If a family member or loved one has been arrested in Travis County, you no doubt have questions about releasing them. How soon can they come home? How do I find out what the charges against them are? What can I expect to pay?

The first thing to check is the Travis County Jail inmate database, which tracks every person through the criminal justice system and includes information on where they are being detained, what they have been accused of and how much bond has been sent. Our 24-hour hotline will give you access to an experienced attorney that can access this database 24-hours a day.  Please call: (512) 829-3081

The entire Travis County inmate search process starts with:

Step One: The Inmate Arrest

When a suspect is taken into police custody, they are legally considered under arrest. This begins the moment that a police officer deprives someone of their ability to leave of their own free will. This can take the form of:

• • Physical restraint
• • Being handcuffed
• • Being placed in the back of a locked squad car or other police vehicle

Satisfying any of these requirements means that a suspect has been arrested, and can occur long before they actually arrive in jail.

Step Two: The Inmate Booking

Following the arrest, the suspect will be taken to one of two detention facilities – Austin’s Travis County Jail or Del Valle’s Travis County Correctional Complex – to be booked and taken into police custody at the jail. At this point they will be placed in pretrial detention, all of their personal belongings will be confiscated, and information will be collected that includes:

• • Fingerprints
• • Mug shot photo
• • Identifying marks
• • Any known aliases or alternative names
• • Criminal history
• • Social Security number
• • Identifying information such as race, weight and height

At this stage, a determination will be made as to whether or not a suspect qualifies for bond based on their past history and the nature of their alleged crime.

Step Three: Travis County Pretrial Services

While in police custody at either Travis County Jail or Travis County Correctional Complex, the defendant will be interviewed by an officer of Travis County Pretrial Services. Designed to help provide a recommendation to the court, this interview will cover a variety of subjects including:

• • History of drug or alcohol problems
• • Local and national criminal history
• • Nature of current employment
• • Place of current residence
• • Personal references

Based on this interview, pretrial services will create a recommendation to the court as to the specifics of the defendant’s release. Their suggestions on bond and conditions of release will then before forwarded to a judge or magistrate.

Step Four: The Inmate Bond Hearing

Along with the recommendation from pretrial services, a judge or a magistrate will at this point review the written sworn document of the arresting officer (in cases where the document was written to justify a warrant, the judge will have already reviewed this document). What the judges is seeking to determine by review of this document is probable cause, meaning they are trying to determine whether:

• • A crime has taken place and
• • Sufficient evidence exists to place the defendant under arrest.

This is ultimately a decision that rests on the judge. While the arresting officer might posit that probable causes exists based on their own observations, the judge has the ability to disagree with those findings and release the inmate from jail. This rarely happens, however, which means that at this point the judge or magistrate will determine the amount of bond. Essentially a dollar amount to be paid by the defendant to await trial outside of jail, this is determined based on the severity of the crime.

How is Bond Determined?

While there are general guidelines surrounding bond amounts, judges are given quite a bit of leeway to determine bond amount based on their own judicial temperament. Some judges will skew more strict, some more lenient. But the biggest factor in determining bond amount will be the nature of the charges against the defendant. Essentially, these charges are divided into misdemeanors and felonies.

Misdemeanors will typically carry a smaller bond, usually no higher than $10,000. The exact amount will depend on the class of misdemeanor the defendant is being charged with.

• • Class C Misdemeanors are the least serious of misdemeanor charges, carrying fines up to $500 and no jail time.
• • Class B Misdemeanors can carry fines as high as $2,000 as well as 180 days in county jail.
• • Class A Misdemeanors, being the most serious, carry the highest penalties including fines up to $4,000 and up to a year in county jail.

More serious than misdemeanors, felonies carry even higher penalties along with a permanent mark on the defendant’s criminal record if found guilty. In the state of Texas, felonies are divided into five distinct categories:

• • State Jail Felonies are the least severe type of felonies, but still carry fines up to $10,000 and the possibility of six months to two years in jail.
• • Third Degree Felonies carry a mandatory minimum sentence of two years, with a possibility of up to 10 years in jail and fines up to $10,000.
• • Second Degree Felonies carry similar fines to a third degree felony and the same mandatory two-year minimum sentence, but can result in a jail term of up to 20 years.
• • First Degree Felonies carry a mandatory minimum sentence of five years, with the possibility of life imprisonment. Fines can also run up to $10,000 for this level of sentencing.
• • Capital Felonies are the most severe variety of felony and can result in the defendant’s execution. Even if the prosecution does not seek the death penalty, the defendant can still face life in prison without parole.

Locating An Inmate in the Travis County Database

As mentioned, the first step is to check the Travis County Jail Records, publicly available under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) as well as Texas public record laws. From there you can determine which of the two Travis County facilities your loved one has been taken to, and can start the process of freeing them.

Contacting the 24-hour attorney hotline will give you direct access to an attorney that will locate the inmate in the Travis County Inmate database and prepare the legal paperwork to get them released.
Having an attorney on your side will protect both your rights and the inmates rights.

Our attorneys are always prepared to head to jail and secure the inmate’s release, no matter the hour. Please call (512) 829-3081 to have our attorney begin drafting up paperwork that can help regain you or your loved one’s freedom.  Attorney Ken Gibson has a proven track record of helping clients get out of Travis County jail fast, and keeping them out by seeing the charges against them reduced or dismissed before the case even goes to trial.

Travis County Jail Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Can the Process Take?

It depends on the charge and how many people are being booked the day or night of the arrest

What Does Bail Bond Mean?

Set by the magistrate judge, bail refers to the set of conditions that must be met for a defendant to be freed from jail while they await trail. Sometimes set as a cash amount, this bail is set at the judge’s discretion and is designed to ensure the defendant appears in court for their trial and any hearings that take place before the trial.

Bond can take many forms, but primarily they will be offered in one of four different types:

Personal Bond: If you have an experienced defense attorney and the defendant has not much of a criminal history, the judge may issue a personal bond based on recommendations from the Travis County Court Pretrial Services. Under a personal bond, the inmate is freed from jail to await their court date at home, as long as they promise to return for any court dates and meet any conditions determined by the judge.

Personal Recognizance Bond: A Personal Recognizance Bond (or PR Bond) offers many of the same conditions as a personal bond in that the defendant may be sent home to await trial on the promise of returning when called to court. They will not have to pay any kind of cash bail, but they will be required to provide pertinent information and meet any requirements set by the court. If the defendant is denied a Personal Bond by Pretrial Services, they may still qualify for a personal recognizance bond

Cash Bond: This type of bond requires either the defendant or a family member to provide the Travis County Sheriff’s Office with a money order or cashiers check before the defendant can be released. The amount of the bond will be determined by the judge, and will be returned to the defendant after they have appeared to any court dates and their case has been resolved.

Cash Deposit Bond with Attorney: Similar to a Cash Bond, a Cash Deposit Bond with Attorney allows for a defendant to be freed from jail while pay around 10 percent of the bond as determined by a judge. This amount can only be paid by the defendant’s attorney.

What Payments Are Accepted?

Attorney Ken Gibson and his team proudly offer affordable rates on a flat-fee basis, payable by credit card of smartphone payment app. The amount of this a flat fee.