Mclennan County Jail – Waco, TX

Mclennan County Jail is located in McLennan County, Texas and is the jail for this region. Looking for somebody in Mclennan County Jail? This site will tell you all about everything you might want to know about Mclennan County Jail: Find out who’s in jail at Mclennan County Jail? Find inmate mugshots. The jail’s phone number and address. Bail and bail bondsmen. Booking and intake procedures. Court information and records. And lots more.

The chance of going to jail is a scary situation, not only for whoever gets arrested, but also that person’s friends and family. This guide is designed to give you all the information that you’ll need to make helping someone get out of jail easier. If you have specific questions, please feel free to ask it, and also any comments or tips that could be beneficial to other people in the same situation would be much appreciated.

Do you have a family member or friend in jail and want to contact them?

Has a friend or family member that’s been arrested and you don’t know how to find them?

In order to look up who’s in jail at Mclennan County Jail you need to click on their web site and do an inmate lookup.

The Mclennan County Jail Inmate List is an online list of people who are in jail, including status, bail amount (if applicable), and times you can visit. You can find the same information on anyone arrested and booked or released in the past 24-hour period. Jail inmates are listed alphabetically by their last name. You can locate their arrest information faster if you have their first and last name, date of birth, or inmate ID Number.

If the person you are looking for might be incarcerated at a different jail you can check our Texas county jail guide: Other Jails in Texas

A mugshot, also called a booking photo, is a photograph that the jail takes when you are processed at the jail intake. A mugshot is actually two photos one full face and a side-view photo. Your name and jail ID number will be on the mugshot, and they’re on file.

Mugshots of people who have been arrested can be viewed on the Mclennan County Jail website, or you can see them at the Mclennan County Jail. When you search for mugshots online you need to enter their name, and the arrest date.

Do you want to have your mugshot taken down from the Mclennan County Jail site? This may not be possible, since your mugshot is a matter of public record. To get your mugshot taken down you have to file a Petition to Expunge in court. This means that your arrest record will be sealed, so no one will be able to see them. It is difficult to do this, and you will most likely need the services of a lawyer.

For a more in-depth article about getting your mugshot taken down, the many different websites with mugshots, and the mugshot removal websites: How To Get Your Mugshot Removed

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Of course, if you’re incarcerated, your only thought is about how to get out. After you’ve gone through booking, bail is decided either by bail schedule or magistrate. If there is no bail set this may mean that you will either be released, or you are kept in jail until your court date.

If you do bail out you must agree to be in court on your court date, and until that date you can’t leave the area.

Typically, a prisoner at Mclennan County Jail can earn an early release in exchange for good behavior if they don’t break the rules and area a good inmate while incarcerated.

If you do exhibit good behavior and the jail believes you can be trusted, you might be given work release detail. You will be required to return to the jail every day after work, or you might be permitted to move to a halfway house instead of living at the jail.

Bail is how much money that you are required to pay to get out of jail until you go to court. Your bail amount all depends on the seriousness of your crime. Someone you know will need to pay to the courts 10% of the amount that was determined in order for you to bail out of jail. If you fail to show up for your court appearance, the person that bailed you out of jail will not get their money back.

In order to find out how much someone’s bail is, you must call the Mclennan County Jail. If know the pertinent information, like name, address and date of birth, they will tell you what their bail is set at. You can also check their bail amount and status on the Mclennan County Jail site.

Posting bail to get out of jail is an unpleasant situation, but thankfully, it is easy if you have the money. To start with, figure out if they have a Cash Only Bond situation. If so, you will not be able to use a bondsman. They only accept cash at the jail, so you have to take cash – the jail can’t accept a check. As soon as you’ve paid the bail bond, the inmate will get released. If they don’t violate the terms of their bail, you’ll get your money back.

If bail is set too high, or you just can’t afford it, you should use a bail bondsman. They usually have a fee of 10 to 15 percent of the total amount of bail set, and sometimes have a minimum charge of $100. This money will not be returned to you and must be paid in cash. If their bail has been set particularly high, the bail bondsman might ask to use your personal assets as collateral in addition to the fee they charge.

To find a local bail bondsman go to: Find a bail bondsman

Have you ever used the services of bondsman for someone you know or yourself? If you have, please leave a comment below and tell about your experience and let us know how it worked out.

Click here to tell about all about it

• Get Time Off For Good Behavior
• Work Release
• Released For Time Served
• Pre-Trial Release Programs
• House Arrest
• Be Released on Your Own Recognizance

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The jail intake process takes you through each of these steps:

• You will be placed in a waiting area or cell. If there are a lot of arrests, you may not be processed immediately.
• First, will have to answer some basic questions, such as what is your full legal name, your address, birth date and contact person.
• They’ll also ask you about your medical and psychological history.
• You’ll be given an inmate ID.
• Your fingerprints will be taken.
• You will have your mugshot taken.
• Any personal property you have will get taken away from you and stored until you are discharged.
• You will be allowed to make a phone call in order to contact a member of your family, friend, or bail bondsman.
• If they expect that you will make bail and be released quickly, you will be allowed to keep wearing street clothes, otherwise you will be issued a jumpsuit.

Have you ever been booked into jail? If you have, you should share your experience so others can benefit from your story. How long did it take to get through intake? How did the guards treat you? Can you tell us secrets that might help others make it through the process?

Click here to tell about all about it

Once bail has been posted, you will be allowed to leave jail. The discharge process may take from 15 minutes to many hours. In simple terms, the faster you post bail, the quicker you will get discharged. Also, it can depend on whether you’ve been given a cash bond amount or if a magistrate still needs to figure out the amount of bail to be set. For lesser charges, you will simply be booked and then released on your recognizance without having to pay bail. When you have completed your jail sentence and are given a date of your release, plan to be released in the morning.

If the police have a, or if you must begin your jail sentence, you really should follow the law and turn yourself in willingly. If it is for a warrant, go down to the jail, and tell someone that you think there may be a warrant for your arrest. They will do a check to find out if there is an arrest warrant for you, and if they verify that there is a warrant for your arrest, they will take you into custody. If you are reporting to serve out your sentence, report at the time and date that the sentence order lists. Make sure that you are not late to report. Just bring necessary items when you go to jail, like your driver’s license or ID, prescription medication, as well as a sentencing order from court.

In order to have visitors, inmates must list each visitor’s name to the jail in advance. Your visitors will be put in the log for the inmate. Every visitor is required to provide identification. Visitors that gets to visitation or that does not have a visitation order will not be allowed to visit the inmate.
Jail visitation policies are always changing, so make sure that you check the jail site before you go to visitation.

All phone calls from jail are with a pre-paid phone card or account, or are collect calls . Calls made in jail are much more expensive than regular phone calls. There is no limit to when and how often you can use the phone, but you should keep in mind that there are a limited number of phones, so all the inmates must share phone time. If you break the rules, phone calls could be reduced or eliminated altogether.

Phone Number: 254 757-5000

All inmate mail is required to be sent using the actual US Postal Service. You can’t use any other method of mail delivery. Clearly write the prisoner’s name, inmate ID number, and the jail address on the letter. Don’t mail a package or box, envelope with padding, plastic or paper bag, or an envelope containing metal parts. All mail is opened and read by staff, and the mail will get sent back to the person who mailed it if they decide it is inappropriate.

The mailing address for Mclennan County Jail is:

Mclennan County Jail
901 Washington Ave.
Waco, TX 76701

Here is how you should address the letter:

[INMATE’S FULL NAME]
[INMATE ID]
Mclennan County Jail
901 Washington Ave.
Waco, TX 76701

The inmate mail policy at Mclennan County Jail changes, so we suggest that you check the official Mclennan County Jail site when send a letter to someone in jail there.

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When you get arrested, you still have rights, the most important of which is your right to request a lawyer. You won’t get many phone calls in jail, so you would be wise to have a friend or family member find an attorney when you call. You might be thinking ‘do I really need an attorney?’ While you are not required to have one, an attorney will advise you about your rights, look after your best interests and show you the way through the complicated legal system that you are now faced with. The faster you hire an attorney to represent you and work on your case, the better your chances.

For more information on this subject, read our guide: How to Find an Attorney

If you’ve been arrested and cannot afford an attorney, the courts will assign you a public defender, which is a free lawyer. The Public Defender’s Office has a number of staff such as independent investigators, crime scene and forensics experts and case workers. All Public Defenders are bona-fide attorneys who are members of the Texas State Bar and are licensed to practice law in Texas.

Have you or someone you know had to use a court appointed attorney or Public Defender? Do you think that they did a good job of defending you?

McLennan County court records are public records. Court records include a case file with a docket and each of the documents that have been filed. You are able to access your court case records with the online service, or by going to the Clerk of Court where the case was filed.

The Clerk of Court is an officer of the court who manages court records. The Clerk of Court also administer the oath during court cases, and also read the court verdict when the jury has finished deliberations. All records and documents related to your court case are held at Clerk of Court.

Court costs and court fees are all costs from your court case, which include filing fees, motion and claim fees, and court charges. If you don’t have the money to pay these fees and have court appointed legal counsel or a Public Defender, you will not be responsible for these fees.

The McLennan County court magistrate is the judge that will preside on your case in court. Magistrates are judges that do different tasks, like determining how much your bail will be, issuing arrest warrants, and acting as the presiding judge over first court appearances and detention proceedings.

Your pre-sentencing report is prepared with the defendant’s background information and as much detail about the arrestee’s life and history, which the judge will take into consideration when decide your sentence. Information and personal details will be gathered from the person on trial, their family, and in some circumstances the victim in the crime. Don’t forget you are able to request to get a copy of the report prior to sentencing, so you have the opportunity to correct the mistakes.

When you are convicted of a crime, you will be given a sentence for your crime. The judge will have several different options when sentencing you, ranging from community service and probation, to incarceration in either jail (short term) or prison (long term). Depending on the particulars of your trial, the severity of your crime, and any sentencing guidelines that they judge will use, you may be taken into custody, right there in court, or given a date that you must to surrender and report to jail to serve out your sentence.

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Do you need to find out if a family member or friend is incarcerated in jail, or has ever been locked up?

This is pretty easy to do, simply just visit the McLennan County jail website and do an inmate search lookup, and search using:

• The inmate’s name.
• Date of birth.
• Their booking date if you know it.
• and their jail inmate ID.

If you think that they are currently in jail, you can also call the jail find out if they’ve been arrested.

If you think you might have a warrant out for your arrest, you can access arrest warrants on the McLennan County court website or call the jail directly. You have to have the person’s first and last name. Or, you can just go the jail in person and ask them. You should be clear that if there is an arrest warrant out for you, they will take you into custody immediately.

If you know the person’s first and last name, and their arrest date, contact the McLennan County jail, by phone, go there in person, or you can check online. An arrest is public record and this is accessible to anyone.

A Civil Process is when someone has been served with papers, which can be a court order. You can access civil process orders by getting in touch with the McLennan County Sheriff’s office, either by phone or through their website.

All registered sex offenders must be registered on a sex offender database. The people listed on these databases have been tried by jury and convicted in a court of law of a sex or kidnapping crime. You can access these listings online, but keep in mind that you won’t see the exact address, just the block they live on.

Court Records are public records. They include a case file containing a docket and any documents and filings filed in your court case. You can access the court records via the internet service ‘Public Access to Court Electronic Records’, or at the McLennan County Clerk of Court where the case was filed.

Each and every state maintains a record of people’s criminal background. These online databases are connected so you are able to track criminal convictions from another 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 it was in a different state entirely, you may have to pay for a more comprehensive search.

A criminal history search you will be able to find out if someone has been arrested, charged, or convicted for any of the following crimes:

• Driving Under the Influence (DUI).
• Drug crimes like possession or trafficking.
• Kidnapping.
• Rape or other sexual assault.
• Violent crimes including assault, battery and murder.
• Theft.

During a criminal records search, you generally won’t be able to see if someone has had any:

• Speeding or reckless driving.
• Lost their driver’s license or license revoked or suspended.
• Traffic accidents.
• Other moving violations.
• Parking Tickets.

To get driving records, you will have to do a search for their driving history.

Have you ever needed to find criminal records? Was it easy? Did you do your search online or did you make a phone call to the local courthouse? Did you get information that was correct? There are lots of reasons that people look up criminal records and backgrounds, and your feedback could help other people that are in the same situation.

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Most Wanted

For Federal crimes, the FBI has a list of the Ten Most Wanted Criminals. In McLennan County, the Sheriff has their own list of the most wanted criminals, that you can access online.

FBI Ten Most Wanted List: Link


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Life In Jail / What Its Like

Daily Life

Everyone knows that serving a jail sentence in the McLennan County jail is no fun, eventually you will settle into the routine that is set for you in jail. Inmates get an alarm to wake up at about 6:00 AM, and then you’ll have roll call. After roll call you will have breakfast. When you finish eating breakfast participate in the work program that you’ve been assigned to. 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 Mclennan 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 Mclennan 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 inmates at Mclennan County Jail might change, so we suggest that you visit the the Mclennan County Jail website when you send any money.


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 Mclennan County Jail

The Deputy Sheriff is the second in command at the Mclennan 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 Mclennan 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.

Post A Comment


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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.

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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 a prisoner in this jail? Do you have a friend or family member that is an inmate there? Have you ever been to visit an inmate in this jail?

If yes, then we would like you to tell us about it. Tell us about your jail experience so others will know what to expect.

What to include in what you write:

• Jail conditions.
• Jail, yard and pod facility and layout
• Guards and jail staff
• Jail food and commissary
• Visitors
• Other Inmates.
• Prisoner safety
• Jail gangs
• Inmate activities and programs


Write Your Review

Tell Your Story

Anybody that’s ever been locked up has some stories to tell about the whole experience. Why’d you get arrested? How did the guards treat you? What was your daily routine in jail? How did you get along with the other inmates? How did getting locked up affect your life?

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Send a Message to Your Cell Mate

Did you make friends in jail? Do you want to reconnect with somebody you met when you were locked up? Post a message to them below.

Send a message to Mclennan County Jail


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