1. Open the inmate lookup from the Sheriff's Office.
2. Type the last name exactly as their driver's license or ID shows it.
3. Narrow a long list with the first name, gender or four-digit year of birth.
4. Search, then click the record that matches.
5. Note the CR number if one appears; the jail asks for it on letters.

A warning on the lookup says the Sheriff's Office can't guarantee its information. So call 361-575-0651 before you drive downtown or hand money to a bondsman. Jail staff can also tell you about a release or transfer that just happened.

No result can mean several things. Work down this list:

• Widen it. Search the last name alone. Then try a nickname, a maiden or hyphenated name, or another spelling.
• Wait a bit. A brand-new arrest may not be entered until booking finishes. Search again in a few hours.
• Phone the jail. Staff at 361-575-0651 know whether someone came through booking, posted bond or was transferred.
• Under 17? Then the Foster Field Drive juvenile center has them. Juvenile Services answers at 361-575-0399.
• Another agency? Federal agents, ICE or police in a nearby county may hold the person. See the federal, ICE and police answers further down.

IVSS-Counties, the state's custody notice system, can search many Texas county jails at once. Its phone line is 866-268-8959.

Adults are held in a single building: the Victoria County Jail, 101 N. Glass Street, Victoria, TX 77901, 361-575-0651, run by the Sheriff's Office. Its visiting schedule splits the people inside into four groups: men, women, contract inmates and trusties.

• City arrests. Officers from the city police department book their arrests here as well. Under the city court's Standing Order No. 18, a Class C city arrest ends with a personal bond once booking wraps up.
• Size. State jail inspectors' June 2022 numbers: 532 beds, 355 people held, including 35 contract and 13 federal prisoners.
• Youth center. The Victoria Regional Juvenile Justice Center, 97 Foster Field Drive, Victoria, TX 77904, 361-575-0399, is for ages 10 to 17. Its 72 beds serve youths before a ruling and after one. It runs a program for boys and girls after a ruling and a separate one for pregnant girls. Youths sent from surrounding counties stay there too.

If the arrest was in a neighboring county, that county's jail holds them. IVSS-Counties can point you to it.

Photos aren't a confirmed feature of the Sheriff's lookup, so don't count on seeing mugshots there. Write to the Sheriff's Office and cite the Texas Public Information Act when you ask for the booking photo: 101 N. Glass Street, Victoria, TX 77901, 361-575-0651. Gov. Code 552.108(c) requires prompt release of basic arrest facts. Past ten business days, the office owes you a date for the release.

Mugshot websites run by private companies are governed by the Texas Business and Commerce Code, chapter 109. When a site's removal fee is $150 or higher, two rules apply. An inaccurate or incomplete record must be corrected or taken down at no cost. And expunged or nondisclosed records can't be posted.

ICE hands out photos only under FOIA, through its records request page, so expect paperwork. As a rule, other federal mugshots stay out of public view, though one may be released by the U.S. Marshals Service during a fugitive search.

The Sheriff's Office points families to IVSS-Counties, a free Texas service that sends custody notices from county jails. It replaced Texas VINE. Register online, or call 866-268-8959 any hour. Help is in English and Spanish, and the service keeps your information confidential.

1. Look the person up by name.
2. Check the county and birth date so you pick the right record.
3. Follow the prompts to register for notices.

Once a case reaches state prison, crime victims can get help with prison notices from the Criminal District Attorney's Victims Assistance staff, 205 N. Bridge Street, Suite 301, Victoria, TX 77901. That office uses the county line, 361-575-4558.

By hour 48 after arrest, a magistrate will have set bail and any conditions. Then one of these opens the door:

• Pretrial Bond: no deposit, just a fee equal to 3% of the bond, with $20 as the floor. Pretrial Services, 115 N. Bridge Street, Suite 318, Victoria, TX 77901, 361-580-5746, meets the person inside the jail to screen them.
• Bondsman: pick from the Sheriff's list of approved bail bond companies. A bondsman's fee is not returned, however the case turns out.
• Cash bond: the entire bond in cash, refunded at the end of the case provided every court date was kept.
• City personal bond: automatic after booking for a city Class C arrest, unless a Class B or higher charge is also filed.

A paid bond can still leave someone stuck. Holds that do this include a parole blue warrant, an ICE detainer and a warrant from another county. Before paying, ask 361-575-0651 whether any hold is on file. Each step, plus the Texas law behind it, is on our bail and release page.

The magistrate tells the person the charge at the first hearing. Relatives have a few ways to learn it:

• Phone the jail, 361-575-0651, with a name and birth date ready.
• After filing, check Case Information Online, which the District Clerk links from its page.
• For a felony, ask the District Clerk, 115 N. Bridge Street, Room 330, Victoria, TX 77901, 361-575-0581.
• For a Class A or B misdemeanor, ask the County Clerk in Room 103 of that courthouse, 361-575-1478.

How serious is it? Class C is fine-only, $500 at most. Jail tops out at 180 days for Class B and at a year for Class A. Felony levels climb from state jail felony through first degree to capital. Police reports come from the arresting agency, not the County Clerk.

The request starts with the magistrate: the person says at the jail hearing that they can't afford counsel. Pretrial Services reviews their income, and a lawyer is appointed for those who qualify.

• Indigent Defense Coordinator: 115 N. Bridge Street, Suite 318, Victoria, TX 77901, 361-580-5746.
• Bring: a current pay stub, plus papers showing any public assistance.
• Repayment of the lawyer's fees can be ordered later.

The state's Indigent Defense Commission names the Crossroads Regional Public Defender's Office as a provider for this county: 203 N. Liberty Street, Victoria, TX 77901, 361-582-5885. Family can help by gathering those papers.

Visits happen at 101 N. Glass Street, Victoria, TX 77901. Call 361-575-0651 with questions. Know these rules before you go:

• One adult visitor per inmate, with a current photo ID.
• Each visit lasts 20 minutes.
• Children under 17 may not enter the visiting area.
• The set days and times will not be changed for anyone.

The schedule depends on the person's group and the first letter of their last name:

• Men, A to L: Monday 8 to 10 a.m., Saturday 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
• Men, M to Z: Monday 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., Saturday 8 to 10 a.m.
• Women, A to L: Thursday 10 to 10:45 a.m., Sunday 2 to 2:45 p.m.
• Women, M to Z: Thursday 3:15 to 4 p.m., Sunday 10 to 10:45 a.m.
• Contract inmates: Wednesday 9 to 10 a.m., Saturday 4 to 5 p.m.
• Trusties: Wednesday 2 to 3 p.m., Sunday 3:15 to 4:15 p.m.

Nobody visits on Tuesday or Friday. Clergy come weekdays from 10 to 11 a.m. Ask the jail whether any video visits are offered. Our visitation page has more tips.

The Sheriff's jail page names Correct Solutions Group as the deposit service. You can pay online or by phone at 877-618-3516. Use Facility ID 24101, and say whether the money is for the phone account or for commissary.

Have the full name and CR number ready, and hang on to the receipt number until the money shows up. Our money deposits page explains fees and timing, and our commissary page covers how the account is used.

Calls from the jail run through Correct Solutions Group, the same company that takes phone deposits under Facility ID 24101. If the person can't place collect calls to you, the Sheriff's FAQ says to contact that company at 877-618-3516.

Questions about the case belong with the defense lawyer. Our phone page explains accounts and rates; for any electronic messages the jail permits, see our messaging page.

Since January 1, 2021, regular mail is scanned and delivered electronically. Send it through the JailATM website, or mail it to the scanning center. Address it in this order: JailATM.com - Victoria County Jail; then Inmate ID followed by the full name of the person; then 2830 S. Hulen St. Box 809, Fort Worth, TX 76109.

Attorney letters and other legal mail go to the jail itself, marked with the person's name and CR number: Victoria County Jail, 101 N. Glass Street, Victoria, TX 77901. Write the mailing and return addresses clearly, both on the same side of the envelope.

• Rejected mail: no return address, or drawings or extra writing on the envelope. Also refused: printed drawings, book pages, puzzles and computer printouts. Oversized cards, pop-ups, electronics, metal and rope are banned too.
• Photos: no larger than 4x6. Leave out nudity, sexual poses, underwear, gang signs and pictures of drinking or drugs.
• Reading material: new books or sports and news magazines, mailed by the publisher, no more than two a month. Books from Amazon or Redbird are refused. So is anything explicit, gang-related or about tattoos.
• Bibles: an unaltered used paperback is accepted, by mail or dropped off in the Sheriff's lobby.

Inmate Services must approve any other item. More advice is on our mail page.

Items taken from the person at booking are held for them. Phone 361-575-0651 before going downtown. Ask three things: how belongings are returned, what ID the jail wants from you, and whether the inmate can authorize you in writing to take them.

The Sheriff's Office lobby at 101 N. Glass Street, Victoria, TX 77901 keeps weekday hours of 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Inmates can't keep books in their property, and books beyond the limit are returned. Family can mail letters and family pictures; anything else needs Inmate Services' approval first.

Does the person take medicine every day, have a serious health condition, or have an injury from the arrest? Then call the jail at 361-575-0651 quickly. Tell staff the medicine names and doses and the prescribing doctor's number. Get the jail's OK before you mail or drop off medicine of any kind.

Signs of mental illness start a clock under art. 16.22: within 12 hours, jail staff must tell a magistrate. A court-ordered expert evaluation may follow.

Worried about care? The Texas Commission on Jail Standards, which oversees county jails, accepts complaints online and at 512-463-5505. In an emergency, dial 911.

Warrants here are served by the constables: Precinct 1, 361-580-5748; Precinct 2, 361-580-5763; Precinct 3, 361-580-5760; Precinct 4, 361-571-6039. City warrants go through the Municipal Court, 361-485-3050. Statewide, DPS keeps a list of Texas 10 Most Wanted fugitives.

The DA's office says to check with the clerks. Felony warrants: District Clerk, 115 N. Bridge Street, Room 330, Victoria, TX 77901, 361-578-8756. Misdemeanor warrants: County Clerk, 361-575-1478, in the same building. To resolve one, the person has to face it: surrender at the jail, ideally with a lawyer who sets it up, at 101 N. Glass Street, Victoria, TX 77901, 361-575-0651, or the issuing court can be asked to reset the case.

The clerks, not the jail, keep court calendars. Look the case up on Case Information Online, or call:

• District Clerk's Criminal Department for felonies, 361-578-8756
• County Clerk for Class A and B cases, 361-575-1478
• Municipal Court for city tickets, 2525 N. Main Street, Victoria, TX 77901, 361-485-3050

Both clerks work in the 1967 courthouse, 115 N. Bridge Street, Victoria, TX 77901. Someone who bonded out on a misdemeanor before seeing a judge gets a mailed notice for a 9 a.m. setting in County Court at Law No. 2. Missing it is a separate Class A crime here, so keep the bond address current. Our court process page explains every stage after that.

The Victoria Division of the U.S. District Court hears federal cases from this county plus Calhoun, DeWitt, Goliad, Jackson, Lavaca and Refugio. Its clerk is at 312 S. Main Street, Room 406, Victoria, TX 77901, 361-788-5000. Pretrial release is the subject of a detention hearing before a magistrate judge, under 18 U.S.C. 3142.

Until a verdict, the U.S. Marshals Service keeps custody. Its office sits in the same federal building, at 312 S. Main Street, Room 326, Victoria, TX 77902, 361-578-4932. Some are boarded at the Glass Street jail, which held 13 federal prisoners in a 2022 state count. Call the Marshals to learn the jail.

After sentencing, use the Bureau of Prisons' inmate locator; a register number gives the surest match.

A state bond or a finished state case won't end an immigration hold. Step by step:

1. ICE's Form I-247A reaches jail staff.
2. From then on, the person may be kept up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. Texas jails must honor it (art. 2A.060). The only exception is proof of citizenship or lawful status. A 2017 law, Gov. Code 752.053, also stops cities and counties from limiting immigration enforcement.
4. December 1, 2026 was the deadline, set by a 2025 state law, for jail-running Texas counties to request 287(g) agreements with ICE. How this county responded is a question for the Sheriff's Office, 101 N. Glass Street, Victoria, TX 77901, 361-575-0651.
5. When ICE arrives, the person leaves Glass Street for federal immigration custody.

To locate them, use the ICE Online Detainee Locator. Enter the A-number from any immigration papers; without one, use the name and country of birth. Still nothing? Phone an ICE field office. Houston's is at 126 Northpoint Drive, Houston, TX 77060, 281-774-4816. San Antonio's is at 3523 Crosspoint Drive, San Antonio, TX 78217, 210-564-3300.

Felony sentences move people out of the county jail. A state jail felony term is spent in a state jail. A prison sentence is served in a TDCJ unit, run by the state's Department of Criminal Justice.

Moving to TDCJ can take a while, so the person may wait on Glass Street first. The first state stop is an intake unit for testing and classification; after that comes a unit matched to the person. Search by TDCJ or SID number on the TDCJ online inmate search, or by last name with one or more first-name letters. Only people in a TDCJ facility today appear. TDCJ updates the site on working days, and what it shows is a day old or more, so check again tomorrow if a fresh move is missing. For visiting and mail at state units, see our Texas state prisons page.

Texas juvenile law covers offenses committed at ages 10 through 16 (Fam. Code 51.02), so those children never go to the adult jail. At 17, the case is an adult one and the person is booked on Glass Street.

A detained youth is held at the Victoria Regional Juvenile Justice Center, 97 Foster Field Drive, Victoria, TX 77904, run by the county's Juvenile Services Department. Call 361-575-0399 to ask about a child held there.

• A parent or guardian must be told of the custody without delay (Fam. Code 52.02).
• Whether the child stays in detention is up to a judge at a hearing, normally within two working days, with an appointed lawyer present (Fam. Code 54.01).

Whoever made the arrest, an adult held in this county ends up at the jail on Glass Street. The police report, though, comes from the arresting agency:

• Victoria Police Department (inside city limits): 2525 N. Main Street, Victoria, TX 77901. Non-emergency line, open 24/7: 361-573-3221. Main office: 361-485-3700. Investigations: 361-485-3730.
• Sheriff's Office (patrols areas outside the city): 101 N. Glass Street, Victoria, TX 77901, 361-575-0651.
• Constables, county address 115 N. Bridge Street, Victoria, TX 77901: Precinct 1, 361-580-5748; Precinct 2, 361-580-5763; Precinct 3, 361-580-5760; Precinct 4, 361-571-6039.
• Campus police at the UHV university campus and at Victoria College patrol their schools. For their contact details, ask the Sheriff's Office.
• DPS troopers of the Texas Highway Patrol also make arrests in the county. To find the DPS office behind one, call the Sheriff's Office.

We found only one municipal police force in the county, the city's. If the arrest happened in a small town, ask the Sheriff's Office. For emergencies, dial 911.