Hamilton County Jail – Hamilton, TX

Hamilton County Jail is located in Hamilton County, TX and is the main jail for the county. Looking for someone at Hamilton County Jail? This page tells you information about anything one might want to know about Hamilton County Jail: How to locate an inmate. Find mugshots and inmate photos. The jail’s address and phone number. Bail and bail bondsmen. Intake procedures. Hamilton County court information. And much more…

The chance of going to jail is a scary and daunting idea, not only for whoever gets arrested, but also their family, friends, and loved ones. This guide is meant to give information and advice you need to make helping a friend or family member get out of jail less stressful. If you have specific questions, just ask it, and please leave any tips or comments that would help other people in the same situation would be welcome.

Do you know someone that has gone to jail and don’t know how to contact them?

Do you know somebody that’s been arrested and you need to locate them?

To see who’s in jail at Hamilton County Jail you have to click on their web site and do an inmate search.

The Hamilton County Jail Inmate Locator is a list of persons who have been arrested, including status, how much their bail is, and times you can visit. You can get the same information for anyone who has been arrested or discharged in the last 24 hours. Jail inmates are listed alphabetically by last name. You’ll be able to find the information fast if you’ve got their first and last name, birth date, or arrest number.

If the person you are looking for may be in another county jail you can check our Texas county jail guide: Texas County Jails Listing

A mugshot, also known as a jail booking picture, is a photo taken by the police when you get processed at jail intake. They will take one face photo and a side-view photo. Your name and jail ID number will be in the pictures, and they’re on file.

Mugshots can be found online, or you can view them at the Hamilton County Jail. When viewing online you have to enter the prisoner’s legal name, and a booking date, if you have it.

Need to know how to have your mugshot erased from the Hamilton County Jail site? This will be difficult, because your mugshot is public record. You have to file a Petition to Expunge with the court. Basically, this means that the record of your arrest would be sealed, and unavailable to the public. Unfortunately, this happens very rarely.

Read our in-depth tutorial about getting your mugshot removed, the different websites with mugshots, and the mugshot removal websites: How To Get Your Mugshot Taken Down

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If you are locked up, your main thought is about how to get out. After booking, your bail amount is set either through a preset bail schedule or a magistrate. If you don’t get a bail set this may mean that you will either be free to go until your trial, or you have to stay in jail until your trial.

If you do bail out of jail you must agree to show up for court, and until that date you are required not to travel out of the county.

In most cases, inmates will earn time off in exchange for good behavior if they follow the rules and conduct themselves properly while they are in jail.

If you do exhibit good behavior and the jail believes you can be trusted, you might be allowed to do work release. Either you will have to return to the jail every day when you’re finished at your job, or you may be allowed to move into a halfway house instead of living at the jail.

Your bail is the amount of money that you will be required to pay to be released from jail until your court date. The amount you will have to pay is determined by the seriousness of your crime. You will have to post 10 percent of the total amount that was determined in order to bail out of jail. If you fail to show up for your court date, whoever posted your bail will not get their money back.

You must call the jail. If you have all the pertinent information, such as name, address and date of birth, they will tell you the bail amount. Also, you can check their bail amount and status online.

Having to bail someone out of jail is an unpleasant situation, but most of the time, it is easy. First of all, you need to find out if their bail is a Cash Only Bond. If this is the case, you can’t get a bondsman. Cash only – they can’t take a personal check. Once the cash bond has been paid, the inmate will be released into your care. If they don’t violate the terms of their bail, you’ll get the bail money back.

If the bail amount is too high, or you just don’t have the money, you should try a bail bondsman. They will generally charge a fee of 10 to 15 percent of the bail amount, and usually charge a minimum fee of $100. This money is non-refundable and has to be paid in cash. If their bail has been set particularly high, the bail bondsman may require that they use your assets, such as home, property or cars, as collateral.

To find a local bail bondsman go to: Find a Bail Bondsman in Hamilton County

Have you ever used a bondsman because you or someone you know got arrested? If you have, leave a comment below and tell your story, and let us know how things turned out.

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• Early Release For Good Behavior
• Get Out on Work Release
• Time Served
• Get Out on a Pre-Trial Release Program
• House Arrest
• Be Released on Your Own Recognizance

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The intake procedure takes you through these steps:

• They’ll put you in a holding cell. If the jail is busy, it will take a while to get processed.
• The first step is that you will answer some questions, like your legal name, street address, date of birth and a contact person.
• They’ll also ask about your mental and medical history.
• You’ll be given an inmate ID number.
• You will be fingerprinted.
• They will take your mugshot.
• All of your personal property will be taken from you and stored until you are released.
• You will get to use the telephone so you can get in touch with a member of your family, friend, or bondsman to arrange bail.
• If you think you will get released quickly, you might get to keep wearing your own clothes, but if you are not expected to make bail quickly you will have to change into a jail issued jumpsuit.

Have you ever been booked into jail? If you have, please share your experience so others can benefit from your story. How long did you have to wait? How did the guards treat you? Can you tell us things that could help other people get through jail intake?

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When you post bail, you will be allowed to go home after you get discharged. The discharge process takes from 10 minutes to many hours. So, the faster you can pay your bail, the quicker you will get released. Also, how fast you get released will depend on if you have a cash bond amount or if a magistrate must determine your bail amount. For a minor offense, you will simply be booked and get released without having to post bail. When you have served out your jail sentence and are given a release date, you should expect to be released between 9am and noon.

out against you, or if you must begin your jail sentence, you should do the right thing and go down to the jail and turn yourself in. If you have a warrant, go to the jail, and tell them that think that there is a warrant for your arrest. A record check will be run, and if so, they will take you into custody and begin the intake process. When reporting to serve a sentence, go down to the jail on the date and time that the sentence order requires you to. Make sure that you are not late to report. Make sure that you only bring approved items with you, such as your driver’s license or your ID, any prescription medication you might take, along with your doctor’s prescription, and a sentencing order from court.

In order to have visitors, inmates need to give each visitor’s name to the jail in advance of the visit. Your visitor’s information will go in a log of visitors for the inmate that requested the visitor. Every visitor is required to provide acceptable photo identification when visiting an inmate. Any visitors showing up late or that is not on the visitation list will be turned away.
The Hamilton County Jail visitation procedures can change, so we suggest that you double-check the jail site before you go to visitation.

All phone calls from jail are collect calls or through a pre-paid phone account. These phone calls are usually more expensive than phone calls made outside of jail. Inmates are able to make phone calls, with restrictions on when you can make phone calls, how long you can talk, and how often you can make calls, but bear in mind that you are just one of many people who want to talk to their loved ones. If you break the jail rules, an inmate’s phone privileges might get cut back or cut altogether.

The Hamilton County Jail phone number is: 254-386-8128

All mail has to be mailed using the actual US Postal Service, and not courier or delivery, or hand delivered. You cannot use any other form of mail delivery. Clearly write or type the inmate’s name, prisoner number, and jail address on the letter. Don’t send anything in a box or package, envelope with padding or insulation, bag, or an envelope with metal inside. Any mail sent to inmates gets opened and examined by the staff, and will be returned if they decide it is inappropriate.

Use this address when sending a letter to an inmate at Hamilton County Jail:

Hamilton County Jail
1108 S. Rice
Hamilton, TX 76531

Here is how you should address the letter:

[INMATE’S FULL NAME]
[INMATE ID]
Hamilton County Jail
1108 S. Rice
Hamilton, TX 76531

The mail policy at Hamilton County Jail is always changing, so be sure to double check the official website when you send a letter to an inmate.

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If you get arrested, you still have rights, the most important of which is your right to request an attorney. You don’t get to make many phone calls when you get arrested, so you would be wise to ask a friend or family member to locate an attorney when you call. You may be thinking ‘why do I need a lawyer?’ While you are not required to have one, a criminal lawyer will advise you about your rights, look after your best interests and help you navigate through the complicated legal system that you are now faced with. The faster you get an attorney working on your situation, the better your chances.

For more info on the benefits of hiring a lawyer, read: Find an Attorney

If you’ve been arrested and cannot afford a lawyer, you will get a public defender. Also, the Public Defender has a number of staff such as independent investigators, experts in forensics as well as case workers. You will be reassured to know that Public Defenders are licensed lawyers who are members of the Texas State Bar and are completely licensed to represent you in court and practice law.

Have you or someone you know had to use the services of a Public Defender? Are you happy with how they handled your case?

Hamilton County court records are a matter of public record. Court records include a case file with a docket and every documents and motions in the case. You, and anyone else, can access court records via the Hamilton County website, or at the Clerk’s office of the Court where the case was filed.

The Hamilton County Clerk of Court is an official part of the court that maintains court records. The Clerk of Court also administer the oath when court is in session, and read the verdict when the jury makes their final decision. All court records from your case are held at Clerk of Court’s office.

Court costs and court fees are the charges from your case, which include filing fees, motion and claim fees, and court charges. If you cannot afford these fees and have court appointed legal counsel or a Public Defender, you can get a waiver for these fees.

The magistrate acts as the judge that presides on your case in court. They do different tasks, like determining how much your bail will be, issuing arrest warrants, and presiding over preliminary court proceedings and detention proceedings.

A pre-sentencing report is put together to include information about the defendant’s background and as much detail about the arrestee’s life and public history, which the magistrate will take into consideration when decide your sentence. Information and personal details will be requested from the defendant, the defendant’s family, and in some cases the victim of the crime. Keep in mind you are able to request to get your own copy of this report before sentencing, so you can review it for accuracy and completeness, and correct any mistakes.

If you get convicted of a crime, you will then get sentenced. The presiding judge in your case will weigh several options when determining your sentence, which include community service to probation, to even incarceration in jail or prison. Depending on sentencing guidelines and the severity of your crime, you might get locked up immediately, or you might be given a date that you must report to jail to serve your jail term according to your sentence.

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Do you need to find out if somebody you know is locked up, or has gone to jail in the past?

To do so, you need to access the jail website and do an inmate search, and do a search using:

• Name.
• Birthdate.
• Their approximate booking date.
• or inmate ID.

If you think that they are currently in jail, you should call the jail confirm whether they’ve been arrested or not.

If you believe you have an outstanding warrant, you can check the arrest warrants on the Hamilton County court website or call the court. This requires a first and last name. You can also go to the local jail and ask them. You should know that if there is an arrest warrant out for you, you will be taken into custody immediately.

If you know the person’s first and last name, and possibly an arrest date, contact the jail, either by phone, go there in person, or look online. An arrest is public record and these records are accessible by the public.

A Civil Process is when you are served with legal papers, like warrants. You can access civil process orders by going to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s office, on their website or by phone.

All convicted sex offenders are registered and listed on either a national or state sex offender database. The people on these databases have been convicted in a court of law of a sex crime. You are able to see this information online, but keep in mind that you can’t get the precise address, but rather the address block of the address that they registered.

Court Records are considered public records, so they are accessible to anyone who requests them. They include a court case file that contains a docket sheet and all of the filings and documents filed in your court case. You can access your court records via the internet, or at Clerk of Court office in the county where the case was filed.

Every state maintains a record of people’s criminal history. These databases are all linked so you are able to track criminal histories from any other state. You can go to the courthouse and check in person or you can check online. It is helpful to know the county, and in the event that the crime was in a different state, you may have to pay a fee for a more comprehensive search.

When you look up a person’s criminal records you are able to get a listing of all the arrests, charges, or convictions for any of the following crimes:

• DWI or DUI.
• Drug crimes like possession or trafficking.
• Kidnapping.
• Rape or other sexual assault.
• Violent crimes including assault, battery and murder.
• Breaking and entering, theft, larceny.

During a criminal records search, you generally won’t find if that person has had any:

• Speeding.
• Lost their driver’s license or license revoked or suspended.
• Any accidents.
• Moving violations.
• Parking Tickets.

To search for driving histories, you must do a search for their driving history.

Have you ever searched for criminal records? How hard was it? Did you search online or did you have to make a phone call to the local courthouse? Was the information you received correct? There are plenty of reasons that people search for criminal records and backgrounds, and your feedback may help other people that are in the same situation.

Click here to tell about all about it

Most Wanted

On a Federal level, the FBI has a listing of the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives. In Hamilton County, the Sheriff keeps their own list of most wanted criminals and fugitives.

FBI Ten Most Wanted List: Link


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Life In Jail / What Its Like

Daily Life

Just the thought of getting locked up in the Hamilton County jail is very scary, soon you will settle into the daily routine there. Inmates get a wake-up alarm at 6am, and then you’ll have roll call. Then you will eat breakfast. When you finish breakfast you will be required to work in the program that has been assigned to you. This could be working in the kitchen, laundry, or some sort of manufacturing job. While this may seem tedious, it may help you when you leave jail, as you are gaining experience in a certain field of work. Other inmates go to school, while some take part in mandated treatment programs. After lunch, there will be another roll call, then back to work. Your evening will be spent either in your cell or a common room. During this time dinner is served and you will be expected to take a shower. After another roll call, it’s lights out. Even though you will be confined to your cell, there may be enough light to read or write letters. Then again, most inmates welcome lights out, and try to get as much sleep as they can.

Most people are frightened at the idea of jail because they don’t know what to expect. If you have spent any time in Hamilton County Jail, your experiences would be welcomed, if it can help another person to deal with it.

Dress Code

When incarcerated, all inmates are expected to wear the Hamilton County Jail uniform. This is normally a jumpsuit or scrubs. Of note to anyone visiting an inmate – you must be properly dressed. Any clothing considered inappropriate will not be permitted.

How To Send Money to an Inmate

You will have your own ‘bank account’ while in jail. This money is used to purchase items from the Commissary. Family and friends can deposit money into this account for you, and any money you earn while in prison will also be deposited into your account. Outside money can be paid in to your account via a money order, cash or check. If someone sends a check or money order, make sure that they write your inmate ID on it. The maximum amount you are allowed in your account is $290 per month.

The rules for sending funds to someone in jail is always changing, so double check the official Hamilton County Jail site when send money to someone in jail there.


Commissary

The commissary is the jail store. You can purchase a number of things here, such as toiletries, snacks and writing supplies. Bear in mind that you will probably want to use the commissary daily, and any infractions will get that privilege taken away from you.

Inmate Medications

If you are on any type of prescription medication, you will be allowed to continue taking it while in jail. When you are first processed, you will be asked what medication you take. You will then be referred to the jail nurse or doctor who will be in charge of monitoring your health and prescribing your medication.

Meals

You will get three meals a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. As expected, they are very basic, but healthy. A typical breakfast might be cereal, toast, coffee and fruit. Lunch might be spaghetti, salad, bread and milk. Dinner could be chicken casserole, rice, vegetables, dessert and milk. Contrary to popular belief, prison food has greatly improved over the years, and you might find that it’s not much different from what you would eat at home.

Pods / The Yard

The jail is designed in a ‘pod’ layout, with self-contained housing arranged around an outdoor yard. Each pod has a central control station and a common room, and the inmates take turns in using the yard. The jail is designed this way to keep certain inmates together, and others away from the general population.

Gangs

As with life in general, gangs are a part of prison life. Obviously it is best to avoid becoming a part of this environment as it will only lead to trouble. When you first enter prison, you might find yourself being ‘primed’ to join a gang, or worse, you might get their attention in a negative way. The best thing to do is keep your head down and don’t get involved.


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News and Media

News

Photos / Pictures

Videos


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Jobs

Types of Jobs at Hamilton County Jail

The Deputy Sheriff is the second in command at the Hamilton County Jail, overseeing the day to day operations and administration of the jail. An inmate is unlikely to have much interaction with the Deputy Sheriff, unless they have committed an infraction. Detention Officers are responsible for the custody and care of the inmates. They maintain order in the jail, and handle security. A Detention Officer is assigned to a certain pod, and therefore is responsible for the same inmates each day. They get to know the inmates on a certain level and are well equipped to handle any problems that may occur.

Apply for a Job at Hamilton County Jail

Requirements:

• You have to be over the age of 21.
• You have to possess a High School Diploma or GED
• You have to be a US Citizen.
• You have to pass a Criminal, Credit and Driving History background check.
• You have to pass a drug test.
• You have to have a good level of fitness.
• You have to be in good health.
• You have to have a valid Driver’s License
• An applicant for Deputy Sheriff must possess a Law Enforcement Certification.


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Family Resources

There are resources for families of both the perpetrator of the crime and the victim. The social and emotional impact of crime is far reaching, affecting many. Families can receive professional counseling, court related assistance, social services assistance and help in navigating the criminal justice system.

If you are a family member, which resources did you find to be particularly helpful? Please let us know, as this will be helpful to other families in the same situation.

Click here to tell your story


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Victim Resources

Important Note: If you, or someone you know, are in immediate danger, call 911.

Victim’s Rights

The Victim Rights Act grants victims the following rights:

• The right to protection from the accused.
• The right to notification.
• The right to attend proceedings.
• The right to speak at criminal justice proceedings.
• The right to consult with the prosecuting attorney.
• The right to restitution.
• The right to a speedy trial.
• The right to be treated with fairness, dignity and respect.

The definition of victim includes:

• Spouses and children of all victims.
• Parents and guardians of minor victims.
• Parents, guardians and siblings of mentally or physically incapacitated victims or victims of homicide.
• Foster parents or other caregivers, under certain circumstances.

There are a number of services and programs designed to help victims and their families. You can find out about these services by contacting the courthouse, or local law enforcement agency.

Victim Notification

The Department of Justice Victim Notification System (VNS) is a system that provides victims with information pertaining to their case and/or any defendants in the case. You will receive a Victim Identification Number (VIN) and a Personal Identification Number (PIN) that will allow you to access VNS via the internet or by phone. Here, you will find information about future court hearings, historical court events, and detailed information about the defendant. This will include criminal charges filed, the outcome of charges, sentence imposed, custody location, projected release date and any other release information. The VNS website is updated daily. You will also receive any ongoing information by mail or email.

Have you, a family member or friend ever used the Victim Notification System? If so, was it effective? Did you get the information in a timely manner? Was the system difficult to use? We would like to hear from you, so please post any comments here.

Click here to comment

Sex Offender Information and Search

All people registered as sex offenders are registered on either a national or state sex offender database. The people on these databases have been convicted of a sex or kidnapping crime. You can access this information online, but bear in mind that you will not get the exact address, rather the block that they live on.

Domestic Violence

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, there are services to help you. Your county will have a Domestic Violence Services office. They provide free and confidential services, such as emergency shelter information, legal advocacy, support groups and domestic violence education. They will work to help you create a safe and violence-free life, and heal from the trauma of abuse.

Important Note: If you, or someone you know, are in immediate danger, call 911.


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Reviews

Reviews of this Jail

Have you ever been incarcerated in Hamilton County Jail? Do you have a friend or family member that is a prisoner there? Have you ever visited someone in this jail?

If yes, then you should write a review about it. Tell us about your jail experience so that others can find out what to expect.

Things you can include in your review:

• Conditions at the jail.
• Jail and pod layout and facility
• Staff and guards
• Commissary and food
• Visitation Days
• Other Inmates.
• Safety
• Jail gangs
• Programs and activities


Click here to write your review

Tell Your Story

Anyone who’s ever been arrested and sent to jail has some stories to tell about the whole experience. Why’d you get arrested? Did you experience fair treatment? How was day to day life at Hamilton County Jail? What were the other inmates like? Did going to jail affect your life? How?

Tell Your Story About Hamilton County Jail

Send a Message to Your Cell Mate

Make some good friends in jail? Trying to send a message to someone you met in jail? Leave a message for them here.

Send a message to someone incarcerated at Hamilton County Jail


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