If a friend or family member has been arrested in Tarrant County, they’re probably calling you to ask for help bailing them out of jail.

Posting bail typically isn’t particularly difficult, but it usually involves obtaining cash, a money order, a cashier’s check, or even a bail bond.

The first steps are to figure out where your friend is being held and whether bail has been set. Once you know the type of bail and the amount, you can determine the next steps.

How to Bail Someone Out of Jail in Tarrant County

In Tarrant County, the top priority is to find out where your friend or family member is being held. In addition to the Tarrant County Jail, they could also be in custody in Arlington, Mansfield, Keller, or other city-specific jails.

READ MORE: How to find an inmate in Tarrant County

Gather Relevant Information

The county offers free phone calls for arrestees during the booking process. After that, calls will likely be collect and you’ll be required to accept the charges.

Because of this, it’s important to use the initial booking call to gather as much information as possible.

It’s also crucial that you understand that all calls to anyone other than an inmate’s attorney of record are being recorded, so you must be extremely cautious about what you ask and say.

Any information provided during the call can be used as evidence against your friend or family member. 

During the call, get the important details, but don’t ask specifics about their arrest. If you’re dealing with a DUI or DWI arrest, don’t ask specifics about how much they had to drink.

If the arrest is drug-related, don’t ask anything about what they may have been carrying. In other words, don’t ask anything that could potentially require them to provide information that will be used against them. Parents in particular will be tempted to ask these questions, but they will do more harm than good.

Take notes and write down as much information as possible. Stress may prevent you from retaining key information, and sometimes a detail that may seem unimportant at the time can be valuable later.

Ask:

• Their full legal name and date of birth
• Where they’re being held
• Their booking number
• Whether they’ve seen a judge to set bail
• If bail has been set, how much is it?

If they’re unsure where they’re being held, Tarrant County maintains a searchable database.

Contact an Attorney

If your friend or family member hasn’t already retained an attorney, suggest that they contact one and offer to help them search. Make sure they choose someone experienced with criminal cases in Tarrant County.

Michael and Associates offers a free consultation 24/7 and we will help you navigate the bail process. We may be able to help you obtain a personal bond, which, as we will explain, could potentially save you quite a bit of money on bail.

Do You Need to Go to the Jail?

Don’t immediately drive to the jail unless you are certain bail has already been set. Sometimes the magistration process can take hours – or even days – particularly if an arrest occurred overnight. You do not want to have to spend several hours hanging out at the jail.

Instead, devote this time finding an attorney, who may be able to expedite the release process.

If bail has already been set, cash bail will typically need to be paid in person, and ID will be required. This means you’ll likely need to go to the jail once you’ve obtained the money order or cashier’s check for the bond amount.

Post Bail

“Bail” is a dollar amount that must be paid to the county to release your friend or family member. It will be set by a judge or magistrate. Once bail has been posted, the inmate is released from custody.

Bail is a security deposit to ensure that the person will appear in court as directed. If they fail to show up, the bail money is forfeited. 

There are three primary types of bail:

• Cash bonds: This means that a  judge or magistrate sets a bail amount, and that amount will be paid by cash, a cashier’s check, or by money order, and that money is refunded when your case is resolved. 
• Surety bonds: If you can’t afford to pay the full bail amount in cash, you will need to contact a bail bond company. The bail bond company will bail out your friend or family member, but will charge a fee of about 10% of the total bail amount, and that fee is not refundable.
• Personal bonds: Also called a PR (personal recognizance) bond. It requires meeting some specific criteria and paying a nominal fee. PR bonds are less common in Tarrant County than in Texas’ other major counties, and they’re typically only issued for misdemeanors and non-violent felony offenses.

READ MORE: Types of bail bonds

Average Bail in Tarrant County

Capital offense: $337,605.17

First-degree felony: $50,621.22

Second-degree felony: $20,697.83

Third-degree felony: $8,460.56

State jail felony: $4,478.09

Class A misdemeanor: $1788.76

Class B misdemeanor: $830.41

Class C misdemeanor: $581

Bail can be denied in cases involving a violent offense, where the accused is a repeat offender or a flight risk. If your relative has been arrested on a felony probation violation, they may have a “no bond” warrant. In either of these instances, the defendant will have to remain in jail until their case is resolved. 

What Happens If You Can’t Afford to Post Bail?

Sometimes, particularly for violent offenses, bail amounts can seem incredibly high – even $1 million or more. In these cases, even the 10% fee for a bail bond is financially impossible. 

If you can’t afford the bail bond fees, your friend or family member will remain in custody until a plea deal is negotiated or their case is resolved.

In Texas, about 40,000 people – nearly 70% of inmates – are pretrial detainees who can’t afford to post bail.

What Happens After Bail Has Been Posted?

After bail or a bond is posted, it could still take several hours for your friend or family member to be released. At that point, they can go home.

However, the ordeal isn’t over. If they haven’t found an attorney, this must be done quickly.

Where Do People Go After They’re Arrested in Tarrant County?

When someone is arrested in Tarrant County, there are a few different places where they may be held. That’s why it’s important to confirm their location. Chances are they’ll be at Tarrant County jail, but always check to be sure.

Tarrant County Jail (Main Facility)

100 N. Lamar St., 

Fort Worth, TX 76196

The following buses stop near the jail: 15, 2, 46, Orange Line, 63X

Tarrant County Corrections Center

200 Taylor St.,

Fort Worth, TX 76102

Tarrant County Green Bay Facility

2500 Urban Dr., 

Fort Worth, TX 76106