Women's Correctional Center Inmate Bail & Bonds
Davidson County bail and bond: how Nashville sets bail and how to pay it
Adults arrested in Nashville and Davidson County are held in the Davidson County Sheriff's Office jail system. The Downtown Detention Center is at 200 James Robertson Parkway, and the Sheriff's Office headquarters is at 1 Jerry Newson Way. Judicial commissioners set the first bail, and the Criminal Court Clerk, at 615-862-5670, can tell you the current bond amount. Look up the person first with Davidson County Inmate Search, which shows the booking and charges. Then work through the questions below.
1. How do I find out if someone is in a Nashville jail?
Use Davidson County Inmate Search before anything else. It shows the booking, the charges, and whether a bond is set. The Sheriff's Office inmate information line is 615-862-8123. A person arrested within the last few hours may not appear yet, so look again before you assume a mistake.
2. Which Davidson County Sheriff's Office buildings hold inmates?
The Sheriff's Office runs the Downtown Detention Center, the Annex, the Behavioral Care Center, two Correctional Development Centers (one male, one female), and the Maximum Correctional Center. The Downtown Detention Center, 200 James Robertson Parkway, 615-862-8224, is the downtown facility. Davidson County Inmate Search shows where your person is housed, which matters for deposits and visits.
3. Who sets the first bail amount in Davidson County?
Judicial commissioners do. They hold probable cause hearings, issue warrants and set bail bonds. A General Sessions or Criminal Court judge can review the amount later. The Sheriff's Office cannot change it. The bond amounts on the inmate page carry a note that the court may change them.
4. Where do I get the current bond amount?
Look for it on Davidson County Inmate Search, and confirm it with the Criminal Court Clerk's Office at 615-862-5670. The clerk's main office line is 615-862-5601. The office is on the second floor of the Justice A. A. Birch Building, 408 2nd Avenue North, Suite 2120. Bond amounts change when a judge acts, so ask for the current number on the day you pay.
5. Where do bonds get posted?
The Criminal Court Clerk's office is at 408 2nd Avenue North, Suite 2120. The State Warrant and Bond Office is at 512 First Avenue North and also works on bonds. Call the clerk at 615-862-5670 before you travel, and ask which office takes your type of payment and what hours apply that day.
6. What local rules apply to bail bonds here?
Davidson County has Local Rules of Practice for Bail Bonds in the 20th Judicial District, and they cover Criminal Court and Metropolitan General Sessions. Read them before you commit money, or ask the Criminal Court Clerk for the rule that applies to your payment before you put money down.
7. What will it cost to use a bondsman?
A Tennessee resident should expect to pay about 10 percent of the bond, and a nonresident 10 to 15 percent. The bondsman may add a one-time $25 fee and a $12 tax. The money stays with the bondsman after the case. Ask for a receipt that lists each charge and describes any collateral in writing.
8. How do I check that a bondsman is allowed to write bonds in Nashville?
A bondsman needs a license from the state Board of Professional Bondsmen and approval from the court in each judicial district where the bondsman works. Ask the Criminal Court Clerk's Office, at 615-862-5670, before you sign anything. A court can also remove a bondsman for harming a client or disrupting the court.
9. Can I pay the full amount in cash?
Yes. A cash bond is the full bail, and the clerk holds it until the case ends. When the person is discharged, the clerk returns the deposit, less any fines and court costs the court orders in that case. A clerk may take a debit card or payment app and pass the fee on to you. Keep every receipt with the case number.
10. Can I use a house or land?
Tennessee real estate can secure a bond, and so can a written agreement by two sureties who are not professional bondsmen or lawyers. Property bonds take more time than cash. Ask the Criminal Court Clerk's Office, 615-862-5670, for the court's requirements before you gather deeds, and expect every owner to sign.
11. How soon will a judge see the person?
Tennessee requires that an arrested person be taken before a magistrate without unnecessary delay. In Nashville a judicial commissioner can handle bail and warrants by video with the Downtown Detention Center. Ask the Criminal Court Clerk when your person's next date is.
12. Why does the record show no bond?
A no-bond entry can mean a capital charge, a hold from another court, a probation violation, or a bond that has not been set. Under the constitution today, only capital offenses are excluded from bail.
13. Why is a domestic-violence arrest held longer?
For stalking, child abuse, elder abuse and some domestic offenses, the official cannot release the person for 12 hours unless a written finding shows no threat to the victim. In an aggravated assault with strangulation or a weapon, the hold can reach 24 hours. Release then requires a no-contact order, and the court may require GPS monitoring.
14. Can the court order alcohol controls on a DUI release?
Yes. For many alcohol-related driving offenses, the judge may order an ignition interlock device, with proof of installation to the district attorney within 10 days. A third or later alcohol offense, or vehicular assault or homicide with a prior alcohol conviction, can bring transdermal monitoring paid for by the defendant.
15. Can I deposit money in the person's jail account instead of bail?
Deposits are not bail. The Sheriff's Office takes commissary deposits through CorrectPay, JailATM and lobby kiosks, and phone and video accounts through ICSolutions. None of that money frees anyone. Pay bail only through the clerk or a licensed bondsman, and keep the receipt.
16. Can the family visit the Downtown Detention Center?
Video visits are available for the housing units that allow them, every day from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and again from 7:30 p.m. to 9:20 p.m. Lobby visits at the Downtown Detention Center are not offered. Medical housing on the third floor does not get video visits. Call 615-862-8224 to ask about your person's unit.
17. Who represents someone who cannot afford a lawyer in Nashville?
The Metropolitan Nashville Public Defender represents people who cannot afford a lawyer and is the office for the 20th Judicial District. Call 615-862-7296. Ask the judge for appointed counsel at the first appearance, and ask your lawyer to seek a lower bail or release without money.
18. Where is a teenager held?
The Davidson County Juvenile Detention Center is at 100 Woodland Street, Nashville, 615-862-8066. Juvenile records are private, so Davidson County Inmate Search may not show a minor. Call the detention center for the hearing date and for what a parent can do.
19. What happens after a missed Nashville court date?
A judge can forfeit the bond and send out an arrest warrant. Fines, costs or restitution fall on a surety only when the bond states it and the surety accepted it. Call the Criminal Court Clerk at 615-862-5670 the same day and speak to a lawyer about resetting the date.
Davidson County bond contacts
- County jails
- Davidson County Sheriff's Office jail system; Downtown Detention Center, 200 James Robertson Parkway, Nashville, TN 37201; 615-862-8224
- Bond guide
- Jail bail and bond page
- Custody lookup
- Davidson County Inmate Search
- Sheriff's Office
- 1 Jerry Newson Way, Nashville, TN 37206; inmate information 615-862-8123
- Criminal Court Clerk
- Justice A. A. Birch Building, 408 2nd Avenue North, Suite 2120; 615-862-5670 or 615-862-5601
- Bond office
- State Warrant and Bond Office, 512 First Avenue North, Nashville
- Judicial commissioners
- Set bail through video hearings with the detention center
- Public defender
- Metropolitan Nashville Public Defender, 615-862-7296
- Juvenile detention
- 100 Woodland Street, Nashville; 615-862-8066
Bond amounts, local rules and office hours can change. Verify every figure for your own case with the Criminal Court Clerk or the Sheriff's Office before you pay. We offer general information only, not legal counsel.
How do Bail Bonds work at Women's Correctional Center
The Davidson County Sheriff recommends that you might want to use a bail bond agent licensed to do business in Davidson County.
However if you don't want to use a bail bond agent:
- You can always pay a cash bond yourself, or use your home in Davidson County, or in some cases the state of Tennessee, but the benefit of using a bail bond agent is that they take responsibility for making sure the inmate shows up for court in Davidson County, and if they don't, then they take the financial responsibility.
- The typical fee for a bond in Tennessee is between 10-20% of the bail amount; usually 15% or less. So if an offender has a bail of $10,000.00, their bond will be $1,500.00.
- Pay by cash, cashier's check, money order or credit card at the Women's Correctional Center, or the courthouse in Davidson County where the offense took place.
Call 615-862-8123 to find out the exact bond (plus other fees) amount, or look it up online by looking up the information on the Davidson County inmate locator.
Women's Correctional Center
Address:
5115 Harding Place
Nashville, TN 37211
Phone:
615-862-8123
Frequently Asked Questions about Bail and Bonds in Davidson County
Does Davidson County have bail?
What kind of bonds are accepted in Davidson County?
Who can set bail in Davidson County?
When is bail set in Davidson County Tennessee?
Does Davidson County have bail?
Yes, Davidson County recognizes most types of bonds.
What kind of bonds are accepted in Davidson County?
Davidson County recognizes most types of bonds. The court will consider what type of bonds will be accepted depending on the circumstances of the arrest.
Who can set bail in Davidson County?
Bail is set by a magistrate or judge.
When is bail set in Davidson County Tennessee?
Bail is set during the defendant’s first court hearing, also known as a bail hearing. This court appearance will be scheduled within 72 hrs. of arrest not counting weekends or holidays.
What is Bail?
Bail is what the arrested in Davidson County must pay or do to stay out of jail until the first court appearance.
The agreement to bail acts as a promise that the arrested will return to court for court dates and trial. Bail usually refers to a dollar amount, but bail can also mean something that has to be done, or a condition such as reporting to an officer of the court, a curfew, restraining orders or attending a treatment program.
Bail is usually a significant enough amount of money and/or condition that the person will be negatively impacted and has incentive to return to court and not flee. A flight risk usually means that the person would flee the area, and not necessary that they are going to take an airplane.
If a judge in Tennessee feels that the arrested will return to court for further proceedings, the arrested could be released under a conditional release without needing to pay bail money. This is called Released on Own Recognizance, or ROR.
Conditions for ROR might be to obey all court orders and laws, maintain contact with the lawyer, report changes in residence or have no contact with the victim. Family support will show the court that there are people who will make sure that the defendant makes it to court.
If the judge or bail schedule determines that the defendant would be a danger to the public if they were released, bail can be denied, and the person will be detained in the Women's Correctional Center until the case is resolved or goes to trial.
Bail can be denied if the defendant did not comply with bail conditions from a previous arrest. Bail is usually denied in cases of violent offenses.
What is the difference between Bail and Bond?
Bail and bond are used interchangeably to mean the same thing but technically, they are different. The bail is the amount to be paid and a bond is a signed document promising payment of the bail amount with certain conditions. Think of a bond as a loan to pay for the bail.
The bond payment is always written to the court in your municipality, Davidson County or district directly and does not go through the defendant. Chances of obtaining a bond from a bond company or clerk of court are better if family is involved.
The thought of being in jail can cause the arrested to panic and try to secure a bond immediately.
DO NOT panic and take the time to understand all the options.
More courts are now trying to work with defendants to make bail work and might provide non-monetary options or even reduce the bail.
Payments to a bond company are not refundable. It is a long process to get back property title or money that was given to the clerk of court or bondsperson to secure the bond. This could put your loved ones into a difficult financial situation.
Another reason not to unnecessarily rush into securing a bond is that if the court notes that you came up with the money to pay a bond company, they may assume you have resources to pay a defense attorney and decline public defense.
On the other hand, as anyone who has ever been involved in their criminal defense understands, fighting your case while ‘out on the streets’ gives you a much better chance of either winning, or getting a more favorable sentence.
What are the different types of bonds in Davidson County?
Based on a review of information from the arrest, the judge or bail officer will determine and notify the accused of which types of bonds are available to them.
To describe the types of bonds, let’s use an example of buying your neighbor’s car. Your neighbor decides the price of the car and how they would be paid.
Similarly, the court (meaning a police or bail officer, clerk of court, bail magistrate or judge) determines the bail amount and how it would be paid.
Here are different options that the seller of the car or the court might consider:
You could pay full asking price for the car in cash. This is similar to paying cash bail. The full amount of bail would be paid to the town or county clerk or at the jail. Cash, cashier’s checks and credit cards are usually accepted.
You could sign an agreement on your own or with another person to pay for the car at a future date knowing that your neighbor would know where to find you if you stopped payment. This would be similar to a cash bond or a personal recognizance (PR) bond which are bonds to where someone representing the defendant signs paperwork promising to pay the bail amount if the defendant does not show up to court. There is no money due up front.
If the defendant does not show up, the full amount of the bail will be due to the court and the people who signed the paperwork will be responsible for paying the court and the court will send the sheriff’s department to arrest you.
Cash bonds and PR bonds are types of unsecured bonds because you are not securing it with any money down. In bond terms, a surety is a person who will be responsible for making sure that you will show to court and will be responsible to pay the bond if the arrested person does not show up.
Surety can be family, friend or a bondsperson. Your attorney cannot act as a surety.
You can put a deposit down for your neighbor’s car and sign an agreement that the car will be paid off at a later date. Cash percentage in lieu of bonds is when the defendant pays a percentage of the bail amount, usually 10%, to the court which then holds the money until the case is over.
The amount is returned to the person who paid the 10% after the case is over. In most cases, the full amount is not returned if there are court fees or fines due. This is a type of surety bond if another person signs the bond paperwork.
You could sign an agreement that if the car were not paid off, that your neighbor would get your house or something of value.
A property bond is a bond that the courts might consider in which the bond is pledged in land or home real estate (mobile homes are not accepted).
Usually, the property must be in the same state as the courts, and it must be worth at least 1 ½ - 2 times the amount of the bond.
There are multiple court fees involved to execute a property bond with the courts and a tedious process to get the property deed back. This is another type of surety bond if another person or a bond company is used to secure the bond.
You could also go to a local bank and take out a car loan offering property or anything of value for collateral. You may get someone to co-sign on the loan and offer their property. The bank charges fees, interest and could keep your property if you did not pay the loan back, or even on time.
A professional bondsperson makes money, at least 10% of the bond amount by providing you with a “loan” called a bond. The percent that they charge is fixed by the state and cannot be negotiated. The defendant or surety does not get that 10% or more back even if the terms of the bail are met.
With a property bond, the property deed would need to be signed over to the bondsperson and everyone on the deed would need to be involved.
A Transfer Bond is transferable across state lines but generally a bond company will only assume the loan to adjoining states. In addition to the 10% fee, there is a transfer fee owed to the bonding company between $50-$100.
Since the bondsperson signed off, to be responsible that you show to court as your surety, they can send a bounty hunter to bring you to court if you flee. A bondsperson does not have to give you a bond if the defendant seems to be too much of a risk.
Ask the bondsperson to explain all the costs: percentage, fees or court fees. There is never a reason to rush through signing the paperwork with a bond company. Make sure that everything told to you is in writing and that you understand what you are signing. Ask questions, and if you feel rushed or don’t understand the contract with the bond company, you might want to call another one.
(There have been phone scams where a bond company calls and informs a person that their family member has been arrested and they ask for financial information. A bondsperson will not call asking for money without involvement of the arrested.)
Does Davidson County have bail?
Yes, Davidson County recognizes most types of bonds.
What kind of bonds are accepted in Davidson County?
Davidson County recognizes most types of bonds. The court will consider what type of bonds will be accepted depending on the circumstances of the arrest.
Who can set bail in Davidson County?
Bail is set by a magistrate or judge.
When is bail set in Tennessee?
Bail is set during the defendant’s first court hearing, also known as a bail hearing. This court appearance will be scheduled within 72 hrs. of arrest not counting weekends or holidays.
Can I get the bail or bond reduced in Davidson County Tennessee?
Yes, your attorney can request a bond reduction.
In Davidson County Tennessee, who can pay bail for me?
The person posting bail should be a relative or close friend, called a surety, because they are promising and taking responsibility that you will return to court to get their money back.
A surety is not responsible for court fees or paying off personal debts for the defendant. A professional bondsperson who is approved by the State of Tennessee could be the surety and execute a bond to the court on your behalf.
Can bail be paid online in Davidson County Tennessee?
Yes, Tennessee does offer online bail payment. Please contact the jail for specific information on how to pay bail. Go to the Women's Correctional Center for more information about the jails in Davidson County.
What options are there to pay bail in Davidson County Tennessee?
Most all jail and courts accept cash, a cashier or bankers’ check. Some accept a credit card with fees. Please contact the jail for specific information on what methods of payment are accepted. Go to the Women's Correctional Center for more information about posting bail in Davidson County.
Will I get all my bond money back in Tennessee?
Bail money is returned to the person who paid the bail; in whole or in part once the case is finished. There may be fees, restitution (money to pay for damage caused by the crime) or fines that come out of that amount. If you used a bondsperson, you would not get your 10% back. Property is returned by the court or bondsperson after the appropriate requests and formal paperwork are completed with the court.
Can I get bail or a bond with no money down in Davidson County?
No, unless released on own recognizance you will be required to pay some money down to secure bail.
A cash bond or a personal recognizance (PR) bond are bonds where someone representing the defendant signs paperwork promising to pay the bail amount if the defendant does not show up to court. There is no money due up front.
If the defendant does not show up, the full amount of the bail will be due to the court and the people who signed the paperwork will be responsible for paying the court and the court will send the sheriff’s department to arrest you.
What are the least expensive and affordable bail bonds in Tennessee?
The Women's Correctional Center or court in this jurisdiction can provide you with a list of approved and licensed bond companies, but they cannot recommend a specific company. You are not obligated to use the first company available and can call several companies to compare what kind of bonds that the bondsperson is willing to execute.
The percentage of bail that the bond company can charge is set, usually at 10%, by the state and cannot be negotiated.