bondsman’s premium runs 10% of the bond amount in Florida, with $100 as the floor.

What’s the most you can get? A first-degree misdemeanor can cost a year in a Duval jail and a $1,000 fine. With second degree, Jacksonville judges are held to two months (60 days) and $500. The State Attorney for the Fourth Circuit, an elected official, runs the prosecutor’s office on Bay Street. A judge can appoint the elected Fourth Circuit Public Defender for someone who can’t pay a lawyer. When that office has a conflict, Regional Conflict Counsel can step in. Florida law also permits a fee for a public defender, which can become a lien if left unpaid.

Fourth Circuit prosecutors offer pretrial diversion to some Jacksonville first-timers; finishing it wipes out the charge. If your misdemeanor goes to trial, the speedy-trial rule sets 90 days from formal charging unless waived, and a six-member jury of Duval residents hears it.

Under 18: When a Jacksonville teen is accused of a misdemeanor, Circuit Court’s juvenile division takes it. Instead of arresting a first offender, JSO can often issue a civil citation (Florida Statute 985.12), and the kid then makes up for it through counseling or service hours, leaving no arrest on file. Locked-up youth must get a detention hearing inside 24 hours. Jacksonville’s state-run juvenile lockup, the Duval Regional Juvenile Detention Center, is where they wait.

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A felony can put someone in a Florida prison. Every Duval felony starts with first appearance. After that, a Fourth Circuit prosecutor looks over the evidence and decides whether to file formal charges in an information. The defendant is then arraigned, which means formally told the charges and asked to plead. Months of discovery, motions and plea talks follow. Most felony cases at 501 W. Adams Street end in a plea, not a trial.

Florida felonies come in degrees. Third-degree felonies can mean as much as 5 years in prison. Second-degree felonies can mean 15. First-degree felonies can mean 30. Life felonies and capital felonies are at the top. Sentencing at the Adams Street courthouse relies on Florida’s Criminal Punishment Code scoresheet, which piles up points for the offense, the harm and prior record, and the score sets a floor. Florida’s 85% rule then keeps prisoners inside for nearly the whole term. A felon caught with a gun faces a second-degree felony and, in some cases, a 3-year minimum.

Duval felony defendants can demand trial by day 175 after formal charges are filed, a right most of them waive. Juries for Jacksonville felony trials hold six people; only capital trials use twelve.

Under 18: Most juvenile felony cases stay in the juvenile division, where judges can choose probation, treatment or a commitment program. The State Attorney can also “direct file” adult charges. Jacksonville prosecutors may do that for nearly any felony when the teen is 16 or 17. Younger teens, 14 or 15, qualify only for crimes listed in Florida Statute 985.557, carjacking, robbery and home burglary among them.

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Violent felony cases in Duval go through the same steps, but the penalties can be enormous. Someone judged dangerous at a pretrial detention hearing stays at the Adams Street jail, bond denied. In carjackings, robberies and similar crimes, Florida’s 10-20-Life law stacks on mandatory prison: possession of a gun, 10 years; a shot fired, 20; a death or great bodily harm, 25 years or more, possibly life. Sexual battery (Florida’s legal word for rape) can carry life in prison.

Duval first-degree murder cases start with a grand jury indictment; a conviction brings death or life without parole. Florida passed a law in 2023 letting a jury recommend death if 8 of the 12 jurors agree. About an hour southwest of Jacksonville, Union Correctional Institution in Raiford holds the state’s male death row; the women’s is at Lowell Correctional Institution.

Marsy's Law, a Florida constitutional amendment, gives Jacksonville victims notice of each hearing, a seat in court, and a chance to speak before sentencing. In a city with many shooting cases, the Fourth Circuit prosecutor’s victim advocates stay busy helping families.

Under 18: Violent crimes are where Duval teens are most likely to be charged as adults. Even at 14 or 15, a Duval teen accused of carjacking or armed robbery can be direct filed. Under Florida Statute 985.56, a Duval grand jury may also indict a child of any age if death or life is a possible penalty. A death sentence itself remains impossible for anyone who was a minor on the day of the crime.

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JSO, the consolidated Sheriff's Office, holds the Fourth Circuit warrant file; call (904) 630-0500, and its warrants unit needs a birth date to confirm a name. The clerk's CORE system lists each case and any capias. With an attorney, a person can self-surrender at the Pretrial Detention Facility on East Adams Street, a block from the courthouse. Room 2350 of the courthouse on West Adams is where the clerk sets new dates. For warrants from other agencies, FDLE runs a statewide wanted persons search.

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