In Texas, how serious the charge is decides which room it's heard in (Texas judicial system guide).

• Felonies (state jail felony and up) go to the 259th District Court. Their paperwork stays with the District Clerk, 325-823-3731.
• Class A and Class B misdemeanors belong to the County Court. Its bench is filled by the elected county judge. We found no separate county court at law. That paperwork lives with the County Clerk, 325-823-3762.
• Class C cases, the fine-only kind, land in Justice of the Peace court (325-823-3761) or in a city's municipal court.

A 259th verdict can be appealed to the Eleventh Court of Appeals. Past that, there's one more stop for a criminal case: Austin's Court of Criminal Appeals.

Head to 100 Courthouse Square, Anson, TX 79501, for almost everything:

• 259th District Court, judge's office 325-823-2721. Its filing desk, the District Clerk, answers at 325-823-3731 during business hours.
• County Court and County Clerk, first floor, 325-823-3762. The clerk is in 8 a.m. to noon, then 1 to 5 p.m. Letters go to P.O. Box 552, Anson, TX 79501.
• Justice of the Peace, 325-823-3761. Its mail goes to P.O. Box 345, Anson, TX 79501.

One judge covers two counties. The 259th also holds court in Albany, at the Shackelford County courthouse, 225 South Main Street, Albany, TX 76430, 325-762-9400. A federal charge goes elsewhere, to Abilene's U.S. Courthouse at 341 Pine Street, Room 2008, Abilene, TX 79601, 325-677-6311.

Two towns have courts we can point you to. City courts take Class C tickets that city officers write, plus breaks of city rules.

• Anson Municipal Court works through City Hall, 1301 Commercial Avenue, Anson, TX 79501, 325-823-2411. Weekday hours there are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Stamford Municipal Court has its own line, 325-773-2591. The town's hall is at 201 E McHarg St, Stamford, TX 79553, 325-773-2723.
• Hamlin, Hawley or a rural road? Ask the County Clerk, 325-823-3762, which court got the ticket. Tickets from deputies or troopers usually go to the Justice of the Peace.

A Class C usually means a citation, not a trip to jail. Public intoxication is the exception (Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 14.06). If the fine is more than the household can manage, payment plans, community service or a waiver may be possible, so ask the judge. A judge can't jail anyone over an unpaid fine without first holding a hearing. Even then, jail is allowed only on a finding that they didn't honestly try to pay (arts. 45A.252-45A.261).

Within 48 hours of arrest, an officer must bring the person before a magistrate. That meeting may happen in person or over video (Code Crim. Proc. art. 15.17). Locally the JP often plays that role, though any judge may. Here is the usual order:

1. The magistrate names each charge.
2. Rights get read aloud: silence, a lawyer, and the chance to request one paid by the county.
3. Bail gets set, or a personal bond is allowed.
4. Someone with only a fine-only charge may get released with a court date in writing, no bond needed.

A felony adds one more possible step. Before the grand jury meets, the defense lawyer can demand what Texas calls an examining trial. At it, a magistrate weighs whether enough evidence exists to hold the case, called probable cause (art. 16.01). Questions about the hearing? Ring the JP's office, 100 Courthouse Square, Anson, TX 79501, 325-823-3761.

Picture three steps. The County Attorney files a paper called an information. Next comes arraignment, where a judge reads out the charge. The accused then says how they plead. Article 26.01 sets that step. Then come pretrial settings, often a plea deal, and sometimes a jury trial.

Penal Code chapter 12 caps the punishments:

• Class C: a fine as high as $500. No jail.
• Class B: $2,000 at most in fines, up to 180 days behind bars, or both. A first DWI often lands here.
• Class A: $4,000 at most in fines, up to a year behind bars, or both.

Many misdemeanors end in probation (the legal name is community supervision), and on a misdemeanor the term tops out at two years (art. 42A.053). Deferred adjudication is a different deal. The judge sets aside any guilty ruling for the moment, and if every term is met the case is dismissed (art. 42A.111). The County Clerk keeps these files at 100 Courthouse Square, Anson, TX 79501, 325-823-3762.

Expect months, not weeks. The usual route:

1. Grand jury. Prosecutors from the DA's office lay out their evidence. An indictment needs yes votes from nine grand jurors or more (Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 20A.301).
2. Next, arraignment in the 259th District Court. The indictment gets read, and a plea is entered.
3. Pretrial settings. Lawyers swap evidence, file motions and talk about a deal. If the judge won't follow an agreed deal, the defendant may withdraw the plea (art. 26.13).
4. Trial or plea, then sentencing.

Chapter 12 of the Penal Code sets these ranges:

• State jail felony: a stretch in a state jail, 180 days on the low end and 2 years on the high end, plus a fine as high as $10,000.
• Third degree: 2 years at least, 10 at most. Second degree: 2 years at least, 20 at most. Each can add a $10,000 fine.
• First degree: 5 years minimum. The top is 99 years or life. Fines reach $10,000.

A record of prior convictions can push the punishment higher (§12.42). Probation and deferred adjudication can each run up to 10 years on felonies (arts. 42A.053 and 42A.103). For the felony file itself, call or visit the District Clerk, 100 Courthouse Square, Anson, TX 79501, 325-823-3731.

Differently, and with more at stake. Expect extra steps and closer looks at release.

• Capital murder has two possible sentences: death, or life with zero chance of parole. Those under 18 when the crime happened get life instead, with parole still possible (Tex. Penal Code §12.31).
• Bail is harder. Since a 2025 vote, Texas must deny bail for eight serious crimes when prosecutors meet the test. At a hearing, prosecutors have to show escape is likely or that people would be in danger (Texas Constitution, art. I, §11d).
• No personal bond is allowed for many violent offenses, so release takes cash or a surety (Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 17.03).
• Bail set too low? On certain violent charges, the state may now appeal the amount (art. 44.01).

The 259th District Court hears these, with the District Attorney prosecuting. Families of a victim also gain rights; the victims answer at the end covers them. Ask the defense lawyer early whether a judge-only or jury trial fits better.

Two prosecutors split the work, and both keep offices in the courthouse.

• 259th District Attorney takes felonies: 100 Courthouse Square, Anson, TX 79501, 325-823-2742. Mail: PO Box 507, Anson, TX 79501.
• County Attorney takes misdemeanors: 100 Courthouse Square, Anson, TX 79501, 325-823-3771. Mail: P.O. Box 68, Anson, TX 79501-0068.

Can't pay a lawyer? Say so to the magistrate and fill out the form. A judge then appoints a private lawyer from the county's list under its written plan. Once named, the lawyer is due to try reaching the client before the next working day wraps up (Tex. Code Crim. Proc. arts. 1.051, 26.04). Read the plan through the Texas Indigent Defense Commission's plan finder. That commission's office is at 209 West 14th Street, Room 202, Austin, TX 78701, 512-936-6994.

Heard nothing after a few days? Call the clerk on the case: felonies 325-823-3731, misdemeanors 325-823-3762.

Start with the phone. A clerk can tell you the docket number, which judge has it and when it's next on the calendar. Give the full name and birth date.

• Felony: District Clerk, 100 Courthouse Square, Anson, TX 79501, 325-823-3731.
• Class A or B: County Clerk, same building, 325-823-3762. That office's online search covers land, probate and vital records, so call for criminal files.
• Class C: Justice of the Peace, 325-823-3761, or the city court that wrote the ticket.

For an online look, try the state's re:SearchTX portal. Registration is free. It shows filed charges and judgments, but not hearing times. Past convictions sit in a paid database at DPS, the Conviction Name Search.

Most warrants get served by the Sheriff's Office, 325-823-3201. The Constable, P.O. Box 345, Anson, TX 79501, 325-823-2656, can serve court papers too (Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 2A.051). Inside city limits, police help: Anson 325-823-3056, Stamford 325-773-3647. Checking is done by phone: ask the Sheriff, or the clerk whose judge signed it. State police (DPS) post their Texas 10 Most Wanted fugitives online. To resolve one, bring a lawyer and give yourself up to the judge who signed it. The other route is a phone call to that court, asking whether the judge will reset the date. On felonies, the District Clerk's office can also look one up: 100 Courthouse Square, Anson, TX 79501, 325-823-3731.

Everything moves to a different system. The Abilene Division of the Northern District takes federal crimes from these parts. It sits at the U.S. Courthouse, 341 Pine Street, Room 2008, Abilene, TX 79601, 325-677-6311.

1. Within days, a U.S. magistrate judge decides between supervised release and jail until trial. That's the detention hearing (18 U.S.C. 3142).
2. Held people are in U.S. Marshals custody. The Marshals may rent space for them in a county jail. The Abilene Marshals office is at 341 Pine Street, Room 207, Abilene, TX 79601, 325-672-2147.
3. The U.S. Attorney prosecutes from 1100 Commerce Street, 3rd Floor, Dallas, TX 75242, 214-659-8600.
4. A person who can't pay can be given a federal defender. The district's main office is at 525 South Griffin Street, Suite 629, Dallas, TX 75202, 214-767-2746.
5. After a sentence, track them with the BOP inmate locator.

Nothing stops. The prosecution moves forward as usual, and the detainer only matters once bail posts or the case wraps up. Here's the order:

1. First, a detainer reaches the jail. The sender is Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), using federal form I-247A (a detainer request).
2. Based on it, the jail can hold them up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Since 2017, Texas has required jails to honor these holds. That same law bans any local policy that limits immigration enforcement (§752.053). Lawmakers went further in 2025. Counties operating jails got a deadline, December 1, 2026. Their sheriffs must ask for a 287(g) agreement and, if ICE accepts, enter it (chapter 753 of the Government Code). For this county's status, the Sheriff can tell you at 325-823-3201.
4. ICE then picks the person up. Its Dallas Field Office covers North Texas: 8101 N. Stemmons Freeway, Dallas, TX 75247, 972-367-2200. A detention center tied to that office is in Haskell: Rolling Plains Detention Center, 118 County Road 206, Haskell, TX 79521, 940-864-6200.
5. Search the ICE Online Detainee Locator by name and country of birth.

A guilty plea can carry immigration effects. Tell the defense lawyer about any immigration status before any plea.

State jail felons serve their sentence in a state jail. For third-degree crimes and worse, the time is spent in a prison under TDCJ, the state's prison agency. Before the move, the person usually waits a while at the county lockup. Next comes an intake unit, where TDCJ sorts out security and needs. After that, TDCJ assigns a unit.

• Find them in the TDCJ inmate lookup by name or TDCJ number. A fresh transfer may take a few working days to show.
• Our Texas prison listings cover units, visits and mail.
• A short jail sentence on a misdemeanor gets served in the county jail, not with TDCJ.

A 10- to 16-year-old's case belongs in juvenile court. Texas files on 17-year-olds as adults (Family Code §51.02).

• Police must promptly call a parent or guardian with the reason the child was taken (§52.02).
• A youth needing a locked placement is sent to Abilene: Taylor County Juvenile Justice Center, 889 South 25th Street, Abilene, TX 79602, 325-691-7462. Taylor County says it serves this county too.
• A judge must review detention by the second working day. The limit drops to one working day if the youth was taken in on Friday or Saturday. Before that review, the child gets a lawyer (§54.01).
• Certain grave felonies let a juvenile judge transfer a youth of 14 or 15 into the adult system (§54.02).

Above the local center is a state agency, the Texas Juvenile Justice Department: 1711 San Jacinto Blvd, Austin, TX 78701, 512-490-7130. Call the Abilene center to find the hearing time and the probation officer.

Victims' rights are spelled out in art. 56A.051. A victim, a guardian, or close relatives of someone killed may:

• ask that their safety count when bail is decided;
• ask for notice of court hearings and ask about the case;
• give a victim impact statement before sentencing;
• learn about state help with costs.

For a call when the accused gets out or changes custody, register with IVSS-Counties or call 866-268-8959. It's free, and the person in custody won't know. For medical bills, counseling and lost wages, look at Crime Victims' Compensation, 800-983-9933. Felony victims can reach the 259th District Attorney at 100 Courthouse Square, Anson, TX 79501, 325-823-2742.