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Duval County - County Jail - Texas
Duval County Jail in Texas

The Duval County Jail is the county jail for Duval County, Texas.  It is operated by Duval County Sheriff Romeo Ramirez.  It holds detainees who have been apprehended by the Duval County Sheriff’s Department as well as those apprehended by other local law enforcement agencies.

The Duval County Jail is a temporary holding facility.  Inmates at the facility are being held there while awaiting trial, sentencing, or transfer.  There are no long-term inmates at the facility, and there are no inmates serving their sentences at the jail.  However, some inmates who were detained while serving trial may be sentenced to time-served, so that the practical effect is that they spent their entire sentences at the Duval County Jail.

As a temporary holding facility, the Duval County Jail is low on amenities and has to be capable of holding inmates in a wide range of security risks.  Therefore, movement through the facility is very restricted.  Inmates spend most of their time in cells or, if outside of cells, confined to specific areas in their housing units.  They have exercise opportunities, but these are not daily, and exercise is in cages in the yard.  They have access to some amenities, such as a barber shop, library, commissary, and chapel.  However, they do not have access to long-term programming, such as education programming or counseling, which may become available post-sentencing and transfer.

Duval County Jail Address:

The primary address for the Duval County Jail is the same as the address for the Duval County Sheriff’s Office:

Duval County Jail
401 E. Collins Ave
San Diego, TX 78384

Office Hours are:

Monday-Friday
8:00am – 12:00pm
1:00pm- 5:00pm

Mailing Address:

The mailing address for the Duval County Jail is:

Duval County Jail
P.O. Box 547
San Diego, TX 78384

Duval County Jail Phone Numbers:

The general information number for the Duval County Jail is the same as the number for the Duval County Sheriff’s Office.  That number is 361-279-6209.  The fax number is 361-279-2670.  These phone lines may only be answered during office hours.

Inmate Mailing Address:

The mailing address for the Duval County Jail is not the same as the physical address.  The mailing address is:

Inmate’s Full Name
Duval County Jail
P.O. Box 547
San Diego, TX 78384

The facility does not publish guidelines about what type of mail can be sent to inmates.  However, most county jail facilities strictly limit the type of correspondence inmates may receive.  Generally, inmates are restricted to plain mail free of any embellishments like stickers, drawings, perfumes, or unusual inks.

Inmate may be able to receive photographs, but Polaroid-type photos are usually restricted, as well.  Photographs are generally restricted in size, and inmates may be limited to the number of photographs that they can receive at one time or that they can have, in total.

Generally, contraband will either be returned to sender or disposed.  However, if the contraband violates laws, it may subject the sender to prosecution.

Duval County Jail Inmate Search:

Duval County does not maintain an online inmate search tool.  To find out if an inmate is being detained at the Duval County Jail, you will need to call the jail at 361-279-6209 and inquire if the inmate is detained at the facility.  You will need as much identifying information as you have on the inmate, including first name, last name, and date of birth.

In addition, you may want to visit the Duval County Sheriff’s Office Facebook Page.  At this Facebook Page, the Sheriff’s Office regularly post photographs of those who have been taken into custody and detained at the Sheriff’s Office.  While these posts do not replace an inmate search tool, they can help you identify people who have been recently detained by the Duval County Sheriff’s Department in the Duval County Jail.  In addition, these posts include mugshots/booking photos.

VineLink does offer a Texas state-wide inmate monitoring service.  VineLink is used to notify people when an inmate’s custody status changes, including releases and transfers between facilities.  You can sign up at VineLink to be notified of any changes in an inmate’s status.  You can also call VineLink’s informational number to find out information about an inmate’s status.  While this service was created to help victims stay aware of status changes for offenders, it can be used by non-victims as well.

Inmate Bookings/ Recent Arrests:

Duval County Jail does not maintain a booking list, but you may want to visit the Duval County Sheriff’s Office Facebook Page.  At this Facebook Page, the Sheriff’s Office regularly post photographs of those who have been taken into custody and detained at the Sheriff’s Office.  While these posts do not replace an inmate search tool, they can help you identify people who have been recently detained by the Duval County Sheriff’s Department in the Duval County Jail.  In addition, these posts include mugshots/booking photos.   

Mugshots:

The Duval County Jail does not maintain an online mugshot database, a comprehensive online list of detainees, or an inmate search tool.  However, you may want to visit the Duval County Sheriff’s Office Facebook Page.  At this Facebook Page, the Sheriff’s Office regularly post photographs of those who have been taken into custody and detained at the Sheriff’s Office.  In addition, these posts include mugshots/booking photos.    

Jail Visitation:

Visits are Monday-Saturday, with no visitation on Sundays.

Visits need to be scheduled ahead of time.  You must arrive at least 15 minutes prior to your scheduled visit.  If you are a no-show or late to a visit, you will not be able to schedule another visit that week.  If you no-show or are late to a Saturday visit, you will not be able to schedule another visit until Saturday.  Repeat no-shows or late arrivals may result in suspension of visitation privileges.

Inmates can have 1 visit per day.

There is a maximum of four visitors per inmate, including children.  Visitors under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, unless they are visiting a parent.  Minors who are visiting a parent and are not accompanied by an adult must have a copy of their birth certificate when visiting.

All visitors need to have identification, including driver’s licenses, military I.D., or other picture I.D.’s.  Visitors without picture I.D. can bring three pieces of non-picture ID instead.

Visitors can only visit the inmate that they signed up to visit; no visiting with other inmates.  Doing so can result in termination of that visit and your visitation privileges.

Any type of weapon is prohibited in visitation.  In fact, you may be restricted from bringing most things into visitation including: food, drinks, gum, pictures, books, writing utensils, purses, handbags, backpacks, diaper bags, toys, cell phones, cameras, any electronic devices, baby bottles, or writing utensils.  There is an exhaustive list of prohibited items in the jail lobby, but if you have a question about an item, you should contact the jail prior to visitation.

Visitors have to adhere to a dress code and the jail determines whether or not a visitor is in compliance.  Generally, offensive or provocative attire is prohibited.  Items that are specifically prohibited include: see-through clothing, low cut/revealing necklines, mini-skirts, belly-baring clothing, and obscene or offensive words or images.

Inmate Phone Privileges:

The Duval County Jail allows inmates to make outgoing phone calls.  Inmates cannot receive incoming phone calls and the Jail will not take messages for inmates.

Inmates have access to telephones in their housing facilities.   They are permitted to make collect calls, even without establishing phone accounts.  As the recipient of a call from jail, you are responsible for paying the charges associated with that call.

The Duval County Jail uses Securus Tech for its inmate phone accounts.  You can go to their website, www.securustech.net to set up an account. They offer two services.  AdvanceConnect is a prepaid calling account that allows people to receive calls from correctional facilities and to set a pre-set limit on calls from correctional facilities.  Direct bill allows you to receive calls from inmates and receive direct billing from them.  This option is usually used for professionals like attorneys or bondsmen, but is also used by friends and family of people who are incarcerated for long periods of time.

Inmate Trust Accounts / Commissary:

Inmate trust accounts can be used for both commissary and canteen purchases and are a way for inmates to food and hygiene items that are not provided by the Duval County Jail, during the period of their incarceration.

Duval County Jail does not have an online system established for putting money into inmate accounts.  You can deposit money at the jail, during normal operating hours.  The jail address is 401 E. Collins Ave., San Diego, TX 78384.  Normal operating hours are Monday-Friday from 8:00am through 5:00pm, with a one-hour break for lunch from 12:00pm-1:00pm.  If you have any questions about how to make deposits into an inmate’s trust account, you can contact the jail at 361-279-6209.

Bail Information:

Not all inmates are eligible for bail.  You can look at an inmate’s individual record to determine whether or not the inmate is bail eligible and the amount of bail for each charge, as well as the court of jurisdiction. 

You may contact the Duval County Sheriff’s Office about bail questions, during normal operating hours.  The jail address is 401 E. Collins Ave., San Diego, TX 78384.  Normal operating hours are Monday-Friday from 8:00am through 5:00pm, with a one-hour break for lunch from 12:00pm-1:00pm.  

Not all inmates are bond-eligible.  However, even some inmates who are not eligible for bond may be released with payment of a bond.  Generally, these bonds must be paid in full and not partially to secure release. 

If you need to use a bondsman, you can find authorized bail bond companies in the yellow pages under "Bail Bonds."  San Diego is a relatively small area, and, even though it houses the county jail, it does not have a large number of bail bond companies.  Therefore, you may find yourself needing to secure services in a nearby town, such as Alice, Hebbronville, or Falfurrias.  Keep in mind that bail bond companies charge a non-refundable fee for writing bail bonds; even though the bond company will receive their money back as long as the defendant appears at trial, you will be responsible to the bond company for the costs of the bond, regardless of whether your defendant appears at trial.  The Duval County Jail does not recommend particular bail bond companies.

The bond process is not instantaneous.  Inmate releases occur around the clock.  As soon as the necessary paperwork is completed, an inmate will be released.  Because this time may vary, Bond Desk personnel cannot provide exact release times.  To estimate release time, keep in mind that factors such as the day of week, time of day, and the number of other releases being processed all impact release times.

Conclusion

The Duval County Jail, operated by Duval County Sheriff Romeo Ramirez, is the county jail for Duval County, Texas.  It handles people arrested by the Duval County Sheriff’s Office, as well as people detained by other local police departments located in Duval County.

While some local jail facilities operate as holding facilities and post-sentencing punishment facilities, the Duval County Jail is a temporary holding facility.  Inmates at the facility are being held there while awaiting trial, sentencing, or transfer.  They are not there to serve sentences.  Therefore, the population at the Duval County Jail is considered a temporary jail population.

Because the population at the Duval County Jail is a temporary one, the jail has specific challenges.  For example, it has to be a high-security facility, because it must be capable of holding criminals accused of a wide-variety of crimes.  In addition, because inmates are sent there without assessments as to dangerousness or escape risk, security measures are applied to all inmates, even those that are actually low-risk.

Furthermore, the Duval County Jail is a low-amenity jail, because its population is temporary.  It does not offer educational or counseling services.  However, inmates do have access to a barber, chapel, library, commissary, and exercise yards.

The address for the Duval Count Jail is: Duval County Jail, 401 E. Collins Ave., San Diego, TX 78384.   At this address, you can make deposits to inmate accounts, post bond for inmates, and arrange inmate visitation.  You can send inmate mail to the jail’s mailing address: P.O. Box 547, San Diego, TX 78384.  The phone number for the Duval County Jail is: 361-279-6209.

 


Year Built or Opened: 1916 Warden or Supervisor: Sheriff Romeo Ramirez Daily Inmate Count: 37 Total Capacity: 33 Security Level(s): minimum - medium

P.O. Box 547
San Diego, TX 78384

Phone Number(s): 361-279-3351
Fax Number: 361-279-2670
Email Address: [email protected]

401 East Collins
PO Box 547
San Diego, TX 78384-0547