With 56 beds in a 2022 state count, the Sul Ross Avenue jail is small enough that one call often settles it. Try this order:

1. Type the name into the official jail search.
2. Repeat it on Texas IVSS-Counties. Because it reaches county jails statewide, it also catches an arrest made in Marfa, Fort Stockton or farther off.
3. Dial 432-837-6200, ask for the Brewster jail, and spell the person's name along with their birth date.
4. Jot down the booking number, charge and bail figure if staff share them. Bondsmen, lawyers and clerks will ask for those.

Jailers can confirm custody. Questions about the case itself belong with a lawyer.

Brewster searches come up empty for a handful of reasons. Check each:

• Booking is still underway. Records for someone brought in within the last few hours may trail behind. Skip the waiting and call the jail at 432-837-6200.
• Already released. Bond may have been posted after the magistrate hearing, or deputies let the person go uncharged.
• A city arrest. The Alpine Police Department, 309 West Sul Ross Ave., Alpine, TX 79830, 432-837-3486, can say if a city officer handled it and where the person went.
• Federal custody. Border cases and other federal arrests run on their own track; jump to the federal answer.
• Held next door. An arrest in Presidio or Pecos County lands in a different jail; the next answer lists both.
• Name spelled another way. Search hyphenated surnames, both family names, maiden names and common nicknames.

Brewster runs a single lockup, with no annex, work release center or substation named by the Sheriff's Office.

• Brewster County Jail, 307 W. Sul Ross Ave., Alpine, TX 79830, 432-837-6200 (ask for the jail). Adults charged locally are held here. A June 2022 state report counted 38 people inside, 24 of them contract or federal prisoners, so the jail also houses people for other agencies.

For an arrest over a county line, phone the neighbors:

• Presidio County Jail, 320 N. Highland Ave., Marfa, TX 79843, 432-729-4308.
• Pecos County Jail, 1774 N. Hwy 285, Fort Stockton, TX 79735, 432-336-3521.

Mugshots from Brewster arrests can be requested from the Sheriff's Office in writing. Here is the process:

• Send a written request. Address a Public Information Act request for the booking photo to the Sheriff's Office in the courthouse, 201 West Ave E, Alpine, TX 79830, 432-837-6200. The county keeps a public information request page as well.
• What the law covers. Under Government Code 552.108(c), basic information about a Brewster arrest is public. Booking photos aren't named in that text, so name the photo plainly in your letter.
• Deadlines. Answers must come promptly. Past ten business days, the Sheriff's Office has to give you a date. To withhold anything, the Sheriff's Office generally must seek an Attorney General ruling and let you know.
• Websites that post mugshots. Business and Commerce Code chapter 109 governs sites that want $150 or more to delete a record. A wrong or incomplete Brewster record on such a site must be fixed or taken down without charge. It also can't post anything expunged or covered by a nondisclosure order.
• Federal and ICE photos. Federal booking photos are rarely released, except that the Marshals Service sometimes issues one in a fugitive search. To get a photo ICE holds, send ICE a Freedom of Information Act request on its records page.

Yes. Texas IVSS-Counties registration costs nothing, stays confidential, and is never revealed to the person in the Brewster jail. Notices come in English or Spanish for:

• a booking or a release at the Brewster jail;
• a new or changed court setting;
• a custody change, like a move to TDCJ, an escape or a death.

Phone help runs around the clock at 866-268-8959. Management of the service passed to the Office of the Governor on September 1, 2026.

Within 48 hours of a Brewster arrest, a magistrate gives the legal warnings and sets bail. Texas release comes in three main forms:

• Cash. You deposit the whole amount. Once the case ends, it is refunded to the name on the receipt, minus any administrative fee.
• Surety. A licensed bail bond company signs on to guarantee the full amount.
• Personal bond. Release on the person's own signature, no deposit. Texas bars it for listed violent charges.

Some holds outlast bail. A family violence charge now brings a mandatory four-hour hold once bond is posted, if the violence may go on (art. 17.291), and an ICE detainer can keep someone longer. Before heading to Sul Ross Avenue, call the jail at 432-837-6200 about where bond is posted and which payments work. Our bail page covers each step.

Two Brewster offices hold the answer, the jail first and the clerks next.

• The jail, 432-837-6200: ask what charge was entered at booking.
• Felony filings go to the District Clerk, 203 N. 7th St., Alpine, TX 79830, staffed weekdays 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. Reach the office through the switchboard.
• Misdemeanor files sit with the County Clerk; the switchboard can point you there.
• Statewide records show up on re:SearchTX after free registration.

Charges written at booking can shift once the 83rd DA or the County Attorney files the case.

The magistrate asks about a free lawyer at the first hearing. For Brewster felonies, the magistrate and the person fill in the state's online request together.

• Felony cases are assigned to the regional public defender, with rare good-cause exceptions: Far West Texas Regional Public Defender, 203 North 7th St., Alpine, TX 79830, 432-837-4120.
• Deadline: once the judge gets the request, the lawyer should be in place within three working days.
• Misdemeanor cases: raise it at the first hearing or with the County Clerk via 432-837-6200.

Families can hire their own Big Bend lawyer instead, at any point. Brewster's appointment rules are on a Texas Indigent Defense Commission page for this county.

Ring the jail at 432-837-6200 before driving to Sul Ross Avenue. Ask for visiting times, the ID rules and whether video visits are an option. Texas jail standards set this minimum:

• a pair of in-person, noncontact visits weekly, each lasting no less than 20 minutes;
• an evening or weekend slot for one of those visits;
• rules for children who visit, where an escort such as a parent, guardian or lawyer may be required;
• added visits for veterans whose status is verified, including no-charge meetings with veteran service staff.

Some Texas jails are exempt from in-person visiting under Government Code 511.009; ask whether Brewster is one. Our visiting page has general tips.

Deposit options at the Brewster jail can change, so call 432-837-6200 and ask which ones work today: lobby, mail, online or phone. Find out about fees and any cap first.

Account money typically buys commissary goods, such as soap or snacks, and phone minutes. See our money transfer page and our commissary guide for general options.

A newly booked Brewster arrestee can use the phone that Texas jail rules require in the booking area. Once booking is done, phone the jail at 432-837-6200 and ask:

• the phone company it uses, and the steps to open an account;
• if tablets, e-messages or video calls are allowed at Sul Ross Avenue.

Common setups are explained on our jail phone accounts page and our inmate e-messages page.

The jail stands at 307 W. Sul Ross Ave., Alpine, TX 79830. Before mailing, call 432-837-6200 to confirm that address and any house rules.

• Put the full legal name on every envelope bound for Sul Ross Avenue.
• Under state standards, letters may arrive in any number and any page length.
• Letters from a lawyer can be opened only while the person watches, and only to look for contraband.
• A person without money is given writing supplies and stamps enough for at least three letters weekly.

Check before sending photos, books or money orders. Our mailing guide has more.

The Brewster jail stores what a person carries in at booking. Call 432-837-6200 and ask:

• if the person may sign items over for a family member to collect;
• what ID the jail wants at pickup;
• which belongings stay stored until release.

Evidence is handled apart from stored property. Ask the Brewster defense lawyer about evidence items; the court or prosecutor decides on those.

Call 432-837-6200 at once. Give the medicines, doses and the doctor's phone number, and ask that the details reach whoever provides care at the Sul Ross Avenue jail.

• Each Texas jail has to tell people inside how to file a grievance.
• File a complaint about the Brewster jail with the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, either by web form or at 512-463-5505.
• Let the defense lawyer know, so the court can hear the problem.

If the danger is immediate, dial 911.

Brewster deputies and constables carry out warrants across the county; inside city limits, city officers do. To check, call the Sheriff's Office at 432-837-6200 or the Alpine Police Department, 309 West Sul Ross Ave., Alpine, TX 79830, at 432-837-3486. For statewide fugitives, see DPS's Texas 10 Most Wanted roster. The city's municipal court page warns that skipped citations can turn into warrants; that court is at 100 N 13th St., Alpine, TX 79830, 432-837-0808. Before turning anyone in, talk to a defense lawyer. The lawyer may arrange a surrender at the Brewster jail, 307 W. Sul Ross Ave., Alpine, TX 79830, or contact the issuing court. Felony warrant records belong to the 394th District Court, kept by the District Clerk at 203 N. 7th St., Alpine, TX 79830.

• Felonies: the 394th District Court has a public court calendar, and the District Clerk answers through 432-837-6200.
• Misdemeanors: ask that switchboard for the County Clerk.
• City tickets: Alpine Municipal Court, 100 N 13th St., Alpine, TX 79830, 432-837-0808.
• Automatic reminders: Texas IVSS-Counties alerts registered users when a hearing is scheduled or changed.

Our court page walks through a Brewster case and every local court.

Big Bend federal cases go to Pecos Division judges, who belong to the Western District of Texas.

• Federal courthouse in the county seat: 2450 State Hwy. 118, Alpine, TX 79830, clerk 432-837-7323.
• Detention hearing. A Pecos Division judge sets release terms or orders detention until trial (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• U.S. Marshals Service: 2450 North Highway 118, Alpine, TX 79830, 432-837-7295. Marshals track where each federal defendant is housed. In mid-2022, Brewster's own jail held some of them.
• Federal Public Defender: 108 N. 10th Street, Alpine, TX 79830, 432-837-5598.

Once a federal sentence starts, find the prison through the Federal Bureau of Prisons locator online.

1. First, ICE sends Brewster jailers Form I-247A, its detainer request.
2. The hold may run up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Brewster jailers must honor the detainer, a duty set by Code of Criminal Procedure art. 2A.060. That duty ends if papers, such as a Texas driver's license, prove U.S. citizenship or lawful status.
4. Brewster, like every Texas county, may not adopt a policy that limits immigration enforcement, under Government Code 752.053.
5. Under Senate Bill 8 (2025), Brewster and every other Texas county with a jail faces a clock. By December 1, 2026, Brewster's sheriff must make a 287(g) bid to ICE and then enter an agreement.
6. After the transfer, search the ICE Online Detainee Locator using the person's country of birth together with an A-number, a birth date or a full name.

Ask an immigration lawyer for advice before any plea in the Brewster case.

State jail felons from Brewster serve in a Texas state jail. Longer felony terms mean a prison unit of TDCJ (Texas Department of Criminal Justice). Sentenced Brewster prisoners wait at Sul Ross Avenue for TDCJ to bring them to an intake unit. A permanent unit is chosen later.

• Enter a TDCJ number, SID number, or surname and initial in the TDCJ inmate search.
• For unit addresses and rules, open our Texas state prisons page.
• It covers only people already moved into a TDCJ unit. Brewster families should allow a day's lag; updates post on working days.

Juvenile court in the Big Bend handles a child who was 10, 16 or any age in between at the time of the alleged act. Once 17, a Brewster youth is in the adult system.

• The arresting officer must notify a parent promptly and give the reason.
• Detention hearings happen within two working days for Big Bend kids.
• No youth detention center operates in Brewster, so a detained child is sent to one in another county. Without a certified center, a county's detention order can run 15 working days before review (Family Code 54.01(h)).

Brewster County Juvenile Probation is at 107 W. Ave E, Suite 12, Alpine, TX 79830; call 432-837-6200. Brewster shares its juvenile board with Jeff Davis and Presidio counties.

Ask each agency below whether its officers made the arrest.

• Brewster County Sheriff's Office, 201 West Ave E, Alpine, TX 79830, 432-837-6200. Deputies patrol beyond the city limits, Marathon and Terlingua included.
• Alpine Police Department, 309 West Sul Ross Ave., Alpine, TX 79830, 432-837-3486. Its officers work inside the city.
• Constables: call through the county switchboard listed above.
• Others: Sul Ross State University's campus police, DPS state troopers and U.S. Border Patrol agents also work in Brewster. To learn which agency booked the person, ask the Sheriff's Office.