Jail Information

What to do if I want to get someone released from jail

• First make sure that the person is in fact in a City of Houston jail facility. You can call 713.247.5400 or (713) 837-0311 to find this out. You may also call this number to find out how much a person owes and/or the amount of any bonds. 

• If a person is arrested on city charges i.e., new charges, warrants, or capias pro fines (fines that have not been paid), that person can be released in one of several ways. A person may post a cash bond. This means that a person places a certain amount of cash with the city to guarantee that he/she will appear at the next court setting.
  
  
•  If a person does not appear at the next setting after posting a cash bond, then all the money that was posted will be forfeited to the city. If a person appears and is found not guilty or has his/her cases dismissed then all the bond money will be refunded. A person may post a surety bond. This is done by contacting a bonding company who, for a fee, puts up a bond which guarantees that a person will appear at the next court date. The City of Houston has nothing to do with the contract between a defendant and the bonding company. The bonding company normally charges a fee for each bond posted.
  
  
• A person may request to be released on personal bond. Whether or not a person is released on personal bond is entirely up to the judge. Factors that are considered by the judge are: the type of charge, the defendant's ties to the community, and whether or not the arrest resulted from warrants for failure to appear in court.
  
  
• Once a person appears before a judge and pleads guilty or is found guilty, he/she may request a deferred payment. A deferred payment means that a person is given time to pay his/her fine.
  
  
• It is important to remember that a person must dispose of all his/her cases before he/she can be released.  

Where can I post a bond?

• The Municipal Courthouse, Jail Bonding, located at 1400 Lubbock, is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays.