Zapata County Regional Jail

Bail starts with a magistrate. Each person under arrest must see one with no needless wait, 48 hours at the latest, in a courtroom or through a jail video link (CCP art. 15.17). Here, all four justices of the peace hold magistrate power. District and county judges share it.

That first hearing covers a lot in a few minutes:

• A reading of the accusation comes first, with warnings about silence, police questioning and having counsel.
• The magistrate shows how to request a court-paid lawyer and helps with the paperwork.
• Bail gets tailored to this one defendant, at the mildest level that still guards neighbors and the next court date (art. 17.028).

A step gets added for Class B charges and up: before setting bail, the magistrate reads a public safety report about the person's history. Texas added that report in 2021 under the Damon Allen Act. That summary leaves out any risk score and any suggested amount (arts. 17.021, 17.022). Ring the Sheriff's Office at 956-765-9960 to find out the magistration time.

Release in Texas comes in two flavors. A bail bond leans on money or a surety. A personal bond leans on nothing but a signature (CCP art. 17.01).

• Cash deposit. Someone hands over the whole amount. The court holds those dollars until the case closes (art. 17.02).
• Bondsman's bond. Here a licensed bail company stands behind the full sum. The family's fee to that company is gone for good, win or lose.
• Personal bond. Nobody puts down money. The defendant's signed word to return is all it takes (art. 17.03).

Magistrates cannot hand out personal bonds for several kinds of charges. Think of violent crimes named in the law, or a threat to terrorize at Class A or above. Others are some protective order breaks, a felon with a gun, and someone rearrested while still under supervision for a violent offense. A different rule covers burglary, organized crime and certain drug felonies, and for those a personal bond must come from the trial judge (art. 17.03).

When the only penalty possible is a fine, the arrested person may simply sign for a court date and go (art. 15.17). Readers who want the statewide rules in more depth can open our Texas bail laws page.

No single bail menu applies across all 254 Texas counties. Local schedules are allowed, yet each figure must still suit the individual defendant (CCP art. 17.028). Here is what the magistrate must weigh (art. 17.15):

• a sum large enough that court dates get kept;
• never so large it acts as a weapon to hold someone;
• the type of crime and how it happened;
• the person's real means to pay;
• whether release puts the victim, officers or local families at risk;
• earlier convictions and any history of skipping hearings;
• citizenship.

State law caps bail in one setting. Say police arrested someone without a warrant. When a magistrate fails to rule on probable cause, which is a solid legal basis for the arrest, quickly enough, release follows on bail no higher than $5,000 for a misdemeanor (by hour 24) or $10,000 for a felony (by hour 48). Anyone still short of the money then goes free on a personal bond. Prosecutors may request a stretch of the clock, to 72 hours at most. All of this comes from art. 17.033.

For the bail on your relative's charges, ring the Sheriff's Office at 956-765-9960 and ask for the jail desk.

Bail for anyone locked up in this county is accepted by the Sheriff. The main jail sits at 2301 Kennedy Street, Zapata, TX 78076. Go step by step:

1. Phone 956-765-8615. Keep a pen handy. Staff ask for the legal name, then a birth date, before anything else.
2. Get the bail on each charge, and find out if a detainer or outside warrant blocks release.
3. Ask when the bail window is staffed and what kinds of payment staff will take.
4. Check whether the money should be paid at the jail itself or to the clerk who keeps the case file.
5. Drive over with picture ID and payment to the penny. Guard the receipt. Refund checks are written to whoever appears on it.

A bondsman can file the bond at the jail for you instead. Female prisoners may be housed at the Women's Jail, which the county lists at Hidalgo Boulevard and 7th Avenue, Zapata, TX 78076, 956-765-9981. Ask which building holds your person first.

A clerk often can take it. Because CCP art. 17.02 treats cash bail as money held by the court, the clerk handling the case may receive it. Both clerks keep offices on the ground floor of the courthouse. Phone ahead.

• District Clerk, felony files: 200 E. 7th Avenue, Suite 119, Zapata, TX 78076, 956-765-9930. Weekdays, 8:00 a.m. to noon, then 1:00 to 4:30 p.m.
• County Clerk, files for the two higher misdemeanor classes: 200 E. 7th Avenue, Suite 138, Zapata, TX 78076, 956-765-9915. Call to learn its hours.

The four justice courts link an online citation search and payment page, and tickets can be paid by phone at 877-439-1900. Both handle Class C fines. Neither one posts bail for a person in custody.

What the window accepts can change over the months. One phone call to 956-765-8615 before you head out can save a wasted trip. Ask staff:

• Is cash welcome? Should it equal the bail exactly, down to the cent?
• Would a postal money order or a bank check work, and to whom is it made payable?
• Do they refuse personal checks or debit and credit cards?
• Does a card payment add a service fee?

Picture ID is needed for every payment. Cash should never travel by mail. When a bondsman handles the bond, insist on a receipt for every dollar or item of value you turn over. Texas law requires one in counties with a bond board (Occupations Code § 1704.305).

State law requires a bondsman licensing board only in counties home to at least 110,000 people (Occupations Code § 1704.002). Counties lacking a board can rely on the sheriff, who may post the sureties found able to pay (CCP art. 17.141). Which bondsmen are accepted right now? Ask the Sheriff's Office at 956-765-9960.

• No Texas law caps the premium a surety may charge. Ask for the price on paper.
• Collateral, like a truck title, often gets pledged. When all the cases are over, send a written demand; in board counties a 30-day return deadline then applies (§ 1704.301).
• Where a bond board exists, soliciting customers inside a jail breaks state rules (§ 1704.304).
• No bail license? A defense attorney already working the case can still sign on as surety (§ 1704.163).
• A surety that wants out of a bond owes the defense attorney a heads-up, and in a felony the district attorney gets one as well. Next, it files an affidavit with the judge explaining why, as art. 17.19 directs.

Each bail covers one case. A separate hold can keep the person in a bunk even after money changes hands:

• Out-of-county warrant. Bail for another county's case can be set by a magistrate here, who then forwards the bond paperwork (CCP art. 15.18).
• State parole warrant. A parolee accused of a violation stays locked up until a hearing decides it (Gov't Code § 508.254).
• Probation trouble. A new charge may spark a motion to revoke. Adult probation keeps an office at 200 East 7th Avenue, Suite 348, Zapata, TX 78076, 956-765-9936, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Family violence cases. If there is probable cause to expect more abuse, the jail waits four hours after posting to let the person go. The magistrate may sign an order lengthening it by two more days at most (art. 17.291).
• Mental health concerns. Should the staff spot possible mental illness, the magistrate gets word in under 12 hours (art. 16.22).
• Federal holds and ICE detainers. Posting state bail leaves both untouched.

Ask jail staff at 956-765-8615 to read off every hold first.

Rarely. Bail is a right for almost every Texan under the state constitution. A capital charge backed by strong proof has long been the main carve-out (Const. art. I, § 11). After a hearing, judges can also say no to some people with two past felonies. The same goes for someone charged with a felony while already bonded out on another felony, and for breaking safety terms or a family violence protective order (Const. art. I, §§ 11a, 11b, 11c).

A newer change, Proposition 3, followed. Voters said yes on November 4, 2025, adding section 11d. It reaches murder and capital murder. When kidnapping, robbery or sexual assault is charged as aggravated, it is covered too. Trafficking of persons is on the list. Indecency with a child is too. So is aggravated assault with a weapon or with serious harm. The state can ask for a hearing on it. Proof that running off is the likelier outcome, or clear and convincing proof of danger, means bail "shall be denied." A judge choosing to grant bail in spite of that showing owes the parties written findings (Const. art. I, § 11d).

S.B. 9, a 2025 law, lets a prosecutor unhappy with felony bail ask a district judge to take another look (CCP art. 17.029). For certain violent crimes, an appeals court can hear the state's challenge to a bail figure it finds too lenient. Judges there get 20 days, and meanwhile the accused cannot leave jail (art. 44.01). The two prosecuting offices are:

• 49th Judicial District Attorney, for felonies, 1110 Victoria Street, Suite 401, Laredo, TX 78040, 956-523-4900.
• County Attorney, for County Court cases, 200 E. 7th Avenue, Zapata, TX 78076, third floor of the courthouse, 956-765-9905.

The defense lawyer files a motion, which is a formal written ask, before the judge assigned to the case. It can seek a smaller amount or easier conditions. Families help most by collecting:

1. Paychecks, bank records and monthly bills. Texas law tells judges to factor in what a defendant can afford (CCP art. 17.15).
2. Proof of local roots, like a rental contract, a job letter or school records for children.
3. A safety plan, perhaps a relative's home to stay in or regular check-ins.

Delays by the state can also free someone. A prosecutor who isn't trial-ready in time triggers a personal bond or a lower amount. For a felony, that happens after 90 days in jail. When a misdemeanor's top jail term passes 180 days, the clock is 30 days. Smaller jailable misdemeanors reach it at 15 days, and fine-only cases at 5. Exceptions exist (art. 17.151).

On a felony, the District Clerk, 200 E. 7th Avenue, Suite 119, Zapata, TX 78076, 956-765-9930, can point you to the court. On a misdemeanor, try the County Clerk, 200 E. 7th Avenue, Suite 138, Zapata, TX 78076, 956-765-9915.

A person too poor to hire defense counsel gets one paid by the county. Local judges follow a written indigent defense plan, posted on the statewide plan site under the county's name.

1. Asking starts at the magistrate's hearing, and the magistrate assists with filling out the request (CCP art. 15.17).
2. When the magistrate can't appoint counsel on the spot, the forms must go to the appointing judge within 24 hours.
3. Smaller counties, those under 250,000 people, must appoint someone no later than three working days from getting the form. Counties above that size get one working day (art. 1.051).
4. Within one working day of being named, the new attorney must try in earnest to contact the client, as art. 26.04 requires.

Judges weigh income, debts and dependents. Making bail cannot, standing alone, disqualify someone under art. 26.04. For help with how the plan works, reach the Texas Indigent Defense Commission, 209 West 14th Street, Room 202, Austin, TX 78701, 512-936-6994.

Nearly every state case stays in one building, the county courthouse at 200 E. 7th Avenue, Zapata, TX 78076, 956-765-9920.

• 49th District Court, felonies. Its judge serves Webb County as well, and the court's local line is 956-765-9935.
• County Court, also inside, is where the County Judge hears the more serious misdemeanors.
• Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1: 604A Delmar Street, Zapata, TX 78076, 956-765-9165.
• Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2: 1103 US Highway 83, San Ygnacio, TX 78067, 956-765-9811.
• Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3: 200 E. 7th Avenue, Suite 205, Zapata, TX 78076, 956-765-9945.
• Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4: 301 E. 17th Avenue, Zapata, TX 78076, 956-765-6655.
• Federal charges are heard in Laredo: 1300 Victoria Street, Laredo, TX 78040, 956-723-3542.

Justice courts open weekdays 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. for fine-only Class C matters.

When every condition of the bond is met, the deposit goes back to whoever the receipt names. That rule is in CCP art. 17.02. Some reasons the refund may shrink:

• A clerk fee of 5% (no more than $50) applies, though a dismissal or acquittal means no such fee (Local Gov't Code § 117.055).
• Money the defendant owes the court in fines and costs can be subtracted before any refund (art. 17.53).
• Bondsman fees stay gone either way.

A missed date triggers forfeiture. A court officer calls out the name at the courthouse doors, and when nobody steps up, the court issues a judgment nisi, meaning the bond is on track to be lost (art. 22.02). The bonding company escapes the debt when the runaway is caught and jailed fast enough. That window runs 180 days on misdemeanor bonds; felony bonds get 270 days (art. 22.13). A missed date may spawn its own new offense too, graded from Class C to a felony to match the original case. Penal Code § 38.10 covers this.

Felony cash bonds are refunded by the District Clerk, 200 E. 7th Avenue, Suite 119, Zapata, TX 78076, 956-765-9930. Misdemeanor refunds run through the County Clerk, 200 E. 7th Avenue, Suite 138, Zapata, TX 78076, 956-765-9915.

On the way out of the jail at 2301 Kennedy Street, Zapata, TX 78076, a released person should collect clothing, keys, wallet, phone and whatever money still sits in their jail fund. Items left behind can sometimes go to a relative.

Phone 956-765-8615 before driving there. Ask how a leftover balance gets refunded, when property is released and if a signed permission note is required. Bring ID. For how deposits work, open our inmate money page.

When the charge is a federal crime, the case moves to the Southern District's federal court in Laredo. Its home is 1300 Victoria Street, Laredo, TX 78040, the George P. Kazen Federal Building, 956-723-3542.

• A federal judge rules on release at the first court date, or holds a detention hearing. Either side can delay that hearing just a few days (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• From arrest to trial, a federal prisoner is held for the Marshals, whose Laredo office sits at 1300 Victoria Street, Suite 1197, Laredo, TX 78040, 956-794-1060.
• Federal detainees often fill local jail beds under contract. When the state counted heads in June 2022, 159 of the 192 inmates here were held for the federal government.
• A broke federal defendant can be appointed counsel through the Federal Public Defender, 1202 Houston Street, Room 100, Laredo, TX 78040, 956-753-5313.
• After sentencing, track the person through the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

A detainer from immigration officials keeps going even after state bail is posted. In order, here is what follows:

1. Form I-247A comes in from ICE. It is a written request to keep holding the person.
2. Jailers may hold the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. State law makes the jail obey a detainer. Showing papers of citizenship or legal presence ends that duty (art. 2A.060). In addition, a 2017 law found in Gov't Code § 752.053 blocks any local policy that would limit immigration enforcement. Last, S.B. 8 (2025) set a clock for Texas jail counties. Each one must try for a 287(g) partnership, a formal tie with ICE, by the first day of December 2026. The Sheriff's Office, 956-765-9960, can tell you the local status.
4. S.B. 9 bars appointed magistrates from granting bail to someone under an ICE detainer (art. 17.027).
5. Pickups here fall under the ICE Harlingen Field Office, 1717 Zoy Street, Harlingen, TX 78552, 956-389-7800. A nearby ICE site is the Rio Grande Processing Center, 1001 San Rio Blvd, Laredo, TX 78046, 956-718-4700.
6. Search the ICE Online Detainee Locator using the full name plus an A-number, or a birth date together with the birth country.

A state jail felony sentence means months in one of the state jails. Anything from a third-degree felony up means a prison term under the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Those terms are set in Penal Code §§ 12.32-12.35. Expect a stay at the county jail after sentencing until transfer. At intake, TDCJ staff study each person and pick a unit for them.

• Search by a last name, TDCJ number or SID with the TDCJ inmate search. Updates happen on workdays, so results trail by a day or more.
• For each Texas prison, see our state prisons directory.

In Texas, youth court hears cases against kids from age 10 through age 16, judged by their age when the act happened. At 17, Texas sends the case to adult court, and any jail stay is in the adult jail. Family Code § 51.02 draws that line. The child's parent is owed a prompt call from police (§ 52.02).

• Detained youths get a hearing in two working days at most. If the arrest falls on a Friday or a Saturday, the court must hold it on the first working day after. Counsel for the child gets named before that (§ 54.01).
• The youth goes home unless the judge finds a reason the statute allows for keeping the child (§ 54.01).
• After a hearing, adult court can take a case against a 14-year-old for capital or first-degree felonies. For other felonies, that age is 15 (§ 54.02).

Contact Juvenile Probation, 200 E. 7th Avenue, Suite 347, Zapata, TX 78076, 956-765-9142. With no youth detention center registered in the county, a child who must stay locked up goes to another county's center. One state-registered center nearby is the Webb County Youth Village, 111 Camino Nuevo Road, Laredo, TX 78043, 956-523-5600. Probation staff can tell you where the child went.

Charge weight sorts the docket. Felonies climb to the 49th District Court, a bench shared with neighboring Webb County; felony records go to the District Clerk. Misdemeanors rated A or B, which can carry jail, get heard by the elected County Judge sitting as the County Court, with records at the County Clerk. A justice of the peace starts every fine-only Class C matter.

A loss at trial can be appealed. The District Clerk names the Fourth Court of Appeals as the one serving this county, while Austin's Court of Criminal Appeals settles criminal questions last. The District Clerk answers at 956-765-9930 and the County Clerk at 956-765-9915, both at 200 E. 7th Avenue, Zapata, TX 78076.

The courthouse stands at 200 E. 7th Avenue, Zapata, TX 78076. Its main switchboard is 956-765-9920, which also rings the County Judge's court. Rooms a family may need:

• District Clerk, Suite 119, ground level, 956-765-9930. Open weekdays 8:00 a.m. to noon, then 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. Its web page posts the state's forms for an order of nondisclosure, which seals certain records.
• 49th District Court, the felony bench, 956-765-9935.
• County Clerk, Suite 138, also ground level, 956-765-9915. Phone ahead for its hours.
• County Attorney, third floor, 956-765-9905.
• Adult probation, Suite 348, 956-765-9936, open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.

Bring a photo ID and give yourself extra minutes to find the right room.

This county has no incorporated town and so no municipal court. Every fine-only matter goes to a JP. All four precincts open 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. on weekdays.

• Precinct 1: 604A Delmar Street, Zapata, TX 78076, 956-765-9165.
• Precinct 2: 1103 US Highway 83, San Ygnacio, TX 78067, 956-765-9811.
• Precinct 3: 200 E. 7th Avenue, Suite 205, Zapata, TX 78076, 956-765-9945.
• Precinct 4: 301 E. 17th Avenue, Zapata, TX 78076, 956-765-6655.

Class C means a fine capped at $500, never a jail term (Penal Code § 12.23). An officer may hand over a ticket rather than drive someone to a magistrate for any of them, public intoxication aside (CCP art. 14.06). Short on cash? Say so in court. The judge can spread the fine over months, swap it for service hours or waive it. Locking someone up over a fine takes a hearing first, and only a willful refusal to pay justifies it (arts. 45A.252-45A.261). Look up or pay a ticket on the JP courts' citation site or at 877-439-1900.

Within 48 hours, each arrestee has to face a magistrate, whether across a desk or over a camera feed (CCP 15.17). Here, the four JPs serve as magistrates. In those few minutes the JP names the offense, mentions silence and counsel as rights, takes any paperwork asking for appointed defense, and fixes bail and its conditions.

A family violence arrest can add one more step. The JP may sign an emergency protective order. Most run from 61 days up to 91. Use of a deadly weapon can make it last longer (art. 17.292).

Finding no probable cause? The magistrate owes a written ruling inside a day (art. 15.17). Felony defendants have one more tool, the examining trial, in which the evidence gets probed ahead of indictment (art. 16.01). For timing, ask the Sheriff's Office at 956-765-9960.

DWI, theft and assault often start as misdemeanors, though the facts set the class; the charging paper names it. The County Court case opens when a prosecutor files what Texas calls an information. Then come:

1. Arraignment, where the charge gets read and the defendant answers it (art. 26.01).
2. Settings before trial, during which both sides swap evidence and bargain.
3. Plea or trial. A judge must reveal before accepting a plea whether the bargain will stand, and if not, the plea may be pulled back (art. 26.13).

Under chapter 12 of the Penal Code, a Class B conviction risks 180 days locally and $2,000, either one or both. Class A doubles the stakes to twelve months locally and $4,000.

A judge may also grant deferred adjudication. No conviction is entered, and if the person behaves for the term, which tops out at two years here, the charge gets dismissed (art. 42A.103). Regular misdemeanor probation shares that two-year ceiling (art. 42A.053). For the next date, reach the County Clerk, 200 E. 7th Avenue, Suite 138, Zapata, TX 78076, 956-765-9915.

The 49th Judicial District Attorney, based in Laredo, prosecutes felonies from this county, and they come up for hearing at the courthouse here. Usually the case passes through three stages:

1. Grand jury. Its sessions are secret, and nine or more jurors must vote yes to indict (art. 20A.301).
2. Arraignment on that indictment, then motion hearings and evidence fights.
3. Plea or trial. A plea bargain can end it, or a trial goes before a jury unless both sides agree to a judge.

Sentences run on a ladder (§§ 12.32-12.35). State jail felonies sit lowest, at 180 days to 24 months. Third degree means a 2-year floor and 10-year cap. Second degree keeps that floor but lifts the cap to 20. First degree spans 5 to 99 years; life is also possible.

Fines up to $10,000 can come with any rung. Prior records may bump a case up a level (§ 12.42). Felony probation, deferred or regular, may reach ten years (arts. 42A.053, 42A.103). Ninety days without a ready prosecutor can earn a jailed defendant a personal bond or a reduced bail (art. 17.151). Statewide, drug, veterans and mental health dockets appear in the state's specialty court registry. For the next felony setting, call the District Clerk at 956-765-9930.

The gravest charges change both release and sentencing.

• No personal bond from a magistrate for an offense on the violent list in CCP 17.03.
• Holding without bail. A 2025 amendment, Const. art. I, § 11d, requires a judge to refuse release on murder and other listed violent charges if the state proves bail won't stop flight or protect others. The prosecutor must request it, and a hearing comes first.
• Another review. A district judge can be asked by prosecutors to reconsider felony bail (art. 17.029). On some violent counts, the state can even appeal a low figure (art. 44.01).
• Capital murder leaves adults facing death or a life term without parole eligibility. Anyone who was 17 or younger at the killing faces life in prison instead (§ 12.31 of the Penal Code).
• Family violence may add a four-hour jail hold after bond is made, plus an emergency protective order (arts. 17.291, 17.292).

Crime victims may insist that bail weigh their safety (art. 56A.051). For an open violent case, contact the 49th Judicial District Attorney, 1110 Victoria Street, Suite 401, Laredo, TX 78040, 956-523-4900.

Charges here come from two separate offices:

• 49th Judicial District Attorney, for felonies here and in Webb County: 1110 Victoria Street, Suite 401, Laredo, TX 78040, 956-523-4900.
• County Attorney, on the courthouse's third floor at 200 E. 7th Avenue, Zapata, TX 78076, 956-765-9905. This office handles the county's side of criminal cases and youth prosecutions. It also stands with family violence victims who want protective orders.

Can't pay for a defense? Ask for appointed counsel at magistration. Texas requires each county to follow a written appointment plan, and those plans are posted on the state plan site. Eligibility turns on earnings, bills and who depends on the person; having bonded out is no automatic bar (art. 26.04). Several workdays with no lawyer's call? Ring whichever clerk holds the file. Statewide standards come from the Texas Indigent Defense Commission, 209 West 14th Street, Room 202, Austin, TX 78701, 866-499-0656.

Start with the clerk who keeps the file:

• Misdemeanors: the County Clerk's page links an online records search. Call 956-765-9915 for help.
• Felonies: the District Clerk at 956-765-9930 can give the cause number and the next setting.
• Statewide: once you open a free account, re:SearchTX displays filed charges and final judgments. Hearing times stay off it.

Court-event alerts by phone, text or email are another IVSS-Counties feature. Sign up through IVSS-Counties online or at 866-268-8959. Full Texas conviction histories cost money via the DPS conviction name search. Both clerks are in the courthouse at 200 E. 7th Avenue, Zapata, TX 78076.

Here, warrants get served by sheriff's deputies and by the constables of all four precincts. Ask the Sheriff's Office, 956-765-9960, if one stands open. Statewide, DPS posts its most urgent fugitives on the Texas 10 Most Wanted. A ticket left unpaid long enough can become a warrant, viewable on the JP citation search. Clearing it starts with legal advice; after that, a person usually walks in on their own or has counsel ask the court for a fresh date. A felony warrant traces back to the District Court; its clerk sits at 200 E. 7th Avenue, Suite 119, Zapata, TX 78076, 956-765-9930.

Laredo, a division seat of the Southern District of Texas, takes federal charges from this county. Hearings take place in the Kazen federal courthouse, 1300 Victoria Street, Laredo, TX 78040, 956-723-3542.

1. A U.S. magistrate judge sees the arrested person first and spells out the accusation.
2. Release gets granted or a detention hearing gets scheduled; postponing it takes a party's request and buys only days (18 U.S.C. 3142).
3. Awaiting trial, a federal defendant stays in custody of the U.S. Marshals, whose Laredo office is at 1300 Victoria Street, Suite 1197, Laredo, TX 78040, 956-794-1060.
4. The U.S. Attorney's Laredo office handles prosecution: P.O. Box 1179, Laredo, TX 78042, 956-723-6523.
5. The Federal Public Defender takes appointed cases from 1202 Houston Street, Room 100, Laredo, TX 78040, 956-753-5313.

Sentenced to federal prison? Check the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator for the facility.

The state case keeps moving even if immigration officers are interested in the defendant. What changes is release. ICE may lodge a Form I-247A detainer, letting the jail keep the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)). State law makes jails honor such requests absent proof of lawful status (art. 2A.060), and § 752.053 of the Gov't Code bars local governments from limiting immigration enforcement.

Next, a 2025 statute called S.B. 8 puts a clock on 287(g) deals: every jail-holding county must have applied to ICE once December 1, 2026, arrives. The local answer on that comes from the Sheriff's Office at 956-765-9960. ICE's Harlingen Field Office covers this area: 1717 Zoy Street, Harlingen, TX 78552, 956-389-7800. Search for a detainee on the ICE Online Detainee Locator. Any noncitizen weighing a plea deal should first hear from a lawyer what it means for staying in the country.

TDCJ runs both kinds of lockup that follow a felony: state jails for the lowest felony tier, prisons for the rest. Following the judgment, the person waits in county lockup until TDCJ can take them. Intake staff then pick a unit.

Records refresh on business days in the TDCJ inmate search; enter either a full name or the TDCJ number. Our Texas state prisons page gives each unit's mailing location.

Juvenile court hears cases when the offense happened at age 10 or older but before age 17. Once a person is 17, the regular criminal courts take the charge (§ 51.02 of the Family Code). Locally, the County Judge sits as juvenile judge, and the County Attorney brings youth cases.

• A parent must hear promptly once police take a child in (§ 52.02).
• Detained youth get a hearing within two working days. A weekend-eve pickup, Friday or Saturday, shortens that to one. They have a lawyer before it starts (§ 54.01).
• Some grave felonies can be moved up to adult court by a transfer hearing, starting at 14 or 15 by charge (§ 54.02).

Juvenile Probation is at 200 E. 7th Avenue, Suite 347, Zapata, TX 78076, 956-765-9142. The state's registry lists no youth lockup within this county's borders. A child who must be held is placed out of county, perhaps at the Webb County Youth Village, 111 Camino Nuevo Road, Laredo, TX 78043, 956-523-5600. Probation staff know where.

Texas law spells out victims' rights (art. 56A.051). Bail decisions must factor in their safety. On request, they hear about hearings ahead of time, and before a sentence they may give an impact statement.

Custody and court alerts come free from Texas IVSS-Counties, or call 866-268-8959, around the clock, English or Spanish. The AG's Crime Victims' Compensation program reimburses medical care, therapy and missed wages to a $50,000 limit. Its number is 800-983-9933.

Family violence victims can ask the County Attorney about a protective order: 200 E. 7th Avenue, Zapata, TX 78076, third floor, 956-765-9905. Once an offender is in state prison, the TDCJ Victim Services Division handles notices at 800-848-4284.