Hardeman County Jail

A magistrate does. By Texas law, the 48-hour clock starts at arrest, and the hearing should come sooner if possible (Tex. Code Crim. Proc. arts. 14.06(a), 15.17(a)). Jails may run it over a video screen.

The magistrate list in Texas covers county judges, district judges and justices of the peace, among others (art. 2A.151). Hardeman has one Justice of the Peace office, located in the courthouse at 300 S Main St, Quanah, TX 79252, 940-663-5932.

During that short hearing, the magistrate:

• names each charge and explains the right to remain silent;
• says the person may hire counsel or request a free one, and helps with the paperwork for that (art. 15.17(a));
• reviews a public safety report on Class B charges and anything worse (arts. 17.021, 17.022);
• sets bail within those 48 hours, leaning toward the lightest terms that will still work for safety and for court dates (art. 17.028).

Hearing times vary, so phone the Sheriff's Office at 940-663-5374 to learn when it will happen.

Art. 17.01 gives Texas exactly two release tools. One is the bail bond; the other is the personal bond. Around Quanah, that can mean:

• Cash bond. The full bail is deposited in cash with the court. It is returned, less any fee, after the case closes with all terms met (art. 17.02).
• Surety bond. A licensed or listed surety, usually a bondsman, guarantees the full sum in case the accused misses court. The family pays the surety for that promise.
• Personal bond. The person signs a promise and walks out with no cash and no surety (art. 17.03).
• Conditions. Judges may add rules to any bond. A no-contact order is one example. Some drunk-driving arrests require an ignition interlock device: repeat DWI, DWI with a child passenger, and intoxication assault or manslaughter (art. 17.441).

Personal bonds are barred for many charges the statute calls violent, for a felon found with a gun, and for some protective order or terroristic threat cases (art. 17.03). On a burglary count, an organized crime count or certain drug felonies, only the trial judge has power to sign off on one.

Fine-only charges move faster. The magistrate can skip bond entirely and hand the person a written notice of when to come back (art. 15.17(b)).

Texas has never adopted one statewide bail chart. A magistrate tailors each amount to the person. These factors must be weighed (art. 17.15(a)):

• whether the sum gives the person a strong reason to keep court dates;
• a ban on using bail to crush or punish anyone;
• details of the alleged crime, where violence counts heavily;
• how much money the person truly has;
• protecting the victim, police officers and the wider community;
• criminal history, including skipped court dates;
• citizenship status.

State law also sets two bond ceilings, both tied to arrests made without a warrant. When probable cause hasn't been decided in time, a misdemeanor arrestee goes home by hour 24 on a bond of $5,000 or less. Felony arrestees get until hour 48, with a $10,000 ceiling. Anyone too broke for that amount leaves on a personal bond, though prosecutors may ask the magistrate to wait up to 72 hours (art. 17.033). The local plan for appointed lawyers repeats this rule.

Deputies at 940-663-5374 can read you the bond actually set. Expect them to ask for the person's legal name and birth date.

Jail and Sheriff's Office staff work out of 318 Mercer Street, Quanah, TX 79252. Its office runs Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Follow this order:

1. Dial 940-663-5374 before driving in.
2. Spell the name slowly and give the birthday. Get a separate bond figure for every charge on the booking.
3. Ask if jail staff can process the bond now, or if the courthouse clerk handles it.
4. Ask about accepted payment on Mercer Street right then, plus what name the money order should be made out to.
5. Carry photo ID. Insist on a written receipt showing your own name.

Before any jailer accepts bail, Texas requires a criminal history check. For a violent charge, the jailer can't pick the number; a magistrate must (arts. 17.20, 17.22).

Evenings and weekends, phone ahead, because the office may be shut. Save 911 for emergencies.

It can be. Texas treats cash bail as a deposit with the court's custodian of funds, so courthouse offices sometimes accept it (art. 17.02). Call each one before you go:

• District and County Clerk, one office holding both felony and misdemeanor cases here: Hardeman County Courthouse, 300 S Main St, Quanah, TX 79252, 940-663-2901. Ask whether this office will take the cash bond on your person's case, which payment types it allows, and its business hours.
• Justice of the Peace, for Class C tickets and many first hearings: same courthouse, 300 S Main St, Quanah, TX 79252, 940-663-5932. Ask how bond works on a fine-only case.
• City tickets. For a Quanah case, try City Hall, 109 King Street, Quanah, TX 79252, 940-663-5336. For a Chillicothe case, try the City Office, 14125 US-287, Chillicothe, TX 79225, 940-852-5211. Ask which court holds the ticket.

After you pay at any window, find out whether staff will alert the jail or whether you should bring the receipt to Mercer Street.

Settle this by phone. Staff at 940-663-5374 know what the jail accepts right now. Good things to ask:

• Do they take cash, and do they make change?
• Will they take a money order or a cashier's check, and how should it be made out?
• Can a card or a phone payment be used, and how much is the added fee?
• Does the courthouse clerk accept different payment than the jail?

Two safety tips. Mailing cash is never safe. And guard the receipt, since Texas refunds a cash bond to whoever the receipt names (art. 17.02).

A county must form a bail bond board, the group that licenses bondsmen, once it reaches 110,000 residents (Tex. Occ. Code 1704.002). Hardeman had roughly 3,292 people on July 1, 2025, per a U.S. Census Bureau estimate. Without a board, the sheriff has the option to post a list of approved sureties (art. 17.141). Ask the Sheriff's Office for it.

Before signing anything with a bondsman, keep these rules in mind:

• Texas puts no cap on the bondsman's fee. Ask whether any of it comes back, and get the price on paper.
• Put your request for a returned truck title or other collateral in writing after the case is done. A month, 30 days, is the most the bondsman may take to return it (Tex. Occ. Code 1704.301).
• A bondsman can't hunt for clients inside the jail (Tex. Occ. Code 1704.304). Any money or property you hand over earns a receipt (Tex. Occ. Code 1704.305).
• The person's own lawyer on this case may sign the bond too (Tex. Occ. Code 1704.163).
• To turn the person back in, a surety first notifies the defense lawyer, then swears out an affidavit for the court (art. 17.19).

Paying one bond settles one case and nothing more. Check for these before you hand over money:

• Another county's warrant. That warrant's bail can be set and taken by a Quanah magistrate, who then ships the bond paperwork back to the county that wanted the person (art. 15.18). If no bail is taken, the person stays until that county sends transport.
• A felony arrest while on felony bail. Release is up to the court with the earlier case, or a court it names in writing (art. 17.027).
• Parole blue warrant. Under Tex. Gov't Code 508.254(c), a parolee returned to custody is normally held for the violation hearing.
• Family violence. When the magistrate believes violence will likely continue, the jail keeps the person 4 hours past the posting of bond. A written order may push it as far as 48 hours (art. 17.291(b)).
• Immigration. Texas jails must honor an ICE detainer (art. 2A.060). The ICE question on this page walks through it.

Before paying, ask the jail at 940-663-5374 to check for holds from other agencies too.

Bail stays open to almost all defendants under the state's founding charter (Tex. Const. art. I, §11). It has long left out capital cases in which guilt is plainly shown. Sections 11a, 11b and 11c allow no bail after a hearing in a few more situations. They cover some repeat felonies and a new felony while on felony bail. They also cover breaking a safety rule of release or breaking certain protective orders.

Texans voted for Proposition 3 on November 4, 2025, adding §11d. It reaches trafficking, murder, aggravated kidnapping, capital murder, indecency with a child, aggravated robbery, some aggravated assaults and aggravated sexual assault. With one of those charges, the judge "shall" refuse bail once the state prevails at a hearing on flight risk, or on danger with clear and convincing evidence. That hearing happens only if the state asks for it. When a judge still allows bail, the judge must explain the decision in writing.

Another 2025 change lets the state challenge, in the court of appeals, a bail it views as too small on a listed violent charge (art. 44.01). Judges there must rule inside 20 days, and someone already jailed stays jailed in the meantime.

Prosecutors who argue bail here:

• Felonies: District Attorney, 46th Judicial District, 1700 Wilbarger Street, Room 32, Vernon, TX 76384, 940-553-3346.
• Misdemeanors: County Attorney, 300 S Main St, Quanah, TX 79252, 940-663-5222.

Yes, for good cause a court can change the amount, up or down (art. 17.09). Most often the defense lawyer writes a motion and files it in the court handling the charge. To build a strong request:

1. Collect pay stubs, rent receipts, proof of a job and proof of family nearby. Bail has to match the person's means (art. 17.15(a)).
2. Propose rules the judge may like, such as a curfew or no visits to the alleged victim's home.
3. Count the days in jail. Art. 17.151 forces a personal bond or a reduced bail when the state still can't say it is ready in time. The limit is 90 days for felonies. For a misdemeanor worth more than 180 days in jail it is 30, for a smaller misdemeanor 15, and for a Class C charge 5. Some exceptions exist.

Felonies here belong to the 46th District Court, which also covers Foard and Wilbarger. The judge's office is at 1700 Wilbarger Street, Room 34A, Vernon, TX 76384, 940-552-7051. For misdemeanors or hearing dates, ring the clerk at 940-663-2901.

One shared plan covers appointed lawyers in Foard, Hardeman and Wilbarger counties. Under it, a person who receives Medicaid, food stamps, SSI, TANF or public housing counts as unable to pay. A family income no higher than 125% of the poverty guidelines also qualifies.

• At magistration, the person is asked about counsel and given help with the request (art. 15.17(a)).
• Felony lawyers are chosen by the 46th District Judge, and the request may be sent to that court in Vernon.
• Class A and B misdemeanor lawyers are chosen by the County Judge, whose office is at the courthouse, 300 S Main St, Quanah, TX 79252, 940-663-2911.
• The plan gives the appointing judge three working days, counted from the request, to name a lawyer. That attorney should then try to talk with the jailed client before the following workday is over (arts. 1.051, 26.04).
• Capital murder defense goes to a separate regional office that takes only capital cases.

Read the whole plan through the Foard, Hardeman and Wilbarger plan listing kept by the Texas Indigent Defense Commission, 209 West 14th Street, Room 202, Austin, TX 78701, 512-936-6994.

Nearly all local business happens on Main Street in Quanah, while the felony judge works from Vernon:

• Hardeman County Courthouse, where the constitutional County Court takes Class A and B cases: 300 S Main St, Quanah, TX 79252, main line 940-663-2911. The District and County Clerk works there too, 940-663-2901.
• Justice of the Peace, handling fine-only Class C cases and magistrate work: 300 S Main St, Quanah, TX 79252, 940-663-5932.
• 46th District Court, the felony court for Foard, Hardeman and Wilbarger: judge's office, 1700 Wilbarger Street, Room 34A, Vernon, TX 76384, 940-552-7051. Local felony files stay with the clerk on Main Street.
• City matters: Quanah City Hall, 109 King Street, Quanah, TX 79252, 940-663-5336; Chillicothe City Office, 14125 US-287, Chillicothe, TX 79225, 940-852-5211.
• U.S. District Court (federal crimes): U.S. Courthouse, 1000 Lamar Street, 2nd Floor, Wichita Falls, TX 76301. The Fort Worth clerk takes its calls at 817-850-6600.

Whoever's name is printed on the receipt for a cash bond gets the money back, minus any fee, after the defendant meets all bond conditions (art. 17.02). A 5% clerk's fee (capped at $50) may be held back. That happens only after a conviction or an order of deferred adjudication. Unpaid fines and court fees on the same case can be subtracted first, too (art. 17.53; Tex. Local Gov't Code 117.055).

Missing court sets off a chain of trouble:

• A forfeiture order called a judgment nisi is signed (arts. 22.01, 22.02).
• Should the person end up in custody again soon enough, the surety owes nothing more on the bond. Felonies allow 270 days; misdemeanors allow 180 (art. 22.13).
• Bail jumping, the crime of skipping court, ranges from Class C to Class A to a third-degree felony, matching the original charge (Tex. Penal Code 38.10).

Questions about a refund? The District and County Clerk at 940-663-2901 is the office to call. Have your receipt and ID ready.

Sort out money and belongings on release day. Call the Sheriff's Office at 940-663-5374 during office hours. Ask how money still on the jail account will be refunded, and when keys, wallets, phones and clothes can be picked up.

Bring your own photo ID. Picking up for a friend? Ask staff what written OK from the owner they want. For how jail accounts handle deposits and refunds, see our inmate account money page.

Federal cases from Quanah, Chillicothe and the countryside land in Wichita Falls, one of seven divisions in the federal Northern District. Court meets at the U.S. Courthouse, 1000 Lamar Street, 2nd Floor, Wichita Falls, TX 76301, when in session. Filings and calls go to the clerk at 501 West 10th Street, Room 310, Fort Worth, TX 76102, 817-850-6600.

• When the case opens, a federal judge holds a hearing and rules on detention or release. A lawyer can ask to delay it, but only for a few days (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• Until trial, a federal prisoner is the U.S. Marshals' responsibility. The Wichita Falls office is at 1000 Lamar Street, Room 218, Wichita Falls, TX 76307, 940-723-8662. Call to learn which jail is housing them.
• After sentencing to federal prison, search the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

Paying bond in this county does nothing to an immigration detainer. Families usually see these steps unfold:

1. ICE, the federal immigration agency, sends a detainer on Form I-247A. It is a request that jail staff keep custody.
2. That hold can last up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. State law (art. 2A.060) orders Texas jails to comply with the detainer and inform the person it exists. Anyone who proves citizenship or lawful immigration status must be released from it. Local policies may not limit immigration enforcement under S.B. 4 of 2017 (Tex. Gov't Code 752.053). That rule applies here as everywhere in Texas.
4. S.B. 8 (2025) puts a December 1, 2026 deadline on Texas counties that keep a jail. By that day, each one should have applied to ICE for a 287(g) agreement. Deputies at Mercer Street can say whether this county has one.
5. Next, ICE picks the person up. The Dallas Field Office serves North Texas from 8101 N. Stemmons Freeway, Dallas, TX 75247, 972-367-2200.
6. Find the person on the ICE Online Detainee Locator using their name and birth country.

Prison terms on felonies are served in units run by the state's prison agency, TDCJ. After the sentence, the person remains in the local jail until TDCJ takes them. At intake they are screened and assigned, then moved to a fitting unit. A state jail sentence goes to a state jail, which differs from a prison unit (Tex. Penal Code 12.35).

• Search by last name or TDCJ number with the TDCJ inmate search. Its data refresh on working days.
• For the state's units, browse our Texas state prisons page.
• Adult probation comes from the 46th Judicial District probation department, 1700 Wilbarger Street, Room 21, Vernon, TX 76384, 940-552-2702.

Texas juvenile court hears cases on kids 10 and up who had not turned 17 by the offense date. At 17, a person is an adult in criminal court (Tex. Fam. Code 51.02).

• Parents or guardians get prompt word of the custody and the reason for it (Tex. Fam. Code 52.02).
• Under Tex. Fam. Code 54.01, a held child's detention hearing must be held within two working days. Kids brought in on a Friday or Saturday get theirs sooner, on the first working day. The youth's lawyer is named before the hearing.
• After a hearing, some youths 14 or older facing grave felonies can be certified to stand trial in adult court (Tex. Fam. Code 54.02).

Foard, Hardeman and Wilbarger counties share a juvenile board. Juvenile probation in Vernon is at 1700 Wilbarger Street, Room 30, Vernon, TX 76384, 940-553-4232. That office, or the Sheriff's Office at 940-663-5374, can name the detention center and the next court date.

Texas ranks each crime, and that rank decides the courtroom (Texas Judicial Branch, court system guide):

• Any felony: the 46th District Court, whose district also takes in Foard and Wilbarger.
• Jailable misdemeanors, Class A or B: the constitutional County Court in Quanah, with the County Judge on the bench.
• Fine-only Class C: heard by the Justice of the Peace, or by a city court if a town's own officer issued the citation.

Felony and misdemeanor files alike sit with a single office, the combined District and County Clerk. Appeals that go all the way end in Austin, at the Court of Criminal Appeals.

Office hours can change, so phone before driving over:

• Hardeman County Courthouse, switchboard and County Judge: 300 S Main St, Quanah, TX 79252, 940-663-2911.
• District and County Clerk, home base for case files: 300 S Main St, Quanah, TX 79252, 940-663-2901. Letters: P.O. Box 30, Quanah, TX 79252.
• Justice of the Peace, sharing that Main Street building: 300 S Main St, Quanah, TX 79252, 940-663-5932. Letters: P.O. Box 607, Quanah, TX 79252.
• 46th District Court, felony bench: judge's office, 1700 Wilbarger Street, Room 34A, Vernon, TX 76384, 940-552-7051. The Quanah clerk can say which courtroom a given hearing will use.

Each incorporated Texas town gets a municipal court by state law; those courts and the justice courts divide up fine-only Class C cases. This county has two such towns:

• Quanah: City Hall, 109 King Street, Quanah, TX 79252, 940-663-5336; open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
• Chillicothe: 14125 US-287, Chillicothe, TX 79225, 940-852-5211.

Ring whichever town office appears on the citation for the appearance date and the choices to pay, plead or contest. When a deputy or a trooper wrote it on a county road, the ticket belongs to the Justice of the Peace, 940-663-5932.

Within 48 hours after an arrest, a magistrate must see the defendant (Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 15.17(a)). Here that may be the Justice of the Peace or a judge; the jail can say whether it happens face to face or on a screen. The magistrate covers:

• what the charge is, and a reminder that the defendant may stay silent, stop questioning at any point and keep a lawyer beside them during it;
• that statements can become evidence;
• in a felony, the right to request an examining trial on probable cause;
• the form to apply for appointed counsel, and help filling it in.

This is also when bail gets set (art. 17.028). Should jailers notice possible mental illness, the magistrate hears of it within 12 hours (art. 16.22). The Sheriff's Office, 940-663-5374, knows when magistration is scheduled.

For a misdemeanor, the County Attorney's charging document is called an information. Next comes arraignment in County Court, where the defendant pleads (art. 26.01), followed by dates for motions, plea talks or a jury trial.

Ceilings set by Penal Code chapter 12:

• One year in jail and a $4,000 fine are the Class A limits; a sentence can use either or both (Tex. Penal Code 12.21).
• Class B tops out lower: 180 days and $2,000, alone or combined (Tex. Penal Code 12.22).
• Class C: fine capped at $500, with no jail allowed (Tex. Penal Code 12.23).

Deferred adjudication puts the guilty finding on hold. Once every condition is met, the case ends in dismissal. On a misdemeanor that stretch lasts two years at most (arts. 42A.101, 42A.103, 42A.111), and plain misdemeanor probation has the same two-year cap (art. 42A.053).

Is a Class C fine more than the budget allows? The court can approve installments or a waiver, or credit community service at $150 per 8 hours. A judge must hold a hearing before ordering jail time over an unpaid fine (arts. 45A.252-45A.261).

Quanah, Chillicothe and the farm roads in between all send felonies to the 46th District Court. In order:

1. Examining trial. This probable-cause hearing before a magistrate is open to the defense only while no indictment exists (art. 16.01).
2. Grand jury. The Vernon prosecutors present the evidence, and indicting requires nine grand jurors or more to vote yes (art. 20A.301).
3. Arraignment and pretrial motions. The defendant pleads, and motions get argued.
4. Plea bargain or trial. With a bargain on the table, the judge states in court whether to follow it. If the judge turns it down, the defendant can take the plea back (art. 26.13).

Prison ranges by degree, from the Penal Code:

• Lowest felony tier, the state jail felony, means a state jail term as brief as 180 days or as long as two years, and a fine up to $10,000 (12.35).
• Third degree: 2 to 10 years. Second: 2 to 20. First: 5 to 99, or life. Any of the three may carry a fine as high as $10,000 (12.32-12.34).
• Capital: death, or life with no parole; anyone under 18 gets life (12.31).

Older convictions on a defendant's record can raise the range (12.42). For felonies, deferred adjudication may last up to a decade (art. 42A.103).

These cases follow tighter rules from the very first hearing:

• Bail can be refused. Proposition 3 was adopted at the November 4, 2025 election. For charges the amendment lists, murder and aggravated robbery among them, bail must be refused if the prosecutor proves flight risk, or proves the danger with clear and convincing evidence (Tex. Const. art. I, §11d).
• Signature bonds are mostly off the table. Release on a personal bond is barred for most listed violent offenses (art. 17.03).
• Prosecutors can push back on bail. They may seek district-judge review of felony bail (art. 17.029) and, in listed violent cases, appeal bail they think was set too low (art. 44.01).
• Narrower plea paths. Most murder charges cannot end in deferred adjudication (art. 42A.102). A guilty plea to some serious felonies means jail until sentencing (art. 27.20).

Drug, veterans and mental health dockets appear on the Texas specialty court registry; the defense attorney can judge whether one is a fit.

Charges come from two offices:

• Felony prosecutor: District Attorney, 46th Judicial District, 1700 Wilbarger Street, Room 32, Vernon, TX 76384, 940-553-3346.
• Misdemeanor prosecutor: County Attorney, Hardeman County Courthouse, 300 S Main St, Quanah, TX 79252, 940-663-5222.

Defendants who can't hire counsel fall under one appointment plan covering Foard, Hardeman and Wilbarger. Felony appointments come from the 46th District Judge; Class A and B appointments from the County Judge, reached at 940-663-2911. Anyone drawing SNAP, Medicaid, TANF or SSI, living in public housing, or with household income at or under 125% of poverty guidelines counts as indigent under the plan. On a capital murder charge, the Regional Public Defender for Capital Cases handles the defense.

Full plan text: Texas Indigent Defense Commission, 209 West 14th Street, Room 202, Austin, TX 78701, 512-936-6994.

Work down this list:

1. Phone the clerk's office. Staff at 940-663-2901 can find the cause number, name the court handling it and give the next setting.
2. Search the clerk's records online. From the clerk's page, an online records search reaches filings dated October 31, 2006 or later. Anything older lives in the record books at the Quanah courthouse.
3. Join re:SearchTX. The Texas statewide filing portal costs nothing to register for and lists cause numbers, charges and judgments, though hearing dates aren't shown.
4. Sign up for alerts. Through Texas IVSS-Counties, registrants hear about new or moved court events; the round-the-clock line is 866-268-8959.

Completed cases at Class B and above show up, for a fee, in the DPS conviction name search.

Deputies working from 318 Mercer Street, Quanah, TX 79252 carry out most local warrants; reach the Sheriff's Office at 940-663-5374. A constable also serves papers and is reached through the courthouse. For fugitives sought across the state, the DPS Texas 10 Most Wanted list is the place to look.

Have a question about a warrant? Ask the Sheriff's Office, or phone the District and County Clerk at the courthouse, 300 S Main St, Quanah, TX 79252, 940-663-2901. Ticket warrants go through the Justice of the Peace, 940-663-5932. Clearing one means contacting the issuing court, or walking in with a defense lawyer who can arrange bond that day.

A federal charge from Quanah or the ranch country around it goes to the Wichita Falls Division of the federal court for the Northern District of Texas. Sessions are held at 1000 Lamar Street, 2nd Floor, Wichita Falls, TX 76301; filings and calls go to the Fort Worth clerk, 501 West 10th Street, Room 310, Fort Worth, TX 76102, 817-850-6600.

• Release or detention before trial is decided at a hearing before a federal magistrate judge (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• U.S. Marshals Service in Wichita Falls, which keeps custody before trial: 1000 Lamar Street, Room 218, Wichita Falls, TX 76307, 940-723-8662.
• Federal prosecution: U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Texas, at 1100 Commerce Street, 3rd Floor, Dallas, TX 75242, 214-659-8600.
• Federal Public Defender, for defendants who qualify: 525 South Griffin Street, Suite 629, Dallas, TX 75202, 214-767-2746.
• Once someone is sentenced to federal prison, find them through the Bureau of Prisons locator.

A detainer can outlast the local charge. Here is how it works:

1. Step one: ICE files Form I-247A, a detainer, at the Mercer Street jail.
2. With it, jailers can keep the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Under art. 2A.060, Texas jails honor it unless the person documents citizenship or lawful status.
4. S.B. 4 (2017) bars any local policy limiting how immigration law is enforced (Tex. Gov't Code 752.053).
5. A deadline of December 1, 2026 applies under S.B. 8 (2025): by then each Texas county jail is to be covered by a 287(g) pact with ICE. Ask the Sheriff's Office where the county stands.
6. For North Texas, ICE works from its Dallas Field Office, 8101 N. Stemmons Freeway, Dallas, TX 75247, 972-367-2200.
7. Search the ICE Online Detainee Locator with a name and country of birth.

Deportation can follow a guilty plea, so a non-citizen must hear that warning from the judge first (art. 26.13(a)(4)). Talk to the defense lawyer before pleading.

Sentenced to prison? Then the Texas Department of Criminal Justice becomes the jailer, though not right away. A sentenced defendant waits in the county jail until transfer, then goes to intake, where testing and classification happen, then to an assigned unit. State jail felons are housed in state jail facilities, apart from prison units (Tex. Penal Code 12.35).

• The TDCJ inmate search works with either a name or a TDCJ number.
• Unit addresses and details: our Texas state prisons page.
• Community supervision runs through the 46th Judicial District Community Supervision and Corrections Department, 1700 Wilbarger Street, Room 21, Vernon, TX 76384, 940-552-2702.

Texas treats a child as anyone 10 through 16 years old when the offense happened; at 17, adult court takes the case (Tex. Fam. Code 51.02). Each county's juvenile board names its juvenile court (Tex. Fam. Code 51.04).

• Prompt notice to a parent is required (Tex. Fam. Code 52.02).
• A lawyer is appointed first. The detention hearing has a deadline: the second working day after custody starts (Tex. Fam. Code 54.01).
• Prosecutors may seek transfer to adult court for serious felonies once a youth is 14 (Tex. Fam. Code 54.02).

One juvenile board serves Foard, Hardeman and Wilbarger together. Juvenile probation works out of 1700 Wilbarger Street, Room 30, Vernon, TX 76384, 940-553-4232; that office can say which detention center is being used and when the hearing is.

Art. 56A.051 lists victims' rights. When bail is set, the victim's safety must be weighed. Victims can ask to be notified of hearings, and they can give an impact statement.

• On a felony, phone the District Attorney's main line, 940-553-3346. On a misdemeanor, the County Attorney, 940-663-5222.
• Up to $50,000 for medical bills, counseling and lost wages may come from Crime Victims' Compensation at the Attorney General's office: 800-983-9933.
• Registration with Texas IVSS-Counties is free and confidential, and it brings custody alerts.