Arlington Police Department Jail

While the Arlington City Jail is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the visiting hours are limited and the visitation rules are strictly enforced: Visitation limited to Wednesdays and Sundays from 4pm – 6pm and is subject to cancellation by the jail supervisor without notice; The jail offers more than 100 therapeutic and recreational programs to minimize disruptions and reinforce positive behavior. Sessions on addiction, foreign languages and money management are among the program offerings, and quilting is one of the most popular activities for men and women alike. Started about two years ago by a jail employee who quilts in her free time, the sessions are now held three times per week. The inmates make baby blanket-sized quilts on the jail’s sewing machines, using donated materials. Many of the quilts are given to the local nonprofit Borromeo Housing Inc., which aids homeless young mothers and their children. The jail built was built in 1994 and houses those awaiting trial, awaiting sentencing and those sentenced to 12 months or less. The jail includes a full legal library, with rows of hardcover tomes. Inmates increasingly prefer to use the online tool LexisNexis to learn about laws and their rights. Librarians there try to get inmates the reading material they want. Inmates stay in single- or double-occupancy cells with an early wakeup time. Breakfast is served about 5:30 a.m., and then guards inspect inmates’ cells about 7:30 a.m. Lunch is served about 11 a.m., and guards conduct surveillance walk-throughs every 30 minutes. Dinner is served about 4:30 p.m., and lights out is at 11:30 p.m. Inmates are allowed two 20-minute visits twice a week, not including meetings with lawyers. With the exception of maximum security units on the building’s 11th floor, inmates are allowed to attend programs based on their compliance to jail rules. Inmates who break rules can be placed in solitary cells for “disciplinary segregation. Those who are a danger to themselves or others can be put into “administrative segregation.” The separations can last as little as an hour or extend for weeks, said Barrett, a 23-year veteran of the facility. Maximum security units are located on the jail’s 11th floor, where just 18 men were held as of Friday. The inmates there are confined to their cells and served meals through slots in the doors. Whether they must remain on that floor is reassessed weekly. Officers assigned to booking see a rush of people on Friday nights, Saturday nights and holidays, mostly for public intoxication, they said. Detainees are escorted into the facility through back doors, some of which are connected to the court next door. Footprints painted on the floor show where they must stand as they wait to be fingerprinted and have their mugshot taken. Every detainee receives a handful of pamphlets guiding them through everything from how to report sexual misconduct to what personal items they’re allowed to keep, like a wedding band without stones, worn only on the left ring finger.

What is the booking process for the Arlington Police Department Jail?

After being arrested, the offender is brought to the Arlington Police Department Jail for booking, which is the detailed process of identifying, classifying, deciding on charges, and whether the person will either be released on their own recognizance, allowed to be released on bail, or moved into the jail until their court date.

The first thing every newly arrested person must do is close their mouth. Everything an offender says may be used against them, so the best thing to do is remain silent when questioned about the arrest and what led to it.

These are the steps of booking someone into the Arlington Police Department Jail:

• Personal identification.
• Mugshot(s).
• Questions about medical history, mental health, drug and alcohol use, and gang affiliations.
• Possible DNA.
• Full body search.
• Property forfeiture.
• Free phone call.

Booking can take as little as an hour, or up to 48 hours on a busy weekend or holiday evening, or if the offender is violent, wasted or generally uncooperative. If you have any questions about when you can pay an offender's bond and what the cost will be, call the facility at 817-459-5648.