Many people charged with a DWI or another offense have never dealt with the criminal justice system. When you or your loved one has been arrested and charged with DWI, you need to plan an Austin jail release as soon as possible. Getting out of jail is not as easy as you think. It takes a lot of effort to get out of jail as soon as possible. This is why having an experienced attorney is valuable.
The important thing is to get a jail release in motion as quickly as possible. The first step is to locate where a loved one has been detained.
How to Find Whether Your Loved one is in Jail
There are a few different ways to determine whether your loved one is in jail in Austin, TX. These options include:
- Searching the Travis County criminal justice website
- Email inquiry
- Phone inquiry
How to Find Out Whether Your Loved One is in a Jail in Austin, Texas, through the Criminal Justice Website
Visit the Travis County criminal justice website, encode your inmate’s name, and press “submit.” The search should provide the inmate’s charge information, bond amounts, and other relevant information.
If you cannot find your loved one on the website mentioned above, you can learn about their arrest and jailing by emailing the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). You must send your loved one’s full name and the 7-digit TDCJ number in your email. If you don’t know their TDCJ number, you can use their birthday, approximate age, or county of conviction as a substitute.
Phone
The most direct way to learn about a loved one’s arrest is by calling TDCJ by phone. You can contact them from Monday to Friday between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM. You should provide your loved one with TDCJ or their exact date of birth. Call the Travis County Sheriff’s office to learn about your loved one’s arrest at 512-854-9889.
What Happens After Your Loved One Is Arrested in Austin?
An arrest in Austin typically follows every other process across the United States. An arrest will usually follow these steps:
- Booking: Once you’re taken into police custody, the arresting officers will take you to a Georgetown jail. They will most likely search you and confiscate your property. The jail officials will provide a voucher indicating all items they’ve taken from you.
- Questioning: The arresting officers will interrogate you about the alleged criminal activity before or after the booking. They should read out the “Miranda rights” and ensure that you understand.
- Arraignment: After you’ve been arrested and booked, the local prosecutor will formally decide whether to charge you with DWI. If the prosecutor decides to charge you with DWI, a hearing should occur within 48 hours of your arrest. If you enter into a “not guilty,” the judge will set a bail you must pay before you are released. It’s crucial to maintain an attorney at this point to negotiate a fair bond amount or even have your loved one released on their recognizance.
The court can decide on the following types of bond apart from releasing you on your recognizance:
Cash Bond
This is an amount of money similar to the bail posted to the court to guarantee your loved one’s release. The court will retain the money and return it if your loved one attends all court cases.
Property Bond
In this type of bond, you will use your home’s equity as collateral for your loved one’s release. This bond is uncommon since it adds a lot of hassle to the release process, especially when the court has to place a lien on the property. Since there’s a lot of hassle associated with this bond, the court expects you to surrender a property that’s 150% the value of the original bail amount.
Surety Bonds
A surety bond is posted by a third-party company or bail bondsman. It works like a loan, where you must pay a percentage of the bail amount and have the bondsman pay it in full. You will typically pay 10% of the bail amount by cash or through a cashier’s check to the court’s registry.
Again, similar to the cash bond, you must attend all court hearings or risk forfeiting the amount. Therefore, your bail bondsman expects you to place collateral as security for their posted bail.
Attorney Bonds
Travis county allows lawyers to post bonds on behalf of their clients. However, the attorney must confirm that they represent your loved one before they post bail. This is a quicker process than posting a property bond or surety bond. Attorneys are also allies that will remain confidential with your case.
How Do You Pay a Cash Bond in Georgetown, TX?
If you want to pay your bond to facilitate an Austin jail release without using a bail bond agent, you can bring the cash or a cashier’s check to the jail. However, the court doesn’t accept credit cards or personal checks. If you’re loved one is arrested in Georgetown, TX, and charged with DWI, you’ll probably find them in the following jails:
- Williamson County Jail at 306 West 4th Street, Georgetown, TX
- Williamson County Justice Center at 1821 Southeast Inner Loop, Georgetown, TX
How Can an Attorney Facilitate Your Austin Jail Release?
Hiring an attorney can help you get out of jail in many ways. That’s why it’s recommendable to hire one after you’ve learned that your loved one has been arrested. Some of the ways that our lawyer can help you are as follows:
- They can post an attorney bail on your behalf once you agree they will represent you.
- Negotiate a lower bail bond or even have you released on your recognizance during the arraignment phase
- Recommend a reputable bail bond agent who will pay up the bond as fast as possible
- Arrange a walk-through bond that allows you to spend less time in jail than the time you would spend to facilitate your processing
Get Your Loved One Out of Jail with Stephen Bowling DWI and Criminal Defense Attorneys
The easiest way to facilitate an Austin jail release is by involving an attorney. Attorneys have a good relationship with courts and have experience enough to get you through this process as quickly as possible. If a family member or friend has been arrested, don’t hesitate to contact Stephen Bowling DWI and Criminal Defense Attorneys. We are a reputable law firm that has been serving Austin for years. Our attorneys offer the best assistance to release your loved one as fast as possible. Contact us today to learn more about our services.
