Dawson County Jail Inmate Bail & Bonds

A magistrate, at a brief hearing. Texas allows 48 hours at most between the arrest and that hearing (CCP art. 15.17). Locally, the 106th District's plan for appointed lawyers puts the Sheriff in charge of beating that clock, and it calls for a magistrate's hearing to be offered daily. Expect either a face-to-face hearing or one on a video screen.

Inside that short session:

• Each charge is read out, and the person hears that silence is allowed and a lawyer can be had.
• The magistrate checks whether a county-paid lawyer is wanted and helps with that paperwork.
• On any charge at Class B or above, a public safety report goes to the bench first. It covers past records, yet it carries no risk rating and recommends no dollar figure (CCP art. 17.022).
• Last comes the decision on bail and any conditions. Texas wants the lightest terms that still protect people and get the accused back to court.

Magistrates in Texas include justices of the peace plus county and district judges. Before ruling on bail for a felony or a jailable misdemeanor, each must complete bail training.

The Code of Criminal Procedure names two forms of bail in articles 17.01 to 17.03: the bail bond, which needs money or a surety, and the personal bond, which does not. In real life, families pick among three:

• Personal bond. The accused signs a pledge to appear at every hearing. No cash changes hands for the bail itself.
• Cash bond. Someone deposits the entire amount with the court. The court holds it while the charges are pending.
• Surety bond. A licensed bonding company guarantees the entire amount. It charges a fee, and that fee is gone for good.

Violent charges often block a personal bond. So does a felon's arrest with a firearm, or a fresh arrest of someone already supervised for a violent crime. Certain protective order violations are on the list as well (CCP art. 17.03).

On a burglary or organized crime charge, plus some drug felonies, personal bonds need the trial judge's own approval. Conditions can be added to any bond. A driver with a second DWI, for example, will need an ignition lock that tests their breath.

Texas sets no statewide menu of amounts. Each magistrate chooses a figure for one person at a time. By law the figure should secure a return to court, while never turning into oppression (CCP art. 17.15). Here is what goes into that choice:

• The offense itself, and whether anyone was hurt
• The money the accused actually has
• Risk to the victim, to officers and to the community
• Prior arrests listed in the safety report
• Citizenship

The level of the charge gives a hint. A Class C ticket brings only a fine of up to $500. Class B tops out at 180 days in jail, Class A at one year, and a felony far longer (Penal Code ch. 12).

Hard limits apply in one situation. Picture a warrantless arrest where probable cause is never ruled on in time. Under CCP art. 17.033, the jail then has to release them, with bail capped at $5,000 by hour 24 for a misdemeanor or $10,000 by hour 48 for a felony. People who can't raise even that leave on a personal bond. The county's misdemeanor lawyer plan repeats this rule. Jail staff at 806-872-7560 can give the real number for a given charge.

The jail sits at 401 S 2nd Street, Lamesa, TX 79331. Mail for the Sheriff's Office goes to P.O. Box 1268, Lamesa, TX 79331-1268. Go down this checklist:

1. Dial 806-872-7560. Have the full legal name ready to spell, plus the birthday.
2. Make sure bail has been decided, then jot down the dollar amount next to each count.
3. Learn if payment happens at the jail or at a clerk's counter in weekday business hours.
4. Note which kinds of payment work, and copy down the exact payee for a money order.
5. Check for any hold that would keep the person after payment.
6. Show your ID when you pay. Keep the receipt safe, since only the person on it can collect a cash refund (CCP art. 17.02).

A jailer must pull the criminal history before accepting bail. Violent charges are different: only a magistrate may fix that amount.

Because cash bail is a court deposit, the clerk who keeps the case file may accept it. All clerks work in the Dawson County Courthouse, 400 S 1st Street, Lamesa, TX 79331, switchboard 806-329-3313.

• District Clerk, for felony files: 806-872-7373
• County Clerk, for Class A and Class B files: 806-329-3311
• Justice of the Peace, the Class C ticket court: 806-329-3324. The window is staffed weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to noon and again from 1 to 5 p.m.

Phone the correct desk first. Confirm the office is accepting bail that day, which payments it allows, and when the jail gets word to open the door.

Every office makes its own payment rules, so call the jail or clerk ahead. Pack a photo ID and any case number you were given.

• Ticket fines for the Justice of the Peace can be paid at dawsoncotix.com or by calling 800-701-8560. The court offers both for citations. Bail for someone behind bars goes through the jail or a clerk.
• A bondsman's fee is a private deal between you and the company. Get the price and any collateral terms written down.
• Do not slip cash into an envelope.

The Sheriff's Office at 806-872-7560 can list the payment types the jail takes right now.

Texas makes counties with 110,000 or more residents run a bail bond board to license bonding firms. With roughly 11,800 residents, this county may skip the board (Occupations Code ch. 1704). Counties without a board may lean on the sheriff, who can post the names of sureties that passed a money check (CCP art. 17.141). Whether one is posted in Lamesa is a question for the Sheriff's Office.

State rules give families some protection:

• No legal ceiling caps the fee, so compare a few offers.
• You are entitled to a written receipt for money or goods given to a bondsman.
• Soliciting customers inside the jail is off limits for bonding firms.
• When the cases are done, send a written request. The collateral must be back in 30 days.
• A defense attorney already on the case can sign the bond.

To get off a bond, a bonding company must warn the defense attorney first. It also owes the court a sworn filing (CCP art. 17.19).

A bond frees someone only on its own case. Ask about these holds as well:

• Family violence. Where more violence looks likely, a four-hour delay follows the posting of bond, and a magistrate can lengthen it in writing by up to 48 additional hours. Officers also try to warn the victim before the doors open.
• Warrant from elsewhere in Texas. A local magistrate can fix a bail amount, with the bond then forwarded to the issuing county.
• Parole. A parole "blue warrant" means no release before the violation hearing.
• Probation. A new arrest may prompt the probation office to seek a warrant of its own. The local office is Dawson CSCD, 609 N 1st St, Lamesa, TX 79331, 806-872-5033.
• Immigration. Texas jails honor ICE detainers.

Before spending a dollar, ask the jail at 806-872-7560 to look up every hold.

Texas guarantees bail to nearly everyone. Capital cases with strong proof were the classic exception. Judges may also refuse bail after certain repeat felonies, a new felony while on bond, breaking a safety condition of release, or ignoring a protective order (Tex. Const. art. I, sections 11 to 11c).

Voters then approved Proposition 3 in November 2025, which became section 11d. It lists capital murder and murder, kidnapping or robbery in aggravated form, aggravated sexual assault, certain aggravated assaults, trafficking of persons, and child indecency. A hearing is held only when a prosecutor asks for one. Bail must be denied if the state shows a likely flight, or shows danger by clear and convincing evidence. Any release order in such a case must state its reasons in writing.

Senate Bill 9 of 2025 added more. Prosecutors may request that a district judge re-examine felony bail. For listed violent charges, the state can appeal an amount it calls too low. While the higher court takes up to 20 days, the accused remains locked up.

In Dawson County, felony prosecutions belong to the 106th Judicial District Attorney, 400 S 1st Street, Lamesa, TX 79331, 806-872-2259.

In most cases the defense attorney files a written motion, and the trial judge holds a hearing on it. Relatives can pitch in:

1. Pull together paycheck stubs, rent or mortgage papers and names of relatives who live nearby. Ability to pay is something the magistrate must consider.
2. If the household has nothing to spare, ask about a sworn declaration of inability to pay. Texas courts share bail forms on their bail resources page.
3. Offer safeguards, such as weekly reporting or staying far away from the alleged victim.

Slow prosecutions help too. If prosecutors aren't trial-ready, a felony defendant jailed 90 days gets either a personal bond or a lower bail. It is 30 days for misdemeanors that can bring over six months in jail, 15 days on a smaller jailable misdemeanor and 5 days when the charge carries only a fine, with some exceptions (CCP art. 17.151).

To learn how hearings get on the calendar, call the District Clerk at 806-872-7373 for felonies or the County Clerk at 806-329-3311 for misdemeanors.

Tell the magistrate if the family can't afford a lawyer. The appointing official must receive that request within 24 hours. Here, as in other Texas counties under 250,000 people, the third working day after that is the deadline to assign an attorney (CCP art. 1.051).

• Felonies. Pick up a request from the district court coordinator or at the jail. Turn it in at the jail, at the district judge's office or with the 106th District Court. Cases rotate among private attorneys on a list.
• Misdemeanors. The county judge makes the appointment. The county court coordinator has the forms, and so does the state commission's website.
• Public defender. Under the county's plan, the Caprock Regional Public Defender Office takes misdemeanor appointments, plus felonies when the district judge signs off. Find it at the Texas Tech law school, 3311 18th St., Lubbock, TX 79409, 806-742-4312.
• Capital murder. A separate office handles these, the Regional Public Defender for Capital Cases. Write to PO Box 2097, Lubbock, TX 79408, or call 806-696-3740.

Read both local plans through the Texas Indigent Defense Commission. The new lawyer is expected to try reaching the client fast, no later than one working day after appointment.

One building holds every local criminal court: the courthouse at 400 S 1st Street, Lamesa, TX 79331, switchboard 806-329-3313. Inside:

• The 106th District Court hears felonies. The same district judge also serves Gaines, Garza and Lynn counties.
• Class A and B misdemeanor cases belong to the county court, and its records sit with the County Clerk.
• The Justice of the Peace handles tickets punished by a fine alone.
• The District Clerk, County Clerk and District Attorney keep offices here too.

A city police ticket names its court and date on the paper itself. Federal charges go to the George H. Mahon Federal Building, 1205 Texas Avenue, Room 209, Lubbock, TX 79401-4091, 806-472-1900.

Attend every hearing, and once the matter closes, the cash is refunded to the receipt holder. A clerk's cut of 5%, at most $50, applies just to cases closed by conviction or by deferred adjudication probation. The clerk can also apply the money to fines and costs (CCP art. 17.53).

Skipping court puts that money in danger:

• The judge can enter a forfeiture, and the money may be lost.
• A bonding company is excused if its client is jailed again inside the deadline. Misdemeanor bonds get 180 days here, felony bonds 270.
• Under Penal Code 38.10, bail jumping is its own offense. Its grade tracks the original case and can reach a third-degree felony.

A bondsman's fee is earned the moment the bond is signed. For cash deposits, ring the clerk who accepted the money, for example the District Clerk at 806-872-7373.

Release day goes smoother if you plan for the wallet, phone, keys and any balance left on the jail account. The Sheriff's Office at 806-872-7560 can explain how a leftover balance is returned and when to come for belongings.

Bring picture ID. If the belongings are another adult's, ask if a signed authorization is required. For more on jail account deposits and payouts, see our inmate accounts page.

For federal cases, Dawson County is part of the Lubbock Division in the Northern District of Texas. Court is held at the George H. Mahon Federal Building, 1205 Texas Avenue, Room 209, Lubbock, TX 79401-4091, 806-472-1900.

• Federal court uses no bondsmen. At the first appearance, or within a few days of it, a U.S. magistrate judge decides whether to release the defendant on conditions or order detention (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• Deputy U.S. marshals guard federal defendants who are held before trial. Their Lubbock office, 1205 Texas Avenue, Room C-126, Lubbock, TX 79401-4037, 806-472-7655, can say which jail holds the person.
• Defendants who can't pay can get the Federal Public Defender, 1205 Texas Avenue, Room 507, Lubbock, TX 79401, 806-472-7236.
• Once a federal sentence begins, search the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

An immigration hold survives a posted state bond. The steps:

1. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) asks for the hold in writing on Form I-247A.
2. Once the detainer arrives, staff can keep the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Texas law obliges jails to follow detainers. Anyone able to document citizenship or lawful status must be released from it (CCP art. 2A.060). Separately, local sanctuary policies have been banned statewide since 2017.
4. A newer law, Senate Bill 8, requires sheriffs who run jails to apply to ICE under section 287(g), and they have until December 1, 2026 to do it. The Sheriff's Office at 806-872-7560 can say where that stands here.
5. ICE takes custody and transfers the person to an immigration facility. Type the A-number into the ICE Online Detainee Locator. Without it, try the full name and country of birth together.

State jail felony sentences are carried out inside a state jail unit. Third-, second- and first-degree felonies, and capital ones, lead to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Once sentenced, people wait in the county jail until state transport is arranged. TDCJ sorts new arrivals at intake and places each one in a unit matched to their needs.

• The TDCJ inmate search works with a name or a TDCJ number. Because it refreshes only on working days, transfers can show up late.
• Our Texas state prisons page has a page for every unit.
• Probation sentences are supervised by Dawson CSCD, 609 N 1st St, Lamesa, TX 79331, 806-872-5033.

Juvenile court in Texas handles offenses by youths who were 10 or older but still 16 or younger. Anyone 17 or older is an adult in the eyes of the law (Family Code 51.02). A parent should hear quickly from the officer who took the child into custody.

• Held children see a judge quickly, by the second working day in custody. Pickups on a Friday or Saturday move that to the first working day. Ahead of it, an attorney gets appointed for the youth (Family Code 54.01).
• Kids are never housed with adults. This county operates no youth detention center, so a child may be placed at one in another county, such as the Lubbock County Juvenile Justice Center, 2025 N Akron Ave, Lubbock, TX 79415, 806-775-1800.
• Some serious felony cases against youths 14 and up can be transferred to adult court.

For the child's location and the office in charge of the case, phone the Sheriff's Office at 806-872-7560.