Nacogdoches County Jail

A magistrate sets it. Texas wants every arrested person in front of one quickly, within 48 hours at the outside. That hearing may be held in person or through a video screen at the jail (Code of Criminal Procedure art. 15.17(a); art. 14.06(a)).

Many kinds of judges can act as a magistrate. The list includes district judges, county court judges, justices of the peace and city judges (CCP art. 2A.151). To set bail on a felony or a jailable misdemeanor, a magistrate must live in Texas and finish state bail training (CCP arts. 17.023, 17.024).

During this short hearing, the person learns the accusation against them. They are told they may stay silent, hire a lawyer, have a lawyer during questioning and ask for an examining trial. If money is tight, the magistrate walks them through requesting a lawyer paid by the county and helps with the paperwork. The bail decision comes next, fitted to this one person, using the mildest conditions that will still work (CCP art. 17.028).

Charges at the Class B level and above need a public safety report first. It sums up the person's record, and by law it carries no risk score and never suggests an amount (CCP arts. 17.021, 17.022). Ask jail staff at 936-560-7794 what time the hearing is.

Texas law splits bail into two groups: bonds backed by money or a surety, and personal bonds (CCP art. 17.01). Families usually meet it in three forms:

• Paying cash. Every dollar of the bail is deposited, and the court holds the deposit while the case stays open (CCP art. 17.02).
• Using a bondsman. A licensed surety signs on for the whole bail and must pay it if the person vanishes. In return, the family pays the surety a fee.
• Signing a personal bond. The person's own written promise stands in for money, with no bail paid up front (CCP art. 17.03). A small fee may be charged, so ask the clerk.

A personal bond is off the table in many serious cases. Among them are listed violent crimes, terroristic threats charged as Class A or higher, certain breaches of protective orders, and unlawful gun possession by a person with a past felony. A person already under supervision for violence who is charged again is barred too. Burglary, organized crime and several drug felonies need the trial court's own approval for one (CCP art. 17.03).

Extra conditions are common, like staying away from the alleged victim. Judges must order a breath-test lock, called an ignition interlock, on the vehicle of anyone bonded out on a second-or-later DWI, or on a DWI where a child was in the car (CCP art. 17.441). Statewide rules are summed up on our Texas bail laws page.

No Texas law fixes a dollar amount per charge. Any local schedule has to follow art. 17.028 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Under art. 17.15(a), each magistrate balances these points:

• large enough that the person keeps showing up to court
• not so steep that it works as punishment
• the offense itself, including any violence
• whether the person truly has the money
• whether the victim, deputies and the community will be safe
• past arrests, other open cases and missed court dates
• citizenship status

The fastest way to see a real number is the Bond column on the Sheriff's inmate roster. Those amounts can change if a judge steps in. Texas also posts completed bail forms on the state's TOPICs portal.

State law caps bail in one situation. If police arrested without a warrant and no probable cause finding is made in time, the release deadline on a misdemeanor is hour 24, with bond capped at $5,000. For a felony the limit is 48 hours and $10,000 (CCP art. 17.033). Jail staff at 936-560-7794 can give the bond on each charge.

Bail is accepted by the Sheriff's Office at the jail, 2306 Douglass Highway, Nacogdoches, TX 75964. Its front office keeps weekday hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed on county holidays. Work through this list:

1. Pull up the person's entry on the roster and note every charge and bond figure.
2. Call 936-560-7794 and ask for the jail. The Sheriff's Office also has an alternative number, 936-560-7777.
3. Confirm the total, ask if the magistrate has finished, and ask whether any hold will stop the release.
4. Ask when the bond window is open, which payments it takes and who the payment should be made out to.
5. Carry a photo ID along with the exact amount. Hang on to the receipt. Texas refunds cash bail only to the person whose name it shows (CCP art. 17.02).

Release paperwork takes time after payment. In some family violence cases, the jail must also wait four hours after bond is posted before letting the person go.

Each office below handles a different part of the case. Before driving downtown, call and check if bond money for this case can be paid there.

• District Clerk (felony files): 101 W Main St, Suite 120, Nacogdoches, TX 75961, 936-560-7740.
• County Clerk (misdemeanor files, fines and fees): 101 W Main St, Suite 110, Nacogdoches, TX 75961, 936-560-7733.
• Municipal Court (city tickets, Class C): 217 W. Hospital, Nacogdoches, TX 75961, 936-559-2641.
• Police Department (city arrests): 312 W. Main St., Nacogdoches, TX 75961, 936-559-2607. Call to learn where the person was taken.

Fine-only tickets usually end with a personal bond in a justice or city court, so no cash bail is needed (CCP art. 45A.107).

Ask the jail at 936-560-7794 what its bond window takes before you leave home. Bring exact money, and never send cash through the mail.

The District Clerk and County Clerk link an online payment service on their county web pages. Those links are for court fines, fees and costs. Ask the clerk before you use one for anything else.

The city's Municipal Court runs its own online portal for tickets. Have the citation number ready, and expect a card fee. At its counter, the court accepts cash, cards, money orders and cashier's checks. Payments sent through the mail need to be cashier's checks or money orders. A payment plan form helps people who can't pay all at once.

A bondsman is a licensed surety who, for a fee, stands behind the full bail. Under Occupations Code 1704.002, a bail bond board is required only once a county reaches 110,000 residents. This county counts 66,035 (Census estimate, July 1, 2025), so a board is optional here.

Without a board, Texas lets the sheriff post the names of bondsmen whose financial backing has been accepted (CCP art. 17.141). Ask the jail at 936-560-7794 for the list of bondsmen it accepts.

• Texas puts no ceiling on what a bondsman charges, so shop around and get the deal on paper.
• Every payment or item handed to a bondsman earns you a receipt by law (OC 1704.305).
• Soliciting business inside a jail is against the rules for bondsmen (OC 1704.304).
• Ask in writing for collateral once the cases end, and the bondsman owes it back inside 30 days (OC 1704.301).
• A bondsman who backs out must warn the defense lawyer first and then swear out an affidavit for the judge (CCP art. 17.19).

A bond covers one case only. These holds can keep a person in a cell after it is paid:

• Another county's warrant. Someone picked up here on an out-of-county warrant can be bailed by a local magistrate, and that bond is then sent on to the issuing county (CCP art. 15.18).
• Blue warrant from parole. Someone on state parole stays in custody while waiting for the hearing on the alleged violation (Government Code 508.254(c)).
• An ICE detainer. Texas jails are bound to honor these (CCP art. 2A.060). A person who can show lawful status is the exception.
• A family violence hold. The jail keeps the person four hours after bond when more violence seems likely, and a magistrate can add up to 48 hours in writing (CCP art. 17.291(b)).
• A mental health review. Jail staff must alert the magistrate within 12 hours when there are signs of mental illness or an intellectual disability (CCP art. 16.22).

Before paying anything, have the jail at 936-560-7794 list every hold attached to the booking.

The Texas Constitution says almost everyone may be bailed. The big exception: a capital charge with evident proof (art. I, sec. 11). A district judge can deny bail in some repeat felony cases, and in some cases where release terms or protective orders were broken (art. I, secs. 11a, 11b, 11c).

Texas voters went further on November 4, 2025. They passed Proposition 3, which created sec. 11d. It covers capital murder and murder, aggravated kidnapping, indecency with a child, aggravated robbery, trafficking of persons and aggravated sexual assault. Aggravated assault counts too when it causes serious injury or involves a gun, club, knife or explosive.

In those cases, bail must be denied after a hearing in two situations. One is when the prosecutor shows the person would likely skip court. The other is when the prosecutor shows, by clear and convincing evidence, that release would put others in danger. No one but the prosecutor may make this request. If bail is granted anyway, the judge's order must spell out why in writing.

Two more 2025 changes give prosecutors new tools. They can ask a district judge to re-examine a felony bail amount (CCP art. 17.029). They can also appeal a violent-case bail they consider too small (CCP art. 44.01). The two prosecutor offices:

• District Attorney: 101 W Main Street, Nacogdoches, TX 75961, 936-560-7766.
• County Attorney (misdemeanors): 101 W Main St, Suite 230, Nacogdoches, TX 75961, 936-560-7789, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

First, a written motion from the defense lawyer asks the court handling the case to cut the amount or ease the terms. These steps make the request stronger:

1. People facing Class B or above may swear out a statement that they can't afford the bail. The court must review it promptly (CCP art. 17.028).
2. Gather proof of steady work and housing, family letters, and an honest budget. Texas forbids using bail as an instrument of oppression (CCP art. 17.15(a)).
3. Offer the judge non-money safeguards, for example phone check-ins or a GPS monitor.

Slow cases can also bring release. Under CCP art. 17.151, a state that misses its trial-ready deadline must accept a personal bond or a reduced amount. The deadlines, with some exceptions:

• 90 days in felony cases
• 30 days in misdemeanor cases carrying over 180 days of possible jail
• 15 days in misdemeanor cases carrying 180 days or less
• 5 days in fine-only cases

Felony questions go to the District Clerk, 936-560-7740. Misdemeanor questions go to the County Clerk, 936-560-7733.

Anyone who can't afford a lawyer on a jailable charge can ask for one. Here, private lawyers are appointed by the courts under the county's District Court and County Court plan, on file with TIDC, the Texas Indigent Defense Commission.

• The request starts at the magistrate's hearing. The person fills out an Affidavit of Indigence, which is a sworn form about income and bills.
• If the magistrate can't appoint, the forms go to the county's Counsel Coordinator within 24 hours.
• Before charges are filed, the County Court at Law judge appoints on misdemeanors. On felonies, the district judge who seated the current grand jury appoints. After filing, the judge over the case does it.
• The plan's deadline for naming the lawyer is three working days after the paperwork arrives.
• Next comes a first call or jail visit. Article 26.04 of the Code of Criminal Procedure says that attempt must come before the next working day is over.

To check on a request, call the County Court at Law at 936-560-7744 for a misdemeanor or the District Clerk at 936-560-7740 for a felony. The state commission is at 209 West 14th Street, Room 202, Austin, TX 78701, 512-936-6994.

Most county offices share the county building on West Main Street.

• 145th and 420th District Courts hear felony cases. Their files sit with the District Clerk, 101 W Main St, Suite 120, Nacogdoches, TX 75961, 936-560-7740.
• County Court at Law (Class A and B misdemeanors), 101 W Main St, Suite 240, Nacogdoches, TX 75961, 936-560-7744. The County Clerk keeps its files at Suite 110, 936-560-7733.
• Justice of the Peace courts (Class C), four precincts. The County Clerk can give the right precinct's address and phone.
• Municipal Court (city Class C cases), 217 W. Hospital, Nacogdoches, TX 75961, 936-559-2641.
• Federal court, Lufkin Division, Ward R. Burke United States Courthouse, 104 North Third Street, Lufkin, TX 75901, 936-632-2739.

Court dockets for the county are on the iDocket court docket site the county links.

Did the person make every court setting? Then the cash deposit comes back after the final ruling. The check goes to the name on the deposit receipt, less any administrative charge (CCP art. 17.02). A clerk may keep 5 percent, $50 at most, but only in cases ending with a conviction or deferred adjudication. A judge may also apply the deposit to unpaid fines and costs (CCP art. 17.53). Once the case is final, the clerk supplies, free, the form for releasing the deposit.

A missed court date sets off forfeiture. The judge enters a judgment nisi, a first ruling that keeps the bail for the state unless a good excuse comes in (CCP arts. 22.01, 22.02). Relief comes for the bondsman when the missing person is jailed again within 180 days in a misdemeanor case or 270 days in a felony case (CCP art. 22.13). Separately, skipping court can be charged as bail jumping (Penal Code 38.10).

Refunds on felony cases run through the District Clerk at 936-560-7740, and misdemeanor refunds through the County Clerk at 936-560-7733.

Every inmate here can use commissary, and family can add money online through the payment service the county's jail page links. When the person leaves, ask how any balance left on that account is paid back.

For belongings, call the jail at 936-560-7794 and ask for property. Staff can explain pickup hours and any release form the person has to sign. Bring a photo ID to 2306 Douglass Highway, Nacogdoches, TX 75964. Deposits, and refunds of what is left, get their own jail money page. Store orders are on the commissary page.

Federal charges here are filed in Lufkin, one of the Eastern District of Texas's divisions. Its courtroom building, the Ward R. Burke United States Courthouse, stands at 104 North Third Street, Lufkin, TX 75901, 936-632-2739.

• The first federal court appearance normally includes a detention hearing, where release or jail until trial is decided. Only a short delay is allowed (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• Pretrial custody is the job of the U.S. Marshals Service, whose Lufkin office answers at 936-219-6412. Its Eastern District main office is 211 West Ferguson Street, 4th Floor, Tyler, TX 75702, 903-590-1370.
• A defendant with no money for counsel may be paired with a lawyer from the Federal Public Defender, whose East Texas base is 110 North College Avenue, Suite 1122, Tyler, TX 75702, 903-531-9233.
• When prison time starts, the Bureau of Prisons locator shows the facility.

The detainer wins. Bond money answers only the criminal charge, and immigration officers follow their own process:

1. Step one is paperwork: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) gives the Douglass Highway staff a hold request on Form I-247A.
2. That request lets jail staff hold the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. ICE officers come for the person and drive them to a federal immigration detention site.
4. Look the person up on the ICE Online Detainee Locator. The A-number gives the sharpest result. Lacking it, type the name exactly and choose the country of birth.

Texas jails must follow ICE detainers under CCP art. 2A.060. The exception is someone who proves U.S. citizenship or lawful presence, for example with a Texas driver's license. Government Code 752.053, passed in 2017, forbids any local policy that would materially limit immigration enforcement. Senate Bill 8 (2025) gives every Texas county with a jail until December 1, 2026, to apply for a 287(g) partnership with ICE. An appointed magistrate also may not release someone on bail who has an ICE detainer (CCP art. 17.027). The nearest ICE field offices are in Houston, 281-774-4816, and Dallas, 972-367-2200.

Prison time depends on the level. For a state jail felony, the time is served in a state jail. For felonies of the first, second or third degree, the person goes to TDCJ, the state's prison agency (Penal Code 12.31-12.35). After sentencing, people usually wait in the Douglass Highway jail for TDCJ to pick them up. Processing starts at an intake unit, where staff test and classify them. Then TDCJ assigns a unit matching their needs and risk level.

• The TDCJ inmate search finds people now inside a TDCJ facility. You can use the person's TDCJ number or SID number. A last name works too, as long as you add a first initial. Updates come on working days, so results lag a day or more.
• Read about each lockup on our Texas state prisons page.
• For probation instead of prison, the county's Adult Probation office answers at 936-560-7715.

Texas juvenile law treats ages 10 to 16 as children. From 17 on, a person faces adult court and adult jail (Family Code 51.02). The roster leaves out anyone under 17.

• Police must notify a parent or guardian promptly and say why the child was taken (FC 52.02).
• A detention hearing comes within two working days. For a Friday or Saturday pickup, it is held on the first working day. The child gets an appointed lawyer before it starts (FC 54.01).
• Release is the default. The judge may keep the child only on grounds the statute lists (FC 54.01(e)).
• For certain grave felonies, a juvenile judge may certify a child aged 14 or up for adult criminal court (FC 54.02).

The Juvenile Probation Department is at 621 Harris Street, Nacogdoches, TX 75961, 936-560-7710. Call its staff to learn the youth's location and the hearing date.

The charge's weight sends it to one of three court levels. Texas sorts crimes into felonies, jailable misdemeanors and fine-only offenses, and each group has its own courtroom here.

• Felonies go to the 145th or 420th District Court. The District Clerk files and keeps those cases.
• Class A and B misdemeanors, the kind that can bring jail time, go to the County Court at Law. The County Clerk keeps those records and collects the fines.
• Class C misdemeanors carry only a fine. They are heard by a justice of the peace or by the city's Municipal Court.

At the top of the ladder for criminal appeals stands the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. A chart of how the pieces fit is in the state's judicial system pamphlet.

Nearly everything sits in the county building on West Main Street. Call before a visit, since suite numbers matter.

• District Clerk for the 145th and 420th District Courts: 101 W Main St, Suite 120, Nacogdoches, TX 75961, 936-560-7740. Felony fees can be paid online through the service the clerk's page links.
• County Court at Law: 101 W Main St, Suite 240, Nacogdoches, TX 75961, 936-560-7744.
• County Clerk, misdemeanor records and fines: 101 W Main St, Suite 110, Nacogdoches, TX 75961, 936-560-7733.
• Justice of the Peace courts, Precincts 1 through 4, for Class C cases. Ask the County Clerk which precinct has the ticket and how to reach it.
• Municipal Court: 217 W. Hospital, Nacogdoches, TX 75961, 936-559-2641.

The clerks keep business hours on weekdays. The county links an iDocket page for court calendars.

Yes. The Municipal Court handles Class C cases written inside city limits, such as many traffic tickets and city ordinance cases. It is at 217 W. Hospital, Nacogdoches, TX 75961. The phone is 936-559-2641, and the email is mcourt@nactx.us. Mail goes to P.O. Box 635030, Nacogdoches, TX 75963.

• Pay a ticket on the city's online portal with the citation number. A card fee is added.
• At the window, the court takes cash, cards, money orders and cashier's checks.
• Mailed payments should be a money order or cashier's check.
• Can't pay in one go? Ask for the Alternate Payment Plan form.

A city prosecutor handles these cases, and the court has its own process for juveniles. Texas lets people who can't pay a fine ask for a payment plan, community service at $150 for each 8 hours, or a waiver. Jail for unpaid fines comes only after a hearing (CCP arts. 45A.252-45A.261). Tickets from Garrison, Cushing, Chireno, Appleby or open county land may go to a justice court instead, so check the ticket and call the court named on it.

The magistrate hearing comes before 48 hours have passed since the arrest, face to face or by video. The accusation is read, and then the rights: silence, a hired lawyer, a lawyer present for questioning, ending any interview, and an examining trial. The person also hears that their words can be used as evidence (CCP art. 15.17(a)).

This is also where the request for an appointed lawyer starts. The county's plan lists three forms for this stage: the Magistrate's Warning Form, the Affidavit of Indigence and a Waiver of Counsel for anyone who wants to go without. Bail is set at the end.

A separate court date follows release. In misdemeanor cases, the County Attorney's Office says that date is usually printed on the bond papers as the First Appearance. If the papers are lost, call the County Court at Law at 936-560-7744.

The County Attorney's Office decides whether a misdemeanor case gets filed. A prosecutor reads the officer's report first. If the case goes forward, the steps usually run like this:

1. At the First Appearance docket, the judge explains the person's rights, including the right to a lawyer. A lawyer is appointed if the judge finds the person can't afford one.
2. The person may talk the case over with a prosecutor at that docket.
3. Offers usually mean probation, jail time, or a fine with no jail.
4. A guilty or no-contest plea is usually taken that same day.
5. A person who wants a trial gets a six-person jury. Skipping the jury and letting the judge decide takes the prosecutor's consent.

Penalties come from Penal Code chapter 12. A Class A conviction can mean a year in jail plus a $4,000 fine. A Class B can mean 180 days plus $2,000. A Class C brings only a fine of up to $500. A misdemeanor deferred adjudication term tops out at two years. Finish it, and the court drops the case (CCP art. 42A.103).

Felonies belong to the District Attorney's Office and the two District Courts. The usual path:

1. Probable cause check. Before any indictment, the defense may request an examining trial so a judge can test whether the arrest was justified (CCP art. 16.01).
2. Indictment vote. Indictment takes agreement from nine grand jurors at minimum (CCP art. 20A.301).
3. Formal reading. The indictment is read to the accused in open court, and a plea follows (CCP art. 26.01).
4. Motions and talks. Both sides swap evidence, file motions and discuss a possible plea bargain.
5. Deal or jury. A judge who won't follow an agreed plea must say so, and the person can then withdraw it (CCP art. 26.13).

Felony punishment, heaviest first: capital murder brings death or life with no parole. A first-degree felony brings at least 5 years and up to 99, or life. Second-degree means 2 to 20 years, and third-degree 2 to 10. The lowest level, a state jail felony, carries 180 days to 2 years. Fines may reach $10,000 at any level below capital (Penal Code 12.31-12.35). Prior felony convictions may push the punishment range higher (Penal Code 12.42).

Completing felony deferred adjudication, which may last as long as 10 years, brings a dismissal (CCP art. 42A.103). Probation, called community supervision, usually has the same 10-year limit (CCP art. 42A.053). The county's Adult Probation office answers at 936-560-7715.

Serious violent charges change both bail and the court path.

• Voters added Proposition 3 to the state constitution in November 2025. Under it, a judge must deny bail for charges like murder, aggravated sexual assault or aggravated robbery when the prosecutor wins a hearing showing release is too risky (Tex. Const. art. I, sec. 11d).
• Most violent charges disqualify a person from a personal bond, so release takes cash or a surety (CCP art. 17.03).
• After a family violence arrest, the first hearing can end with a magistrate's order for emergency protection. Most run 61 to 91 days. Orders tied to serious injury or a weapon last longer, 91 to 121 days, under CCP art. 17.292.
• Since 2025, a felony bail can be sent by prosecutors to a district judge for review. They can also appeal an unusually low bail when the charge is on the violent list (CCP arts. 17.029, 44.01).
• Capital murder by someone under 18 brings life in prison, not death (Penal Code 12.31).

These cases often take longer. Ask the District Clerk at 936-560-7740 for the setting dates.

Two offices prosecute in this county:

• District Attorney's Office handles felony cases: 101 W Main Street, Nacogdoches, TX 75961, 936-560-7766.
• County Attorney's Office represents the state in misdemeanor cases: 101 W Main St, Suite 230, Nacogdoches, TX 75961, 936-560-7789, open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For defense, the county appoints private lawyers under its indigent defense plan. When the magistrate can't name a lawyer, the request travels to the county's Counsel Coordinator inside a day. Misdemeanor appointments come from the County Court at Law judge, and felony appointments from the district judges. A lawyer must be in place within three working days in a county this size (CCP art. 1.051).

The Texas Indigent Defense Commission oversees these plans: 209 West 14th Street, Room 202, Austin, TX 78701, 512-936-6994.

Several tools help, and a phone call fills the gaps:

• Court calendars: the county points to iDocket for its dockets.
• Charges at booking: the Sheriff's inmate roster shows each charge and bond for people still in jail.
• Statewide records: re:SearchTX is free after sign-up. It shows filings and judgments, but it is not built for hearing dates.
• Convictions: a conviction name search from Texas DPS costs a fee.

Clerks can read off the next date. Felony: District Clerk, 936-560-7740. Misdemeanor: County Clerk, 936-560-7733, or the County Court at Law, 936-560-7744. Have the cause number handy. Without it, give the clerk the legal name and birth date.

Deputies of the Sheriff's Office carry out warrants countywide, 936-560-7794. Constables carry them too, and city police serve them inside Nacogdoches, 936-559-2607. Phone the agency that covers the area and ask by full name and birth date. The state's Texas 10 Most Wanted list names the top fugitives, and iDocket shows court settings. A defense lawyer should be the first call when clearing one. The person may then walk into the county jail, 2306 Douglass Highway, Nacogdoches, TX 75964, and turn themselves in, or the lawyer may ask the issuing court for a new setting. Felony warrants trace back to the District Clerk, 101 W Main St, Suite 120, Nacogdoches, TX 75961, 936-560-7740.

A federal case starts with the U.S. Attorney. For this county, the trial court is Lufkin's, part of the Eastern District of Texas. Ward R. Burke United States Courthouse hosts the hearings, at 104 North Third Street, Lufkin, TX 75901, 936-632-2739.

• Prosecutor: the U.S. Attorney's Lufkin office, 415 South 1st Street, Suite 201, Lufkin, TX 75901. Its calls route through the Beaumont office at 409-839-2538.
• Detention hearing: early in the case, the judge weighs release against custody until trial (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• Custody: the U.S. Marshals Service keeps pretrial prisoners. Its Lufkin office is at 936-219-6412.
• Defense: the Federal Public Defender, 110 North College Avenue, Suite 1122, Tyler, TX 75702, 903-531-9233.
• After sentencing: the BOP inmate locator tracks federal prisoners.

A detainer does not end the Texas charges, though it changes what happens around them. The sequence:

1. ICE's paperwork, Form I-247A, reaches the Douglass Highway jail with a request to hold the person.
2. Jail staff may keep them up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. If ICE takes custody, the person goes to a federal immigration center. Tell the defense lawyer right away so the state court knows where the person is.
4. Find the person with the ICE Online Detainee Locator.

Under CCP art. 2A.060, Texas jails honor detainers, and proof of lawful status is the way out. Government Code 752.053, from 2017, bars local limits on immigration enforcement. Senate Bill 8 (2025) sets December 1, 2026, as the date for each county with a jail to enter a 287(g) agreement with ICE. A bondsman is not released from a bond while the person is in federal custody over immigration status (CCP art. 17.16).

Sentence level decides the place. State jail felony terms are done in a state jail. People sentenced for higher felonies, or capital murder, enter TDCJ, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Until TDCJ collects them, sentenced people remain at the Douglass Highway jail. TDCJ reviews each new arrival at intake, then picks a unit.

• Use the TDCJ inmate search. It only lists people already in a TDCJ facility and is updated on working days.
• Our Texas state prisons section describes each prison.
• Class A and B jail time is served in the county jail (Penal Code 12.21, 12.22).

Juvenile court handles conduct by children aged 10 to 16. Charges for anything done at 17 belong in adult court (Family Code 51.02). Here, juvenile court records are filed with and kept by the County Clerk.

• Officers have to let a parent know promptly about the custody and the reason for it (FC 52.02).
• Detention gets a court hearing inside two working days, or on the first working day following a Friday or Saturday arrest. Counsel for the child gets named ahead of time (FC 54.01).
• Some cases leave juvenile court through certification. That can happen at 14 for capital, first-degree or aggravated drug felonies, and at 15 for lower felonies (FC 54.02).
• Juvenile lawyers are appointed under a separate Juvenile Board plan.

The Juvenile Probation Department is at 621 Harris Street, Nacogdoches, TX 75961, 936-560-7710. Ask its officers where the youth is placed and when the next hearing falls.

Texas gives crime victims rights under CCP art. 56A.051. Among them: the judge must consider the victim's safety in setting bail, victims can ask to be told of court dates, and they may give an impact statement.

• Release alerts: Texas IVSS-Counties sends free notice when a person leaves county custody. Help is available at 866-268-8959 in English or Spanish.
• Money for costs: the Attorney General's Crime Victims' Compensation program pays up to $50,000 for some losses, 800-983-9933.
• Protective orders: a magistrate can issue one at the first hearing after a family violence arrest (CCP art. 17.292).

For help with a felony case, call the District Attorney's Office at 936-560-7766. For a misdemeanor, call the County Attorney's Office at 936-560-7789.