Duval County Jail Inmate Bail & Bonds

Locally, the answer is a justice of the peace, or JP. Duval's four JPs hold these warning hearings, called magistrations, for adults and for juveniles too. Texas counts a JP as a magistrate (CCP 2A.151).

The hearing has a deadline. Two days, or 48 hours, is the most an arrested person may wait, and a video screen may stand in for a courtroom (CCP 15.17). During those few minutes the JP covers these things:

• what crime the police say happened
• a reminder that answering questions is optional, and that counsel, hired or court-paid, is allowed
• a form to ask the court for a lawyer at no cost, with help filling it in
• a bail choice made for this one person, on the mildest terms that still protect Duval residents and bring the person back (CCP 17.028)

For Class B charges or worse, the JP first gets a state public safety report, which sums up any criminal record. It carries no rating and proposes no bail sum (CCP 17.022). The Sheriff's Office at 361-279-6209 can share the time it is set for.

State law offers these release paths (CCP 17.01-17.03):

• Cash. A family member lays down the whole bail. Attend every hearing, and Duval refunds it after the case.
• Surety. A Texas bondsman, or a friend owning enough property, signs a promise for the full sum. A bondsman charges a fee that never comes back.
• Personal bond. Nobody pays up front. Instead, the defendant signs and promises to come to court. A small fee may apply, or the court may waive it (CCP 17.42).

Personal bonds are barred on most listed violent crimes. A felon caught carrying a firearm is barred too, as are certain protective order breaches. With burglary, organized crime or certain drug felony charges, only the judge assigned to the trial can sign off on a personal bond (CCP 17.03). A JP may attach conditions to any release, such as keeping away from the alleged victim's home or job. Texas also orders an ignition interlock fitted to the car as a bond rule after certain drunk-driving arrests. Repeat DWI qualifies, as does DWI with a kid riding along. It also covers intoxication assault and manslaughter (CCP 17.441). Curious readers can dig into our statewide bail page.

No single chart sets prices for the whole state. Each JP looks at the person and the facts, then names a number. The law asks for an amount that (CCP 17.15):

1. gets the defendant back for each hearing
2. does not crush them or act as a punishment
3. matches how serious the charge is
4. keeps in mind how much money they really have
5. shields the victim, officers and neighbors
6. counts past arrests and citizenship

Ask for the true figure instead of guessing. Ring the Sheriff's Office at 361-279-6209, and have the legal name plus birthday handy. The bail forms Texas magistrates use are posted by the state courts at txcourts.gov/bail.

Bail at the jail is handled through the Sheriff's Office, 401 E. Collins Ave., San Diego, TX 78384. Its office keeps weekday hours of 8:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.

1. Dial 361-279-6209. Outside office hours, try the dispatch line, 361-279-3351.
2. Give the legal name letter by letter, then the birthday. Jot down bail for each separate charge.
3. Check that the JP hearing is over. Money can't be taken for bail nobody has set yet.
4. Ask which kinds of payment Duval's jail accepts today, and what payee name a money order needs.
5. Bring a photo ID plus exact funds. Hang on to the receipt through the last hearing.

Before a jailer accepts bail, Texas has them run the person's record. On violent charges, jail staff may never set the bail figure (CCP 17.20, 17.22). A magistrate does that.

Bond paperwork ends up with whichever clerk serves the trial court. Both clerks work in the courthouse, 400 E. Gravis St., San Diego, TX 78384. Phone before driving over to learn if they will accept bond papers at the counter:

• District Clerk, for felony files. Weekdays 8:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. 361-279-6239.
• County Clerk, first floor, keeping Class A and B misdemeanor records. Weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 361-279-6272.

On a fine-only Class C case, contact the JP who has it. Precincts 1 and 2 share 109 W. Gravis St., San Diego, TX 78384 (361-279-6218 and 361-279-6245). Precinct 3 is in the Benavides Civic Center, 131 W. Main St., Benavides, TX 78341 (361-256-3982). Precinct 4 is at 608 E. Carolyn St., Freer, TX 78357 (361-394-6011). Class C cases in these courts tend to use personal bonds (CCP 45A.107).

Payment rules can shift, so check by phone if Duval's jail will take cash, money orders or bank checks. Bring the exact total. Never drop cash in an envelope.

Two of the JP courts run web pages for paying tickets and fines. They fit citation cases and are not meant for posting jail bail:

• Precinct 1 fine payments
• Precinct 4 fine payments

For bail, the Sheriff's Office at 361-279-6209 can name the payments it takes this week.

Bondsmen, known in law as sureties, promise Duval's courts every dollar of bail should the defendant fail to appear. Points to know:

• Texas demands a bail bond board only where at least 110,000 residents live. Smaller places like Duval skip the board, and the sheriff here may publish which sureties are cleared to write Duval bonds (OC 1704.002; CCP 17.141). For Duval's list, call the Sheriff's Office, 361-279-6209.
• Texas sets no ceiling on bondsman fees, and none of it is refunded.
• Demand a written receipt. A bondsman can't hunt for customers inside the jail (OC 1704.304).
• Collateral, maybe a pickup's title, goes back within 30 days once you ask on paper after the case is over (OC 1704.305).
• A bondsman wanting off a bond must alert the defense lawyer first, then sign a sworn surrender paper (CCP 17.19).

One bond covers one charge. Check on each of these too:

• Family violence charges. When more violence seems likely, Texas delays release 4 hours past posting. A JP may stretch that to 48 hours by written order (CCP 17.291).
• A warrant from elsewhere. Another county's warrant needs its own bail. A JP here may accept that bail, then pass the bond along so the other county gets it (CCP 15.18).
• Parole. A state parole warrant, often called a blue warrant, keeps a parolee jailed pending a violation hearing (GC 508.254).
• ICE. A detainer from immigration can add a brief hold after release.
• Several cases. Each one carries its own bail.

Have the Sheriff's Office at 361-279-6209 list each hold before you pay anything.

Almost anyone accused in Texas can be released on bail. A capital charge where the proof is clear is one exception (Tex. Const. art. I, §11). Following a hearing, judges can refuse bail too, for certain repeat felonies, a fresh felony committed while out on bond, a broken bond condition or a broken protective order (Tex. Const. art. I, §§11a-11c).

Then came Proposition 3. Voters said yes to it on November 4, 2025. Murder of any kind falls under it. So does human trafficking, and so does indecency with a child. Kidnapping, robbery or sexual assault count when charged as aggravated. An aggravated assault counts when a victim was seriously hurt or a deadly weapon was involved. Bail on those charges shall be denied once the state shows a judge, at a hearing, that letting the accused go invites flight or harm. A prosecutor alone may start that request (Tex. Const. art. I, §11d).

Both prosecutors work out of the courthouse, 400 E. Gravis St., San Diego, TX 78384. Felonies belong to the 229th Judicial District Attorney, 361-279-6220. Misdemeanors belong to the County Attorney, second floor, 361-279-6232.

Through a written motion, defense counsel may ask the court to shrink the bail or soften its rules. Helpful proof includes pay stubs, a Duval lease or deed, family living close, and a frank budget showing what you can raise. Texas forbids bail used as a tool of oppression, and ability to pay matters (CCP 17.15).

Delays by the state also count. A defendant still in jail gets a personal bond or lower bail if the prosecutor isn't ready for trial within (CCP 17.151):

• felonies: 90 days
• Class A, or another misdemeanor punishable above 180 days: 30 days
• Class B, or another misdemeanor punishable up to 180 days: a 15-day limit
• Class C, where a fine is the only penalty: 5 days

Some cases fall outside these limits. Since 2025, Texas prosecutors can also bring felony bail before a district judge, asking for another look (CCP 17.029). Felony cases: District Clerk, 361-279-6239. Misdemeanor cases: County Clerk, 361-279-6272.

The JP asks during magistration whether the person wants a lawyer they don't have to pay for. That request must reach the appointing judge within a day. Being a smaller county, Duval gets three working days after the paperwork arrives to name counsel (CCP 15.17, 1.051). The lawyer chosen should then attempt contact before that next workday ends (CCP 26.04).

Courts here pick lawyers under a written plan, and every Texas county files one. The county's plan sits on the TIDC plan finder. For plan questions, contact the Texas Indigent Defense Commission, 209 West 14th Street, Room 202, Austin, TX 78701, 512-936-6994. On a felony, the District Clerk can help at 361-279-6239.

Nearly every criminal court meets in the courthouse at 400 E. Gravis St., San Diego, TX 78384, main line 361-279-6208.

• 229th District Court hears felonies. Files: District Clerk, 361-279-6239.
• County Court takes jailable misdemeanors, Class A and B. Files: County Clerk, 361-279-6272.
• JP Precincts 1 and 2 hear Class C cases at 109 W. Gravis St., San Diego, TX 78384, 361-279-6218 or 361-279-6245.
• JP Precinct 3, Benavides Civic Center, 131 W. Main St., Benavides, TX 78341, 361-256-3982.
• JP Precinct 4, 608 E. Carolyn St., Freer, TX 78357, 361-394-6011.
• Federal cases, U.S. District Court, 1133 N. Shoreline Blvd., Corpus Christi, TX 78401, 361-888-3142.

Once the matter is finished and every setting was kept, cash bail is returned to the receipt holder (CCP 17.02). Once a judge enters a conviction or deferred adjudication, Duval's clerk may deduct 5% as a fee, $50 at most (LGC 117.055). Any fines or costs left unpaid on that case may come out of the deposit, too (CCP 17.53).

Miss a hearing and the judge may begin seizing the bail with a judgment nisi, a first order of forfeit (CCP 22.01). A surety walks away clear if the defendant lands in jail again in time. Misdemeanor cases allow 180 days for that, while felony cases allow 270 (CCP 22.13). Failing to appear can be charged as a crime, too. The grade follows the first case, so it ranges from Class C to a felony of the third degree (PC 38.10).

Refunds come through the clerk who took the cash. That is the District Clerk at 361-279-6239 for felonies and the County Clerk at 361-279-6272 for misdemeanors.

Before release, ask what happens to the person's belongings and any balance on their jail account. During office hours, phone the Sheriff's Office at 361-279-6209. Ask how unused commissary money is refunded and what time to fetch belongings at 401 E. Collins Ave., San Diego, TX 78384.

Take photo ID along. Picking up for a relative? Ask if their signed OK is required. Jail account basics, refunds included, are on our inmate money page for families.

Federal arrests in Duval go to the federal courthouse in Corpus Christi, which belongs to the Southern District of Texas, 1133 N. Shoreline Blvd., Corpus Christi, TX 78401, 361-888-3142.

• A federal magistrate judge chooses detention or release, usually at the defendant's first hearing (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• Pending trial, federal prisoners stay in Marshals custody, frequently in contract jail beds. Their office: 1133 North Shoreline Boulevard, Suite 109, Corpus Christi, TX 78401, 361-888-3154.
• If paying counsel isn't possible, a federal judge may assign the Federal Public Defender, 500 N. Shoreline Blvd., Room 301, Corpus Christi, TX 78401, 361-888-3532.
• After a federal prison sentence, track them through the BOP inmate locator.

Posting bond resolves only the Texas charge. Immigration custody follows its own path:

1. Federal immigration officers send the Duval jail a detainer on Form I-247A.
2. Duval deputies are allowed to keep the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. In Texas, a jail has to honor that detainer except where the person shows U.S. citizenship or legal presence (CCP 2A.060). Under a 2017 Texas statute, counties may not adopt rules limiting immigration enforcement (GC 752.053).
4. Lawmakers in Austin added Senate Bill 8 in 2025. Under it, sheriffs operating jails owe ICE a 287(g) request, with a deadline of December 1, 2026. For an update on Duval, ring the Sheriff's Office, 361-279-6209.
5. Duval falls under ICE's Harlingen Field Office, 1717 Zoy Street, Harlingen, TX 78552, 956-389-7800. Detainees from this region may land at the Rio Grande Processing Center, 1001 San Rio Blvd, Laredo, TX 78046, 956-718-4700.
6. Look for the person with the ICE Online Detainee Locator, with an A-number. Lacking that, a full name and birth country also work.

State jail felony sentences are served inside a state jail. Bigger felonies, from third degree to capital, mean a term with TDCJ, which runs Texas prisons (PC 12.31-12.35). Usually the person waits in the Collins Avenue jail after sentencing until state transport arrives. Intake staff assess them first, then assign a fitting unit.

• The TDCJ inmate search lets you look up a surname, TDCJ number or SID. Its records change only on workdays.
• Unit details, visits and mail appear in our Texas state prisons pages, sorted by unit.

Juvenile court hears the case if the child was at least 10, but under 17, when the act took place. Charges against someone who was 17 are filed in adult court (FC 51.02). Officers have to contact a parent without delay (FC 52.02).

• Duval youths who are held go to the Ricardo H. Garcia Regional Juvenile Detention Facility, 4998 FM 1329, San Diego, TX 78384, 361-279-2040, a 50-bed center.
• A juvenile judge holds a detention hearing within two business days. After a Friday or Saturday arrest, it comes on the first business day. The youth will have a lawyer by then (FC 54.01).
• Certain grave felonies let a judge transfer a 14- or 15-year-old into the adult system (FC 54.02).

Juvenile probation has an office at the courthouse, 400 E. Gravis St., San Diego, TX 78384, 361-279-6208.